Tell us about yourself and your latest book
I am Rebecca Wilson. I am a writer and historian from the wilds of West Cumbria. I have two published non-fiction books, Tudor Feminists, published in 2024, and Georgian Feminists, published March 2025. I also have Victorian Feminists coming out early in 2026. They focus on women of that period who dared to stand out, have opinions, fought against the patriarchal society they lived in, or even followed their dreams.
In these dark times, it is even more important that these women’s stories are told. Women’s voice is being silenced, and dismissed, and these books stand as a testament to women’s endurance, fight, and contribution over the centuries.
I thought long and hard about how I approach my research. As I started a lot of my research during the Covid pandemic, and I live so far from physical National Archives, larger libraries, and even stately homes, I have focussed a lot of my research online.
The National Archives have a great deal of transcribed documents online, and this has been invaluable to access letters and other documents that would have been impossible for me otherwise. Also, my local libraries have been a wonderful resource to order up books and reaching out to stately homes about their own archives.
What is your preferred writing routine?
My writing routine is simple. I set myself a minimum word count for each day. I am a stay-at-home mother, so after taking my son to school, I settle down with a cup of coffee and fire up my laptop. I work for up to three hours, which sometimes is enough to get my minimum word count done, but I sometimes need to continue later in the day. If I am ‘in the zone’ and words are flowing, I carry on until it is time to pick my son up again at home time. I am strict with myself on the minimum word count and did not have a single day off during the writing of any of my books.
What was the hardest aspect of writing?
I have found the hardest part of writing is focus. I do tend to get side-tracked down research rabbit-holes. I have to keep reminding myself to get back to the subject I am meant to be looking into. Some days it is hard to write, but I have dogged determination to push myself to do my minimum.
I am fascinated by the lives of ordinary people throughout history, and feel drawn to uncover how people lived, worked, and died. Perhaps this is because I grew up working class, in a former mining town, as the direct descendant of Irish immigrants. I am proud of them, working hard, and choosing to make a new life for themselves and their family.
What advice do you have for new writers?
My advice for new writers, is this, write. You need to keep practicing at something you want to improve on. Get your draft written, no matter how rough, and then tweak it. You need to bring it into existence before you can make it pretty. If you write, you’re a writer. The blank page is difficult to beat, so just write, and keep writing.
What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?
As well as my online promotions of my books and the amazing women I feature, I have done a series of talks at libraries throughout Cumbria. I am starting another library tour for Georgian Feminists May 2025 and taking part in the Regency Festival in Warwickshire in May 2026. Local book shops and libraries carry my books too. I do a lot of leg work to promote my books and travel a lot.
I have now finished writing my Feminists trilogy and feel like a change. I am currently writing children’s stories for Junior readers. My son is coming up ten years old, but since he was very young, I told him bedtime stories, that I make up. I am beginning to write some of these stories down and hope to find a publisher to pick them up in the coming years.
What are you planning to write next?
Although I have written three non-fiction books, my heart belongs to fiction. I like to think I have a lot of children’s books to share, and even perhaps an adult historical fiction book or two. Fiction is one of the oldest forms of entertainment, from early humans telling stories around a fire to explain the existence of the stars and sun, to curling up on the sofa with a good book, we all need stories.
Rebecca Wilson
About the Author
Rebecca Wilson is a writer and historian from West Cumbria. She is a former history and English teacher who enjoys reading and acting. Her first non-fiction book Tudor Feminists was published in 2024, and Georgian Feminists in 2025. Her third and final non -fiction book, Victorian Feminists, is out early in 2026. You can find Rebecca on Instagram @tudorghostmammy.
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