Scattered To The Wind

History is a record of what actually happened. Historical Fiction (capitalised to give it equal heft) is an account of what may have happened. Hilary Mantel, author of a monumental portrayal of the players in France's revolution of 1789, described her work as "documentary fiction guided entirely by facts". In writing my own fictions-LADY WITH A FAN, DREAM AGAIN, BIRD ON THE WING, ANOTHER RUSSIA, and SCATTERED TO THE WIND-Mantel's dictum has been my guiding light. "Le bon roi" Henri Quatre of France certainly was assassinated in 1610. Did his killer act alone? Or was Ravaillac part of a wider conspiracy? History is still unsure; Historical Fiction supplies a final answer.