One of my favourite things about writing historical fiction (as well as all the delicious research!) is choosing where my heroes and heroines will live!
Why? Well, I am a very visual writer and in order to find my inspiration, it often means trawling through the internet looking for stately homes, Georgian terraces or even Victorian slums. I use the same process when creating my main characters and spend far too much time looking at pictures of famous actors, too. There is something about 'seeing' my characters and where they live that gets my creative juices flowing.
For my latest series, the Ladies of Carson Street, I have kept a Bath setting as I have with most of my historicals, purely because this beautiful city is just a short distance from where I live BUT that does not mean that I only use Bath buildings as my inspiration.
Whether my characters stay in Bath for the duration of the novel or travel elsewhere, I use houses from all over the UK.
However, the inspiration for Carson Street house most definitely came from Bath. The street and what I describe in the novels are what would be seen from this house if you visited Bath today. Here is the pic that inspired Carson Street - it is actually called North Parade and if you google it, you will see what the characters see!
And what about the grander homes? Well, in book 3, A Very Modern Marriage, Octavia travels to Manchester where the hero has his home and staff - for this house, I used a very famous residence as inspiration - Elizabeth Gaskell's and it is perfect for what I had mind!
Writers are so often asked where they get their ideas - I guarantee the internet is a great place to start - happy writing and reading :)
The entire Ladies of Carson Street can be downloaded in one easy click on Amazon - why not join Louisa, Nancy & Octavia on their adventures of survival and true love?
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