Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Research by Wendy May Andrews, Author of The Countess Intrigue

I'm very pleased to welcome Wendy May Andrews, a fellow Clean Reads author. Research is an important part of any novel, but there is much more to it when writing about another time period. 

Research
by Wendy May Andrews

I write historically accurate fiction so a great deal of research is required for my books. So far everything I have written has been set in Regency era England which I love, so the research is a pleasure. But in order to give the writing a sense of authenticity, accurate descriptions are required, as well as a proper understanding of how life was back in 1800. So in the name of research I recently travelled to England. It was AMAZING!! I loved every second of our trip! We had been to London before and I did a little bit of research while we were there, but it was several years ago, when I was still a newbie writer, and I wasn’t as aware of what I was looking for.


This time we went to Brighton, Marlborough, Bath, Chipping Campden, Oxford, and London. Wow! The gorgeous things we’ve seen! And England is really quite set up for research. We spent a lovely morning at a History Centre for two particular counties (I was specifically looking for information about Marlborough, but they had way more!). They had microfiche newspapers from the 1700’s. They even had receipts for rents paid to a Marquis who owned half the town of Marlborough! And maps! Such lovely, detailed maps from different years so you could compare how the town had developed. We could have spent days there but while my husband was very helpful and understanding, I think a few hours was all he could handle J







Bath was the main destination for our trip because it was such a popular place in the Georgian period. I’m so glad I got to see it with my own eyes. You can find out so much on the internet, even look at pictures, but to discern how big or small things were, distances, dimensions, etc, you really need to see it with your own eyes. I even drank the water at the Roman baths to get an idea how my characters would have felt about it. I believe it must have been good for you, because it certainly didn’t taste very good :-D


Our trip has provided me with many new ideas for stories as well as details to flesh out some existing pre-published manuscripts. I will have plenty of work for the coming months ahead.

In the meantime, my latest book is The Countess Intrigue...

The Countess Intrigue

Wendy May Andrews

Sweet Regency Romance/Suspense
Clean Reads
July 21, 2016

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords

Engaged to a rumored murderer – what’s a lady to do?

During her second Season, Lady Elizabeth Castleton is found in a compromising situation with Lord Justice Sinclair, the Earl of Heath. Despite her attraction to him, she is dismayed to find herself betrothed to the man who is rumored to have killed his first wife. Her parents refuse to lend credence to the rumors, so she is soon married and on the way to her husband’s estate.

She cannot decide what to make of the handsome earl but after an attempt is made on her life, Elizabeth is terrified that history is about to repeat itself. She determines to find out once and for all if she is married to a murder.

Can she stay alive long enough to find her happily ever after?


About the Author

Wendy May Andrews has been reading whatever she could get her hands on since the age of five. She has been writing for almost as long but hasn’t been sharing those stories with anyone but her mother until recently. Wendy lives in Toronto with her own real-life hero. When not writing or reading, they love to travel wherever the mood takes them.

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1 comment:

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