The Writer’s Writer
I’ve come to think of Dunnett as the literary equivalent of the Velvet Underground: Not many people bought the books, but everyone who did wrote a novel. Alaya Dawn Johnson, 2014
The influence of a writer cannot always be measured by sales or bestseller lists. Dorothy Dunnett inspired an exceptionally devoted readership, but her influence can also be traced through generations of writers who discovered in her novels something remarkable: in their ambition and intelligence, their use of history, their unforgettable characters and the sheer possibilities of storytelling.
Here, writers from around the world share their own encounters with Dunnett and reflect on what her work has meant to them. Many of these pieces were contributed for Dorothy Dunnett’s Centenary in 2023.
Prue Batten, author of the Gisborne series
Pamela Belle, author of Wintercombe and many more
Jen Black, author of the Romantic Affair series
Patricia Bracewell, author of The Shadow and the Crown
Kate Braithwaite, author of The Girl Puzzle: a novel of Nelly Bly
Elizabeth Chadwick, author of the Eleanor of Aquitaine series
Chelsea Clinton, writer and health advocate
Barbara Gaskell Denvil, author of the Historical Mysteries Collection
Jean Gill, author of the Troubadors series
Kristin Gleeson, author of the Renaissance Sojourner series
Deborah Harkness, author of the All Souls trilogy
J.G. Harlond, author of the Chosen Man Trilogy
Karen Heenan, author of the Tudor Court series
Helen Hollick, author of the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy
Gwyneth Hughes, director and screenwriter
KC Julius, author of the Dringlennin Chronicles
Guy Gavriel Kay, author
Ellen Kushner, author of Swordspoint
Amy Maroney, author of the Queen’s Scribe
Marie Macpherson, author of the Knox Trilogy
Val McDermid, fellow Scot and crime writer
Cheryl Sawyer, author of the King’s Shadow
Marian L. Thorpe, author of the Empire’s Legacy series
Alison Weir, author of the Six Tudor Queens series
Annie Whitehead, author and historian
Dorothy Dunnett and Writing around the Web
Here you can find some articles online about the influence that Dorothy Dunnett has had on the writing of other authors.
All The Writers You Love Probably Love Dorothy Dunnett, by Alaya Dawn Johnson, December 2014.
Writing Epic Fantasy the Historical Fiction Way: Lessons from Dorothy Dunnett’s The Game of Kings, by Marie Brennan, August 2017
Five Things I’ve learnt about writing from reading Dorothy Dunnett #IDDD, by Alys West, November 2017
7 Lessons for Writers from Dorothy Dunnett’s The Game of Kings, b Jana Van Der Veer,
And my favourite reading? … The Lymond Chronicles, by Linda Gillard