Gotta love that quote from Mark Twain. It goes a long way to describing my approach in my novels. It’s also descriptive of another well-known term, Artistic License. It’s where an artist or author disregards the actual facts of a story to present it in a manner they feel most compelling. Under many circumstances ignoring the actual truth, then representing a story as real, is greeted with derision, even contempt. However, at other times Artistic License is appreciated for the entertainment value that results. It’s all due to how things are presented. A stretching of the truth is generally accepted – if it’s clear that it’s being done in the first place. This can reveal itself in different ways.

In my novels of The Witch’s Foundling series, a large part of the action takes place at the country estate of Briarstone Manor. I never say specifically where in England but I was inspired by Yorkshire with it moody moors. However, I needed some pivotal scenes to take place in a forest setting. At the time of my stories, late 19th century England, a lot of resources had been used for the massive, domestic engineering projects of the day. Thanks to conservation efforts, forests are now more vigorous than they were. However, back then it would have been different.

A modern image that conveys a sense of the moody setting for The Witch’s Foundling and The Secret Cage. This is what I envision for the enviroment around Briarstone.

The other point on which I take some Artistic License is with the relationship between Sally, the protagonist of The Witch’s Foundling and The Secret Cage and the servants of Briarstone Manor. Such relationships traditionally adhered to a rigid hierarchy. Servants did not talk with their masters unless directly addressed. Sally’s conversations with some of the staff would likely never have occurred in a true Victorian household of the time. However, I figured, Sally’s outlier status could have made such interactions possible, even likely. Also, due to her questionable background, the servants would not necessarily see her as higher in the social order.

If I stayed within the confines of historical accuracies there would have been a lot of interesting scenes that never would have occurred. In cases like this, I followed what I wanted for the story instead. Not to mention that if you’re going to have witches, ghosts, sorcerers and demons running around, you’ve already stepped outside the normal bounds of history.

In the end, Artistic License is fine for fiction, not so much for non-fiction. The book scene today is abundant with alternate histories fiction, time travelling adventures and gothic, Gaslamp Fantasies like my novels. It always comes down to your goal for your story. Ultimately, as an author you get to decide what that is. As a reader, you get to decide if you’re willing to allow for that deviation into the fantastical, or not. How do you feel about “Artistic License”? Let me know on Facebook or Instagram.

I couldn’t let you go without showing you my latest illustration, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Here’s one blind date to be wary of. Our lovely gorgon, Medusa is really only into Valentine’s Day for the chocolate. So, if that’s your favourite part of that particular celebration of romance you can join forces with her. This illustration can be found on an abundance of high-quality products in our Redbubble Store. Check it out and enjoy the some yummy goodies all for yourself.