Research
Interviewers often ask if I do any research for my books. The answer is yes. I'm always looking for ways to add authenticity to my stories. Whether it's a town, an article of clothing or a stagecoach route, I want my work to reflect the true flavor and setting of the old west.
In Lady Luck, I researched the layout of the streets in San Francisco back in 1860. I wanted Missy's gaming hall located along the Barbary Coast, so I had to know for sure if that was possible. I also researched the color of the uniforms the policemen wore and how folks traveled up the bay to reach San Francisco. For my soon to be released novel, No Luck At All, the story opens with the hero marrying a Boston socialite after having earned his medical degree from a Boston college. Placing him in Boston was important because it related to his past, but before I could actually do so, I had to ensure Boston did have medical colleges back in 1874.
While researching both of these books, I found one common denominator; trying to prove one particular thing leads to the discovery of more interesting things. For example, with Boston, I happened upon some inventions related to the medical field during the 1870's. One was the use of ether, which I was able to incorporate into my story. I also enjoyed reading about two colleges in Boston banding together to become one large campus. In Lady Luck, I thoroughly enjoyed researching the Barbary Coast. One particular thing I learned was how some ships had sailed into the bay and damage they either had or undertook during docking caused them to become permanently dry docked; thus Missy's gaming hall went from a building to one of those ships.
The library and the internet are both great sources of information. I used a combination of both for San Francisco and the internet for Boston. Once I had the material I needed, I wrote down the books and the sites I used in individual notebooks I keep for all my stories. I do caution you; if you use the internet, make sure you verify your facts with a few sites. Don't rely on just one. And if you can't find the exact detail(s) you're searching for, (I had this problem when trying to find what the inside of a particular prison looked like) it's okay to add a little of your own imagination.
Happy researching. May one interesting discovery lead to another.
In Lady Luck, I researched the layout of the streets in San Francisco back in 1860. I wanted Missy's gaming hall located along the Barbary Coast, so I had to know for sure if that was possible. I also researched the color of the uniforms the policemen wore and how folks traveled up the bay to reach San Francisco. For my soon to be released novel, No Luck At All, the story opens with the hero marrying a Boston socialite after having earned his medical degree from a Boston college. Placing him in Boston was important because it related to his past, but before I could actually do so, I had to ensure Boston did have medical colleges back in 1874.
While researching both of these books, I found one common denominator; trying to prove one particular thing leads to the discovery of more interesting things. For example, with Boston, I happened upon some inventions related to the medical field during the 1870's. One was the use of ether, which I was able to incorporate into my story. I also enjoyed reading about two colleges in Boston banding together to become one large campus. In Lady Luck, I thoroughly enjoyed researching the Barbary Coast. One particular thing I learned was how some ships had sailed into the bay and damage they either had or undertook during docking caused them to become permanently dry docked; thus Missy's gaming hall went from a building to one of those ships.
The library and the internet are both great sources of information. I used a combination of both for San Francisco and the internet for Boston. Once I had the material I needed, I wrote down the books and the sites I used in individual notebooks I keep for all my stories. I do caution you; if you use the internet, make sure you verify your facts with a few sites. Don't rely on just one. And if you can't find the exact detail(s) you're searching for, (I had this problem when trying to find what the inside of a particular prison looked like) it's okay to add a little of your own imagination.
Happy researching. May one interesting discovery lead to another.
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