Writing an historical novel is different than
writing a lot of other types of books because it involves things that actually
happened, not just things that take place in the author’s head. Verifiable
events and times which can be remembered or read about in history books. This
requires more meticulous research into the era involved, and people’s lives at
that time.
Also, collaborating with another author is different from sitting
down and writing whatever comes to mind. SL Danielson and I managed both feats
in our first collaborative effort, My Fair Vampire. The research was
relatively easy to do, especially made easier as we set the book in our own
back yard—turn of the century St. Louis, Missouri, during the time of the
Louisiana Exposition. Or you might know it by its more common name—the World’s
Fair.
As for learning to write together, that came with
trial and errors, but we seemed to fall into a definite rhythm of literary
cooperation almost immediately, and in the process became friends.
I imagine every literary couple has its own methods
for writing together. Without the Internet, though, most couldn’t do it, and we
were no exception, despite living in the same town. We did our work via emails
and attachments. Back and forth, both in the writing and in the plotting. And
bit by bit a story began to grow.
Basically we started by each creating a character.
These two became our protagonists. We developed them separately but worked on
the plot together. William Deming is a
young reporter from a small Utah newspaper who is given the chance to cover the
World’s Fair—and he leaps at it! Fresh-faced and eager, he arrives by train to
the city that has the spotlight of the world for this moment in time. Many
people in St. Louis were opening their homes to the visitors that flooded their
town, renting rooms to the newcomers for the duration of their stay. William
finds a place within walking distance of the Fair, to his delight, a boarding
house on Lindell Avenue, run by a Russian woman by the name of Ekaterina, who
just happens to have a dark and mysterious nephew. His name is Misha.
But Misha has a secret, one he dare not reveal to
the handsome reporter who intrigues him so. Misha is a creature of the night. A
vampire. Turned by the not-yet infamous monk Rasputin in his homeland of
Russia, Misha has come to the United States to live with his aunt in order to
avoid service in the Russian army. He is discreet both in taking sustenance and
in satisfying the needs of his libido, which hungers for young men, and not women.
But how long can he withhold the truth from William, and when it comes out will
he lose him forever?
Working with another writer has advantages. You have
someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to do half the writing, someone who
understands the characters and the situations as well as you do who can give
you insight into them and vice versa. If
you pick the right co-author, and work hard together, your book can come
together in less time than if you’d written it alone. Thanks for having mehere
today, Ialways enjoy visiting with you!
Blurb:
In 1904, the world’s spotlight shone brightly on St. Louis,
Missouri—gateway to the West and host of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
Visitors came from all points of the globe to wonder, to gape, to taste, to explore
and to enjoy the marvels which the World’s Fair had to offer. An ambitious
young reporter from Utah, William Deming, sees his chance to not only visit the
fair, but make a name for himself by reporting on its goings on. He takes a
room in a boarding house, close to the Fair itself. What he doesn’t count on is
meeting Misha—a young and handsome Russian, whose aunt owns the boarding house.
Misha is something William has never
encountered before—a vampire! As if that isn’t enough to accept, when a man is
discovered murdered at the Fair, William has to wonder if his Misha is
involved. Especially as there seems to have been a connection between the
vampire and the victim. Will an old flame cause new problems for William and
Misha? Will they find love at the World’s Fair? Or will theirs be doomed to be
a fatal attraction?
Excerpt:
Prologue
April 23, 1904
William
unfurled the crisp Utah Gazette in
his hands. The periodical smelled of fresh ink, and the paper was still warm.
'Hot off the press', as the saying went. He took care not to hold the page too
long, so his fingers wouldn’t smudge the fresh print.
1904 World's Fair to be held in St. Louis, Missouri.
William's
heart skipped a beat. Such an opportunity! To meet people from distant
lands, to see amazing sights from around the globe—truly a marvelous
undertaking. I must make certain I become the reporter Mr. Andrews chooses to
send to the exposition.
He licked
his lips in anticipation and felt his woolen pants rise. Travel always had that
effect on him. Of course, so did the delicious possibility of an exotic visitor
who might cross his path. One that didn't speak English, but was a linguistics
master in the language of sex. It'd been far too long for him, and he needed to
tip the scales in the other direction.
He slipped
into the washroom and nervously checked his reflection in the mirror. His blond
hair was darkened by a liberal amount of oil; he only used it to tame his
unruly cowlick. His cheeks appeared hollow in his thin, pale face, and his chin
pointed. His favorite feature was his large, blue eyes; after that, he was most
fond of his tame nose, thankful his family's history of large noses had not
carried over to him.
He adjusted
the round Benjamin Franklin-like spectacles he'd worn since he was ten years
old, when he’d squinted at the blackboards at school. All eight of his older
siblings taunted him with cries of four
eyes and other teasing nicknames, which he greatly resented. Over time,
though, he'd adjusted to the glasses. As his grades surpassed most everyone
else's in the family, he felt as smart as they made him look.
He smoothed
down his large tie and flattened out his vest. His brown woolen suit was still
somewhat new—a Christmas present from his parents. He’d have to get it tailored
a bit. He'd lost some weight since he’d moved from the quiet mountains to the
relatively hectic Salt Lake City to take his position at the Gazette. The work
kept him busy, often with little time to eat.
April
30, 1904
The crowds began arriving
even before the sun, making their way from streetcars, from shuttles, and on
foot—some having parked their vehicles at great distances in order to attend
this historic event. They milled patiently about the main entrance gate on
Lindell Boulevard until eight o'clock, mingling with the three hundred some-odd
St. Louis police officers who’d been assigned there. At that time they were
allowed to slog their way through the turnstiles and onto the fairgrounds
themselves. This grand event had actually been delayed for a year. Originally
meant to begin on April 30, 1903, which would have been the centennial of the
day on which Thomas Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase, it had been
postponed to allow time for it to be done properly. Even President Roosevelt—who’d
traveled to St. Louis on the original day just for the occasion—had to admit
that while progress was remarkable, and everything was just "bully"
(as he put it in his own inimitable way), it did need more time in order to be
the vision they wanted it to be.
The weather in St.
Louis had decided to cooperate, which in and of itself was something of an
accomplishment, as the natives of that fair city would attest. Balmy
temperatures were an added incentive to attend the Fair; the day was filled with
gentle breezes, and sunny skies, and spirits were running high.
Shortly after nine
o'clock, the opening ceremony speeches began, the first speaker being none
other than David R. Francis, whom many considered to be the architect and chief
mover of the World's Fair. Former mayor of St. Louis and former governor of
Missouri, now a respected member of the business community once more, he’d
begun drumming up support for the Fair back in 1896. Having obtained five
million dollars from the U.S. Congress, he went on to acquire ten million more
in state, city, and private funding, forming the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Company. He was named its president, and people referred to him thereafter,
with affection, as President Francis.
After Francis's speech,
in which he referred to the 1904 World's Fair as a distinct step forward, a marching band led by John Philip Sousa
began to play, to everyone's delight. The strains of Stars and Stripes Forever reverberated throughout the area by the
Grand Basin where all were congregated. After some two hours of speeches, the
crowd parted to admit a carriage escorted by cavalry from Jefferson Barracks.
The vehicle contained none other than Secretary of War William Howard Taft, who
spoke on behalf of Theodore Roosevelt, who waited back in Washington, in the
East Room of the White House. Taft spoke of harmony and world peace, of nations
working together for the good of all, of hopes for the future.
Once Taft concluded his
speech, it was time. An expectant hush fell over the crowd, which was estimated
somewhere in the two hundred thousand range. President Francis pressed a gold
telegraph key, which sent a signal to the waiting President Roosevelt back in
Washington. In turn, T.R. pressed his own key, sending the signal back to St. Louis.
Thousands of flags in a multitude of hues were raised on high, while water
flowed into the fountains and the waterfall known as the Cascades, which
traversed the hill from Festival Hall down to the Grand Basin, to the cheers of
the excited throng.
The 1904 World's Fair
had begun!
Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of
nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five
children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames
her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a
world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing
in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men
finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer
in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and
two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day.
Currently unemployed, she continues to
write her books and stories, and reviews
which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a
bit off, but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a
good thing, after all. Her published
works can be found at Wicked Nights, Dreamspinner Press, and Silver
Publishing. You can email her at tothemax.wolf@gmail.com or follow her blog, Full Moon Dreaming
My Links:
My blog: http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com
My website: www.julielynnhayes.com
My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527332074
My Publishers:
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_222
Museit Up Publishing: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php
