Fiona McIntosh is an absolute master of her craft. She’s just released her 39th book, The Champagne War, and has written across genres of historical fiction, crime, fantasy and non-fiction. Fiona teaches writing in hugely sought after workshops and would be at peak happiness sipping coffee in Paris, eating dark chocolate after buying a pair of fashionable winter boots.

In this episode, we talk about what makes great historical fiction, Fiona’s start as a fantasy writer, the joys of surprise meetings during research trips, and the dreaded ‘R’ word in genre fiction… romance.

During the show Fiona recommends Sharon Penman for ‘brilliant’ historical fiction. She also recommends Ken Follet for historical fiction with pace and human connection, plus Guy Gavriel Kay who weaves real-world events from ancient history into his fantasy.

For a round up of all the Genre Wars episodes, head to http://timhawken.com/genrewars