Not sure which folder to put this topic in; I guess it's a legal rather than an ethical issue!

A couple of the charactesr in my novel are historical. They are in the public domain and so I have used themby recreating some incidents that really happened, but using my imagination to make them alive, with dalogue etc. I think this is OK.

But I have also added some scenes where these real people meet fictional characters, in events of my own aking (niothing that would have changed history, but which changed my characters' lives)

Is this OK?

I should add that nothing is libelous; if anything, it puts them in a very favourable light. In the case of one real character (now dead) it actually uncovers un unknown greatness.

With another real person, also dead, it's a bit trickier - especially since he was quite famous, VERY controversial, and I know and like his wife personally! I think I can sort that out with her; it's the other character I'm wondering about.

Hi

Libel applies only to living persons so if the real people are dead, it will not raise any legal issues and as you say if you know the wife of one of them you can discuss whether it will cause distress or otherwise.

Hope this helps

Jane