On Writing - Settings

by MJ Fredrick

I admit, I’ve bought books before simply based on setting. When I first started reading romance, it was Ireland—ANYTHING set in Ireland. I expanded to England, then Scotland, before venturing to the United States and gobbling up Civil War romances, then moving to the present day.

 

What I discovered about myself is that I choose to read certain settings based on what I was interested in at the time.

For awhile it was archaeology, thanks to the Mummy movies. There are not many of those, BTW.

For awhile it was California-set romances, thanks to the Virgin River books.

Then Hawaii-set books because of my crush on Alex O’Loughlin in Hawaii 5-0.

My son’s girlfriend recently moved to Alaska, so I have been reading some of those.

Lately, it’s western historicals thanks to Hell on Wheels and the re-showing of Into the West. (I have one episode saved because I want to write a wagon train story now.

That happens when I write, too.

My historical Sunrise Over Texas was written when I was teaching Texas history, about Jane Long, the “Mother of Texas.” I’d taught that lesson in previous years, but that year something clicked!

My hot shot firefighter story, Hot Shot, was written when the Colorado fires were so bad in 2000.

Midnight Sun is set in Antarctica because of a show on the travel channel I saw about cruises that take people to see the 7^th continent.

My series Welcome to Bluestone was written when I was visiting Minnesota, which is harder hit by the recession than my home state of Texas. We drove past a town struggling to stay afloat, and the series was born.

What about you? Does setting influence your choices when it comes to buying books? Are there any settings you DON’T care to read?

MJ Fredrickhttp://mjfredrick.com

Bluestone Homecoming

Guarded Hearts from Lyrical Press

RESEARCH FOR HISTORICAL NOVELS: STARTING WITH FAMILY

Because I love historical novels, particularly those set in Scotland, I decided to try my hand at writing one. At the time I made this decision, I was taking a Viking/Scotland class and remembered something my mother had told me years earlier.

It seems that, although all of us are of Norwegian descent, my maternal grandfather, who emigrated from Norway, had a Scottish name. This intrigued me, so I sent an email to the instructor and eventually learned his name had a Gaelic counterpart. Did this mean that I had long ago ancestors living in Scotland sometime after the year 900? Possibly, as the Vikings invaded Scotland, and other parts of Europe, from 800 to 1000 A.D.

I took as many classes about Scotland as I could and then, when HHRW announced a class about pirates, I eagerly signed up. That turned out to be a blessing. According to legend, there was a lady pirate by the name of Alfhild on one of the Viking pirate longboats. Unfortunately, historians never proved this, as the Vikings believed the written word to be evil and therefore did not have a written language.

Nonetheless, I was delighted with this information. Alfhild, as I happen to know, is a rare name even in Norway. It was also my mother's first name.

So, I began designing my book, starting with the landing of Viking pirates at Orkney and created a main character, Lars, the son of the captain and one who escapes the longboat and makes his new life in Orkney. I also added a lady pirate, though I didn't name her Alfhildl.

When a suggestion was made by an instructor, I tracked down a copy of The Orkneyinga Saga, a book written somewhere around 1258, and read it. It was there I discovered there was an earl by the name of Rongvold, which was my maternal grandfather's given name.

I'm not done researching. Who knows what will turn up next?

I'd love to know if any of you have uncovered interesting facts about your family while researching for a book, or, for tht matter, any unusul facts.

Joan K. Maze