Let me just say how thrilled I am to have author Maria Grace visiting today on Leatherbound Reviews! If you have not had a chance to read her novels, you must!
If you have followed Maria Grace around the Internet or read her bio, you know she is quite the accomplished lady! In addition to the various degrees and black belts she holds, Grace is also a rapacious researcher. You can always learn interesting tidbits about Regency history from Grace on her blog, Random Bits of Fascination, as well as English Historical Fiction Authors.
As I know many of my readers are writers, whether published or not, I thought Grace would like to share about her research process, especially in conjunction with her latest release, Remember the Past.
Please give a hearty welcome to author Maria Grace!
It’s
all in the details…or not
Thanks
so much for having me, Jakki. It is always such a pleasure to visit with
you! You asked me about the research
process and challenges in writing. I really had to think about that. I tend to
get so close to the process, I don’t think about it too much, I just jump in
and do, then look back later and wonder what I did.
I think
for me, one of the biggest challenges is getting the details right and getting
the right level of details into a story. Hitting the sweet spot means
transporting a reader into a new world that comes alive with sights and sounds
and even smells as well as all the character and plot details. Working in an
historical context though presents an extra level of challenge in trying to
determine what exactly those details should be.
I know
some authors take the approach of just focusing on the story and not dealing in
the specifics. While that is a viable option and it does save a great deal of
time on the research end of things, I am way too compulsive to cope with taking
that route. I have always loved stories rich with enough evocative detail to
transport me there. That is what I
want to create.
To do
that, I find myself doing two different kinds of research. I guess they would be
best described as ‘big picture’ and ‘fine detail’ research. As an aside, the hands down number one best
tool for me to keep up with all my research is Microsoft One Note—now a free
app! It is a virtual three ring binder that acts just like a ‘real’ binder,
with the added feature of being able to search all your files with for a word
or phrase. Makes it very easy to find
what you are looking for. I copy all the useful stuff I find (with appropriate
citations!) into my One Note research notebook. I do not rely on bookmarks or
url links because one too many times I’ve found the sites I need are dead when
I most need them.
For big
picture research, I will take a broad topic, like the Regency era navy or
etiquette and search for references.( By the way, Google Books has a gazillion
digitized public domain period books that are the hands down best references.)
Then I read and take notes until my eyes bleed—a little like going back to
graduate school!
In my
latest book, Remember the Past, I
cast Mr. Bennet as a younger son who joined the navy and became Admiral Bennet.
I needed to get a picture of what naval life was like to understand how that
would shape his character. Things like leaving home at 11 years old to serve
under his first captain, who would have likely been a family connection and
would have possibly helped him get his first posting as lieutenant aren’t so
significant from a plot standpoint—those never really came out in the story.
But they did enable me to shape the character into someone who was believable
and real—his prickly demanding nature had a reason for being there and he
became a three-dimensional person.
In the
same way, studying etiquette books of the period offers not just answers to
particular questions like how were people introduced to each other (lots of
rule governing that, by the way), but it also gives insight into how people
looked at situations and each other. What would a young woman be concerned
about going into a social situation? What would she want to get right? What little
things might make her uncomfortable or cause others to be uncomfortable? It all
paints a wonderful social backdrop in which my characters can interact.
Where
big picture research helps create the rick background, like a theater stage,
the small details come together to bring it all to life. The often are little
things that could easily be glossed over, but when included give that something
to the scene to make the reader feel
there. I have poured hours over period
cookbooks to find the right food for a particular scene. I want the confectioner to serve the right
sweets. By reading the recipes and incorporating my own knowledge of food and
cooking, I can bring in the smells and tastes of the food to the scene—the pips
of lemon floating in the tart-sweet lemonade, the crispy-sugary crunch of the
crust of an almond clear cake, followed by the smoothly melting sweet jelly
sliding down the throat. No, these details don’t turn the plot, but they build
a world for the reader.
As much
as I love, love, love all the details, they have to be used like seasoning in a
fine dish. Used correctly, they make the meal. Too little, and the experience
is bland and unmemorable. Too heavy handed and it is inedible. The trick for me
is to try and put myself in the head of the point of view character and try and
figure out what would they notice at that particular time and what would they
notice about it. At one time it might be that their mother loved those almond
clear cakes and each bite made it seem she was in the room too, at another the
crumbly sugar crust all over her fingers, already sticky with the jelly that
melted too soon just reminds her of the arsey-varsey mess her life has become.
Same food, but very different relevant details.
Most of
the time, I end up adding those details in the final editing stages, like
finding the right jewelry to go perfectly with an outfit. Occasionally I make
myself crazy with the process, but overall, it is a satisfying treat to
‘decorate’ my manuscript and build a world for my readers.
Here’s a little
excerpt of Remember the Past where
I’ve tried to use little details to build a world for the reader:
Elizabeth sat on the bed, taking in the glories of Pemberley’s guest
room. What luxury! The elegant oak furnishings, softened by rich silks and
velvets did not compare to the greatest indulgence–a room to herself! Whilst
traveling, she shared with Jane and sometimes even her brothers.
Luxurious, but lonely. She invited Jane for a sisterly tête-à-tête before retiring.
Jane lounged against mountains of bed pillows on a soft feather bed and
brushed Elizabeth’s hair. Lady Catherine had offered the services of her lady’s
maid, but tonight even a servant’s presence was more than Elizabeth could bear.
The balm her soul required resided in Jane’s serenity—and company.
“I expect we shall not experience scenes beyond Derbyshire for quite some
time.” Jane slid Lady Ellen’s silver brush through Elizabeth’s locks.
“You are probably right. Fortunately, the county is lovely, and I do not
expect restless to overtake me any time soon.” She surrendered to Jane’s
strokes, the hairbrush drawing her tension away.
“I think—no, I am determined—I shall like living here very much.”
“Because the landscape is so attractive—or the neighbors?”
“Lizzy!”
Elizabeth looked over her shoulder. Jane’s expression was just as she
expected: a mix of shock and approval only Jane could achieve. “You do not
disagree?”
“I … what … what would you have me say?”
“Col. Fitzwilliam spent a great deal of time staring at you. He is a
well-looking man, though perhaps a bit too much like Francis for your liking.”
“Francis?”
Elizabeth tucked her knees under her chin. “Did you not recognize the
mischief in his eyes? He bore an uncanny resemblance to our brother.”
“I perceived nothing of the sort, though I did notice the attentions Mr.
Darcy cast your way.”
“You may stop noticing that immediately.” Elizabeth turned her back.
“Scoot closer so I can plait your hair.” Jane’s sure fingers worked
through Elizabeth’s tresses. “Mr. Darcy is very well-looking, too.”
“I had not observed.” If Jane did not see her face, she might well get
away with this tiny falsehood.
“Yes, you did. You also discerned his well-formed opinions, his excellent
taste and his faultless manners, all on display from dining to drawing room.”
“I grant you, he is a gracious host but nothing more.” Also untrue. He
was a doting father, attentive brother and kind, devoted nephew.
“Hand me the ribbon.” Jane plucked it from Elizabeth’s palm. “I fail to
comprehend why—”
“No, please.” Elizabeth slid off the bed and put several steps between
her and Jane’s suffocating words.
“Derbyshire is not London.”
“No, but people are still people. They change little with location.”
“The ton is very different—”
“How do you know?” Elizabeth edged back. The window bench halted her
retreat.
“Why do you insist—”
“How do you expect me to forget what happened? You do not, cannot
understand.” She veiled herself with the curtains. Jane must not see her face,
not now.
“You must allow not all men are like him,” Jane whispered near her
shoulder.
“Perhaps not.” She sat on the window bench. “How is one to tell for
certain?”
Jane knelt beside the bench and leaned her head in Elizabeth’s lap. “How
might one ever be certain? Consider though, his family does much to recommend
him.”
“Perhaps.” The denizens of Pemberley did, on first acquaintance at least,
seem agreeable. More than agreeable, they were … at ease with one another and
entirely unpretentious.
Sweet Jane’s assumptions might be utterly correct. But even if Mr. Darcy
fulfilled every one of Jane’s expectations, did that not make it all the more
likely he would find Elizabeth as lacking as the ton had? Derbyshire might be different from London, but their move
had not altered her.
Then again, Mr. Darcy did seem very dissimilar to other gentlemen who
bore the distinction in name only. His demeanor, even with the high spirits of
the youngsters, was respectful and courteous, accepting their natures as they
were, not critical and dismissive. And the way he looked at them—was not that
the truest measure of his character?
Perhaps it was possible. He might be worth a chance.
THANK YOU, Grace! My word! Now I have a desire to use One Note and eat some yummy confections. :) That almond cake sounds divine. Please do send me a recipe! I love that you desire to build a world for the reader because that is what really pulls me in as a reader. I wish you tons of success on Remember the Past!
***GIVEAWAY TIME***
Maria Grace is kindly giving away one (1) e-copy (Kindle, ePub, or PDF) of Remember the Past to ONE lucky commenter. OPEN WORLDWIDE!
To enter, please leave a comment for Grace with an email address or Twitter handle. (no address/handle, no entry)
Please feel free to tweet or Facebook this post for extra entries. Just leave a comment with the link.
Giveaway ends September 1, 2014!
Best of luck!! =)
*******
Book blurb
Elizabeth Bennet’s father, Admiral Thomas Bennet, assures
his daughters that his retirement from His Majesty’s Navy will be the start of
a new life for them all. Little does he know his family's battles have only
just begun.
Well-connected and in possession of a good fortune, their
entry into society should have been a triumph.
However, their long-awaited first season in London proves a disaster,
and the resulting scandal sends the Bennets fleeing to the wilds of Derbyshire.
Widower Fitzwilliam Darcy, the master of Pemberley, wants
for nothing, most especially not a wife. From the moment the Bennets arrive in
Derbyshire, Darcy’s neatly ordered life turns upside down. His sons beg to keep
company with their new playmates, the young Bennet twins. His mother-in-law
sets her cap for Admiral Bennet. Worst of all, Darcy cannot get his mind off a
certain bewitching Miss Elizabeth Bennet, but she has sworn never to let
another gentleman near her heart.
Darcy’s best efforts to befriend and assist the Bennet
family go horribly awry, alienating first Miss Elizabeth, then her father, and
finally endangering what both men hold most dear. Can the two men Elizabeth
loves most set aside their pride to prevent catastrophe for their families and
win the love they seek?
About the author:
Though
Maria Grace has been writing fiction since she was ten years old, those early
efforts happily reside in a file drawer and are unlikely to see the light of
day again, for which many are grateful. After penning five file-drawer novels
in high school, she took a break from writing to pursue college and earn her
doctorate in Educational Psychology. After 16 years of university teaching, she
returned to her first love, fiction writing.
She
has one husband, two graduate degrees and two black belts, three sons, four
undergraduate majors, five nieces, sown six Regency era costumes, written seven
Regency-era fiction projects, and designed eight websites. To round out the
list, she cooks for nine in order to accommodate the growing boys and usually
makes ten meals at a time so she only cooks twice a month.
Connect with Maria Grace
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