Not a History Buff….

by Guest Blogger
Pamela Thibodeaux

Although I relish reading a good historical romance, I never liked history. Civics, American History, Louisiana History… all those facts and stories that mostly revolved around wars…and having to memorize all those dates and speeches… UGH!

A quick check online or requesting and perusing information on the location or setting of a novel is sometimes necessary, but as a writer of contemporary romance/women’s fiction, not a whole lot of energy goes into researching.

However, when I wrote my novel, The Visionary and set it on a piece of property that once belonged in my family, research was necessary.

You see, the heroine, Taylor Forrestier, has a gift. She ‘sees’ into the past as it pertains to remodeling or restoring old homesteads. Therefore, I had to know what she would find.

Although I remembered walking through the old house and heard stories of its occupants, I went to the local library and dug through the microfiche files until I uncovered enough information on the homestead and my family history to make the references in the book and the research done by my heroine authentic.

Legends and folklore surrounding my ancestors came alive… My great, great, great grandmother, Laonise LeBleu (better known as Grandma Jo) who lived to be over 100 became real to me. The famed pirate, Jean LaFitte, (Louisiana’s ‘favorite son’) became more than a character in a history or romance book as did Frank & Jesse James. I also found and used references to my brother-in-law’s family, the Salliers, who, along with the LeBleu’s, were among the first to settle the area. I still have the print out of that newspaper interview with Grandma Jo on her 100’th birthday which gave me so much information.

Although this research proved to be fun as well as useful, I think I’ll just stick to writing contemporary thank-you-very-much.

Author bio: Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”

Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com  

Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com

Face Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux

Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib

Book Blurb: A visionary is someone who sees into the future Taylor Forrestier sees into the past but only as it pertains to her work. Hailed by her peers as “a visionary with an instinct for beauty and an eye for the unique” Taylor is undoubtedly a brilliant architect and gifted designer. But she and twin brother Trevor, share more than a successful business. The two share a childhood wrought with lies and deceit and the kind of abuse that’s disgustingly prevalent in today’s society.  Can the love of God and the awesome healing power of His grace and mercy free the twins from their past and open their hearts to the good plan and the future He has for their lives?  Find out in…The Visionary ~ Where the awesome power of God's love heals the most wounded of souls.

The Visionary can be purchased in Hardcover @ Amazon & Barnes and Noble, on Kindle, Nook and at Smashwords!