In last week’s newsletter, and over on Instagram, I asked for your questions. You really delivered! Good on you!

Being an author is often a deeply solitary gig. Most of my days are spent inside my own head, wrestling with fictional people, imaginary problems, and the occasional existential crisis about commas and em dashes. It's a fascinating place, albeit a bit odd upon reflection. (There are the Writing Cats for company throughout the day and wine at the end of the day, though, which are definite perks.)

So when I asked you to send me your questions, it was like opening a window onto the Real World of Robert Brighton Readers—curious, clever people, and intrigued about life and storytelling. Reading your questions has been a delight—like telepathy, but with better punctuation.

In this newsletter, I’m sharing exclusive answers to some of your questions, from craft secrets to character gossip and more. Thanks for sending in your questions and ideas, and keep them coming. I truly enjoy hearing from you! 

 

 

What drew you to this particular time period—was it the drama, the mystery, or something more personal?

I think the Gilded Age is a hugely important hinge-point in American (and world) history, and yet it’s usually seen only through the lens of a very, very few fortunate souls (e.g. Vanderbilts, Rockefellers) and only rarely from the point of view of regular people. I wanted to explore what real life circa 1890-1905 was like—which is an almost untilled field. Which is nice.

Frankly, I hope all the other Gilded Age writers keep droning on endlessly about the Astors—it allows me the rest of a very large universe to play in.

 

How do you balance historical accuracy with the need to tell a compelling story?

I don’t balance them consciously at all. I tell only as much of the history as I need to to advance the story, and not a word more—and I try to make the history stuff a fun read too—sometimes by focusing on slightly humorous or ironic events, or items that will inspire in the reader’s mind a parallel with (or highlight a difference from) his or her experience of life today. I don’t aspire to write history books (nor am I ‘qualified’ to do so); rather, I want to write compelling stories grounded in historical fact, insofar as I can determine it. If you think of the story as the diamond in a diamond ring, the history is the setting.

Both the gem and the setting may be equally important to the ring, but no one buys a diamond ring to stare at the setting. It just has to do its job in showcasing the gem and being complementary to it.

 

Have you ever uncovered something in your research that completely changed your plot or a character?

All the time. There are too many examples even to attempt a list. I’d need a roll of toilet paper to write them all down!

 

What’s one myth or misconception about your era that you love correcting in your work?

That Victorians and Edwardians—Gilded Age folk—were stuffy, sexless prudes who never had any fun. It just isn’t so. The way people expressed their personalities in those days was different from the way we do, but humans are humans both now and then. In general Gilded Age people were much more circumspect and selective about sharing their private business than we are today.

 

If you could have dinner with one person from the time period you write about, who would it be—and why?
 

Probably Mark Twain. After all, he coined the term ‘Gilded Age’—not to mention that he was a fine writer and a close observer of his society. And not many people can pull off a white suit the way that man did; since then, perhaps only Colonel Sanders has rocked a white suit as well as Mr. Twain. (I happen to love KFC, too, which to my knowledge Twain did not eat, mainly because KFC didn’t exist at that time. That said, I’ll betcha a bucket o’ chicken that Mr. Twain enjoyed fried bird at least as much as the next fellow. So actually . . . having dinner at KFC with Twain may be perfect.)

 

How do you name your characters?

Most of my (main) characters introduce themselves to me; I don’t make their names up. When I do have to create an appropriate name for a supporting character, I take conscious care only to avoid names that would be anachronistic—e.g., modern names like Braden, Jaden, Haden, Schmayden, Donner, or Blitzen. No one had a handle like that in 1900. Lots of Harrys and Charleses, Sarahs and Alices, though. And the occasional Rudolph.

 

Which of your characters would you most like to know in real life? Hang out with?

Speaking as a grown man with a few miles on the odometer, without a shred of doubt I’d say Allie Miller (Avenging Angel Mysteries). I might not survive more than, say, a long weekend, but what a wild time it would be.  

Now if I were a younger fellow, I’m quite sure I’d fall head over heels for Louisa MacGregor (Winter in the High Sierra).

But the dirty little secret, folks, is that I DO hang out with my characters, all of them, all the time—they’re more real to me than many of the actual real people I know.

 

In your videos, I really like the window coverings behind you and to your right. What are they called and how did you design them? What are some of the other items in the frame?

Those are called shoji screens, and are used in Japanese homes as dividers between rooms, as window coverings, and so on. I used to travel to Japan for work, and fell in love with Japanese art and architecture, so some of those experiences have been recreated in my home environment.

As a matter of style, my wife and I favor Arts & Crafts period things, which have a strong Japanese sensibility to them. I don’t know what else you can see as the view and angle on each video changes a bit, but on the wall next to the shojis is an eel spear from Nantucket. In the Gilded Age, eels were a staple food in the USA. Today, you’ll find them on menus in Europe, but most Americans find they look too much like snakes to be appetizing. Tastes change! We’ll explore the artwork in a future AMA.