Tonight, Thursday, October 7th:
Writing Historical Fiction: Bringing the Past to the Present
Sarah A. Chrisman will present a slideshow and share inside details of her internationally acclaimed historical fiction series, The Tales of Chetzemoka.  Learn how writers turn research into stories and make the past come alive. 

Next month: Saturday, November 6th, 2 p.m.
French Songs at the Garden Grove Library
Join us to explore lovely French songs, from traditional classics to modern pop melodies.  We'll read translations of these songs together then listen to recordings.  Chouette!

Introduction

I just moved here from WA state…

My historical fiction series, The Tales of Chetzemoka, takes place in a town based on the one where my husband and I lived for the past 12 years.

The terrain in WA is very different from the terrain in IA…

Mountains…

Ocean…

Ocean = Ships, Sailors, Sea Captains and their families

Mountains + Ocean = RAIN!

Rain = Rainforests

Rainforests = Trees

Timber!

Within all that…
Chetzemoka / PT

Some differences between PNW Indians and Plains Indians…

Some occupations are common to nearly all towns

The Town Itself

Quite a few historic buildings still standing.
These set the stage for a lot of scenes in my books.

So, that sets the scene a bit.
Now, how do I write my books?

Every book has its own tone.
These are both romances but…

We're influenced by the books we read, just like we're influenced by the company we keep.

Tone
Sweet, wholesome, based around relationships between family and friends

So, we've got the place, we've got a vague idea of the type of people we'll meet, and we've got the general tone of the work.  Where do we go from here?

Research!

"A man will turn over half a library to make one book."
—Samuel Johnson, 18th-century

Taking Notes

Putting It All Together