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One-on-One: Explore Historical Fiction Writing with Adam Sikes

Recorded

September 30, 2026

Duration

1 Hour

Cost

Free

Subjects

Publishing, Screenwriting

Topic

Craft
Listen

Writing historical fiction requires great amounts of research, understanding when to toss the facts in favor of fiction, and how to organize all of the voluminous files you'll collect.

Then there's the question every historical fiction writer asks ... When is it okay to fictionalize real, historical figures?

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman chats with novelist (and former CIA) Adam Sikes to dissect the processes they each use when writing their historical novels.

Join us for a casual conversation, including your questions, as they dive into the strategies that have helped them as well as the challenges of bringing history to life in a dynamic, and fictional way.

Resources:

Daily Life ... resource books by era/region
Sears Roebuck & Co. Catalog
Session Chat

Adam's Symposium Host Page

What attendees have said ...

"As someone who is working on a first draft of a historical fiction novel, I enjoyed ALL of it. Excellent conversation!"

"Excellent conversation. The guest was fabulous, I took tons of notes."

"I think both presenters where great, engaging and talk about relevant matters. Also, they address interesting questions. I had to leave earlier (unfortunately), but I’ll finish the presentation as soon as I get the recording. THANK YOU!"

"So many thoughts--your research methods, varying perspectives, accuracy of historical periods, varying cultures, varying fictional supplements, A.I. I'm grateful I can relisten to several sections and take better notes."

"I love candid discussion about real historical fiction writer’s processes with emphasis in what works for them and what does not."

"The wonderful chemistry between the author and the interviewer. Both so bright articulate."

"Loved their energy. It was very informative. You felt like they knew what they were talking about. They covered briefly something I was interested about which was different time lines."

"I loved the discussion at the end about other primary sources you might not have thought of, including novels published in that time. That opened a whole new door of ideas for me!"

Host

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman
Jeanne Veillette Bowerman is a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group and Book Pipeline, Editor-in-Chief of Pipeline Artists, co-host of the Pipeline Artists original podcasts, "Reckless Creatives" and "The Story Will Save You," former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest. Her Script column "Balls of Steel" was selected as recommended reading by Universal Writers Program. A […]

Panelist

Adam Sikes
Adam Sikes is a former paramilitary officer with the CIA and a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran. He has operated around the world, and his experiences now inform his writing. His first novel, Landslide, was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards, and his latest novel, The Underhanded, was a finalist for the American Fiction Awards. Adam holds […]

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One-on-One: Explore Historical Fiction Writing with Adam Sikes

September 30, 2026
Jeanne Veillette Bowerman chats with novelist Adam Sikes to dissect the processes they each use when writing their historical novels. Join us for a casual conversation, including your questions, as they dive into the strategies that have helped them as well as the challenges of bringing history to life in a dynamic, and fictional way.

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