The Historical Connection

By Adriana Girolami 

Generally speaking authors write historical books, since yesterday is already in the realm of history. Little difference exists in envisioning the Appian Way during the Roman Empire or a charming little town in America's heartland during the turn of the nineteenth century.

We are all products of our environments. In most cases authors favor writing about familiar places which stimulate and appeal to their imagination the most.

I am a historical author and credit my inspirations to the haunting beauty of the old continent of Europe since I was born there. It helped me to create exciting story lines with the backdrop of splendid historical castles. Heroic knights with swords blazing and smoldering romances with beautiful damsels in distress exemplifies this period in history.

However, the characters we create with such devotion seem to breed a life of their own. At times, they strongly resemble people we are familiar with, regardless of the chronological time in history.

I was surprised to notice one of my favorite characters in the Knights Templar Trilogy, Wilfred the Valiant, had a strong resemblance to my dear late father. His speech pattern was strongly akin to phrases and words my father used when he spoke to me. I guess I didn't realize how important those words were to me at the time. I treasured and saved them throughout the years in the recesses of my mind, until they came alive in the pages of my books. I realized now how important they were, and how deeply he had affected me. He was truly my Knight in shining armor.

It would be helpful for authors to revisit places they have known throughout their lives. Areas they loved or are just familiar with lend easily to creating storylines. I am certain that endless possibilities will sprout from it.

If memories linger throughout the years, those recollections likely are dear to us. In general, our characters are a composite of people we have known, as well as they bring parts of ourselves into the equation.

Since I love to travel, many of my characters were created while I was fortunate enough to visit palaces and castles throughout Europe. I could actually see them come alive with such clarity, that it even shocked me at times. It was a riveting experience as I relished the joy of being surrounded by the majesty of history still alive in the dust of time.

However, in today's world we don't have to travel very far to be connected with special, exotic places. Through the magic of the Internet we can now visit places in the world that people in the past could only dream about.

We are privileged to be part of this ever-changing world. It gives us the opportunity to explore and create. It helps us to benefit from our past, and create a myriad of storylines for the future. It is an honor for all of us to replenish the endless firmament of books, with creativity and beauty. 

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Adriana Girolami is an historical romance author. She was born in Rome, Italy and credits the ancient beauty of her native country for her love of history. She immigrated to the United States and attended The Art Students League in New York City. She is a professional portrait artist who loves to write and express her creativity not only with a brush, but also with the power of the written words.  Her debut novel, Mysterious Templar, is now a trilogy followed by The Crimson Amulet and on March 1, 2017 Templar's Redemption will also be published. Being also an artist she particularly enjoys painting the covers for all her books. She loves to travel with her husband and has been privileged to visit many beautiful places in the world. Since her work is sedentary, she exercises faithfully, loves to jog, plays racquetball and has a black belt in Kenpo Karate. She always looks forward to a special tomorrow and writing her next exciting novel.