The Scottish Thistle, Cindy Vallar – Author Guest Post

Loyalty and honor. A Highland warrior prizes both more than life, and when he swears his oath on the dirk, he must obey or die. Duncan Cameron heeds his chief’s order without question, but discovers his wife-to-be is no fair maiden. Although women are no longer trained in the art of fighting, Rory MacGregor follows in the footsteps of her Celtic ancestors. Secrets from the past and superstitious folk endanger Rory and Duncan as much as Bonnie Prince Charlie and his uprising to win back the British throne for his father. Rory and Duncan must make difficult choices that pit honor and duty against trust and love… FROM THE AUTHOR SITE

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AUTHOR GUEST POST…How to Research Your Story before Writing Your Book

One of the first books I read was one my mom recommended, Marie McSwigan’s Snow Treasure, the story of how Norwegian children ferried bars of gold on their sleds under the noses of the Nazis to a ship waiting to take it to America for safekeeping. That book was a favorite of hers, and after I read it, I was hooked on historical fiction. Most books I read then and read now take place in times past, which is probably why, when I decided to write a story of my own, I chose to set my stories in the past. Back then I had no idea what writing a historical novel entailed, but luckily I decided to become a librarian and acquired the skills I use to research the stories I now write.

No matter the genre, the author must always keep in mind that her story must take precedence. In historical fiction, this means your characters and their story are more important than the historical events that may impact their lives. Even though I consulted many books and resources on Scotland, only a small percentage of that information ever made it into The Scottish Thistle. That’s not to say the information that didn’t make it hasn’t been used. One byproduct of so much research is I became an “expert” in the history and culture of the time period I selected and I share this knowledge with others in workshops I teach to authors who want to learn more about Scotland.

So where do you start your research? When I wrote the opening scene for The Scottish Thistle, I knew three things about Scotland. The lads look bonny in their kilts and speak with a brogue, and many stories are set in the Highlands. To learn more about Scotland, I used my training as a librarian. When answering a reference question, librarians consult one resource first – the encyclopedia – because it provides a wealth of information on many subjects that is easily accessible through the index or an article’s subheadings. Nine times out of ten this single resource provides a good overview of the topic and keywords to help in your search for additional resources. I also read a children’s book about Scotland – another good overview that covers a variety of facets about the country and its history, but without initially requiring a major investment of time. Once I decided the Rising of 1745 offered excellent possibilities for my story, I consulted online university and public library catalogs for books and articles on Scottish culture in the 18^th century: Highland clans, Scottish folklore, histories on the Rising of 1745, and biographies of key historical players. I garnered additional resources from the bibliographies included within these titles.

You also want to consult specialized dictionaries or word histories, for words we use today may not mean the same or weren’t used at the time your story takes place. If a character follows a particular trade, such as seaman, the story feels more real if he speaks the jargon of his trade. Books on names are also important; you want characters to have names that existed back then in that setting. Librarians are a great resource to consult, as are specialists in their fields or historical re-enactors who do a lot of research to make their alter egos as realistic as possible. No matter who or what you use as a resource remember that quality is always better than quantity. If what you write isn’t credible, it impacts your reputation as a writer. If you take the time to do the research, to learn about the time and place of your characters, you’ll craft a story that allows the reader to be transported back in time without leaving the safety of the present.