Marie Bartlett: Turning the Page from Nonfiction to Fiction

After focusing for more than 25 years on writing creative nonfiction as a freelance writer, I’ve now turned my attention to historical fiction with my first novel, Pearl, MD (July 2013).

Available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Books-a-Million and publisher Taylor & Seale, Pearl, MD is set in Asheville, NC, during the 1880s. It tells the story of a strong-willed woman doctor who tries to set up a practice in this small mountain town despite a less than friendly reception. The sequel, titled Pearl, MD: the Way West is set in Fort Smith, AR and Tombstone, in the Arizona Territory, 1884.

Writing fiction opened up a new world of challenges for me and I now have a new respect for writers who create their own characters and the worlds they inhabit. Even if it doesn’t always stick to the facts, fiction writing still requires a steady hand, an acute attention to detail, and the ability to mold a world that feels real and believable to the reader. In other words, it takes a whole lot of work.