Why Historical Fiction?

Why do I write what I write? Why historical fiction? I write it because it needs to be written. I recently visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. I wanted to go specifically for one small exhibit – the children’s artwork from Terezin, the Jewish ghetto outside of Prague. As I expected, it moved me, made me even more committed to telling the story of those children who were (mostly) all sent straight to the gas chamber. I feel like I’m helping to protect and preserve those stories.