historical fiction

All posts tagged historical fiction

18 July 2025

Published July 16, 2025 by rochellewisoff

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

Another WWI hero denied his due in his own time.

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY?

Twelve-year-old Elsie listened with rapt attention to Uncle Jim, Daddy’s army buddy from the war.

            “There I was, bleeding in that French field, waiting to meet my maker. Then here comes your daddy, larger than life, slings me across his shoulders and runs back to the bunker under enemy fire.”

            “Daddy never told me.”

            “He’s too modest. It angers me that he never got the Congressional Medal of Honor he so deserved—because he was a Jew.”  

            War’s not about medals.” William Shemin shrugged. “I love my country.”

            Elsie ground her teeth. “Daddy, someday I’m going to right this wrong.”

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21 March 2025

Published March 19, 2025 by rochellewisoff

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Genre: Fiction
Word Count: 100

SHINE ON

Granddaddy leaned back in his threadbare recliner. The faraway gleam in his faded blue eyes told me a story was coming.


“Ginger stew. Mommy mixed in brown sugar and ginger. According to her it’d cure jest about anything.


“Rainwater made the best moonshine. And ya needed good tree cover in the woods. A-course it weren’t legal. We was always lookin’ over our shoulders for the law.”


“Why’d ya do it?” I gasped. “Wasn’t ya scared?”


“It was our cash crop. Scared? Nah. It’s like dating a woman that’s married,” he chuckled. “If it ain’t got risk, it ain’t no fun.”

21 February 2025

Published February 19, 2025 by rochellewisoff
Thoreau NZ birds

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Phriday Phictioneers Phone

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If this photo prompt looks familiar to you, it’s because it’s a rerun from Aptil 2016. I’m sort of rerunning my story from that week although it needed tweaking. 😉

Genre: Fact and Fiction
Word Count: 100

SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE

At a critique group I shared an excerpt from my historical novel set in 1904.


“‘…The taller officer, an imposing presence with dark skin, fascinated Havah. Although she had read about them in Professor Dietrich’s books about Africa and American history, she had never met a Negro face to face.’”


“I hate to burst your bubble,” said another writer with self-assured conviction. “I doubt there would’ve been a black officer back then.”


Returning her smug smile, I opened my Kansas City history book to a photo of Lafayette Tillman on horseback. “Second one on the KC force.”

.

.

CLICK TO CHECK OUT MY HISTORICAL SERIES

11 October2024

Published October 9, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

THREE STEPS AND A HOP

Ettore patted Jerry’s head. “How’s it going small fry?”

Twelve-year-old Jerry squared his shoulders, stretched to his full four-foot-three-inches, glaring up at his six-foot-tall eighteen-year-old brother. “Who you calling ‘small fry’?”

The youngest of eleven siblings, he’d always be the shortest.

Over the years his lack of height served him well as an actor and a stuntman. His hand and footprints appear in front of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Puffing on his cigar, eighty-year-old Jerry Maren reminisced about his part in The Wizard of Oz. “Great times. That mangy mutt made better money than us Munchkins did.”

20 September2024

Published September 18, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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The following is a repeat and if you remember it, bless you. It means you’ve been on board the FF bus for seven full years! 😀

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

RADIUM DIAL

            “Jinny was barely growed. 1914-1934” Her lower lip quivered as she traced the dates on the headstone with a frail finger. “She earned $17.50 a week painting them glow-in-the-dark clock numbers.”

            Wind gusting across St. Columbus Cemetery chilled me. “Let’s get you home, Mrs. Abbot.”

            “Not yet. I want you to see.” She seethed and brandished a Geiger counter probe over her sister’s grave. “Jinny took sick. Strange. Her jaws done crumbled. Died like the other girls at her factory. The doctors made lame excuses. Damned liars is what they was.” The machine sputtered. “That sound like Diphtheria to you?”

To know more…lots more CLICK HERE.

*****************

28 June 2023

Published June 26, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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PHOTO PROMPT©Dale Rogerson

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

WHEN YOUR IMAGINATIONS COME TRUE

“Can Lucy and Katie eat with us?”

Grandma shook her head. “Nonsense. It’s for sure and certain they’re imaginary, Maud.”

“They aren’t nonsense. They live in the fairy closet behind the bookcase. I’m going to write about them.”

“Enough!” Casting his steely-eyed gaze at eight-year-old Maud, Grandpa pounded the table. “Ladies don’t write.”

Maud later wrote, “Down, deep down under all the discouragement and rebuff, I knew I would ‘arrive’ someday,”

During her lifetime Lucy Maud Montgomery published twenty novels, including Anne of Green Gables, over five-hundred short stories, an autobiography, and a book of poetry. She indeed, had arrived.

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14 June 2024

Published June 12, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

WE BEGIN WITH THE YOUNG

            “I like the pretty golden bird on the cover of this book, Opa. What’s it about?

            Herrick gently took the blue, leather-bound volume from his granddaughter.

            “This was given to me a very long time ago.”

            “Will you read me a bedtime story from it?”

            Gathering Gretchen onto his lap, Herrick closed his eyes and remembered the day the youth leader had issued him a fresh uniform and the virulent tome. So proud he’d been to serve his country. So fervent.  

            Herrick fished a pack of matches from his pocket.

            “Nein, Liebling. I ‘ve a better plan für dieses buch.”

Original artwork © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

LAST DANCE WITH ANNIE is available to order in hardback, paperback or ebook, HERE, HERE, and HERE! Also available on Amazon Canada, Australia, UK, Germany and New Zealand. 

26 April 2024

Published April 24, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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PHOTO PROMPT © Fleur Lind

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The following is admittedly a seven-year-old rerun. I’ve been extremely distracted of late and didn’t feel I could get away with another “my muse didn’t show up story.”…which she didn’t. 😉

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

FAMILY TREE

            “‘And they lived happily ever after.’” Leah shut the storybook.

            Shifra’s raisin-brown eyes, round as bottle caps, sparkled. “Bubbie? Did you love Grandpa at first sight?”

            “He was only eight when we met. Mama took him in…hid him from the khappers, bad men who snatched little Jewish boys from their homes and made them serve twenty-five years in the Czar’s army.”

            “Did she hide him in the closet?”

            “No she was smart, my Mama.”

            “He was like your brother, right?”

            Leah pointed to a tintype on the table of two little bonneted girls and grinned. “More like my sister.“

*****

Below is my first attempt at creating a reel on Canva and posting it to Instagram. It works on my end if I click the picture. Let me know how it works for you.

The ebook can be preordered HERE, HERE and HERE! Release Date is June 4! If you’re not an ebook fan, paperback and hard back copies will be available on and after June 4! 😀

16 February 2024

Published February 14, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit. 

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

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HAPPY NEWS! We’re in the final stretch of my upcoming novel LAST DANCE WITH ANNIE. Cover soon to be revealed.

Teaser. This is not the cover, but this artwork is used.

So begins another week of Friday Fictioneers. Happy Valentine’s Day. ❤ I have a favor to ask. Since at least four comments came up as “anonymous” last week, could you identify yourself? I’m not sure what’s up with that. Thank you.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

TIME SIGNATURES

“I haven’t seen you practice at all, Oscar.” Fourteen-year-old Daisy scowled at her nine-year-old brother. “How do you expect to perform if you don’t practice?”

“Like this.” He played a Chopin piece without missing a note.

Daisy sighed. After hours of diligent practice, she still made mistakes.  

Never a public performer, Daisy Peterson Sweeney passed away at the age of 97. It seemed that all of Montreal turned out to pay their respects. Generations of her piano students sang her praises.

Among her first pupils, Oscar Peterson was hailed as one of the greatest jazz pianists of the twentieth century.  

To learn more about Daisy CLICK HERE

To learn more about Oscar CLICK HERE

15 September 2023

Published September 13, 2023 by rochellewisoff

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This weekend is Rosh HaShanah, the beginning of the Jewish New Year. So it seemed the time to remember.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Word Count: 100

SURVIVAL

Risa kissed her slice of bread before slathering it with butter and taking a bite. She ate slowly, savoring every morsel.  

Ten-year-old Aaron’s gaze held her, his brown eyes wide. “Bubbe, why do you kiss your bread like you would kiss a holy book if you had dropped it?”

“Bread is holy and precious. In the camp, a slice of bread could buy a bag of gold. A slice of bread stood between life and death.”

Aaron kissed his toast. “Blessed are You, Adonai our God Who brings forth bread from the earth and saved my dear grandma with it.”

*******

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