I have always resisted labels and categories, in fact. I think they do more harm than good. Trying to figure out what 'box' to put a book in can get in the way of a more important question: Is it good? Having said that, the usual description for my work these days is 'historical fantasy'. I am 'accused' of having just about invented the form, and of course a number of others explore it now. I do extensive research into a time and place, then shift it slightly. One scholar called it 'a quarter turn to the fantastic'. I do this for many reasons, but one is respect for the actual lives lived in the past. I don't want to pretend I know the innermost thoughts of real people, from El Cid to the great Tang Dynasty poets. I prefer to share with the reader an awareness that the book is inspired by real events and people, but we must be honourable and respectful in how we deal with them. Thus, the mixture of history and the fantastic.
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