I was never that interested in history. Literature, sure. Theater, movies, baseball, geography. I adored geography, because I wanted to go to all those places on the map. But I didn’t particularly care about who’d gone there before me, because, frankly, history was a bore. I mean, come on. 1066 The Battle of Hastings. 1215 The Magna Carta. Joan of Arc was somewhere after that, and later was the French Revolution, and a king and queen lost their heads. Interesting, I’m sure to them and the French, but I was in St. Louis (yeah, okay, named after a French king. But by the time I lived there, the only thing that was still French was Mardi Gras, and that was just an excuse to drink). As far as I was concerned, none of that made any difference in my life.
Two things radically changed my outlook. When I was a senior in high school, we took
a class trip to New York, where I saw a musical that turned my disdain for history on its head. 1776. Suddenly the Revolution wasn’t just dates and catch phrases (Really? The most important thing about the first successful revolution against a king was “Give me liberty or give me death?” Yawn). But suddenly in the course of two hours, it was like Wizard of Oz. I went from black-and-white Kansas to…well, Oz. Suddenly history wasn’t dry numbers and factoids, it was people. People who had lives, wishes, dreams, demons. They had a lot at stake, and staked it all for an ideal. They didn’t simply hand out the Declaration of Independence like a class test. The squabbled and fought and negotiated and compromised. They dreamed and they despaired. And sitting in that darkened theater as John Adams sang “Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?” I wanted to shout, “Yes!” Because he wasn’t just a marble head anymore. He 
was a loving, brilliant, irascible, irritating, pedant of a man who helped chivvy independence along like a child learning to ride a bike. He went from a mostly forgotten ex-president to one of my real heroes.
The second thing that happened was Roberta Gellis. She was the first historical romance writer I read. She introduced me to the thrilling, compelling, delicious, myriad world of history. She colored in all the places 1776 hadn’t. She and all her compatriots who wrote that first generation of historical romance, when history was integral to the plot rather than the wallpaper on the room, helped incite my obsession with the real drama and delight of the people who came before me. I would read one of her books and then three others to fill in the bits and pieces she’d cast out like a trail of bread crumbs. I now know enough about Eleanor of Aquitaine to write my own book, and it wouldn’t have happened without romance. I know the Tudors and the Indian account of the Raj, and the spirituality of Native Americans
The problem is that I became so enamored of great historical romance, that I became
impatient with badly researched history. Yes, I admit it. I am a member of the Anachronism Club. Nothing sets me off faster than seeing a heroine in 1815 whose father made his fortune in steamboats on the Mississippi, or a hero who speaks as if he’d been a cast member of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
I feel that as an author, I owe my best effort to my readers. I’m asking them to enter into my world, and that entails trust. If I then break out of that world, by word, deed, or design, I have just broken faith. I just showed a level of disdain for my readers that is unforgivable.
One of the reasons I enjoy historical settings is the challenge of working around the very different mores of the day to help my heroine triumph. Just blithely ignoring the very real social strictures of a time period is cheating. It’s lazy. And it’s annoying.
Now, I know that mistakes will inevitably be made. I know that not all research can be verified as well as we’d like. Sources argue on pertinent facts and the author has to take her best shot (some day sit in on a discussion on the Beau Monde loop. You’ll have a whole new respect for detail). But I don’t know any expert who would think that a 17th century heroine would say, “Get over it,” or an English hero spend his 1813 honeymoon in Paris going to see Michelangelo’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre (I actually read that very line). That is just an insult to me as a reader.
Do I go overboard at times? Probably. But it isn’t that hard to double check the facts. Cameras weren’t available in 1801, nor were scullery maids able to pass for princesses. And one of the most egregiously ignored facts, a man cannot marry his sister-n-law. Ever. Ever. Until the 1940s, it was considered incest under canon law.
And the historical rule that is broken most often, aristocrats did not speak like middle class Americans. I read a book where a duke and duchess keep saying, “Okay,” and it’s like a case of poison ivy. Just place that wording Maggie Smith’s mouth in Downton Abbey and you’ll realize how ridiculous it is. Especially in a formal situation.
I’m forever double-checking my dialogue. If nothing else, Merriam-Webster on line has
a general date of usage. If the word comes from the 15th century, it’s a cinch it’s usable. But if the first recorded use of a word is the twentieth century, and in America, then chances are no starched up matron would be caught dead with it on her tongue (one I admit I’ve had to rigorously police myself is psychiatric terms. I have to keep reminding myself that until Freud, nobody was neurotic).
Yes, it’s nit picky. But nobody is going to do that job for us anymore. Especially with the advent of independent publishing, we authors must police our research. And even if we’re only using it as lovely wallpaper in a costume drama, the point is that the reader has picked up your book because it is set during another historical period. It actually has to read as if it were.
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Come July 20, 2012, Eileen will be releasing for the first time in ebook form, five of her suspense books, and first up will be ‘A Man To Die For’.
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Hi Eileen!
When I’m reading historical romance and fiction i want it to reflect the period it’s written in accurately! My husband tells his friends that the reason I married him is because he loves history!
Unlike today when I was in High School in the 1960′s we had to take Civilizatin of the Western World before we took American History. The feeling at the time was that you needed to know what happened in the past to understand what happened later in history.
Because of that when I read I often cringe when I read something that is contradictory to actual fact!
By the way I was brought up with stories of the Battle of Hastings and in fact my middle name is Hastings a family name. My last name was Ryon and I was told that even thought the family emigrated from Scotland, leaving from Gascow, that our ancestry was British. Now with Ancestry.com we are trying to find out more about our ancestry.
Believe me I totally agree with you about when characters use words that are totally not fitting with the time period! To me the only time it’s acceptable if it’s a “time travel” book!
I love your stories and cant wait to read It Begins With A Kiss! I’ve read all your historical romances and wouldn’t think of missing one!
Congratulations on the book! Thanks for the research you put into the books and for making them as historically accurate as possible.
Congrats on your release Eileen! Accuracy in historicals is very important to me, I get very frustrated when out pops a word that I know shouldn’t be there. Just the other day I was reading one and the F word was used, I automatically asked my husband when that word first came into use. I have no idea when it was first used but it didn’t feel right for the period that is for sure. I am not someone who notices every little thing that is wrong, because I really wouldn’t notice some things, but the very obvious things disappoint me.
Hi, Eileen! This was a great post –
I appreciate it when authors take the time to do their research and it shows in the stories that we read.
There have been times when I was terribly distracted by the too-modern language or the placement of something or someone that hadn’t been invented yet.
One of my pet peeves are when the names of the heroes and heroines are too modern. (Sometimes I actually check online to see name origin and such)
On the other hand, when the writing is too accurate (especially with the language) — it also gets a bit distracting. I wonder if there is a nice middle-ground?
Congratulations on the new release! (I really enjoy reading your Drake’s Rakes series!)
Tin–you hit on another of my pet peeves. Names. LIke in Far and Away(well, that’s not the worst historical crime in that movie, but it’s there) when an Anglo-Irish daughter from the Victoria age is named Shannon. Really? Even the Catholics wouldn’t have named their daughter after a river. Even if she’d been conceived there.
I also agree that accurate language can be distracting. It’s the happy medium authors keep trying to strike. Sometimes more successful than others.
I think you’ve done very well in finding the happy medium. ^_^
Hope you don’t mind my asking, but was it difficult for you to transition from writing suspense to historical romance?
Glad you learned to enjoy history ; )
And I have read historicals that were ruined for me because of things like what you stated. If it is a historical I have a hard time reading the dialogue if it sounds how people talk today.
I agree that anachronisms drive me crazy. I would notice them even as a teenager and get annoyed (at the time, I didn’t know they had a name.). I just knew that certain words and phrases did not happen in that time period. So few people know how to look up words and find their use dates. I just know when it doesn’t sound right. I tend to think less of those authors or quit reading them altogether.
Write what you know is a very important rule! I agree.
I wish you all the best with your new release,
Neecy
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one that is annoyed by sloppy research…
Congrats on the releases!!
Hi, Eileen! Getting the details right is so important to me! When I read a book I want to feel like I’ve walked into another world, and I love, love, love the tiny grace-notes like the popular phrases of the day and any little insights into the way people lived.
Some people like stories that offer the “fun parts” of an historical period (fancy clothes, gracious manners) without the “icky parts” (inadequate plumbing, oppression of women) and I can see why, but I like it best when the details are accurate and the characters are clever enough to get around the restrictions of the period without breaking the rules.
Thanks for a great topic!
saralee–One of my favorite books of all times is Color of Light by Judith Merkel Riley. It was a GREAT story. But I also learned what castle rushes were really like when they were only changed during Holy Week, whether they needed it or not. eeeeeew!! I admit I would have left that part out.
AAACCCKKKK or buy an etymology – they’re not that expensive. inaccurate word usage is one of my pet peeves.
What a great post! I completely agree with the need for accuracy in historical fiction. I’m a bit of a history nut myself. I’ve lived most of my life in Virginia and I’m surrounded by Colonial and Civil War historical sites. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting them. I also love British history and seeing some of the mistakes made just makes me cringe. I also hate when an author makes it possible to travel between locations far too quickly than would be logical given the transportation of the time.
I loved your comments about “1776″ and Roberta Gellis. “1776″ is my all-time favorite musical. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen it. My daughter was a history major (is now a librarian) and she used the song “Molasses to Rum to Slaves” in her high school history class to help her remember the Triangle Trade. Her teacher was impressed that she knew ALL the members of the Declaration Committee also. Most people only remember Thomas Jefferson.
Roberta Gellis was also one of my first historical authors. I still have all the Roselynde Chronicles and really want to reread them if I ever get my TBR down to a manageable level. Again, I loved the detail about Eleanor’s trip to the Holy Land with Richard. It made the story that much more enjoyable.
There is an author I read many years ago, Eleanora Brownleigh, whose books took place around the turn of the last century in America. She included a lot of detail about the clothing worn and the furnishings and homes. I was able to picture them in my head, which sucked me into the story even more.
Keep up the great work on your books — I love them!
susan–thank you. It’s wonderful to meet another 1776 fan. I got to see the original cast, so you can imagine what an experience I had. Note about my membership in the Anachronism Club. I went back to see 1776 about 20 years later at Ford’s Theater in Washington(incredibly cool!). So, along comes the song He Played the Violin, and Ben Franklin and Martha Jefferson start dancing…the WALTZ!! And I’m in the first row whispering, “Waltz? There was no waltzing in the colonies! The waltze didn’t even make europe until the 1800s!! What are they thinkig?” And my friend Sally Hawkes, who introduced me to the Anachronism Club, had to take hold my arm and say, “Put it down. Step away. Nobody will get hurt.
I had the same reaction and looked it up. According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz) they were dancing a “Walzer” in Bavaria around 1750 and the waltz was mentioned in a German novel in 1771. It wasn’t widespread until the 1780s in Vienna, but it did exist. So there may have been some Americans who were familiar with it.
I saw 1776 at Ford’s Theater in April of this year. An outstanding production and a really wonderful theater in which to see it.
Roberta Gellis? Well, no wonder! You were sunk, girlfriend.
I’m so pleased. Love your books–all of them–but I’m particularly fond of your historicals. Yay! ~Deb
Yeah, I know. I didn’t stand a chance, did I? thanks so much for the nice words. It really means a lot coming from you.
Elswyth Thane did it for me. I was living in Maryland, near Washington DC, steeped in American History anyway. But the Williamsburg stories made me a history junkie.
Love all your books but if I could only have a few (ARRGGGHHH) probably A Rose for Maggie and Jake’s Way. And Ice Cream Man. And If Looks Could Kill. Especially If Looks Could Kill
Elswyth Thane — another of my favorites. It took me several years, but thanks to ebay I was able to get all seven books in hardcover. A friend and I took a trip to Williamsburg (I live just a couple hours away) and visited all the places in the book. We took pictures of where St.John’s house would have been, where Tibby’s house would have been. There’s a pond there called “Bracken’s Pond” – wonder if that’s where she got the name?
Elswyth Thane was the portal for my critique partner, Karyn Witmer-Gow, who wrote brilliant–and brilliantly researched–historicals as Elizabeth Kary and Elizabeth Grayson. I think she has an altar in her office with a picture of Elswyth.
I got lucky with used book stores while I was in California. My shrine to Thane is her shelf in my library. Utterly wonderful books and I sure would like to take that tour in Williamsburg
I Love ’1776′! My aunt used to take me to Broadway shows & that was one of them. Also saw ‘Shenandoah’, but it had sad parts. One of my favorite childhood books was about the winter at Valley Forge. And I live near the Morristown NJ National Park where Washington’s troops spent the winter of 1779-1780. The story of a girl named Tempe Wick intrigued me. Also love the old movies that told about times in history – especially Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood & Captain Blood.
That was “Ride Into Morning” by Ann Rinaldi. When I worked at Borders I used to recommend her books for teenagers who liked history. I’ve read a few of them myself. My daughter’s class read “A Break With Charity” in seventh grade when they were studying the Salem Witch Trials.
AMEN! One of the best things I love about your books is your respect and attention to detail you give to the historical setting, using it as a source of conflict to mold your characters instead of creating characters and then making up history to fit your mood. Drives me nuts! (Though I might have to see if I’m having my historical characters saying “OK”–I do worry about that. And I do laugh at all the psychiatric sensitivity historical characters now seem to have, when they wouldn’t have it at all! My lord, my family was still trying to hide the crazy people in our family lineage 30 years ago–and now we think it’s fine if he have an autistic Lord or a slightly crazy female. Right, like she wouldn’t have been locked up at the first opportunity!
It’s a balance. We want HAPPY historical fiction and using a lot of the gritty detail can be very…demoralizing. *LOL* But I think it’s a challenge to the writer to create characters who rise above the nitty and the gritty and carve their own happiness.
Hellion–yeah. consider the fact that the Royal Family hid away Prince John in the 20s because he had epilepsy. Says everything.
Congrats on your new release!
I never realize the work you have to put in for every historical romance! But yes, I would think it’s odd if the dukes and duchesses start saying okay all the time too….
What an awesome post, Eileen!!!
When I read it, it was like you were voicing what was in my head and on my mind every time I read that word!
I admit I am not an historian (not even close!) nor am I very familiar with a lot of history ‘jargon’ and usually I can over look a lot, but one word that sticks in my craw is the word OKAY! I go ballistic when I read it in a historical novel (even in a Western one!).
Thanks so much for coming over to play! I love all Drake Rake’s but my heart will ALWAYS belong to Diccan!
Mel
Mel–As ever, thank you so much for inviting me to play. It’s always such fun to join B2B. I can’t wait to see who wins the prize. And I hope everybody likes me new heroines. They’ve already met the heroes.
i’m one of the ones that doesn’t have a huge problem with little offs. I rather prefer something that isn’t 100% 15th century, 16th or even 17th century formal. I do admit, romance made history come alive for me. Heather Graham’s Civil War novels, Elizabeth Lowell’s early, early historicals. I can’t even name the century… cuz I don’t remember, and I guess it’s never been the nitpicky for me with history.
BUT, I also agree that on occasion, the offense can be strong enough to dissuade me from continuing to read a book. Ultra modern phrases, like ‘okay’, would turn me off, too. I guess there is a fine line, even for me.
B,
I’m a bit like you…it CAN bother me, but most of the time it does not…