Sometimes a writer’s journey is more than just staring out a coffee shop window, daydreaming. Sometimes those dreams take on reality . . . like when I skipped across the pond in May to roam the wilds of England.
I know what you’re thinking. England—Wild? Sheesh. The only thing dangerous over there are the roundabouts.
To which I reply, Ahh, perhaps, but only if you’re looking through the lens of the present. A historical fiction author sees everything through the eyes of the past—and therein the danger lies. . . .
This serene landscape becomes the battleground of knights in armor, duking it out to the death.
Sunset in Bronte Country . . . the moor near Haworth.
An old Victorian town lives again when you play dress-up. And lest you think there’s nothing dangerous about that, let’s see you cinch yourself up in a pair of whalebone stays!
Michelle & Mark Griep . . . Victorians for a day.
A beautiful river, yes, but waterborne diseases were always a threat, killers such as typhoid or cholera.
The River Severn (longest river in England) in the Ironbridge Gorge.
The point is that no matter where you visit, there’s always a story from the past to uncover. For example, the highlight of my trip was visiting the Norton Conyers House, the manor home that was the inspiration for Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. The house has been closed to the public for the past fifteen years and has only recently reopened. At first I thought it was because the uppity owners didn’t want gawkers roaming into their private space. Wrong. An even more historical reason warranted the closing of this house—the death watch beetle. These insects feed on medieval timbers, which are the sole support of this great house, having been built in 1600.
This summer, as you go vacationing about, I challenge you to dig deep and uncover stories from the past. And if 
you’d like a historical collection of short stories to toss into your beach bag, here’s a blurb on my newest release, THE DOCTOR’S WOMAN (part of the Courageous Brides Collection):
EMMALINE LARSON is no stranger to loss. Living in a land as wild as the natives who roam it, she’s lost her father and her betrothed, and when DR. JAMES CLARK crashes into her world, she loses the last thing left to her — her heart.
***
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of THE CAPTIVE HEART, BRENTWOOD’S WARD, A HEART DECEIVED, UNDERCURRENT and GALLIMORE. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com or on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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Love seeing Michelle dressed as a Victorian era woman. Could she have handled it? Probably. She can handle anything! Best of all, she’s one of the best writers I know.
I agree, Ane; Michelle would be an awesome woman in any era! 🙂
Aww! Thanks Julie . . . but as much as I love writing about the past I don’t think I’d really want to live there. No air conditioning.
Nice sentiment, Ane, but I can’t handle centipedes. I scream worse than a little girl.
I love that you envision stories everywhere you go. That’s what we writers do best, isn’t it?
Hi Lynn!Thanks for commenting. Hope you are having a great summer and are busy writing another wonderful novel.
That and drink coffee or scarf down chocolate.
Hee hee. Too true.
That looks like so much fun, Michelle! I lived in England for a short time but wasn’t interested in history at the time, as I turned 21 while there! I’m looking forward to reading The Courageous Brides collection. Thanks for sharing!
You lived there?! In the words of Napoleon Dynamite, ” Lucky!”
I would love to visit Europe! Michelle, thank you for taking us along…