History Through Fiction - The Podcast

by Colin Mustful

Season 11

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

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.

S11 · E10

Jul 20, 2026

23:42

Janyre Tromp on The Scorpion Thief, Burning the Raven Tree, and Myth-Infused Historical Suspense

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, host Colin Mustful speaks with bestselling author and editor Janyre Tromp about the historical mysteries, political tensions, and mythic undercurrents behind The Scorpion Thief and Burning the Raven Tree. From King Tut’s U.S. tour and Cold War maneuvering to haunted Michigan woods and questions of justice, this conversation invites listeners into the places where history grows stranger, darker, and more revealing through story. Together, they explore how a surprising piece of research about the King Tut exhibition sparked The Scorpion Thief, why family conflict became the emotional engine of that novel, and how myths such as Horus and Set—or the tree-of-life traditions that echo across cultures—can deepen historical suspense. Tromp also shares how myth seems to press its way into her fiction, how she balances research with emotional truth, and why she sees story as a safe place to wrestle with difficult questions about grief, memory, justice, and hope. Janyre Tromp is a bestselling and award-winning author of deeply researched historical suspense novels infused with myth, legend, and emotional depth. She is also a longtime developmental editor whose love of language, history, and story shapes both her fiction and her work helping other writers draw out emotional truth on the page. History Through Fiction is a home for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe the past becomes most vivid when it is told through compelling human stories. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn about workshops, events, and the wider History Through Fiction community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E9

Jul 13, 2026

33:09

Widowhood, Freedom, and Partition in British India with Jatinder Koharki | Against the Odds of Tradition

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with Jatinder Koharki, author of Against the Odds of Tradition, about a novel that begins with a woman fleeing death and unfolds against the upheaval of late colonial India. Listeners will discover how widowhood, forbidden love, national independence, and personal reinvention collide in a story that asks what freedom really means when a society denies women a future of their own. Their conversation moves from the brutal legacy of sati and the restrictions placed on widows in 1930s India to the emotional sweep of Mina’s journey through remarriage, identity, and the chaos of Partition. Jatinder reflects on the historical realities behind the novel, the voices often left out of Western conversations about World War II and empire, and the ways private lives are transformed by public history. Jatinder Koharki was born in Punjab, India, moved to Queens, New York, at age ten, and later built a long corporate career before turning toward writing and publishing. Drawing on family stories, historical research, and her own cross-cultural perspective, she brings a deeply personal lens to a novel about women’s autonomy, resilience, and survival. History Through Fiction is more than a podcast—it is a place for readers, writers, and history lovers to explore how story brings the past to life. To discover more episodes, historical novels, workshops, and events, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E8

Jul 6, 2026

26:46

Jackie Lapin on The Historic Traveler, Historical Fiction, and the Places That Bring History to Life

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful sits down with Jackie Lapin, founder of The Historic Traveler, for a conversation about what happens when a love of historical fiction spills off the page and into the world. From historic cities and hidden landmarks to the novels that make them unforgettable, listeners will discover how books can become a doorway into travel—and how travel can deepen the way we experience the past. Together, Colin and Jackie explore the idea at the heart of The Historic Traveler: pairing real places with the historical novels, history books, photographs, and cultural resources that bring those locations to life. Their conversation moves from Jackie’s lifelong passion for historical fiction to the many ways readers, writers, and travelers can use story to connect more meaningfully with the places they visit. Along the way, they reflect on research travel, reader curiosity, and the special power of fiction to make history feel personal, immersive, and alive. Jackie Lapin is the founder of The Historic Traveler, a platform that connects history, travel, photography, and books for readers eager to explore the past in a more vivid way. A longtime writer and serial entrepreneur, she previously built a major sports public relations agency and later launched Conscious Media Relations before creating a project that brings together her enduring passions for history, storytelling, and place. At History Through Fiction, we believe the past comes alive through story, setting, and the imaginative work of seeing history from new angles. Explore more podcast episodes, discover historical novels, and connect with a wider community of readers and writers at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E7

Jun 29, 2026

31:24

Black Sunday and the Women of the Dust Bowl with Jann Alexander, Author of Unspoken

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with author Jann Alexander about Unspoken, her Dust Bowl novel set in the Texas Panhandle. Through the terror of Black Sunday, the threat of dust pneumonia, and the wrenching separation of a mother and daughter, this conversation invites listeners into a history that feels both intimate and unsettlingly relevant. Together, they explore how Alexander used years of research, oral histories, and visual archives to bring the Dust Bowl to life through fiction. The episode moves from the lived realities of families who stayed through drought and storm, to the emotional core of Ruby Lee and Willa Mae's story, to the environmental lessons of overfarming, soil loss, and the long shadow of the Ogallala Aquifer. It is a conversation about survival, memory, and the meaning of home when the land itself turns against you. Jann Alexander is an author, photographer, and artist whose work often centers on place, loss, and endurance. In Unspoken, the first novel in her Dust series, she draws on extensive research into Texas history to illuminate a lesser-known side of the 1930s Dust Bowl and the women and children whose lives were changed by it. History Through Fiction is a place for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe stories can deepen the way we understand the past. To explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and connect with the broader community, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E6

Jun 22, 2026

29:35

Local Honey and the Hidden Fault Lines of 1950s New England with Shawn P. McCarthy

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with Shawn P. McCarthy, author of Local Honey, a novel set in 1951 Massachusetts where postwar optimism collides with class division, lingering trauma, and the uneasy cost of change. It’s a thoughtful conversation about the America that emerged after World War II—and the people who never fully shared in its promised prosperity. Together, Colin and Shawn explore why the “periods in between” can be some of the richest terrain for historical fiction. They discuss the world of Local Honey: displaced women trying to survive on the margins, a wounded veteran attempting to hold together a quiet life, and a town being remade by highways, suburban growth, and old resentments that refuse to stay buried. The conversation also traces how Hoovervilles, postwar emotional fallout, and the moral ambiguity of survival shaped the novel’s atmosphere and its central characters, Becky Bivens and Jim Yarrow. Shawn P. McCarthy is a Massachusetts-based author of fiction and nonfiction whose work often explores the landscapes, histories, and hidden tensions of New England. He is also the author of The Puzzle Box Chronicles and is involved with Dark Spark Press, where he champions historical storytelling and regional voices. History Through Fiction is a place for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe the past comes alive most powerfully through story. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn about workshops, events, and the wider community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E5

Jun 15, 2026

24:10

Ray Welling on Byline for the Dead, the Battle of Toledo, and the Fight for Journalistic Truth

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with Ray Welling, author of Byline for the Dead, a historical mystery-thriller rooted in the 1934 Auto-Lite strike and the violent labor uprising known as the Battle of Toledo. Together, they explore how forgotten local history, investigative journalism, and fiction can recover truths that power would rather leave buried. The conversation moves from the economic desperation of Depression-era Toledo to the novel’s dual-timeline structure, which follows two journalists fifty years apart as they untangle corruption, violence, and institutional amnesia. Ray shares how oral histories, archival research, and his own memories of Toledo helped shape the story, while he and Colin reflect on labor history, Rust Belt decline, and why stories about truth-telling still feel urgently contemporary. Ray Welling is an Australian novelist and nonfiction author with a background in journalism, editing, publishing, and digital strategy. Originally from Toledo and now based in Australia, he brings both a reporter’s eye and a personal connection to the city at the center of the novel—making this episode especially rich in place, memory, and moral stakes. At History Through Fiction, we believe the past comes alive through story—through the novels that reimagine it, the writers who research it, and the readers who carry it forward. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn about workshops, events, and the wider community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E4

Jun 8, 2026

25:45

Echoes on a Fractal Line: Lee-Anne McAulay on Scotland, the 1715 Jacobite Rising, and the Stories Women Carry

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with novelist Lee-Anne McAulay about her debut historical novel Echoes on a Fractal Line, a dual-timeline story set between present-day Scotland and the 1715 Jacobite Rising. Together, they explore how fiction can preserve the past, recover forgotten voices, and reveal the patterns that echo across generations. Their conversation moves from the political tensions surrounding the Act of Union and the Jacobite cause to the emotional heart of Lee-Anne’s novel: women navigating loyalty, survival, friendship, and identity in moments of upheaval. They also discuss Alloa Tower as both a real historical site and a powerful imaginative setting, the mysteries that history leaves behind, and the way contemporary questions about national identity and memory still resonate in Scotland today Lee-Anne McAulay is a novelist, former head teacher, and lifelong storyteller based in Central Scotland. In this episode, she shares how local history, archival research, and a deep connection to place shaped Echoes on a Fractal Line, as well as how her own path from teaching to publication informed her creative life. History Through Fiction is a space 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 History Through Fiction community, workshops, and events at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E3

Jun 1, 2026

24:33

Joe Paone on The Baron’s Daughter: Forbidden Love and World War I Italy

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with Joe Paone, author of The Baron’s Daughter, about forbidden love, family duty, and the human cost of war in southern Italy on the eve of World War I. Listeners are invited into a conversation that moves from the olive groves of Calabria to the trenches of the Isonzo, revealing how historical fiction can bring emotional truth to moments of political upheaval. Together, they explore Angelina and Paolo’s cross-class love story, Italy’s uncertain path into war, and the tension between personal loyalty and larger ideological forces. Joe reflects on writing characters who felt deeply real to him, balancing historical research with emotional intimacy, and shaping a novel where romance, resistance, and questions of class all collide. Joe Paone is a history and government teacher in the Philadelphia suburbs and the author of The Baron’s Daughter and Michael and the Magic Christmas Mirror. Drawing on his Italian-American heritage, years of teaching, and a long fascination with World War I, he brings both personal connection and historical depth to a story rooted in love, loyalty, and survival. History Through Fiction is a home for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe the past comes alive through story. Explore more historical novels, discover workshops and events, and join the wider community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E2

May 26, 2026

28:33

Brynn Barineau on Writing Jungle of Ashes and the Rise and Fall of Fordlandia

In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, host Colin Mustful speaks with Brynn Barineau, author of Jungle of Ashes, about the astonishing true history behind her novel: Henry Ford’s attempt to build a rubber empire in the Brazilian Amazon. Together, they explore Fordlandia as both historical spectacle and human tragedy—an ambitious industrial dream undone by arrogance, cultural misunderstanding, and the brutal realities of the rainforest. Brynn shares how her years living in Brazil first introduced her to this overlooked story and why she felt compelled to turn it into fiction. The conversation moves from the real history of Fordlandia to the craft of writing Jungle of Ashes, including her decision to humanize this vast historical failure through two young protagonists, Joanna and Rafael. Brynn and Colin also discuss the science behind the rubber plantation’s collapse, the emotional and political stakes of writing about cultural collision, and the way historical fiction can make readers want to keep digging into the past. They also talk about Brynn’s personal journey as a writer, teacher, mother, and independent author—covering everything from life in Brazil to the long road to publication, the validation of early reviews, and the creative struggle of making art while balancing work and family. The result is a rich conversation about history, storytelling, resilience, and the hidden costs of empire. History Through Fiction is more than a podcast—it’s a place for readers, writers, and lovers of historical storytelling to discover overlooked history through novels, conversations, workshops, and community. To explore more episodes, books, and events, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

S11 · E1

May 18, 2026

39:35

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