When I began seriously pursuing publication seven years ago one of the first things I was told was that every author needed a brand, a punchline that tells readers what to expect about their books. I fretted over this for some time, as I wasn’t really sure what overall theme my books would contain. A few titles later I settled into it: Modern-Vintage Romance—where the past and present collide with faith. Since I write contemporary romance with threads of nostalgia weaved in, it fit.
Then last year I let one of my critique partners talk me
into joining her and five others in a proposal to Barbour Publishers for a
collection of historical romances involving Great Lakes Lighthouses. But I
write contemporary, I thought. Writing a historical is intimidating, I thought.
When will I ever have time for all that research, I thought. But we’ve been
critique partners long enough that she knows I love a challenge, so she dangled
the idea in front of me like bait. (Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an
exaggeration.)
Was it intimidating? To me, yes.
Did it require a lot of research? Absolutely.
And I loved it!
My first historical, Beneath a Michigan Moon, is part of
the Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection that released November 1st. As an
author of both contemporary and historical romance, I wanted to share some of
the challenges I faced writing in two different time periods.
First, you need to understand that I was doing extensive
edits to my contracted contemporary novel How to Stir a Baker’s Heart (book #2
in my Cadence of Acadia series) while I was writing the first draft of Michigan
Moon, while plotting my next contemporary series.
(Conclusion: I’m crazy.)
Challenge #1: The Romance Trope
I’ve always wanted to write a marriage of convenience
story. I love the tension it creates between characters and that fact that
their relationship blossoms into real love through their daily journey
together. This is easy enough to write in a historical because it was common for
people to marry for necessity back then. Mail order brides, widows without
family and no means of caring for themselves, arranged marriages, etc. Writing
this trope in a contemporary, however, isn’t as easy. So when I started writing
a new series set in South Dakota using this trope, I had to get creative. Gmail
took the place of the postal service for word that the hero was looking for a
bride. Both the hero and heroine enter into an agreement needing what the other
is offering. And it all plays out on prime time television. While the director
continually throws in surprise after grueling surprise.
Challenge #2: Communication
Nowadays, we have many ways to communicate. So in my
contemporary romance How to Stir a Baker’s Heart, the hero and heroine chat
through text, cellphone, email, and face-to-face. At times, the technology
doesn’t work the way it should (especially along the coast of Maine where the
book is set) and it causes issues.
In Michigan Moon, it was much harder to get messages back
and forth. When the heroine (light keeper at New Presque Isle Lighthouse on
Lake Huron) starts to run low on supplies, she receives a telegram that the
supply train derailed, and she’ll have to ration what she has until another
shipment can be sent out. This accident happened days before, so had there been
faster modes of communication on all sides she would’ve been able to ration
sooner, keeping her from having to rob old supplies left in a nearby abandoned
lighthouse. But it worked to my advantage because this scene turned out to be a
pivotal moment for the hero and heroine.
Challenge #3: Clothing
I’m familiar with today’s styles: midi-dresses, skinny
jeans, joggers, flyaway cardigans...you get the idea. I dress my contemporary
characters accordingly. However, I was fairly ignorant of the terms for
historical items: reticules, chemises, chignons, frock coats. Historical
romance is my favorite genre to read, so where I’d heard those terms before I
had no idea what era they fell in, or what items were layered over what. This
took extensive research both online and books from my public library. I didn’t
want to receive any bad reviews simply because my timeline was off.
Will I continue writing historical romance? I’d like to.
I think being hybrid would keep me on my toes, help keep my writing fresh. I
enjoy taking modern themes and fitting them into an old-fashioned world. Just
like I enjoy taking contemporary settings and lacing history into the
plot.
The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection featuring
Beneath a Michigan Moon is available now in print and eBook at all major online
retailers. Amazon Buy Link
Look for How to Stir a Baker’s Heart, releasing April
2019 from Pelican Book Group.
To keep up to date on my latest news you can find me on
Facebook as Candice Sue Patterson-Author or visit my website at www.candicesuepatterson.com
