History Through Fiction - The Podcast

History Through Fiction founder and editor Colin Mustful talks with historical novelists about their craft of weaving history and fiction to create engaging, historically detailed stories.

History Through Fiction - The Podcast is a fiction podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 167 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts History Through Fiction - The Podcast, a fiction show with 167 episodes published.

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  Episode #14

  Rhys Bowen on The Castle in the Glen, the Isle of Skye, and Writing a Mystery Within a Mystery

  Aug 17, 202623 minS11

  In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast , host Colin Mustful welcomes bestselling author Rhys Bowen to discuss her new novel, The Castle in the Glen . Set against the stark beauty and quiet danger of Scotland’s Isle of Skye, this conversation explores how place, memory, and layered storytelling can transform a historical mystery into something haunting and unforgettable. Together, Colin and Rhys dive into the origins of the novel, from Bowen’s early memories of Skye as a place of both beauty and threat to the intricate structure of a story built around a famous novelist, a young writer, and a mystery that may be rooted in real events. They talk about writing across multiple timelines, creating a novel-within-a-novel, and building suspense by slowly peeling back each layer of danger and discovery. Along the way, Rhys also reflects on research, historical authenticity, collaboration, pen names, audiobooks, and the unexpected ways stories can matter deeply in readers’ lives. Rhys Bowen is the internationally bestselling author of numerous historical novels and mysteries, including the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness series. In this episode, she offers a fascinating look at the craft behind The Castle in the Glen and the creative choices that help bring both landscape and history vividly to life. If you enjoy stories where history, atmosphere, and literary craft come together, this episode is for you. To discover more historical novels, podcast conversations, workshops, and events from the History Through Fiction community, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com .

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  Episode #13

  Saifedean Ammous on The Gold Standard, Bitcoin, and How World War I Changed Money

  Aug 10, 202631 minS11

  In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast , Colin Mustful speaks with economist and author Saifedean Ammous about The Gold Standard , a book that blends history, alternate history, and economics into one provocative thought experiment. Together, they explore what might have changed if the world had stayed on the gold standard—and why that question still matters for anyone trying to understand war, inflation, freedom, and modern money. Their conversation moves from the real monetary world of the late nineteenth century into Ammous's imagined turning point of 1914, where faster aviation and entrepreneurial ingenuity create a radically different financial future. Along the way, they discuss World War I, central banking, the Wright brothers, Louis Blériot, the logic behind alternate history, and the connection Ammous draws between gold, Bitcoin, and decentralized control over wealth. Saifedean Ammous is an economist, educator, and author of The Bitcoin Standard , The Fiat Standard , Principles of Economics , and now The Gold Standard , his first work of fiction. A former university professor with a background in engineering and economics, he brings a distinctive perspective to questions of money, history, and human progress. At History Through Fiction , we love conversations that bring the past to life through imagination, research, and bold ideas. Explore more historical storytelling, discover novels and authors, and connect with a wider community of readers and writers at https://www.historythroughfiction.com .

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  Episode #12

  Dietrich Kalteis on Rust and Bone, German Villages in Ukraine, and Survival at the End of World War II

  Aug 3, 202623 minS11

  In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast , Colin Mustful welcomes author Dietrich Kalteis to discuss Rust and Bone , a haunting novel set among German settlements in Ukraine as the Second World War collapses around them. Through family memory, deep research, and historical imagination, listeners are invited into a lesser-known story of displacement, endurance, and the fragile hope that survives in the midst of ruin. Together, Colin and Dietrich explore the civilian side of World War II through the intertwined journeys of Jacob, a teenage boy fleeing a village destroyed by Soviet troops, and Frida, a young girl trying to survive the devastation near Berlin. Their conversation moves from the settlement history of Germans in Ukraine to the brutal realities of forced flight, bombed trains, hunger, cold, and uncertainty. Along the way, Dietrich reflects on how oral history from his father and the lived experience of his mother helped shape the novel’s emotional core, and how research allowed him to render trauma, fear, and resilience with both restraint and force. Dietrich Kalteis is a novelist known for crime fiction as well as historical work, including Under the Outlaw Moon and Rust and Bone . In this conversation, he speaks not only as a writer of suspense and atmosphere, but as someone drawing on family stories rooted in wartime Ukraine and Berlin—bringing rare immediacy to a story about survival, memory, and what young people discover when the world they were taught to trust collapses around them. At History Through Fiction , the past becomes most vivid when it is carried through story—through the novels, questions, and human voices that help us feel history as well as learn it. Explore the broader world of historical novels, workshops, events, and community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com .

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  Episode #11

  Donna Jones Alward on Ship of Dreams, Titanic, and the Women at the Heart of History

  Jul 27, 202633 minS11

  In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast , host Colin Mustful speaks with Donna Jones Alward, author of Ship of Dreams , about reimagining the Titanic through female friendship, class, courage, and the emotional lives of the women aboard. Listeners will discover how a story everyone thinks they know can feel newly intimate when the focus shifts from spectacle to character. Together, Colin and Donna explore the real-world details that shaped Ship of Dreams : the opulence of first-class life, the strange and haunting atmosphere aboard the brand-new ship, the Halifax connection to the disaster, and the many small conditions that made the tragedy possible. They also talk about why historical fiction works best when history provides the structure but human relationships provide the heart. Donna Jones Alward is the author of Ship of Dreams and When the World Fell Silent . A longtime novelist now writing historical fiction after a career in romance, she brings deep attention to character, research, and the emotional complexity of women’s lives. In this conversation, she reflects on writing female friendship, balancing historical fact with story, and building novels that are both deeply researched and moving. History Through Fiction is more than a podcast. It is a place for readers, writers, and lovers of the past to discover new historical novels, learn from working authors, and explore the craft of storytelling. To find more episodes, books, events, and community offerings, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com .

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  Episode #10

  Marie Gage on War Brides, Sisterhood, and the Aftermath of WWII in A Touch of Promise

  Jul 20, 202624 minS11

  In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast , Colin Mustful is joined by Marie Gage, author of A Touch of Promise , to explore the overlooked history of the women who crossed the Atlantic for love after World War II and found themselves rebuilding their lives in unfamiliar places. Through the story of Pearl Griffith, listeners are invited into a moving conversation about belonging, resilience, and the quiet ways war continues long after the fighting ends. Set in 1947, A Touch of Promise follows a young English war bride adjusting to life in Canada while facing emotional isolation, culture shock, and a difficult mother-in-law. In their discussion, Colin and Marie explore the real history behind the novel, the support systems women created for one another, and the lasting impact of wartime trauma on families trying to move forward. The conversation also reflects on why stories of ordinary people matter so deeply, especially when they illuminate the human side of history that often goes untold. Marie Gage is a Canadian author whose historical fiction draws from genealogical research, lived experience, and the stories passed down through family memory. In this episode, she shares how her mother-in-law’s experience as a war bride helped inspire the novel and how her own professional encounters with long-term psychiatric trauma shaped her understanding of the postwar world she brings to the page. History Through Fiction is a home for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe the past comes alive through story. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn more about the broader community, workshops, and events at https://www.historythroughfiction.com .

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