As I’ve been creating mystery #3, taking place in mid-December New England, I discovered I was mixing up Colonial timelines and character names with the later Victorian architecture.
I had to make a decision so I could write the opening scene in the appropriate location.
Victorian period would allow the story to unfold in a beautifully appointed bed & breakfast, converted from a generations-old family home.
Colonial architecture would age the bed & breakfast, allowing centuries-old family history to filter into the story.
Earlier this week, my husband and I visited the Daniel Webster Estate in Marshfield, MA, to help narrow my choice. And yesterday, I stopped by the Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth, MA, for a nice chat with the two women behind the desk and a man sitting at a research table.
In the end, because my fictional Harbor Falls series is located on the coast of Massachusetts, I settled on a Colonial backstory. Connections to the Mayflower pilgrims, a sad eighteenth century ghost, and parallels to current times will round out the main mystery plot with ghostly connections to my amateur sleuth’s personal subplot.
Such fun!
Debi Graham-Leard 
Wonderful. I am beginning to understand just a bit how you must thoroughly go about your writing…. very interesting.
Peg… research and choosing names if one of the most fun parts!
Good choice, Debi. It was my decision even before I finished your correspondence. Good luck. Joe oliveri GreatBrook Former writing participant @Norton library.
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Joe… are you the same Joe from Jane Michelmore’s book group at the Norton Library? If so, it’s good to hear from you! What are you doing with your writing these days?