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 