by Martha Rogers One of my goals this year was to do more research and come up with more story ideas for both contemporary and historical novels. Research is fun and leads me into areas where I’ve never been before. When the first novel in my new series, Love Stays True, releases this month, it will have the most extensive …
Research and a Wealth of Stories
by Diana Wallis Taylor With Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate coming out in June, people ask me how I can write a whole book about a woman who appears only briefly in one paragraph of one of the Gospels. I tell them, that this is where your research comes in. As with any other obscure character, you need to know …
The Importance of Research
by Sandra Robbins A writer friend and I were discussing the importance of research in writing a novel the other day. Both of us at one time or another had read a book that we liked until we came across one instance that suddenly changed our opinion of the book. Having written both historical and contemporary novels, I know how …
What Writers Do on Summer Vacation
by Mary Ellis I’m occasionally asked by readers how I spend my vacations. Touring Europe with a rail-pass? Spending a month meditating in the mountains of Tibet to prime the creative well? Or perhaps relaxing on a secluded beach somewhere tropical, unspoiled and complete with spa facilities? Actually, many writers I know use vacations to research their next book or …
Digging Deeper – How Far Should You Go?
by Connie Stevens Most authors-at least the ones I know-love research. Whether they write contemporary or historical, long or short, romance or suspense, a writer wants to know their characters intimately. The best way to do that is to delve into their background, their roots, their hidden past. Are there ghosts from their past that haunt them? What defines their …
The Heroine Behind The Story
by Janet Chester Bly Most of Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot, happens in or near Gearhart, Oregon in 1905. The railroad opened up more tourists for this seacoast village, tucked between crashing surf and Pacific forests. One of its most prominent citizens, Narcissa Kinney, insisted that the city council proclaim this a ‘dry town,’ which it remained for more than seventy …
Ridin’ the Beach Ain’t Ridin’ the Range
Janet Chester Bly Copyright©2012 In writing fiction, sometimes you’ve got to know your animals. My sons and I had to do some study on horse behavior when we worked on author Stephen Bly’s last novel. In Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot, Brannon leaves the comfort and security of his Arizona ranch to head to Oregon to find his missing U.S. Marshal …
The Bathroom Scale
by Suzanne Woods Fisher On a sunny summer morning, my husband walked into the kitchen. “I fixed the bathroom scale,” he said, looking pleased. “You weigh five pounds more than you thought you did.” Steve thought that was good news. He’s an accountant. Numbers are important. Not those numbers, I tried to explain, barely able to hold back my indignation. …
Research That Has Nothing To Do With Google or Libraries or Trips to Historic Sites
By Victoria Bylin I write historical romance, so I’m often asked about research. Do I like it? Do I prefer the internet or real libraries? Do I research and then write, or research on the fly? What mistakes should a new author avoid? All those questions are important, but today I want to look at a different kind of research. …
Quick Reference Guide to Research Methods
by Laurie Alice Eakes Recently, I enjoyed the privilege of giving an ACFW chapter a short workshop on research methods. Others have found this helpful, so I am hopeful you all will, too. Although I have more historical romances than Regency romances in print, I am known as a Regency author. And if anyone knows anything about readers of the …