READERS ASK: how much research does it take to produce an historical romance?
MY ANSWER: it depends on many aspects.
It depends on how much the author already knows about the setting, the era, the political climate, well-known (at least to those versed in history) events that coincide with the book’s time line.
Corsets are synonymous with the Victorian Era and well-dressed ladies. Corsets were worn by women… and men, adolescent girls, and even children. Maternity corsets existed as did nursing corsets. Unbelievable!
Colorado has a rich and varied mining history. The influx of miners contributed significantly to the settling of Colorado. Many different minerals and precious metals were mined from Colorado’s mountains. Leadville, Colorado, a real town rich with silver mining history, plays a minor role in my novel The Bride Lottery–the nearest town with a railway spur. This article covers the history of Colorado mining in a nutshell, showcasing the fact behind my fiction.
Prosperity, Colorado, is a mining community I completely made up. It’s fiction. Yet it’s mirrored on an actual area of Colorado, historically accurate mining camps, and Colorado’s rich mining history.
Fans of Mail-Order Bride Romances adore reading about courageous women who left home, headed west, and risked everything for a brighter future. We admire brave men who sent for a bride with no more courtship than letters could provide. We enjoy the conflict, hurdles, and challenges the characters face before earning their happy ending.
Did any of this stuff happen in real history?
Yes.
Did real life mail-order bride arrangements become love-matches?
Sometimes.
