Historical Research by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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Have you ever wondered why it seems that a lot of time elapses between books from authors of historical fiction? It can feel like a long frustrating wait, especially when authors of many other genres seem to pump out books at lightning speed. There are several variables that determine how much time it takes to write a book such as the speed at which any given author writes, the amount of outlining (or lack thereof) done ahead of time, and the number and depth of revisions to name a few. But for most authors of historical fiction, the preliminary research can easily take just as long as the actual writing of the book. Sometimes, longer. This is not to say that authors of other genres don't do any research. They do. But historical research seems to be naturally more in-depth.

I usually take anywhere from six months to a year for research before I even begin to write. Once I start writing, I will still stop several times for more research because something invariably comes up that I didn't realize I was going to need to know about before I started.

So what does that initial research look like? Maybe I'm a bit old school, but I still favor using books for research so that's where I start. Right now I'm in the research phase for the next Irish book (so those of you who are fans of Kelegeen and Erin's Children, there will be a third and, most likely, a fourth book with these characters). The next book will be set during the American Civil War. Even though the setting is Worcester, Massachusetts, some characters will go to fight in the war and at least one of them will be a POV (point of view) character. So part of my research is on the Civil War in general then narrow in to focus on the regiments that were sent from Worcester and the battles in which they took part.

I will also need to know about everyday life in the 1860s including foodways, how holidays were celebrated (Christmas was finally becoming a "thing" in New England by then), fashion, etc. I'll need to know what was happening in Worcester during that time which I will learn about from reading the City's annual reports for that decade. Women were becoming more independent so some of my non-Irish female characters may take up employment. I will need to know where they might have worked and what that was like for them.

The books being used for research for my next Irish novel (yes, all of them!)

While what I plan to write determines what I will need to research, my research also informs what I will write. As I do the research, I often come across something very interesting and decide I want it in my story. Then I may need to learn even more about it. The research and the writing are co-dependent in this way. There are a lot of rabbit holes one can go down while researching. Fortunately, most of them lead to something that can be used, if not in the current manuscript, then in a future one.

I do not stop at books, though. I will also include websites, trips to museums (I foresee several to the Worcester Historical Musuem), chats with Tom Kelleher, my dear friend and favorite historian, and whatever else presents itself as needed.

Like most authors of historical fiction, I strive to create books that are as historically accurate as possible while also being stories in which my readers can totally immerse themselves. And that, dear readers, takes time.

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The Importance of Family Stories by Eileen O'Finlan

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Click here to visit Eileen O'Finlan's website

On February 25, 2022 my Aunt Joan passed away. She was 88 and had been living in a nursing home in Vermont for years while her Alzheimer's progressed. A few days before her passing, she fell and broke her hip. Her condition made it impossible to operate as she would not have lived through the surgery so the only option was to keep her comfortable. On the evening of the 25th, she died peacefully in her sleep.

My aunt's passing means that out of a family of seven kids, my mom is the only one left. She, too, is in a nursing home. At 95 and stricken with dementia, she is unable to comprehend that she has lost her last sibling. Knowing this, we have made the decision not to tell her. The necessity of that decision made all the more profound for me the wealth of family lore that is now gone. I know many of the family stories, but until I no longer had anyone to ask, I didn't realize how many questions I have about them. For years, we'd been asking my mom to record her memories. She'd always promised to do so, but somehow never got around to it. Now it's too late.

Family stories are important. They tell of a shared past, of lives lived, relationships built and cherished, sorrows endured and shared, and joys celebrated. They express the things that were important to a family. Pay attention to the stories that get handed down, told repeatedly. Commit them to memory or, better yet, write them down. And ask all the questions you can think of while you still can.

I remember one day when my mom and I were washing dishes together. She was in a reminiscing mood so I heard all about the time when she was thirteen years old and her mother was hospitalized for weeks with a serious illness caused by drinking contaminated raw milk. As the second-to-oldest child and the oldest girl, it fell to her to run the household and care for her younger siblings while her mother was in the hospital and her father was working. This story was told to me only a few years before her dementia progressed to the point where she had to go to a nursing home, but unlike many family stories it was the first time I'd ever heard it. She also regailed me with details of how she and her mother worked in a factory together during World War II. They were working on a project for the U.S. Navy, but each group of women was making a different part and none of them ever knew what it was they were building. I thought about how many of the events from my mom's life would make great stories, but I have so many questions. I've no doubt a lot of them will find their way into my future novels, but I so wish I had the opportunity to ask all the questions that come to me now when I ruminate on them.

My aunt's passing and the inevitable day when my mom follows her, signals the end of an era in our family. But the stories will live on as best as we can continue to share them. No doubt we'll add new ones of our own for future generations. I hope they ask a lot of questions.

Rest in Peace, Aunt Joan

 

An Alternative to Christmas Gifts

 

 

A long-standing tradition in North America is the purchase and gifting of Christmas gifts.  Friends and family members are listed, shopping lists prepared, gifts purchased, wrapped and mailed (or delivered.)  

Certainly gifts given or received bring joy and remembrance to all concerned. But this is not always an easy task. My wife and I always encounter questions as to what to get for who. Sending ties or shirts that most likely will never move out of closets is a definite no-no. Others, such as parents, claim that they don’t want anything. And these days, inflation and COVID lockdowns have pinched everyone’s budgets.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to gifting store-bought presents. Here are a few ideas:

1.        Home-baked cookies. Besides being economical, the personal touch is always appreciated. I remember an erstwhile neighbor popping by with an apple pie during the holidays. My family loved it!

2.      Charity Gift Cards: A unique kind of gift, the Charity Gift Card allows the gift-giver to purchase a certain amount of money on a Charity Gift Card. This card is given to a recipient, who can choose a charity to which the amount can be donated.

3.      Organize your family to a volunteer program: Many Charities—homeless shelters, soup kitchens, church or temple programs, food pantries—find themselves overwhelmed during the holidays. The need for volunteers is at the greatest during this time. Spending a day helping out at one of these places would be most welcome. Please call before-hand.

4.      Family photos: For family and close friends, receiving photos is always appreciated. A favorite, especially if you have little ones, they will be placed in albums and cherished for years to come.

5.      Gifting books. Finally, my favorite. Books used to be a common gift item, but sadly, this tradition is disappearing. As a writer, I fight back against this trend. I have given copies of my books, autographed, to both family and friends. They assure me that they have read them, but even if they don’t, I know that they value receiving something printed with my name on it!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanauthor.com) is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com.) 

 

Thanksgiving Day in the USA and Nine Other Countries #BWLPublishing #Thanksgiving

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by J. Q. Rose

Click here to find more books by J.Q.

at BWL Publishing

🦃Hello and welcome to the BWL Authors Insider Blog!🦃

Thanksgiving Day in the USA and Nine Other Countries

Happy Turkey Day!

Looking forward to that turkey meal on November 25, 2021? Or in the case of my vegan friend, a tofu meal. Turkey is the traditional dish to serve in most American households to remind us of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving. Although, they probably ate other birds and lots of fish at their celebration.

According to  Yahoo Finance, other countries observe days of thanksgiving. Canada, Liberia, and a small island east of Australia, Norfolk Island, have customs similar to the USA with traditions that include celebrating the autumn harvest and giving thanks. 

Germany's celebration is known as Erntedankfest to celebrate the harvest. Not exactly the same as Thanksgiving Day in the US, Germans know how to party with parades, dancing, music and fireworks.

In Grenada, formal celebrations for giving thanks are held in mostly urban areas. 

China's Thanksgiving day began about 2500 years ago. No pumpkin pie for dessert, but rather baked Moon Pie made of sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds, and duck eggs.

Japan centers its day, known as Labor Thanksgiving Day, around giving thanks for workers' rights.

South Koreans spend their day similarly feasting as we do in the US while honoring their ancestors. 

Vietnamese celebrations, much like China, include giving thanks and celebrating the harvest. According to Vietnamese folklore, the day was spent making amends to their children for being neglected during the busy harvest time.

No matter where we are in the world, giving thanks is uplifting for folks who take time to express gratitude. The thanks need not be for anything huge. Appreciating the warm sun on your face, someone who opens the door for you or helps you carry your grocery bags to the car, and even a spouse or partner getting the coffee ready at night for an early morning cup--all are worthy of a thank you.

What three things are you grateful for today?

Wishing you a fabulous day of Thanksgiving 

for the big things as well as the small!

🦃🦃🦃🦃

Click here to connect online with J.Q. Rose.

Author of mysteries and memoir, J. Q. Rose

Inspiration for Writing Arranging a Dream: A Memoir, Life Storytelling

 

Arranging a Dream: a Memoir by J.Q. Rose

Click here to discover more books by JQ Rose 

on her author page at BWL Publishing 

Hello and Welcome to the BWL Insiders Blog! My name is JQ Rose.

BWL Publishing released my memoir, Arranging a Dream, in January 2021. Launching the book and getting readers' reviews has been so much fun. 

Readers most often ask, "What inspired you to write Arranging a Dream?" BTW, that was not the first title of the book. The working title was JQ Rose Memoir. Catchy, huh? So, after much thought, I came up with Pink Petals and Baby Poop. In my mind, it was a real keeper. 

My writers' group laughed at that one. When I told them I was serious, their laughter turned to concern. I dropped the Pink Petals, etc., but I still like it because it summarizes what the book is about. Starting a florist and greenhouse business and the joys and concerns of motherhood.

Question mark
Image courtesy of Peggy Marco on Pixabay

Back to the question about why I wrote this memoir. I have several reasons.

1.   1. I have presented workshops on writing life stories for years. I encourage people to record their stories for their family and friends all the time. I thought it was about time for me to do what I preach.

2.    2. I wanted to pen this slice of my life for our daughters and grandchildren.

3.    3. I look at our story as a guide for readers now and in the future. As I wrote the manuscript, I realized it was a story about having a dream and turning it into reality. People bury their dreams due to the many obstacles they must overcome to achieve them. I don’t want anyone to look back at their life and have regrets for not trying to have a career in something they are passionate about. Reading through the pages of Arranging a Dream, they can be assured we overcame problems to have an extraordinary, ordinary life, and they can too. 

Woman writing at her desk
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

     Have you considered writing your life story? Oh, I know that sounds overwhelming. I don't mean to write the entire story of your life from birth to the present. Your life story is made up of lots of little stories. Just think of the experiences you have had. Your brain is a storehouse of memories. Our memories are all tangled together, but once you pull out one, you will begin the untangling. One will spark another and another and another and so on.

      Filter through those memories and pick out one. Write it or make a video with you telling your story using your mobile phone. Start with a story that you often tell your family and friends about the good 'ole' days. Or choose to write about a family member like your grandma and what a great cook, seamstress or game player she was or is.  Give yourself time to scribble down the basics of the story. Don't try to write an award-winning novel. Do not edit. Take 10 minutes to just begin.  Choose a time to sit in a comfy place and set aside a few minutes or an hour every day. You can share it, or not. 

     You are the author of your story! Have fun with it. Life storytelling rewards you with new perspectives you gain about events in your life seen through the lens of time.

    Please leave a comment and let us know if you have thought about recording your story, have already begun or actually have a published life story or memoir. You can do it!

 Click here to connect online with JQ.

Author JQ Rose

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What I Miss About Libraries

 

 

Ah! The feeling of a hardbound book in my hands! The rows upon rows of texts, stacked five high! The quiet, studious atmosphere!

If you’re like me, you are surely missing your local library. With the pandemic, my library has been closed for months. It seems like an eternity. In these days of Zoom meetings and digital readers, here are a few things I miss about libraries:

 1)      Librarians: Yes, Google helps me track down reference materials, but search engines are only as smart as I. Many an instance, librarians have taken my searches in directions I didn’t imagine and found surprising answers to my questions. And I can have a conversation with a librarian; the computer remains mute.

2)      A place to concentrate: I write at home. But, like most writers, I need to get out regularly for the creative juices to flow. At home, distractions abound: the television, family members and even the dog. At the library, it is just me and my thoughts, and ideas flow so much more easily.

3)      Conversations. This might contradict the previous point, but one of the things I enjoy about libraries are the random conversations with interesting persons. Yes, they can be distractions if overdone, but are refreshing and energizing if done intelligently.

         4)      Cozy corners and enchanting places: This is especially true with old libraries, with their long wooden tables and reading chairs hidden in unexpected places. These places transport me into a mood where, unsurprisingly, I become easily absorbed in my reading.

        5)      Heading home with a stack of books: Somehow, there is a special feeling of contentment and fulfilment in spending a couple of hours in the library, wandering through the stacks, exploring dozens of texts, choosing the appropriate ones, checking them out and planning which one to read first.

             Hopefully these dreadful pandemic restrictions will end soon, and we can all get back to our normal lives. And with any luck, my local library will open soon!

 

            Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanauthor.com) is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation" a literary romance. He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com)

Did you say READ? But WHY? by J. S. Marlo

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

I love reading. During those precious hours when I'm alone with a good book, I lose myself into the story and escape reality. It's a wonderful feeling to step into a make-believe world, and it's sad when it ends, but

some of these stories stay with you for the rest of your life.

Reading isn't just a passion I enjoy by myself, it's also a passion I share with my children and granddaughter. I read to my children when they were little, and now I read to my five-year old granddaughter. I make funny voices and it's delightful to see the expressions on her face as the story progresses. She's even started reading to me, and I can see she's enjoying the story at a new level.

We've all heard that reading was good, but what are the real benefits of reading? Well, as it turns out, they are plenty.

- Stimulate brain: reading is a good workout for your brain, it jogs your memory and helps make you smarter.

- Expand vocabulary: books teach new words, broadening your spoken and written vocabulary.

- Increase empathy: reading fiction helps readers understand what other’s are thinking by reading people’s emotions.

- Improve concentration: when you're reading, you're concentrating on one thing, so you're training your body to avoid distraction.

- Reduce stress: when you lose yourself in a story, you distance yourself from the stress of everyday life.

- Help sleep: when your mind is racing and busy worrying about a variety of things, reading for ten minutes can help push whatever is keeping you awake out of your mind.

And my favorite reason:

- It entertains! You're never alone when you're with a book.

So, what should you read? Anything you can get your hands on. There's no accounting for taste. What someone loves to read is as personal as what someone loves to eat.

But BEWARE: reading is contagious. Make sure you transmit the passion to your kids.

Happy Reading & Stay safe. Many hugs!
JS

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Google Trends, a Powerful Tool

Google is the world’s most popular search engine. Want to know when the next snowfall will arrive in Calgary? What about the spread of the coronavirus epidemic? How about a recipe for apple pie? These are just three of the about five billion daily searches on Google, accounting for an astounding 90.5% of all searches on the internet.

The question arises as to how to make sense of these searches. Are some items searched more often than others? Are some searched seasonally? Can searches be categorized—for example, relating to book purchases?

These questions have more than a curiosity appeal, given that Google’s ad revenue amounted to $135 billion in 2019. There is big money to spend, and to make, with Google. Having the ability to use Google in marketing and promotion affects every business with an on-line presence, and even for purposes other than sales.

For example, a blogger may want to know what the hottest trends are in fashion. An epidemiologist may want to investigate the country with the most searches per capita of a virus. A marketer would like to know if the band he’s promoting is trending in a particular province.

Fortunately, for the common man or woman, there is a tool to help search searches. Google Trends was launched in 2006, but only became the robust tool that it is today in 2012.

To use Google Trends, one needs to enter the following website: trends.google.com. On the website, there is an “Explore” bar, where one can put in the search terms. For example, I chose the United States as my geographic region, entered “Apple Pie,” and several sections showed up. One, “Interest over Time” revealed a large spike in the search for this term in the last week of November which, being Thanksgiving in America, makes sense. The next section showed that Pennsylvania, for some reason, evinced the greatest interest for “Apple Pie.” Google Trends also allow you to compare searches: I compared ‘Apple Pie recipe’ with ‘Cherry pie recipe.’ The winner: Cherry pie, by a mile! 

More powerfully, it also allows searches by categories, such as Books, Games, Education, and so on. What about the hottest trends? Google Trends has a section that lists the top twenty of searches, by day, of all topics. On another page, called ‘Real Time Trends,’ shows the number of searches in real time, per hour, in a graph of the top searches.

A very simple use of Google Trends would be in Search Engine Optimization: the use of terms that would generate the greatest interest in a blog, a website or a product description. But Google Trends has turned out to be a lot more subtle and revealing than many expected. For example, the search ‘is my son gifted?’ was shown to be more popular then ‘is my daughter gifted?’ Similarly, the search ‘Is my daughter overweight?’ turned up more times than ‘Is my son overweight?’ Searches like these show cultural attitudes in statistically significant ways.

It takes times to become a competent user of Google Trends. Fortunately, over forty free lessons are available on the website itself. For authors, bloggers, businesspersons, or for anyone who is interested in public trends, it is a wonderful tool!

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. www.mohanashtakala.com

He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com)