Guest Blogger: Carol Cox on Research

I have a confession to make. I’m a research junkie. Give me something new to learn about, and I’m a happy camper.

It doesn’t even have to be something work-related to start me following new rabbit trails. Sometimes the pursuit of information does nothing more than satisfy my curiosity. But sometimes I strike creative paydirt. For instance, there’s the time I came across a brief mention of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, along with a comment about it being a pivotal event in American history. My immediate thought was: If this was such a big deal, why hadn’t I ever heard of it?

I typed the name into my search engine, thinking I’d do a quick check on the Internet to see what I’d missed. Little did I know that small step would be the beginning of a journey of discovery that would lead to writing A Bride So Fair and the other titles of the A Fair to Remember series.

Web sites displayed photos that made my jaw drop—a fairgrounds covering more than a square
mile, with hundreds of buildings linked by walks and waterways. Nations from all over the world were represented, and the list of visitors read like a Who’s Who of that era. I felt a familiar tingle, one that told me I needed to set a story in that setting. And to do that, I’d have to learn even more. I rubbed my hands in anticipation at the thought of digging deeper.

Once the Palace of Fine Arts,
the Museum of Science & Industry is
the only building that remains of the fair's White City.

The digging proved fruitful. One site included texts of books from the period. Another showed floor plans for several of the buildings, but the print was too small to make out details. I contacted the woman who maintained the site, and she graciously sent me copies of the plans. Spreading my net further, I purchased several books dating back to the time of the fair. One described the exhibits of each building in great detail. Armed with that information and the floor plans, I was able to explore the buildings in my imagination.

Looking toward the lagoon from the Wooded Island.

An on-site visit came next, and my family traveled with me to Chicago’s Jackson Park, the site of the exposition. All but one of the grand buildings are gone, but I had another research treasure in hand—a map showing their locations in relation to the present-day roads. Soon we were engrossed in recreating the scene as it looked over a century ago.

We felt the warmth of the summer sun bearing down on our heads and savored the breeze blowing inland from Lake Michigan. Everywhere I turned, I drank in local color—details that wouldn’t be found in a guidebook, but the very things that would add realism to my story.

At one-third of the original size, this replica
of the Statue of the Republic is still impressive.

Were the hours spent poring over Web sites and maps, the purchase of books, and a trip halfway across the country a little over the top? Couldn’t I have just described the setting based on reading an article or two? Maybe. But I would never have been able to add the kind of texture and authenticity this kind of deep research allowed me to do. Because of that time and effort, the fair became a character in its own right, and I achieved one of my goals as a writer—to make my readers feel they’re actually experiencing the times and places I write about.

Now I’m on the prowl again. In my travels and while I read, I find myself on the alert, looking for something that will capture my imagination and spark a desire to know more. Something that will become my next research project.

Carol
Author of A Bride so Fair