What:
Two of my three published novels are historical fiction. For the first, Charlotte’s Story, I assumed the voice of one of Jane Austen’s characters, Charlotte Lucas, so that book is set in the early nineteenth century. My recently released novel, Riddle of Spirit and Bone, has a dual timeline—2015 and 1851—and the earlier timeline is given more space. My current work in progress is also historical, as it takes place in 1936.
Why set so many novels in the past? For one thing, I have always found that fiction is a wonderful way to read about life in distant times, and when I came to write novels myself, I was drawn to the past as well.
I also like the relatively slower communication of bygone times. Much contemporary fiction, especially of the mystery-thriller sort, relies on super-fast interaction by cell phone and text. Obscure facts are discovered with implausible speed via the internet. This produces books that are exciting page-turners, but I prefer to write plots where events unfold at a measured pace and leave the reader time to ponder setting and character and description.
Why:
As a university professor, I taught and wrote in the field of philosophy. While the styles of writing are certainly different, philosophy and fiction are not necessarily all that distant when it comes to exploring ideas, and one of the things I like to do is present characters whose beliefs differ from my own. It’s an opportunity to figure out other points of view, to try to imagine what it would be like to believe in things like ghosts or destiny, and to place oneself in another’s fictional shoes. This is a major theme of Riddle of Spirit and Bone, as some of the characters are committed to the spiritualist movement, and one of them is a medium. I found it intriguing to play off her beliefs alongside the skepticism of her artist cousin. (Does the spirit of the uncle really return? Are they being duped? How trustworthy is conviction?) I was also interested to explore the ways that spiritualism, whatever its claims for validity, helped to free women from traditional norms of authority.
How:
From the publication dates of my three novels, 2025, 2023, and 2021, it probably looks like I pour out words with great speed, but nothing could be further from the case. In fact, my second novel, Little Follies: A Mystery at the Millennium, took eighteen years from start to finish. (Granted, that was an off and on endeavor.)
My typical slow pace is partly due to the fact that I think on the page, which requires going over text repeatedly until it sounds right. An idea that first is only vague takes shape and goes in directions that I would not have imagined had I not started actually to write. This method (or non-method) makes me more of a pantser than a plotter, although, oddly, I always envision the final scene of a novel quite early in the process of writing. I don’t necessarily know how I’m going to get there, but that last scene hovers just beyond reach until the words unfurling on the page manage to arrive at their destination.
The discovery of a skeleton buried beneath a city sidewalk leads a group of student archaeologists to the nineteenth century spiritualist movement and the journey of three women seeking answers from beyond the grave. As the past collides with the present, layers of time peel back to reveal long-buried secrets of loss, love, and murder.
Bio:
Carolyn Korsmeyer is a philosopher turned fiction writer. Her previous two novels include a narrative set in Jane Austen’s England and a mystery set in Krakow at the turn of the last century. She lives in Buffalo, New York, where half of the dual timeline story of Riddle of Spirit and Bone takes place.
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Thank you for visiting.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist
Books: In the Context of Love | Gordy and the Ghost Crab | Sleepwalker
New novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, coming fall 2026 from Regal House Publishing
Connect with Linda on social media: LinkTree
