S8 Ep 7 - The Vermilion Sea
I'm Reenita Hora, and on this episode of The True Fiction Project, I talk with bestselling historical fiction author Megan Chance about her latest novel, The Vermilion Sea. Megan and I discover pretty quickly that we have more than a love of storytelling in common, including a shared appreciation for the word “Vermilion” (and, yes, we both spell it with one L!).
We dig into why Megan has spent decades writing historical fiction, her fascination with the stories of women that history has left behind, and the way horror, Gothic elements, and the supernatural can give female characters the push they need to break through society's expectations. Megan also tells us about The Vermilion Sea, set in 1925 in the Gulf of California, where a female marine biologist joins a scientific expedition that takes a very unexpected and unsettling turn.
Megan reads an atmospheric excerpt from the novel that will have you wondering whether the ship is actually haunted. We also talk about the idea that ships can have souls of their own. Spoiler: after this conversation, I definitely want to know what happens next!
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Why Megan fell in love with historical fiction and the freedom of building worlds within a familiar historical setting.
✅ How her fascination with women's untold stories has shaped decades of historical fiction, particularly her female protagonists.
✅ Why writing historical women for modern readers can be tricky when their choices were shaped by the realities and limitations of their time.
✅ What happens when a 1925 scientific expedition into the Gulf of California encounters a mysterious specimen.
Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Megan Chance discusses her lifelong love of historical fiction and the untold stories of women throughout history
03:06 Why Megan was drawn to historical fiction, fantasy, and bringing overlooked women's stories to life
07:20 How horror, Gothic elements, and supernatural forces give female characters the catalyst to break through societal expectations
10:40 Megan introduces The Vermilion Sea, set in 1925 in the Gulf of California
14:40 Megan reads an excerpt from The Vermilion Sea featuring protagonist Billie McKennon aboard a possibly haunted ship
16:43 Reenita and Megan discuss the mysterious rabbit omen and the idea that ships can have souls of their own
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
💎 Historical fiction gives Megan the chance to explore familiar worlds while uncovering the stories and voices that history has often left behind.
💎 Megan's female protagonists frequently find themselves pushing against societal expectations, with horror, Gothic, or supernatural forces sometimes acting as the catalyst that helps them make difficult choices.
💎 Writing historical characters requires balancing what would have been realistic for women of their time with what a modern reader expects them to do.
💎 The Vermilion Sea follows marine biologist Billie McKennon on a 1925 expedition in the Gulf of California that becomes increasingly strange after the crew discovers an unusual specimen.
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Megan Chance is the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of several novels. Her books have been picked for Amazon Book of the Month, IndieNext, and the Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice. Booklist calls her writing “provocative and haunting.”
http://www.facebook.com/Megan-Chance-116492864590
http://www.instagram.com/Chanceauthor
http://www.threads.com/chanceauthor
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
