TARGETED is about the third son who
is adopted. He is from the Blackfeet tribe. And no I’m not mixing up Blackfoot
and Blackfeet. Research shows that in Canada they are known as the Blackfoot
tribe, but when they cross over into the United States they become the
Blackfeet.
I am doing most of my research online using Google search. I was also in the Fort
Calgary museum ten days ago and they have a nice section with information about the Blackfoot tribe. I’d
like to find someone from the Blackfoot tribe so I could make sure my research
is accurate.
I also wanted a small town in
Montana and had to figure out the area - close to the southern border, close to
airports, an hour or so drive to a major hospital and still a little remote. I
figured out the area and placed a fictional town, Duster, Montana, there. I added hotels, stores,
police station, diners and restaurants and other places to make a small town.
Hopefully it works.
I’m using the information for
TARGETED but I’m also using it for my next series. I’ve had Canadian readers,
and writers, say they’d like to read romantic suspense set in a Canadian
setting – so I’m planning a series about a retired (not by choice – replace by
a younger male) female crime reporter in
Calgary, Alberta, with a Blackfoot mother. So my research will serve for several
books.
How do you research? I’d love to
hear from you.
Research is important for accuracy in books. The small pieces draw the reader into the story and create that picture in their heads. I love reading about real life events but fictionalized. All the best!
ReplyDeleteYou may want to check a local school or college near where the tribe is located. Most schools are required to have Native People Liaisons for the children and families as much for the schools. It's a part of respect.
What a great idea, about the schools and colleges. Thanks Melissa. I'll check that out.
DeleteOur favorite way to research a place is to go there. Nothing else can quite give you a true sense of the sights, smells, and feelings evoked. In addition, we read, read, and read. In the case of our latest, THE MEMORY KEEPER, we spent over two years reading, talking to people, making connections, and asking questions to be certain we truly understood our characters. We were writing about San Juan Capistrano in the 1800s, but we needed to really inhabit the world of the Juaneno people. Fortunately we had the assistance of the town historian and the native storyteller.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the perfect way to do research, Lorna. I'd love to be able to do it that way. And I'd love to find a native storyteller.
DeleteI love researching. My WIP has to do with a Cherokee grandmother. I've done lots of research on line and reading. I'm going to Tennessee in a few months and visit the museum. I've heard it has tons of information.
ReplyDeleteResearch is interesting, isn't is it? The museum in Tennessee sounds like a treasure trove. Have fun! I think I need to check out and see what other museums might have info on the Blackfoot.
DeleteI love researching too. That's what I'm doing today for my South Dakota series. Thanks for sharing, Beverley.
ReplyDeleteYour South Dakota series sounds interesting. Have fun researching today.
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