Can research be fun as well as informative? I asked author Miralee Ferrell to provide us with some information regarding the on-site research she did on her new historical novel, Blowing on Dandelions.--Sandy
Miralee: Blowing on Dandelions is my seventh novel, with two more historical
romance novels to follow, and I’ve been fortunate to visit every town where my
books have been set except for one (Sundance, WY). While online research is
helpful and was able to give me what I needed when unable to travel to
Sundance, visiting a location in person truly bring a setting to life. The
first thing I do is pinpoint any museums or historical societies in the area.
I’ll do an online search prior to leaving and often contact the Chamber of
Commerce to see if they know anyone who lives there that is a historian.
My trip to Baker City, Oregon, was
no exception. I have a friend who moved to this picturesque small city nestled
between the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains, only a couple of years prior to my
visit. She escorted me to businesses, pointing out buildings that had been
erected in the late 1800s, and introduced me to locals who had family extending
almost to the roots of the town’s existence. I discovered a family-owned
bookstore that carried books centered on the history and founding of Baker City
and other towns in the county, as well as speaking to a gentleman who was a
historian in his own right.
Local museums are always a
fantastic source of information, and I take hundreds of pictures of the
artifacts, old photos, furniture and clothing, as well as taking pictures of
any original structures in the area. Baker City has an incredible hotel that
was built in the mid 1880’s called The Geiser Grand Hotel. If my books spanned
a longer time period I would have worked this magnificent structure into my
story, but it was still fun to tour inside. My friend gave me mini history
lessons on several of the area businesses, and the museum filled in even more
information that was helpful.
Often when on these research
trips, I find little known facts that turn into interesting story plots, or I’m
able to create true-to-life scenes using events that happened during my
specific time period. Even better is when I can discover and use a famous
person who lived in the town at that time, as I did in my book set in
Tombstone, when Doc Holliday showed up at a saloon and interacted with one of
my characters.
My Love Blossoms in Oregon series has three different settings.
Besides seeing the characters on the main street or in a store or restaurant,
the majority of the action takes place in a boarding house, with a quilting
group in the local church, and on a ranch outside of town, so my time spent in
Baker City covered all three of those areas.
When I first started writing
historical romance, I worried that the research might be too time consuming or
boring. Little did I realize it would become my favorite part of the entire
writing process.
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In Blowing on
Dandelions, Miralee Ferrell speaks to women’s heartfelt struggles—from family
dysfunction to single parenthood—-while offering them the faith-filled hope
they need, all wrapped in an uplifting, true-to-life romance.
Miralee and her
husband, Allen, live on 11 acres in the Columbia River Gorge. They have two
grown children and recently their son and his wife presented them with a
beautiful new granddaughter. Miralee has been writing since 2005, and her first
book was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had 7 books published, both in
women’s contemporary fiction and historical fiction, with another 6 under
contract. Her western romance, Love Finds
You in Sundance, WY, was awarded the Will Rogers Medallion for Excellence
in Western Fiction and her newest release, Blowing
on Dandelions, is the first in a three book series set in Oregon. Miralee
loves interacting with people, ministering at her church, riding her horse and
playing with her dogs. She also speaks at various women’s functions and has
taught at conferences.
You can find her at:
Web site: www.miraleeferrell.com
Facebook Author
page: www.facebook.com/miraleeferrell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/miraleeferrell 