I’m often asked how I manage to write both
contemporary and historical romances – do I approach each project in the same
way? How much research goes into my historicals compared to my contemporaries?
Which sub-genre do I prefer?
These are all valid questions, but the most important
thing for me is that my lovely readers love every one of my books, whether
contemporary or historical!
When I’m starting a new book of any sub-genre, I begin
by focusing on the emotions of the protagonists. What do they want? Why? What
happened in their past to make them the people they are today? What’s their
biggest fear? They’re biggest life wish?
It’s by focusing on these things that the lines
between writing contemporary fiction and historical fiction blur.
Once I’d decided on a department store setting for The
Mistress of Pennington’s, I began researching the beginnings of these new,
mammoth stores, the people who worked and shopped at them, the retail processes
and every other detail I could uncover. Accurately portraying a bygone era is definitely
the biggest challenge when writing historical romance for modern readers.
Why? Because readers READ!
It’s inevitable that, one day, a reader will know more
about a subject than you. They might have an avid interest in the period. Might
know more about the social climate at the time or be an expert in (help!)
retail history. A writer cannot allow the prospect of a reader telling the
world about an inaccuracy in your work to scare them away from writing the
story bursting to be told. All they can ensure is that they do all they can to
avoid making a huge, jarring mistake. Research is paramount.
Once I’ve done my research (including other areas that
might arise as I’m writing), I embark on my historical novels in the same way I
do my contemporary work. For me, it’s about the story unfolding, the
development and changes in the characters, that all-important emotion and
bringing the tale to a satisfactory ending that leaves my readers with a clear
feeling of the period and an empathy for all that the characters have endured.
If I achieve that, I’m happy and, hopefully, I’ve
overcome the challenge of writing historical fiction for the modern reader J
Happy Reading!
Rachel x
Don't forget Christmas At Pennington's releases September 19th and is available for preorder right now!
Blurb & Buy Links:
Gripping
drama as Pennington's department store prepares for a glittering Christmas in
1911, but a killer stalks the women of Bath.
Christmas
sees Pennington's at its most glorious, thronged with shoppers, its grand
staircase and balcony adorned with holly, mistletoe, tinsel and lights. It
should be the happiest time, but dramas are seething beneath the surface.
For Cornelia
Culford, in charge of jewellery, a divorce hearing looms, where she could
lose custody of her young sons to her overbearing and unfaithful husband.
For Stephen
Gower, being head of security at Pennington's is the perfect refuge from
a tragic past at Scotland Yard. But soon the past will call
him back, as Joseph Carter and Elizabeth Pennington beg
him to help solve the murder of Joseph's first wife, now that it seems as if
the killer has struck again.
For Joseph and Elizabeth, their marriage
depends on exorcising the past. But can it ever be laid to rest?
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