Today, please help me welcome debut author Vali Benson to The Write Stuff. Vali is going to talk a bit about Research and Inspiration, so grab your favorite cuppa and settle down. I think you’ll find this as interesting as I did.
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Research and Inspiration:
Insights from a Debut Novelist
Hello,
My name is Vali Benson and I have been a writer all my life. I can also now call myself a published author. It was always a dream to publish my own work. I still can’t believe it, but it’s now a dream come true. Ever since I can remember, I have had a book in my hand. As a lifelong reader, I often thought, “I could do better than that”. So, I decided to finally do something about it. People have asked me to explain the writing process, but I can’t. I don’t think there is a right way or wrong way to write a book. But I do know what works for me.
The first step is to come up with an idea. It must be something that interests you, or that you feel strongly about. If you don’t care what you are writing about, nobody else will either. Once when I had severe writers block, a great teacher told me, “Write about what’s in your own backyard”. I took my teacher’s advice and turned in an award-winning essay. That was the inspiration in writing my book; a young adult historical fiction novel called Blood and Silver. The story takes place in Tombstone, Arizona. For thirty years, I have lived in Tucson, Arizona. Tombstone is only forty-five minutes down the road, practically backyard distance.
Tombstone is one of the most revered towns of the old west. It is the site of the notorious “gun fight at the O.K. Corral” but for residents of Southern Arizona, it is just another local landmark. However, people come from all over the world to see it, so I became increasingly curious about the tiny, dusty tourist spot. Today it is a town of thirteen-hundred people but in 1884, Tombstone was a roaring metropolis and was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco. I’m sure it was a spectacular scene and grand time. The activity and splendor must have been all encompassing and I could not get it out of my head. I knew I wanted to make this infamous place the subject of my novel but first I had to learn my subject.
History is the world’s greatest teacher. It also creates a perfect launch point for a writer’s imagination. Historical fiction is my genre of choice because it combines the majesty of an author’s imagination with the beauty of the past. Any writer of historical fiction is obligated to do copious amounts of research. They should feel obligated anyway. Research will be the heart of your story, the building blocks of your narrative. It is also essential to any quality piece of historical fiction. If research is done correctly, it should be a rewarding but grueling process.
One needs to scavenge unusual places, not just the top three Google hits. Try not to settle for strictly names and dates. If you invest in the research phase, it will pay off significantly down the road. Dig beyond the numbers and you just might uncover something someone had overlooked or never found before. I love sourcing museums, libraries, newspaper archives, and even historical homes. Don’t rely on your computer only. Everyone can get that information. Not only is it not original, but it is also not interesting. One tip that I would like to emphasize to a burgeoning writer of historical fiction is to seek out the primary sources whenever possible. If you can work from the original source, it falls on you to interpret the story. This allows you to not have to depend on someone else’s version of the truth.
Blood and Silver tells the tale of a young girl who finds herself in trouble and alone in 1880 in Tombstone. My heroine uses her wits and charm to carve out a new life for herself and her sick mother. I had a premise but was immediately confronted with a classic problem of the historical fiction author; my inspiration had little to do with my subject. The little town that I was familiar with had about 1,300 residents. The town that I was writing about, Tombstone, AZ in 1880, had a bustling population of 15,000 with over 100 saloons and every sort of vice imaginable. The locations were the same, but the places were very different. In the course of my research, my story emerged.
As I began to delve deeper into the true story of Tombstone, I uncovered unexpected angles. The most prominent of which was the effect of the Chinese population. The result of this research led me to a real person whom I could never had made up, a woman named “China Mary”. This woman lived in Tombstone from 1879 – 1906 and essentially ran the town. In addition to operating a gambling hall behind her general store, she was also the only source for opium, laudanum, and Chinese prostitutes, all of which were in high demand. After I discovered the real-life splendor of China Mary, I made her one of my central characters and twisted my fictional story around her actual exploits. None of that could have been possible without an extensive research period.
The actual “writing” was the easy part. Putting compelling sentences together was not my problem. The difficulty arose when I needed to create a vibrant world for my characters that was not only captivating but also historically precise. Researching my topic well enough so that I could accurately write about it was my biggest challenge. I drowned myself in the era and when I felt I had enough of a foundation to build my historical setting, I applied my plot and inserted my characters.
When is your story finished? It is finished when you think it is. Before you begin, you will know where you will end up. If you don’t, don’t start. This is why research is so important; because if I can understand the period in which my characters live, I will shape their circumstances and attitudes into the narrative. With Blood and Silver, because I had taken the time to ensure that every aspect of my world would be historically accurate, the attitudes and tones of my characters occurred organically. I simply placed my fictional characters into actual settings and let them take me where they wanted to go.
Blood and Silver is my debut novel. It was released in April of 2020. I was inspired by an award-winning essay I wrote in grade school. Last month, Blood and Silver won First Place the 2021 San Francisco Book Festival, in two separate categories. Last week, the book won First Place at the New York Festival of Books. Both are a true honor, and proof that it is never too late. I may have waited awhile to pursue my dreams, but now they are coming true. If you want to be a writer, then BE a writer!
Thanks for reading and happy writing!
Buy Blood & Silver HERE
BLURB:
Category: YA Historical Fiction
What is a twelve year old girl to do when she finds herself in the silver boom town of Tombstone, Arizona, in 1880, and her only home is a brothel and her only parent is a drug-addicted mother? If she is Carissa Beaumont, she outsmarts the evil madam and figures a way out.
After tricking the madam, Miss Lucille, into summoning a doctor for her mother, Lisette, she discovers that Miss Lucille has been drugging her. She and the kind doctor make a plan to try to save Lisette by dosing her down on the drug.
Doctor Henderson tells Carissa that the only source for the drug is a Chinese immigrant named China Mary, who lives in Hoptown, at the other end of Tombstone. Carissa has no choice but to go to the powerful woman for help. Many say that China Mary is the one who really controls Tombstone.
China Mary admires Carissa’s brave spirit, and uses her influence to get her a job at the new Grand Hotel, which will free Carissa from her many duties at Miss Lucille’s. She will work along with Mary’s twelve year old niece, Mai-Lin. The two girls become fast friends.
Then, disaster strikes, and the two girls must work together to stay alive.
With a host of colorful characters and meticulous attention to period detail, Blood and Silver is a story of the best and worst of human nature, the passion for survival and the beauty of true friendship.
Author Vali Benson
Vali grew up in the Midwest. She now lives in Tucson with her husband, two sons and grandchildren.
After graduating from the University of Illinois, Vali started and sold two successful businesses before she decided to pursue her real passion of writing. She published several articles in a variety of periodicals, including History Magazine before she decided to try her hand at fiction.
In April of 2020, Vali published her first novel, Blood and Silver. That same month, she was also made a member of the Western Writers of America.
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Buy Blood and Silver Here:
Amazon
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
BookBub
Find Vali on Social Media Here:
Website
Twitter @BensonVali
Facebook
Brilliant advice, Marcia… lovely to read Vali’s story…
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Glad you enjoyed Vali’s post, Jaye. (She’ll be along in a bit to comment, herself, and in the meantime, I’m trying to stay vertical long enough to do so, too.) Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
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Thank you so much for the gracious post Marcia! It is an honor to be featured on your exceptional website!
Thanks again, Vali
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It was a pleasure to have you here today, Vali, and I know lots of readers will be drawn to the subject of your book. Congratulations on getting it off to such a good start and on winning those awards! Nicely done! Thanks for joining us, and the here’s to a great success with Blood and Silver! 🙂
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It has been an absolute pleasure Marcia! Thanks again!
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Tombstone in name alone sounds fascinating and with all the legends especially so, even for those of us who have never been to the USA. I didn’t realise what a bustling place it had been. The novel sounds a great read.
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Tombstone is a very interesting part of American history, Janet, and I’m glad you enjoyed learning more about it. Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking a moment to comment! 🙂
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Yes, Tombstone is indeed a mysterious and wonderful place. It is also one of the most haunted towns in America! I highly recommend a visit if you are in the vicinity.
Thank you for your interest!
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A wonderful story of learning, perseverance, and success. I love the sound of this book and will head to Amazon to take a look. Wishing you all the very best, Vali. 🙂
Marcia, thanks for sharing 💕🙂
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Excellent, Harmony! I’m so glad you enjoyed Vali’s post and learning a bit about her book. Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking a moment to let her know. 🙂 ❤
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Hi Harmony! Thank you so much for your support!
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The blurb for Blood and Silver is great. Congratulations to Ms. Benson on this debut and the awards her book has won!
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It sure sounds like an interesting book, doesn’t it, Priscilla? I’m so glad you enjoyed reading about Vali’s debut, and yes, she has certainly gotten off to a good start with the awards! Thanks for stopping by this morning. 🙂
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How kind of you Priscilla! Thank you for reading and for your kind words!
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Congratulations on your debut novel, Vali. Research can be so much fun – you never know what you’ll uncover.
Thanks for hosting, Marcia.
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It was a pleasure to have Vali here today, Joan, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for stopping by to let us know! 🙂
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Indeed Joan, that’s what keeps us coming back for more. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my post!
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All the best with it Vali.
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Much appreciated! Thanks so much!
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I love that this novel came from something you started in grade school. Congratulations on your first novel, Vali.
Thanks for hosting, Marcia.
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How nice Staci, thank you! I guess my grade school experiences proves that the best lessons stay with you for a lifetime.
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I love the setting for this novel. Tombstone and the Old West have always fascinated me. Way back in the day, I wrote a ton of western short stories and still love the genre. I’m also a huge fan of combining historical elements with fiction. What a great post from Vali on research. Wishing her all the best with Blood and Silver!
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Thank you so much Mae! The fun thing about the Old West, and Tombstone in particular, is that usually the actual events are so interesting, they hardly need embellishing. It is certainly an exciting era to research.
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Great to meet you here, Vali. Congrats on your first book. Research is a fun part of writing, and I always enjoy it. I added your book to my Kindle and look forward to reading it.
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Hi D.L.! Thanks so much for your interest! I have always loved the research end of things. Actually that frequently gets me in trouble because I tend to avoid writing so that I can get a better feel for my subjects.
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Sounds like a fascinating and well-researched read! x
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I appreciate it Alex, thank you! All I can tell you is I found the subject interesting and I logged a lot of research time!
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It sounds like a wonderful story. Congratulations Vali (BTW, my brother’s name is Val and I think he’d love this story as well.) Thank you, Marcia, for introducing Vali! 😊
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Thank you Gwen, that means a lot! I would love to hear your (and Val’s) impressions should you ever read my little story.
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Thanks very much Marcia for introducing Vali to us and the book looks amazing.. we are just watching Deadwood for the second time and it must have been very daunting to have been a young girl in that sort of environment.. a lovely post Sally ♥
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Hi Sally! Thank you for reading and I appreciate your support. You are completely right, the old west was not a pretty place, especially for a pretty young girl.
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Thank you so much for including our post on your incredible site Sally. It is very much appreciated!
Much obliged, Vali
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Delighted to share the post Vali. enjoy the rest of your week.. x
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Pingback: Smorgasbord Blogger Daily – Wednesday August 11th 2021 – #Blogging Hugh Roberts, #Author Interview Allan Hudson with Ritu Bhathal, #Guest Marcia Meara with Vali Benson | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
Absolutely love that this was based on/inspired by an essay from grade school. That is awesome. 😎
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I appreciate it Sarah, thank you for reading! I’m just glad I remembered the lessons I learned in grade school 😊
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A lovely teaching post for sure. So nice to learn about Vali and her writing. Hugs xx
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Thanks D.G., I appreciate your kind words. I’m so glad you were able to take something away from my post. Marcia did an amazing job!
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Yes she did. Thanks Val, lovely to connect here 🙂
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Reblogged this on NEW OPENED BLOG > https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thank you for the introduction, Marcia! Sounds a very good read. Have a nice day! xx Michael
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Thanks so much Michael! Your support is very much appreciated!
Best wishes, Vali
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Hi Marcia, thank you for introducing Vali Benson. Her book sounds fascinating. I know the history of Tombstone and the OK Coral shootout. Learning more about this town sounds like a good idea.
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Hi Roberta! Thanks so much for reading my post. Marcia truly went above and beyond! I am happy my book has stoked your interest in this fascinating era of American history.
Thanks again, Vali
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