The Church Cut into the Ground
How I imagined a church carved down into the rock, and what I borrowed from real stonework.
Novels from a kingdom I made up
I’m Meron. I write historical novels set in the kingdom of Aderan, send research letters every Monday, and sell my ebooks, maps, timelines, a research workbook and two courses.
Historical novelist
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Letters from Aderan
A research letter every Monday: a source, a map, a decision and a page I threw away.
Turning the Pages of an Old Book
What I learned from handling a painted manuscript, and what a scribe’s day was like.
Where I Write the Mornings
A desk by a window, a clay pot of coffee and three hours before the world wakes.
Newsletter
Letters from Aderan
A research letter every Monday: a source, a map, a decision and a page I threw away.
Online course
My course
Video course · 8 lessons
Researching Historical Fiction
From the first question to the last footnote: finding sources, taking notes and using them lightly.
- Choosing a time and a place
- Finding your sources
- Reading a primary source
- Taking useful notes
- Asking small questions
- Getting the details right
- Wearing it lightly
- Checking your facts
Digital downloads
Downloads
Download as soon as you pay. Yours to keep.
Printed to order
Merch
My designs, printed to order and shipped by Printful.
About
About me
I wrote my first story about a king who lost a battle and won a kingdom, when I was eleven. It had no maps, no dates and a great many swords. I have been trying to make it more believable ever since, and the way I do it is by researching more than I will ever put on a page.
The kingdom of Aderan is invented, but I treat it as if it had been real. It has a calendar, a salt road, a hill of churches cut from the rock, and a line of kings that I can recite. Before every novel I draw the map, make the timeline and work out what the people ate, wore and feared.
Every Monday I write a letter about the work: a source I found, a decision I made, a page I threw away. I also sell what I use myself: my novels as ebooks, the maps and timelines of Aderan, a workbook for researching historical fiction and two courses for writers who want to build a past that feels real.