Jessie-In New Hampshire where the mornings are cool enough to need a sweater to walk my dog.
Curiosity is our theme this month and it happens to be one of my very favorites! I adore research and giving my curiosity its head and I know that most of you are endlessly curious about certain things too. I wondered this week what sort of rabbit holes your curiosity sent you tumbling down that ended up in one of your novels
Barb: For Iced Under: I knew for a long time that Julia Snowden’s mother’s ancestors made their money in the frozen water trade. Those wily entrepreneurs who cut ice on frozen ponds and rivers and sent it of to New Orleans, Havana, and Bombay. But I knew next to nothing and loved learning about it. For Steamed Open, learning about Maine shoreline property rights which descend from an Ordinance from 1641 and are probably not what you think they are. And for Shucked Apart, learning about oyster farming.
Liz: For the book I’m working on right now, I stumbled upon something called the shellfish group on Martha’s Vineyard, which is apparently a group that preserves the island’s shellfisheries. So of course now I need to learn more about this and how the presumed infighting between the reps from each town could result in murder.
Julie: For the Clock Shop series, I had to learn about clock making. There was a ton of research, very little of which ended up in the books. But the passion of the clockmakers hopefully did. My recent rabbit hole is con artists. I’m reading The Big Con by David W. Maurer, which explains how cons work. I’ve also rewatched all of the Ocean movies. Needless to say, I’m pondering a new idea…
Sherry: Julie, I remember how amazed I was when I read Just Killing Time and the depth of knowledge you had about clocks. No one reading it would ever guess you didn’t know anything about clocks when you started writing it! I loved learning more about tramp art for one of my Sarah Winston Garage Sale mysteries. It started with a piece that my sister found in my grandparent’s basement tucked behind many other things. And I confess I really enjoyed going to beach bars when researching the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mysteries!
Edith/Maddie: I was about to write, No fair, Sherry, setting a series in a beach bar. Then I remembered I am just about to debut one with a wine bar setting! Yes, that is extreme-fun research, especially the hands-on (glass) type. But I’ve also dug into the Pomo Indian culture in the Alexander Valley, and learned that Blacks migrated there, started businesses, and built houses in the later part of the nineteenth century. And did you know many wine grapes in the region are picked at night when the temperatures are cooler? The harvest, which happens during September and October, is the very hottest time of the year.
Jessie: Julie, I love con artist stories! All of this research is so interesting it makes me itch to hop down some rabbit holes of my own! As for me, I think the trip I took to Lily Dale, NY to the Spiritualist enclave was my deepest dive so far. It was fascinating to attend group sessions, private readings, and reiki healing circles. Even the gift shop proved a source of information and inspiration!
Readers, do you end up tumbling down rabbit holes when you are on the internet?
Yes and always find interesting and unique things
That seems to be the way of it!
My husband and I will be talking about a movie and then who was in it and then I will start looking it up and before you know it I’m researching all kinds of things.
We do that with movies too!
It has been such a wonderful change compared to muggy and rainy lol
Absolutely!
Yes, I have gone down plenty of rabbit holes doing online research.
I do like Sherry & Edith/Maddie’s need to research beach bars and wine bars, respectively.
Good to learn that grapes are picked in the evening. I can attest that part of California is hot in the fall. I was in Sonoma & Napa where the temperatures were in the 80s/90s during multiple trips in September & October.
Wow! That seems very hot to this Northern New Englander!
All the time. Usually when I’m supposed to be doing other things – like writing. LOL
The internet is great for procrastinating!
Think we all do in some way or other. As for me, besides reading I love photography – especially critters in their natural environment. I want to learn more about them to understand their habits and mannerisms in order to get better photos hopefully. I’ve found the information I can find on line very interesting. Often, I find one spot who suggests or mentions something else that sends me looking in that direction only to find another bit of information that has me going another way. I think humans are just curious by nature. Maybe some, like me, more so than others.
Honestly, I think it really shows and makes a book better for the reader if the author has explored a few rabbit holes in order to get the story accurate and informative. So thank you authors for following those rabbits into the dark abyss for that information that enhances the stories that keep us coming back for more.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Your process sounds like mine! And we are all happy to run down those rabbit holes in the name of making the books better!
I do it a lot with songs. I’ll find that someone recently did a version of a song that was written or performed by someone else, and before I know it, I’m way down that rabbit hole.
How fascinating! That is one I haven’t tumbled down!
I end up tumbling down rabbit holes all the time – especially on Reddit. I just find it fascinating. Or, if a word or item I’m not sure of comes up in a book I’m reading, I’ll research it for a better understanding.
I don’t even dare to go to Reddit because I am not sure I would ever come back out again!
I can fall down rabbit holes on the internet all the time. YouTube is especially bad. I don’t have the time for it, but I do it anyway.
YouTube gets me often too, Mark!
Oh, yes. I’ll start to put a query in the Google search bar and six possible items show up. Usually at least one will lead me down the rabbit hole because it’s so intriguing I just have to know all about it!
I know just what you mean!
I love learning new things while reading a fun book, and yes, I will look up some information and photos as I read. I love that with ebooks, I can sometimes get new info by just touching a word. 😉
I am sometimes humbled when I check on something and find I’ve been wrong . . . but that’s part of learning. <3
I know just what you mean about enjoying the interactive abilities of ebooks!
I sure do, it used to be fun but the last few years have been a bit more challenging..
The obvious fact that all the Wickeds do a lot of research is what makes your books so compelling and interesting. None of you write just formulaic books. There is always meat to them. I learn so much from you talented ladies.
And, yes, I can spend a lot of time getting lost in rabbit holes.