Historical Novel
Research
By Pam Lecky
The research required
when writing historical tales can be daunting. Happily, I love it, and over the years my collection
of reference books has grown. The genre requires a writer to explore practically
everything in their chosen period from idioms
used, to mourning protocols. As my era of choice is the late Victorian/early 20th
century, my library includes Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management (with
hilarious cures and advice, by our modern standards), Bradshaws 1895 Railway Timetable, and one of my favourites - The Poisoner’s Handbook! These particular
tomes have been invaluable.
My current
work in progress, the second book in the Lucy
Lawrence Murder Mystery Series, is set in
Victorian Egypt. As I have always been
fascinated by Ancient Egypt, it was inevitable
my unfortunate heroine would end up there. Finding contemporary descriptions is
the ultimate goal, and I was fortunate
enough to come across Amelia Edwards’ A
Thousand Miles up the Nile on a visit to the British Museum. Her
travel memoir was written a decade before I set
my novel. Fortune smiled on me once more when I found a scanned online version
of the Baedeker’s Guide to Lower Egypt,
published in 1885, two years before my heroine lands in Alexandria. These two
books provided accurate detail and gave me an insight in how the Victorians
behaved when on their travels. Then, as I delved into the history of Victorian
Egyptology, I uncovered the animosity which existed between the British and
French archaeological teams. I knew immediately this was a scenario I could
exploit in Footprints in the Sand,
with the added satisfaction of being able to use the glorious setting of
ancient Egyptian monuments.
No Stone Unturned, which was published a few months’ ago, is the first novel in the series
and it often threw up some interesting questions for me. For instance, did
Victorian households use rubbish bins? What was the nearest mortuary to Vine
Street Police Station in London? What type of train ran in the London
Underground in 1886? My collection of research books failed me, as did Amazon
and Google.
Since the
publication of my first novel in 2015, I have discovered
that contacts online can be a useful source of information when you hit a research
wall. Lee Jackson, a fellow historical fiction author, has written extensively
on Victorian life and several of his non-fiction
books are on my shelves. I contacted him on Twitter and he was able to tell me what I needed to know about Victorian rubbish
and its disposal. And, within half an hour he had come back to me with the name
of the mortuary that would have been closest to the police station in 1886,
i.e., Dufour Place (sadly no longer in
existence - well, sad for me as I would have liked to have visited it!).
The train question was a little trickier as I also wished to know how
long a particular journey took. Thankfully, I found the London Transport
Museum online, and within 24 hours I had not only answers to my questions but
copies of relevant timetables. To my astonishment, they used steam trains on
the Victorian underground in those early days. As I delved deeper, I discovered
that the engineers hadn’t allowed for ventilation in the tunnels and this had
to be retro-fitted, much to the relief of the commuters, I’m sure.
But what to do with all this wonderful background information? It is
imperative to get the balance right between creating authentic settings,
characters and believable plots, while not boring your reader with the
minutiae. So, unfortunately, most of it does not end up in the novel. However, as
a writer I could not create without it. The information gleaned from all these
sources helps me get inside the heads of my characters, enabling me to see
their world through their eyes. But of even greater importance, many of my
sub-plots and ideas have sprung from the very fertile soil of research.
As a backdrop to the mystery element of No Stone Unturned, I also wanted to explore how a relatively young Victorian woman, with a strong personality and
high intellect, would cope within the confines of a troubled marriage. Would
she accept her lot or chafe at the bit? But, in Lucy’s case, with no money and
estranged from her family, she could not walk away. To do so, would mean social
ruin. However, when circumstances finally release
her (her husband’s sudden death), she struggles to cope. Pretty much every man
in her life so far has betrayed her on some level for their own ends. There is
a pivotal scene in the story when Lucy realises she must shape her own destiny,
and she sets out on a dangerous adventure in pursuit of the truth about her
late husband and his less than legal activities. To make this believable would have
been impossible without doing the research into Victorian women’s lives: Lucy
had to be a woman of her time.
But, you may wonder, how can you bear not to use all this lovely
information? And I felt the same and pondered the question for some time. Then it struck me
that a series of blog posts based on the
research would make the perfect pre-launch material. This worked very well for
me and helped boost my pre-order sales, via my website.
There is nothing more jarring for a historical fiction fan than
historical inaccuracy. Most will not give you a second chance if you get it
wrong. As a writer, you owe it to your readers to put in the hours and effort
to get your basic facts correct. Think of it as quality control for your brand. Luckily, next to actually writing, I enjoy chasing down wispy threads and popping down rabbit
holes: you never know what juicy nuggets of information you may discover!
And just in case you are interested, the Victorians did use domestic rubbish bins which were collected by dustmen in horse-drawn carts twice a day - now
that’s service!
No Stone Unturned
By Pam Lecky
A suspicious death, stolen gems and an unclaimed
reward:who will be the victor in a deadly game of cat and mouse?
London October 1886: Trapped in a troubled marriage,
Lucy Lawrence is ripe for an adventure. But when she meets the enigmatic
Phineas Stone, over the body of her husband in the mortuary, her world begins
to fall apart.
When her late husband’s secrets spill from the grave,
and her life is threatened by the leader of London’s most notorious gang, Lucy
must find the strength to rise to the challenge. But who can she trust and how
is she to stay out of the murderous clutches of London’s most dangerous criminal?
Pick up your copy of
Pam Lecky
Pam Lecky is an Irish historical fiction author,
writing crime, mystery, romance and the supernatural. Pam is represented by the
Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency in London. She is a member of the
Historical Novel Society and the Society of Authors and has a particular love
of the late Victorian era/early 20th Century.
Her debut novel, The Bowes Inheritance,
was awarded the B.R.A.G Medallion; shortlisted for the Carousel Aware Prize
2016; and long-listed for the Historical Novel Society 2016 Indie Award.
Her short stories are available in an anthology,
entitled Past Imperfect, which was published in
April 2018.
June 2019, will see the release of the first book in
the Lucy Lawrence Mystery series, No Stone Unturned, a
fast-paced Victorian mystery/crime, set in London and Yorkshire. The
sequel, Footprints in the Sand will be released later this
year.
Connect with Pam:
Website • Amazon • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram
Great blog post, Pam! I agreed with all your points about accuracy and getting help from contacts. I have emailed museums in the UK and I'm always amazed at the information you can find if you just ask.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. Thank you. And it is so true that it is tempting to try to put lots of hard-won research into the story, but in truth it would make the story lag. I've offered ancillary info via FB but only intermittently--your article convinces me I need to up the ante on that.
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