Research

My stories involve characters from a specific time and place. I am recreating a version of a world that once existed, so I want to make sure my references are as factual as possible. While my conversations with people from historical societies or newspaper and map archives could give me a plethora of relevant events and demographics, they could not paint the scenery for me or provide the personalities of my characters.

In order to accurately describe the surroundings, I visited Port Townsend, Washington, Wrangell, Skagway, and Valdez, Alaska, along with San Francisco and Plantation, California. I walked those streets, took photos, talked with the docents in the local museums, and connected with people who were happy to share their expertise or direct me to other sources.

I also dug deep into the family history and lineage of my main character, Jennie Luttringer. I discovered that some ancestry research companies provide information without requiring subscription fees. I was able to compare and contrast the information in the lineage database with public records, and against the records and photos provided by the family descendants.

Each conversation, archive, visit, and meeting revealed more information about the events and prominent characters of the place and time of interest. Some facts were dropped into the story as little “Easter Eggs”, where a reader can delve into their own research to learn more. Other facts became pivotal points of the plot. The more I learned, the easier it was to write.

Depending on your chosen topic, the research might be easy to come by, or might be non-existent, as in the case of science fiction where beings and worlds are entirely imaginary. It is all up to you.