The thing that most attracts me to historical fiction is taking the factual record as far as it is known using that as scaffolding and then letting imagination build the structure that fills in those things we can never find out for sure.
I found when I left that there were others who felt the same way. We'd meet they'd come and seek me out we'd talk about the future. And I found that their depression and pessimism was every bit as acute as mine.
