Researching a New Series

To begin my new series of novels set in early New Mexico, I researched off and on for over a year. The story lines had been rolling through my mind for much longer, and I knew I needed to begin.

First of all, I lived and taught in Roswell, New Mexico, for almost two years, while Jim pastored Trinidad Community Baptist Church, so I have a sense of the area. I even taught a little New Mexico history.

When I began the research in earnest, I went to the internet, took notes, copied and pasted, and printed (especially maps). Then, I borrowed books from nearby libraries. I must have read and took notes on well over twenty books. 

As I began writing the first one, Second Choice Bride, set in 1822, I still had to continue to research specific facts and information as the need arose. I took the

characters from Virginia to St. Louis in a covered wagon. Many in my husband's family live in Missouri, so I have connections there, too. It wasn't too hard to find the information I needed on St. Louis, but it's strange how one small, missing piece can cause huge problems. In all my research, I never found anything that mentions a post office in St. Louis in 1822, although I have details of streets and businesses. Therefore, I wrote that letters were sent by someone carrying them by ship. However, I later found that post offices did exist in other parts of Missouri at the time, so I plan to find out for sure before I get to the final drafts.

My hero is going to New Mexico to run a ranch his uncle has there. The uncle is a trader taking loads of merchandise on the newly forming Santa Fe Trail. In 1823, the trail started in Franklin, Missouri, which no longer exists. I had a hard time finding specific details on it, but I sent out some emails, and a librarian of Missouri history sent me the information I needed. I was so grateful, for he went out of his way to help.

Writing the first part of the novel went quickly, which is normal for me. If I can find uninterrupted blocks of time, I can write 5,000 words a day on a rough draft. However, now that my characters have left Franklin, Missouri, and started the hard part of their journey, the writing is going much slower. I'm having to consult journals and primary sources as I write. I'm also having to stop for personal reasons, like yesterday, when Jim and I spent most of the day going to his doctor's appointment, but, it's good to take breaks, and we had fun shopping afterwards.

I'm also having fun with the writing, and I don't mind the research, either. If I did, I don't guess I'd be writing historical fiction. Second Choice Bride will be my thirteenth manuscript, and I envision four to six books in the series. Of the twelve manuscripts I've already written, six are historical, four modern, and two Christian non-fiction.

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