tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post4281834632307246324..comments2023-11-01T18:52:33.180-05:00Comments on From the Heart...Cheryl St.John: Charlene Raddon: The Joys and Pitfalls of ResearchCheryl St.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00947267011326863581noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-9950344587843919302012-07-24T18:02:51.917-05:002012-07-24T18:02:51.917-05:00Hey, Janie. Glad you got to see the photo. It is a...Hey, Janie. Glad you got to see the photo. It is an intriguing one, isn't it? Course you rarely see people smile in those old photos but they don't usually look so despairing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-58108917199557752412012-07-24T18:01:41.430-05:002012-07-24T18:01:41.430-05:00Joanne, tune in tomorrow to http://www.elizabethde...Joanne, tune in tomorrow to http://www.elizabethdelisi.blogspot.com/ where I'm being interviewed. Anyone who comments and leaves an email address will be eligible to win a free copy of Forever Mine, the e-book.<br />Hope to see you there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-24975377855110401522012-07-24T12:06:46.709-05:002012-07-24T12:06:46.709-05:00That is a fascinating old photo of the newly marri...That is a fascinating old photo of the newly married couple. I can see why it revved up your imagination. Very interesting to read about your research for the book.Janiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06509431336916594990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-75153853195630867152012-07-24T03:41:36.091-05:002012-07-24T03:41:36.091-05:00Sounds like a fantastic book, I love the setting. ...Sounds like a fantastic book, I love the setting. I would like to be entered into the giveaway please. My email address is jthanson at btinternet dot com.Joanne Hansonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-31769920851532400022012-07-23T23:37:34.584-05:002012-07-23T23:37:34.584-05:00Glad you enjoyed the book, Jacquie. You're rig...Glad you enjoyed the book, Jacquie. You're right, when an author truly knows her setting, it shows. But I've read stories set in places I'd have sworn the author had to have at least visited, then learned she'd never been there. It's all in the details you're able to collect when researching.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-50281489159346952992012-07-23T23:13:42.438-05:002012-07-23T23:13:42.438-05:00When I read a book, it's nearly always evident...When I read a book, it's nearly always evident when the author truly knows and understands the setting. Um, it's also evident when they don't, if it's an area I know about. Cape Meares is such a cool place. I've only been there twice but you did capture the aura of the place really well (it has been a while since I read the book).<br /><br />A cool moment for me was when I visited an old stone church near the farm where I grew up. One of the old-timers told me it was originally built as a general store. I could see the scene of the store clearly, and the heroine, Daisy Gardner, who ran down the stairs carrying something. She obviously had a mission in mind! I'd love to have more moments like that. :)Jacquie Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17361793932364487636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-14136475328089725602012-07-23T22:10:43.313-05:002012-07-23T22:10:43.313-05:00You would definitely enjoy the book then. I hope y...You would definitely enjoy the book then. I hope you win. Thanks for dropping by.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-74959905037228227492012-07-23T22:09:33.689-05:002012-07-23T22:09:33.689-05:00Would love to win & purchase this book. I visi...Would love to win & purchase this book. I visited this lighthouse about 8 years ago & your post brings back such wonderful memories. <br /><br />Coolestmommy2000 at gmail dot comCoolestmommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04742283544000495664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-28947194805800246902012-07-23T21:02:13.541-05:002012-07-23T21:02:13.541-05:00Hey, Liz. How goes it? Been a while. Thanks for yo...Hey, Liz. How goes it? Been a while. Thanks for your comment. I think you should try a historical. You'd quickly learn to control your research and produce a fantastic book. You're such a good writer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-17368671783988917312012-07-23T20:51:34.872-05:002012-07-23T20:51:34.872-05:00Hi, Charlene. I love those pictures! And research....Hi, Charlene. I love those pictures! And research. I think it's the reason I've only ever written one historical--I want to spend too much time researching and not enough writing!<br /><br />Good luck. Great post.Liz Flahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794565644883272260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-83799120867736661532012-07-23T20:05:11.795-05:002012-07-23T20:05:11.795-05:00I love the pictures of the lighthouse! Until recen...I love the pictures of the lighthouse! Until recently I thought all lighthouses were really tall.I really enjoyed the article, it was very informative. I will have to look up your books - they sound awesome!Martha Lawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042754635352542051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-29881292269934385132012-07-23T19:47:15.004-05:002012-07-23T19:47:15.004-05:00Thanks, Quilt Lady. I hope you buy it and enjoy it...Thanks, Quilt Lady. I hope you buy it and enjoy it. Maybe you'll win the gift card.If you make quilts you must be pretty talented. I'm always in awe when I see a beautiful handmade quilt.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-65798026954155145732012-07-23T19:32:39.946-05:002012-07-23T19:32:39.946-05:00Love historical romance and this one sounds just a...Love historical romance and this one sounds just awesome! Thanks for sharing this great story with us!Quilt Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05958381203753210051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-13622938532202007192012-07-23T16:29:44.363-05:002012-07-23T16:29:44.363-05:00You're very welcome, Connie. I hope you get Fo...You're very welcome, Connie. I hope you get Forever Mine and enjoy it. I too am fascinated by lighthouses and the people who lived in them. Susan Wiggs wrote a book about a lighthouse keeper too. It was very good. I plan to write another lighthouse story one of these days. Friend me on facebook if you'd like to find out what I'm doing and what my next book will be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-74266002374751354042012-07-23T15:33:30.297-05:002012-07-23T15:33:30.297-05:00Hi, Charlene! I was so intrigued by your blog tod...Hi, Charlene! I was so intrigued by your blog today. I have always been fascinated by lighthouses and the life of its keeper and family. My husband and I live in southwest Florida and a fun place for us to visit is Key West, FL. Most people think of that town as being for parties and drinking. Oh no! The history there is amazing. My favorite place is the Key West Lighthouse. The old keeper's home has been restored and is filled with lots of photographs, mementoes and stories about the families who have lived there over the years. A daughter of one of the keepers wrote a book about her life there, but I have never been able to find a copy of it. I would so love to read it! The responsibility and the loneliness of lighthouse keepers has to have been so very difficult and I would love to learn more about how these wonderfully brave people managed to cope.<br /><br />Your novel, "Forever Mine" sounds fabulous and I have just put it on my Wish List. Thanks so much for sharing your story today!Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03217408544219883095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-56588375203670100832012-07-23T13:55:16.456-05:002012-07-23T13:55:16.456-05:00Thanks Brit. I'm glad you liked it. I agree th...Thanks Brit. I'm glad you liked it. I agree that my familiarity with Forever Mine's location improved the story and helps it shine. But my love for the place added polish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-16856283053108404182012-07-23T13:53:38.086-05:002012-07-23T13:53:38.086-05:00Too much reality could be a downer, that's for...Too much reality could be a downer, that's for sure, but it could also make the story more interesting. I love learning how people dealt with the difficulties of the lives they lived. As for living in a lighthouse, it would depend on where it was. One thing you can be sure of, it would be windy and I hate wind. Cape Meares now wouldn't be so bad if you lived where the houses were. There's a parking lot there now, but there are also lots of trees to break the wind. In 1891 the cape was kept pretty barren, so there was nothing to keep the wind from blowing you right off the cliff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-66115327593522952062012-07-23T13:50:20.817-05:002012-07-23T13:50:20.817-05:00Yes, I do have to do more research as I go along. ...Yes, I do have to do more research as I go along. For example, when I started writing Forever Mine I didn't know that Ariah was going to cook a Greek feast for Easter, so I had to stop and look for recipes, and while I was at it, I looked for Greek Easter traditions. I think all you need to start a story is an understanding of the setting and the characters. Unless you do meticulous plotting before you start, you can't know what all you'll need, research wise, until you get there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-57103924871569750722012-07-23T13:19:40.094-05:002012-07-23T13:19:40.094-05:00Wonderful detail, Char, about how you researched t...Wonderful detail, Char, about how you researched the book. That's my biggest challenge, I could spend days, weeks or months researching rather than writing. Even more of a challenge now that the Internet has so much at our fingertips! But nothing beats onsite research and that really shines through in "Forever Mine." Great book!<br />~Brit<br />britdarby.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-83709268329419320672012-07-23T13:16:29.401-05:002012-07-23T13:16:29.401-05:00Whoops, I meant cool.Whoops, I meant cool.Kathy Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996558118761118634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-26462022898827991932012-07-23T13:15:57.664-05:002012-07-23T13:15:57.664-05:00I have that book, The Good Old Days Weren't So...I have that book, The Good Old Days Weren't So Good, and sometimes I wonder how much reality I should insert into a historical. Your book sounds interesting. I was up in a lighthouse once when I was a kid and I wondered then how cook it would be to live in one.Kathy Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996558118761118634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-78366591970817229722012-07-23T12:59:03.771-05:002012-07-23T12:59:03.771-05:00I so love a good historical romance. I have one pl...I so love a good historical romance. I have one plotted that I'd love to write. I've done a ton of research into the period and locale, but I'm scared to death of getting details wrong. There's always more to learn, you know? How do you know when you have enough historical knowledge to step out of the way and let the story come to life? Do you find yourself researching more as you write?Lucy Francishttp://www.lucyfrancis.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-60651398169336182452012-07-23T12:12:55.829-05:002012-07-23T12:12:55.829-05:00Thanks, Elizabeth. I've enjoyed working with i...Thanks, Elizabeth. I've enjoyed working with it again and reliving the story and the experience of writing and researching it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-40849070459777710432012-07-23T11:22:47.137-05:002012-07-23T11:22:47.137-05:00I loved FOREVER MINE when I read it as a paperback...I loved FOREVER MINE when I read it as a paperback, Charlene. Your blog has made me want to take it off my keeper shelf and read it again. Love the way the lighthouse and the people who lived in it led the way to this wonderful story.Elizabeth Lanehttp://www.elizabethlaneauthor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14505413.post-80081551900840802832012-07-23T11:17:03.711-05:002012-07-23T11:17:03.711-05:00What a great story leading up to the writing of Fo...What a great story leading up to the writing of Forever Mine. Nope, that bride did not look happy. Neither did the groom. I love that you turned such a sour story such a wonderful HEA.Kemberleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01526177270694486600noreply@blogger.com