Guest Post - The Long & Winding Road of Research - Deniz Bevan

Today I welcome Deniz Bevan! I asked her to talk about research and her upcoming release, Druid's Moon.

The Long and Winding Road of Research

A guest post by Deniz Bevan

Every time I finish a story, I think to myself, “next time I’ll write something contemporary, set in the town I live in, so that I don’t have to do any research!”

In over three decades of writing, this has still yet to happen!

Druid’s Moon started out with an idea from a dream: A man and a woman in a storeroom in a cave, with the door barred, and antagonists on the other side of the door, doing their darndest to get in. Somehow, I knew that the man had been a beast, and that there were even more evil creatures in the depths of the cave, and they had to be defeated.

The fantasy aspect was easy to create! Then came all the bits and pieces of the plot and character backgrounds, and suddenly I had a research list of more than 10 all-encompassing items.

Here are a few:

Kraken: How to merge previous legends with mine
Archaeology: Daily life on a dig, qualifications, language
Cornwall: Locations and languages
Noble families of England, Scotland and Wales: A plausible name and ancestry for Frederick
Fairy tales: Genre staples for Beauty and the Beast tales

There were other items I read up on, including druids and their tombs and Welsh and Cornish myths and legends, that I found I didn’t need as much after all, but everything that had the right sort of flavour, I would read. The most exciting part is always the serendipity of research something and realising that you got it exactly right, or that your story and setting have dovetailed nicely into the history of that location.

The historical aspects of some of my research areas were the ones that really sent me down rabbit holes. The history of shipping, the history of Cornwall... Even ancient art depicting retellings of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale would pique my interest. I’d go to the university library and come back with two stacks of books!

While I’m in the midst of drafting and editing, I try not to read fiction set in my time or place, as I don’t want to be unduly influenced. Later, when edits are nearly complete, I might turn to fiction, to see how other authors have addressed the same location or central idea.

Eventually, there comes a moment when I realise I’m using research as an excuse to procrastinate on edits.

When that happens, focusing on the characters themselves generally gets me back into the story. Some of the most fun research is keeping an eye out for character faces!

Here are Lyne and Frederick:

Frederick is a photo of Romain Grosjean that I came across in my local newspaper; and Lyne is an unnamed screenshot from a survey I was in the middle of taking!

You just never know where the research road will take you...

Druid’s Moon
By Deniz Bevan

Beauty to his Beast…

Lyne Vanlith, an archaeologist who seeks a logical explanation to any mystery, discovers an ancient Druidic curse on her first dig. When the signs foretold by the curse descend on her, Lyne can’t find a reasonable interpretation.

And that’s even before a Beast rescues her from a monstrous sea-creature. She drops a grateful kiss on the snout of the Beast, who transforms into a man, Frederick Cunnick, Baron of Lansladron. Lyne is meant to be Beauty to his Beast—and break the curse forever.

Now both spellkeeper and monster are targeting Lyne. She must take up her legendary role, to defeat the curse and save Frederick—and herself. Instead of logic, for the first time, Lyne must trust her heart.

Release date – September 20, 2022
$14.95, 6x9 trade paperback, 226 pages
Fantasy – Romance (FIC009090) / Paranormal (FIC009050) / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology (FIC010000)
Print ISBN 9781939844866 / EBook ISBN 9781939844873
$4.99 EBook available in all formats

A firm believer in burning the candle at both ends, Deniz Bevan is generally writing a new novel while editing another and blogging about her reading and research adventures. Other days, she tries to stay off the web altogether, as she delves into the history, mystery, and romance of her characters’ lives. http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com/

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The Sights of Home & Goal Setting

I read an interview with an author yesterday, and she mentioned a sight that lets her know she's home. For her it's a bridge. For me, it's Pikes Peak, the mountain that towers above our town. When we're able to see it, we know we're getting close, and it always rejuvenates us enough to get the rest of the way home after a long trip.

It got me wondering what that sight (or smell, or sound) is for other people. What is the sure sign that you're home, the thing that makes you feel at peace?

Now, that has nothing to do with writing for me. Not really. Although I do have a slight view of Pikes Peak out my office window, above the roof of the house across the street. I love that view.

Man Distressed Clip Art, clker.com

As far as writing, I've been trying to tackle some goals on a month-by-month basis. You see, I've mentioned the chronic migraines before, though I try not to do that much. The short version is that I've had a migraine for about three years now (yes, non-stop--even in my sleep). In fact, a little over. They did a two hour MRI on me to be sure I didn't have any brain tumors (I didn't), referred me around to various specialists, tried me on a few kinds of drugs, and I finally branched out on my own to find answers, because their drugs were only making things worse for me (not only in the lack of help for the migraines, but in the side effects that came with them).

During this same time, I've also suffered chronic fatigue, vertigo, depression, and anxiety. And the worse the migraines and fatigue got (because they're probably related), the worse everything else got. And the more useless I became. I stopped exercising, stopped getting things done, stopped doing as many fun things with the kiddos, etc. I've found improvement by juggling a variety of things that each help a little bit, and by adapting coping strategies, but it's still an uphill climb. Sometimes I look back and wonder how I crawled out of bed each day, but I did, and I forced myself to get dressed each and every single day.

Busy Mom with Child and Pets, courtesy of OCAL, clker.com

Now, with this improvement, I want to get back to being a real human being again. The common recommendation is that you shouldn't try to change too many things at once or you will fail at them all. Thus, my choosing one thing to focus on at a time. Last month, it was fitness. I worked out every single day.

Dancing Lady by OCAL, clker.com

As of today, it's a new month! So what am I working on this month? I'd like to continue working out every week day (down from 7 days per week, though I also intend to do something with the family that involves hiking or walking on at least one weekend day) still, continuing with my goal of physical fitness, but I'd now like to get into the habit of sitting down at my desk to work each day after I workout. So this month I aim to sit at my desk to write for twenty minutes each day (minimum) and to read a craft book. I'll be figuring out which craft book to read later on today. I've narrowed it down to two for the month, and I'll try to keep everyone updated. If I finish the craft book, I'll play catch up on the Writer's Digest mags I haven't read yet.

Computer by OCAL, clker.com

I'm also going to sit down and see if I can document the migraine journey in order to write some articles about it, perhaps. Migraines aren't uncommon, and I'd like to provide folks with an alternate view on how to approach them when other means are failing them or making them more miserable. Maybe something will come out of it, and maybe something won't. Perhaps it will just be cathartic to write it out.

One final thing on the writing, I've been updating my submissions status on IWSG  days, so I'll continue to do that. It will bother me to admit if I haven't submitted ANYthing since my last update, so it will keep me honest if I start to slack, which I did in the last couple weeks (though I've submitted to things this week.) That's not what the IWSG is for, really, but those details certainly tie in with my insecurities, and I like the accountability.

Summary of goals:
August-Exercise every day throughout the month. Done!
September-Sit down to write for at least 20 minutes each day on my desktop and read a craft book. Pending.
October-Undecided.

How do you know you're home (home being wherever you feel safe and happy, whether that's a house or elsewhere)? Is it a sight, a sound, a taste, a scent, or something else? How do you go about goal setting? Are you working on changing anything right now or establishing any habits? What have you found to be a successful way to change yourself when it comes to goals?

May you find your Muse.