Historical Research -- Settings

Good Morning. I haven't done a research post in a long time. I thought I would today.

When I first began writing, they used to call where we set our stories "Settings". Now they call it "World Building".

Anyway, last night I was working on WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST. Lady Olivia is on her way to Seaford, a little estate outside of Brighton. (If you haven't read THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE yet, I won't spoil it for you and tell you WHY she's going there.) Well, Olivia is on her way, and first of all, I needed to know how she got there. Naturally, by horse and carriage. But, the larger question was, which route did she take.

Google Maps showed me three. Yes, I Google mapped it. The route, as the crow flies is 55 miles from London to Brighton. I am presuming that the route she took was the road that has been in existence for at least 200 years. If not, oh well. I TRY to be as accurate as possible in my "world building". Sometimes it just doesn't work, so I fudge. It's fiction.

a pivotal scene in the book happens here

You may wonder why I bothered to Google the route at all if it's fiction. Because I needed to know how long it would take. 55 miles by horse and carriage = 2 days. Horses travel 25 miles per day. (Well, they can do more, however, we have Lady Olivia + 5 servants + luggage + a heavy coach. We don't want to kill the horses now do we?)


The other thing I needed to know was WHERE exactly my fictitious estate of Seaford was going to be. I chose a little out of the way town called Offham in Sussex about a mile from Lewes on the River Ouse. That is about 10 miles outside of Brighton. It looks like a farming community from what I could see on the satellite image from Google maps. The little white dots I saw were sheep. For all intents and purposes, it is just what I wanted. And I wanted it on a river because ... well, I can't tell you. You'll just have to read the book. (If you want to Google it yourself, go to Google maps, and in the search bar type in Old St. Peter's Church, or Ivors Lane, Offham, UK. You'll see exactly where the estate of Seaford is supposed to be.)

the pond

So, I knew WHERE it was going to be, now what did it look like? That my friends, is where I spent nearly three hours on Google Images sorting through pictures of manor houses and estates for sale in England. Nothing looked right. I didn't want it too big, nor too small. I wanted it a little run-down, but still serviceable. Olivia has to live there after all.

As a "visual" writer, (meaning I need to have a picture in my head of my characters and my settings which is why I spend so much time with Google Images) I generally can't write unless I can "see" who or what I'm writing about.

this is just amazingly pretty

Anyway, I found nothing in the "For Sale" categories. However, I found a picture from the NSG (National Scenic Gardens). From what I understand, they have walking tours of these  houses and gardens when in bloom -- and what a lovely idea. (We have those here in America, but on a much smaller scale.) I found a few pictures, which then led me to Coton Manor, Paxton House, and one other whose name escapes me.





For your viewing pleasure, here is my fictitious estate of Seaford. (Otherwise known as Coton Manor.)

Note the wisteria climbing up the front and the river walk

different view of the front gardens

Naturally, when Olivia first arrives, it does not look like this. But it will when she's done with it.

I think that when writers write, their imagination is one thing, but having a visual back-up helps. In my instance, the wisteria on the front of the house lends itself into my storyline that otherwise I would not have been able to use this picture. Kind of fortuitous for me.

World Building or Settings, it doesn't matter what you call it, only that you know where your story takes place. (Naturally, this doesn't work for all genres, but it helps.)

What do you think of Seaford? Wouldn't you love to go there? I know I would.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

A New Book

Good Morning. I know I said you probably wouldn't hear from me until spring, but...

I've been working on something. I call it the Final Final Resolution in The Reluctant Grooms series. Only my closest friends know what it is. It's a secret, and I'm not telling.

Being a romance author, I feel everyone deserves a happy ending. This story has already made me cry six times. And I'm only on Chapter 8. Be that as it may, I'm trying to hurry and finish it up by Valentine's Day, because everyone loves love on Valentine's day.

I did a mock-up cover for you to see, (my cover designer has had a nasty bout with illness for the last several weeks, and is just not up for it yet -- but when she is, I'm sure hers will be much better than mine) and I wrote a cryptic cover blurb.

Without further ado, here it is.

Lady Olivia is a woman bereft – she’s lost the man she loved, her home of nearly forty years, and her title. Never one to back down from a fight, this time she walks away. There’s nothing left for her in London. She plans to live out the rest of her solitary life at a quaint little estate near Brighton.

Until the unthinkable happens and the man of her dreams walks through her front door.

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I'm not telling you any more than that and you can guess to your heart's content.

For those of you who are Jane Austen fans, you'll notice I've taken one of her great lines from PERSUASION for the title. I think it sums up the book perfectly.

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In other news, I've updated all the novels and revamped the formatting (I hope), and am slowly working my way through the novellas. If you noticed, I've also re-published A ROMANTIC REGENCY COLLECTION. That HAS been updated with some new scenes. 

A HUSBAND FOR MISS TRENT is FREE across all markets (except itunes and I don't know why) and is available here on my blog under the top tabs.

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Unfortunately, working on these books had put my timeline for the new series on hold for a little while. I know I said I hoped to have the first books out in the fall, but I can't promise anything. I volunteer at my daughter's school, and we have a big event looming at the end of January, and another in May. I'm hoping to outline the first books for the new series in between, and start writing during the summer. (By the pool would be lovely.) We'll see how that goes because you know the best laid plans often go awry.

I'll keep you updated. 

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If you don't follow me on Twitter, I wish you would. I've been posting (sporadically) on the word count for the new story (12,000 words so far considering what little time I've had to write). You can find me at gallagher_anne

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Well, that's all I have for now. 

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

It's That Time of Year

Good Morning. It's that time of year again when I have a new book coming out.
THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE will be available on Christmas Eve.
I've just put the finishing touches on the last edits so it will be good to go. I hope you enjoy it.

Also, because of this new book, I'm revamping the rest of the series, which means plowing through each and every volume one by one to make sure there are no plot holes, red herrings, or misspelled words. (And I do this from time to time anyway, but now that the series is done, I'd like to take the time to read it from the very beginning.)

And, once I get through that task, I am going to do the same to the paperback versions as well. I'd like to offer the complete set at some point, and now that the series is finished, I have the time to work on that aspect of my publishing career.

So if you don't see me until Spring -- you know why. I'm busy working.

PS  I haven't forgotten -- I'll also be working on the new series 

THE LADIES OF DUNBURY.

 Look for the first book in the fall of 2015.

Seduction is Available for Pre-Order

Quick post today -- THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE is available at these three e-tailers for pre-order. Coming soon to itunes, Kobo, and everyone else. It will be published on December 24, 2014.

Amazon 

Nook

Smashwords

The last book in the Reluctant Grooms Series.

American shipbuilder, Stephen Summerville has a bit of a dilemma when he meets two very beautiful English sisters. However, when Stephen is confronted with the aristocratic father he never knew, deciding on a wife seems like a small task in comparison to what he must decide for his future.


Anne Gallagher (c) 2014