I’ve been reading historical romance for what seems like
forever, which makes me feel old, so we’ll just say it’s been a long time, but
not THAT long.
So it made sense when I first started writing to try my hand
at historical romance. And I found that it’s really hard. There’s a lot of
research involved, from what the characters wear and etiquette of the time to
if they used coat hangers, oil lamps or candles, and a feather quill or an ink
pen. I have to admit that sometimes it seems overwhelming, and yet, in a sense
I love researching time periods. The tough part is deciding the when and where
to set the story.
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| Fifth Avenue, center of Victorian Era New York high society. |
For my first book,
Once Upon a Masquerade, I gave a lot of
thought to this question. I’m someone who likes to discover new things, so I
decided pretty quickly that I didn’t want to write a Regency romance. I’d read
too many. What I hadn’t read was an American set romance. That got me thinking,
and researching.
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Alva Vanderbilt costumed for
her 1883 masquerade ball. |
During Victorian times, high society in New York was very similar
to that of London. In fact, those with wealth and prestige attempted to emulate
their English counterparts. They had lavish balls, their own season, and their
dresses made by French and English designers.
But of course there were differences. New York City had a
constant stream of immigrants who came to America for a better life, and soon
the rich and poor lived right next to one another. By Victorian times, the poor
were starting to rebel against their stature in society. Why were the rich
considered so much better than everyone else? And it was here that I started to
imagine what it was like for a servant working for an elite family. To see how
the other half lived, and know that lifestyle was beyond their reach.
Therefore, my first book became a Cinderella type story.
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| Building the Brooklyn Bridge. |
The Victorian history of New York is rich with amazing
feats, like the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the grand unveiling of the
Statue of Liberty, and masquerade balls like nothing you’d see today. The
Vanderbilt masquerade ball in the opening of
Once Upon a Masquerade was based
on the real thing. I was awed by the original and extravagant costumes. For
instance, Alice Vanderbilt dressed as “electric light” in white satin
embroidered with diamonds, inspired by Thomas Edison and his success in
lighting lower Manhattan six months earlier.
There is so much to explore in this place and time, I’d like
to set more books here if nothing more than to plop my characters into the
history books and imagine what it must have been like.
