People always ask me how long it has taken me to write a book. It depends on many things but the most important for me is the period in which I set a novel. Obviously if I place my characters in a past age, I need to research that period extensively.
I spent six months researching for my WW II novels as they were written before the internet became a great source of information. But not all the information you need to write a story that comes alive can be found on the internet. Diaries and letters from the period open a large gateway into the past. I knew how people felt and all the sensory details they experienced by reading personal letters and diaries at The Imperial War Museum Library. Only then did I know exactly how my characters would think, act and speak. The research took as long as writing my novels - six months each!
I spent six months researching for my WW II novels as they were written before the internet became a great source of information. But not all the information you need to write a story that comes alive can be found on the internet. Diaries and letters from the period open a large gateway into the past. I knew how people felt and all the sensory details they experienced by reading personal letters and diaries at The Imperial War Museum Library. Only then did I know exactly how my characters would think, act and speak. The research took as long as writing my novels - six months each!
