Day Two with Naomi Musch: The Black Rose

Welcome back to Day Two with Naomi Musch, author of the Empire in Pine series, among other novels. Naomi and her husband Jeff live as epically as God allows on a ramshackle farm in Wisconsin's north woods near their five young adults and three grandchildren. Amidst it, she writes stories about imperfect people who are finding hope and faith to overcome their struggles.  Naomi has a .pdf of her newest book, #3 in the Empire in Pine series, The Black Rose for one reader. To qualify for the drawing on Friday morning, leave a comment and answer the question at the end of the this interview.

Naomi, we were talking about research. Tell us about your research and findings. I thought of you when we visited Bayfield this summer and their great museum.

When you're dealing with history it can be troublesome because you find that not every source, book, website, or document agrees with each other. I dig through library books, peruse website articles and essays, study pictures, and go to actual locations when I can. But sometimes those locations have changed so drastically I really have to use my imagination combined with old pictures to try and understand what a place might have been like. I find that if I just can't solve a detail, it's best to skirt it in the story -- even changing a scene if I must to avoid making an error.

And, yes! I've unearthed many details that have made their way into my stories. In fact, the famous northern Wisconsin saying, "Haward, Hurley, and Hell; the three hottest places on a Saturday night," is focal in The Black Rose.

Did you learn anything about the era you’ve researched that surprised you?

When I first came upon the idea for The Black Rose, it was partly because I discovered that Superior, WI was once the largest city in the state for a short time. It was a true, bustling metropolis in grand 1890s fashion. But as commerce veered more toward Duluth, and when a vast iron ore deposit wasn't unearthed in the South Range area where they thought it would be found, Superior soon declined.

Can you introduce us to the two main characters in The BlackRose?

Jesilyn and Corianne Beaumont are twins, both headstrong, but different in how they view themselves and how they pursue their desires. You could say the book cover depicts Jesilyn's character -- those beautiful roses on twisted vines, covering weathered wood, and hiding what's inside. When she sets out on a path to deceive and steal Cori's fiancé, her soul is nearly suffocated. On the other hand, Corianne has always been the "good" sister, but her prideful self-righteousness sends down a root of bitterness that could prevent love from ever finding room to bud again.

What do you tell other writers who come to you for encouragement?

Don't let times of discouragement shut you down altogether. Rest, pray, and get back to the keyboard. We all have to keep learning and growing, so keep at it, like a musician or a painter has to keep at his art, getting better all the time. And the most important thing to remember is that no one has to validate you except the Lord. Olympian and missionary Eric Liddell in the movie Chariots of Fire gives us the line, "I feel God's pleasure when I run." God's is the only pleasure that matters. If no one else ever reads what you've written, trust that God finds pleasure in you doing what he made you to do -- write.

Nice Olympic touch. What do you read for fun?

Usually historical fiction, but some contemporary and suspense too. And I like to read all the fun, silly, weird, and wacky Facebook statuses too. Don't you?

What do you want readers to know about you and your world when they’ve read your books or met you in person?

I want them to know that I'm a laid back country gal who loves the Lord, my family, my church, and the great big woods of Wisconsin - but not country music -- haha!

We are kindred spirits indeed. Thank you so much for your insight and your time, Naomi.

Visit her web site for more.
Research and attention to detail make or break the historical novel. Share with us your best strategies for research and fact-checking. Have you caught yourself up on any unusual details or fantastic sources material that you’d like to share?