Research, Research and a Little More Research...

Welcome guest blogger, Georgie Lee!

Research, for me, is not an onerous task. When I’m ready to start writing about a particular time period, I can’t wait to go to the library, pull every book available on that era off the shelf, take them home and lose myself in a time period. However, research isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It can be overwhelming deciding where to begin, what to look for and when to stop. Today, I want to offer some advice and a few suggestions for getting started and seeing it through until “The End.”

The first thing to do is…

Start Big: You know what era you want to write about, so it’s time to learn about the era. General overview books are a great place to start because they give you the key politics, ideas, people and events that helped shape the time period. Once you know the basics, you can begin to…

Narrow things down: Decide when in the era you want your story to take place then focus your research accordingly. In my upcoming Regency novella, Hero’s Redemption, the hero was involved in the battle at Hougoumont Manor during the battle of Waterloo. As a result, I did a great deal of research on the particulars of the battle including the manor layout, the French soldiers who stormed the gate, the British soldiers who held them off and how the wet weather turned the ground muddy. Details like this are important since they helped me craft scenes and add to the historical realism of the story. So once you’re done narrowing things down, it’s time to...

Get personal: The details of everyday life help create characters, make them real and flavor a narrative. To make the Regency period come alive in the story, I researched everyday life including dress, food, furniture and the plans of both London town houses and country manor houses. I sprinkled these details throughout the story to help make the setting come alive and draw the reader into the time period. However, be careful with how much historic detail you add to your story. Too much will make it read like a college mid-term instead of a sweeping saga. So, what happens when the research you need isn’t there? Well, it’s time to…

Think outside the box: Depending on what time period you’re dealing with, or what obscure historical event you’re trying to incorporate into your story, you may or may not have a wealth of information to draw from. This is when it’s time to start looking at primary sources like journals, autobiographies and even government reports. These writings will give you more detail on a subject than a general history book will and most are in the public domain and available free on Amazon. It’s time consuming but worth it, even though at some point I’m going to have to…

Know when to say when: Research can be fun. It can help you outline your story or navigate a tricky plot point. However, it can also distract from writing. There is no end to the research available or the hours you can dedicate to it. It’s an important part of the process, but so is sitting down and getting words on paper. So, don’t be afraid to put your research aside and start writing, because the great thing about research is, you can access it any time and you can always do more.

Thank you everyone for stopping by and a special thanks to Valerie for having me here today.

Hero’s Redemption

by Georgie Lee

London, 1817

Devon, the Earl of Malton, is a hero for his deeds at the Battle of Waterloo. But he suffers terrible nightmares, and drinks himself to sleep most nights. A habit he vows to break when he awakes one morning to find a woman sharing his bed, no memory of how she got there, and her angry brother at his door.

Cathleen is mortified when her wastrel brother and his greedy wife propose a blackmail scheme involving the earl, but as a penniless war widow she's at their mercy. She goes along with the plan and sneaks into Devon's bed one night, and ends up comforting him through a night terror.

Charmed by her beauty and kindness, Devon determines that rather than pay the blackmail, he will offer his hand in marriage to Cathleen. Although she is deeply attracted to the stoic earl, Cathleen cannot understand why Devon would want to marry her. What she doesn't know is that Devon owes her a debt that can never fully be repaid…

BIO:

   A dedicated history and film buff, Georgie Lee loves combining her passion for Hollywood, history and storytelling through romantic fiction. She began writing professionally at a small TV station in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles to work in the interesting but strange world of the entertainment industry.

   Her first novel, Lady’s Wager, and her contemporary novella, Rock ‘n’ Roll Reunion are both available from Ellora’s Cave Blush. Labor Relations, a contemporary romance of Hollywood, and Studio Relations, a love story set in 1935 Hollywood, are currently available from Montlake Romance. Look for her Regency novella, Hero’s Redemption from Carina Press on July 29, 2013, and her Regency novel, Engagement of Convenience, from Harlequin Historical on October 1, 2013.

Buy Links:  Carina Press|Amazon 

When not writing, Georgie enjoys reading non-fiction history and watching any movie with a costume and an accent. Please visit  www.georgie-lee.com for more information about Georgie and her novels.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Georgie-Lee/259729314054846?ref=hl

Twitter: @GeorgieLeeBooks

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2985551.Georgie_Lee

Blog: http://georgielee.blogspot.com

Website: www.georgie-lee.com 

A Real Husband by Nita Wick -- A Review

On occasion, I will write a review. I don't read often (although I am reading more of late.) I purchased this copy. Ms. Wick did not request a review. :)

A Real Husband by Nita Wick -- A Review

This is Nita Wick’s first novel she ever wrote. Not only is it the first, it’s a historical. Historicals, in my opinion, are one of the hardest genres to write effectively. Not only do you have the plot and character development to consider, but you have to be historically accurate. Why? Because most of the readers who love historical romance/historical fiction love history and will most likely know the history of that time. One incorrect fact and we will spring upon it. It will drive us nuts, and we will never read that author again because, well, we can’t trust the author to get facts right. (This is one of the reasons I avoid historical films. Hollywood is notorious for bending history to their view.)

A Real Husband is a wonderful historical work. Set in the mid 18th century, Nita creates a perfect balance of modern sensibilities while retaining mores and viewpoints of the time period. Angelina Winston is the only child of an earl and the heiress to a thriving estate. However, she’s very young and her father is about to die and her bumbling uncle will become her guardian and overseer of her estate if she is not married off before his death. In order to save the estate from certain ruin, the twelve-year-old Angelina is married to the son of her father’s best friend’s son Darien Hawkesworth. Hawk has no wish to be married. He is, after all, only twenty-one, but he is given no choice.

For the next seven years, he ignores his bride. Angelina grows into a competent, intelligent, resourceful, opinionated, beautiful young woman. A young woman who knows her own mind and is used to doing as she pleases… within reason, she is very easy to relate to. I liked her a lot and rooted for her from the beginning. She’s not perfect and has her moments, but this is what makes her so appealing. Even when I want to shake her, I can see her point.

Hawk is handsome and not necessarily likeable at first. He’s the typical, arrogant nobleman: used to getting what he wants from everyone with little thought to anyone else.

My favorite scene is their first “sex” scene. This one left a lasting impression on me. At first, I was concerned it would end up being one of those sex scenes where the hero forced himself on the heroine and she enjoyed it, because, you know, no really means yes. That it did not was a very pleasant surprise. If it had, I would have stopped reading the book completely and it would have been a shame to have missed the rest of Angelina and Hawk’s story.

While this story is not new or revolutionary, it is very entertaining and well told. The characters are believable, the character development is well done, and the history is accurate. In short, a book well worth reading.

Nita has a book with Freya’s Bower (one of my publishing houses). The Wagonmaster has won a Laurel Wreath. I didn’t edit it nor have I read it… yet, but after reading this one, her debut novel no less, I will be reading The Wagonmaster next. I anticipate a very enjoyable five or six hours. ☺ (Update: I read this over the weekend and could not put it down. Fabulous book! There’s a good possibility that I will write a review for that, too.)

A Real Husband by Nita Wick

Blurb:

Married for years in name only, Angelina longs for A Real Husband. Hawk is pleasantly surprised to find his young bride has become a beautiful, full-grown woman, and he is ready to leave his life of debauchery for the arms of his tempting wife. But a mysterious villain plots murder to end their romance and spoil their dreams of happiness. Can Angelina unravel the conspiracy in time to save her husband and their future? Is it already too late?

Where to buy:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Passion in Print (author makes more from direct publisher sales)