Historical fiction—even alternate history—poses a unique
challenge to authors: the ordinary circumstances of the past are not those of
the present. In writing my novel, I came to a scene where the protagonist
jury-rigs a primitive battery. This being 15th century Italy, this
is a fairly impressive feat. I was ready to detail how she affixes wires to a
potato and exploits this household root to produce a current.
Then I stopped. I had forgotten one important fact: there
were no potatoes in 15th century Italy.
