Researching Rome
For The Summer
Lynne Shelby
As I write contemporary romance, my research until now
has mainly consisted of talking to people who do the same job as my heroine to
get an idea of how she would spend her working day, or re-visiting my book’s
location to check that I’ve remembered it correctly – and that the beautiful
view I want my heroine to gaze at hasn’t been obscured by a newly-built
tower-block! But when it came to my new book, Rome For The Summer, I found
myself doing more research than ever before.
In the book, my heroine Kate
Harper has always loved the painting that has hung in her parents' dining room
for years, never suspecting that it is worth a fortune. When her art dealer
boyfriend cheats her family out of the proceeds of the painting's sale, she is
left devastated. Discovering that two hundred years ago, the girl in the painting –
Charlotte Browne – ran off to Rome with the artist who painted her portrait, her
eventual fate unknown, Kate seizes the chance of a summer job in Rome, hoping
to uncover the mystery of what happened to her.
While I wouldn’t describe Rome For The Summer as a dual-timeline
novel, the surprising secrets of Charlotte’s life in Rome, which Kate starts to
piece together as she – along with my artist hero, Jamie Taylor – explores the
city, have a direct bearing on the present, and unfold in parallel with Kate
and Jamie’s story. Wanting to be sure that the scenes set in 1816 could have
happened during the Regency, I read up on the era both on-line and in books,
and found the history – particularly the lives of nineteenth century women – to
be fascinating. Not all of my research
made it into the book, but it was there in the back of my mind as I wrote about
Charlotte, mirroring her reactions to Rome in 1816 with Kate’s in 2016.
At the beginning of the book, Kate is working in an art gallery, and
although I enjoy visiting galleries and museums, I’ve never worked in one and
don’t know anyone who has, so I looked up the sort of tasks working in a
gallery would entail – finding several
jobs Kate would have loved to apply for posted on-line on recruitment websites!
I also found out more about the art world, such as how paintings are valued and
sold at auction, so that I could be sure that the underhand actions of Kate’s
nefarious boyfriend were possible.
I’ve visited Rome several times, and would have loved to go back on a
research trip to make sure I’d remembered things like the nearest metro station
to the Colosseum correctly – not that you need the excuse of a research trip to
visit Rome – but with travel restrictions still in place when I was writing the
book, I turned to photos, videos, and Google maps. Fortunately, when I was in
Rome a few years ago, I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure I will return
some day – as Kate is advised to do in the book.
I hope that readers of Rome For The Summer will enjoy exploring the city along with Kate and Jamie – and Charlotte – as much as I did.
Buy link (CTRL+ click):
Blurb:
Kate Harper has always loved the painting that
has hung in her parents' dining room for years, never suspecting that it is
worth a fortune. When her art dealer boyfriend cheats her family out of the
proceeds of the painting's sale, she is left devastated and alone.
Kate discovers that two hundred years ago, the
girl in the painting, Charlotte Browne, ran off to Rome with the artist who painted
her portrait, but her eventual fate is unknown.
Hoping to uncover the mystery of what happened
to Charlotte, Kate seizes the chance of a summer job in Rome, where she strikes
up a friendship with Jamie Taylor, an English artist. As they explore the city
and start to piece together the surprising secrets of Charlotte's life, Kate
finds herself wondering if a summer in Rome can mend a broken heart...
Bio:
Lynne Shelby writes contemporary women's fiction and romance. Her debut novel, French Kissing, now re-released in ebook as Meet Me In Paris, won the Accent Press and Woman magazine Writing Competition, and her fifth novel, Love On Location, was shortlisted for a Romantic Novelists’ Association Award. When not writing or reading, Lynne can usually be found at the theatre or exploring a foreign city with her writer's notebook, camera and sketchbook in hand. She lives in London with her husband and has three adult children who live nearby.
Website: www.lynneshelby.com
Twitter: @LynneShelby5
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynneShelbyWriter
Instagram: lynneshelbywriter
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