Hi friends and happy Monday! I’m super excited to have my friend and fellow author, Kelly Goshorn, back today. I know you’ll love her post. Kelly is graciously giving away a copy of Across the Shores novella collection to a U.S. resident only. To enter, just drop a comment below.
Rabbit trails.
I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent researching for my historical novels, but I can tell you that at least half that time is spent on, yep, you guessed it, rabbit trails. Historical tidbits that call my name even though they have little, if anything, to do with the story I’m writing.
Such was the case when I began researching my recent release, The Veil. I had intended to set the story in Loudoun County, Virginia, where I live, and the location for several of my other stories. My heroine, Caroline Wilkins, was in the wind and planned to board a steamer from the Port of Baltimore to Southampton, England, where she hoped to find refuge in her aunt’s home. As I Googled in search of departure schedules, ticket prices, and the duration of said voyage from Baltimore in the late 1870s, the top search results were for the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, an event I’d not heard of.
After more than a dozen failed attempts to find the information I was seeking, curiosity begged me to satisfy my inner history nerd girl and I delved into article after article about the events in Baltimore in July 1877. Before I knew it, I’d spent hours learning about this strike that began in Hagerstown, Maryland, and quickly spread along the rails to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and St. Louis disrupting rail traffic, seizing control of train stations, and vandalizing property.
Something clicked. Before long, I began reworking the beginning of my story to incorporate these events. Poor, unsuspecting Caroline would now be forced to disembark her train when strikers block the tracks before she reaches Camden Station. Not long after, she’s caught up in a peaceful protest that suddenly turns violent.
Enter the hero. Initially, a merchant picking up goods for his shop in Virginia, it made more sense for him to live in Baltimore so when he rescues Caroline from being trampled by the angry mob, he is able to take her to his family’s home. Further research led me to discover that German immigrants were a huge part of Baltimore’s cultural landscape at that time and comprised nearly 60% of all immigrants in the city. With my unwitting consent, Charles Morgan morphed into Franz Köhler whose noble heart and German heritage seeped onto the pages—Jägerschnitzel, lederhosen, and the polka.
I can’t imagine my story without Franz, my German railyard worker with a romantic soul and broken English, who harbors a secret dream of carving ornate Bavarian cuckoo clocks. Or the scene where he entices Caroline to learn to polka, or his Opa, Franz’s grandfather, teaches Caroline to make the Gugelhupf, Franz’s favorite dessert.
And none of it would have come about without an unforeseen detour down a rabbit trail.
What rabbit trail has recently stolen your attention from the task at hand?
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I would love to win Across the Shores. It sounds interesting and such great authors.
My mom and dad both have a strong German heritage/ancestry! This book sounds awesome – I love when little things (that originally throw off your scent) actually become something much bigger than what was even intended. In my family’s house we have this hand carved cuckoo clock from the Black Forest in Germany. It’s fascinating and so intricate. Can’t wait to read this book!
Hi Julie, I so wanted to get a Black Forest cuckoo clock when we visited Germany but it wasn’t possible. I hope you enjoy the novella.
Rabbits can lead you on unexpected adventures–just ask Alice about her adventures in Wonderland!
I am intrigued to read the story, especially after your post. Thank you.
That’s so true, Colleen! This turned out to be one such adventure!
Hi, Kelly. I wish I loved history as much as you do. I’m terrible at remembering events and dates, but I do enjoy a good Historical Fiction novel, and your story sounds like something I would like to read.
Social Media can take me down a rabbit trail that steals precious time from writing or a number of other tasks.
Thanks for the opportunity to win Across the Shires!
Thanks for your kind words about my novella. Social media can be a huge rabbit trail, okay, just a plain old dark hole! LOL!
I would love to read Across the Shores. I enjoy historical fiction and am especially interested in this one since I live in southern PA and have traveled through Maryland and visited Baltimore several times. Thank you for the opportunity to win.
You’re welcome, Ruth! Good luck!
So fun to see you here, Kelly, and to learn about your fascinating rabbit trails. You never know what piece of research will inspire a future story. I remember uncovering a 19th century romance novel written by a female telegrapher when I was researching the telegraph for one of my early books. That seed planted itself in my subconscious and a few years later I found myself crafting a novel about two telegraph operators who fall in love over the telegraph line. No rabbit trail is a wasted trip. 🙂 At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Hi Karen, I think you’re referencing Heart on the Line…such a cute story! Very true about rabbit trails producing latent fruit. I’m not sure the same can be said about the 2-3 hours I spent looking at German folk dancing videos on YouTube! LOL!
I’m so glad you’re rabbit trail worked out for you in such a way. Mine rarely do…but then again, I don’t often give myself a chance to change directions on a project once I have an idea. Perhaps if I did, the end results would be better. You’ve given me something to think about, so thank you for that.
Also, thank you for the giveaway opportunity. These are always fun.
Hi Lettie, To be fair, this was very early on when I was still figuring out the story. Since I’m not a plotter I’m usually not too committed at that stage. This rabbit trail felt more like a blessing than a diversion.
I love rabbit trails! I’m not a writer, but love finding historical tidbits and find myself having spent a long time online for no reason except to satisfy my curiosity. One of my favorite pieces was learning about Anna Coleman Ladd who was a sculpturer and made “new” faces for WWI soldiers who had disfigurements. Someone needs to use that story as a basis for a novel.
Wow, Sylvia, that is fascinating. Makes me wish I wrote WWII fiction! Thanks for sharing!
A recent dive into events surrounding the final vote ratifying the 19th Amendment in 1920 Nashville was fascinating, and I spent more time there than I probably should have! My research, however, paid off when it provided me with a way to “help” my hero’s wayward wife disappear. 🙂 Fun times.
That sounds very intriguing, Janice. You left us all on a hook wanting to know more! Glad your rabbit trail worked out well!
That’s a fascinating bit of history! I hadn’t heard of it either. I often go down rabbit trails when I find a new to me author and I look up their previous books, reading reviews and deciding whether to try them or not. Thank you for the chance to win!
That’s a worthwhile rabbit trail, Megan. I do that as well and never thought of it quite like a rabbit trail but it really is.
I’m so relieved to hear that rabbit holes sometimes pay off. I’ve discovered my carefully plotted outline took a turn when one of my characters learns his ancestor was one of the fugitives from slavery that went through the very farm he ends up working on several generations later. Thanks Dani for sharing. Thanks Kelly for showing us your process and giving encouragement, especially when I saw first hand your dedication -writing for hours before the rest of us got up to work and plan together.
Thanks, Susan! I love when it’s a character-inspired rabbit trail. Your story sounds intriguing.
I’m so relieved to hear that rabbit holes sometimes pay off. I’ve discovered my carefully plotted outline took a turn when one of my characters learns his ancestor was one of the fugitives from slavery that went through the very farm he ends up working on several generations later. Thanks Dani for sharing. Thanks Kelly for showing us your process and giving encouragement, especially when I saw first hand your dedication -writing for hours before the rest of us got up to work and plan together.
Hi Kelly! Great post! I’ve learned so much while following rabbit trails. I’m glad one led you to write Franz and Caroline’s story. I enjoyed it so much.
This is an encouraging post. Sometimes I feel like I have wasted time when I get off track when researching. Since I am unpunished and have a good deal of unfinished manuscripts, I don’t have a good sense of how much I need to know on a topic. But knowledge helps to paint the picture and keeps the fiction true. My most time consuming rabbit hole is my 400 day duolingo streak in the Chinese language, because I have a MC from China.