Welcome back to part of my interview with Samuel Marquis, author of numerous books of history and historical fiction, including his newest, "Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal."
Samuel’s previous book "'Blackbeard" won the Kirkus Reviews Book of the Year Award and his articles have been published in "History Central," "Writer’s Digest," "The Lazy Historian," and "The Good Men Project," among other outlets.
Today I’m talking with Samuel about what I call inner stuff–thought processes, internal dialogues, confidence–all that fun stuff!
We covered:
- Why villains are so fun to write (hint: it’s not because they’re evil)
- Empathizing with folks who lived centuries ago and did things that we consider to be horrible today (like attending a public hanging on your wedding day, which Captain Kidd and his wife did)
- His least favorite part of the writing process
- Dealing with the nagging fear that you’re not accurately portraying history
- Looking for historical figures who were ahead of their time (because they make great characters)
- Why Captain Kidd isn’t the murderous pirate he was made out to be
- Deciphering primary historical records–the handwriting, the different spellings (this was a really fun peek into the realities of writing about history)
- Anchoring your research in the work of well-respected historians
- How the idea that if you work hard things will come easily is a myth
- Why he played competitive lacrosse until he was sixty
Connect with Samuel at samuelmarquisbooks.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!
And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value).

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