My historical fiction about a real woman, Sarah Herring, A New York Lady In Helldorado, was enjoyable for me to write. I love history and spent many hours searching out all I could find about her life. I found a couple of newspaper and magazine articles, and a Wikipedia page gave me more information and resources. If any of you have read a biography by such authors/historians as David McCollough or a book of history, such as Bruce Catton's books about the Civil War, you know these books include years of research and little undocumented personal details. Personal letters provide small windows into personalities and personal views on events. I recently read a biography on Calamity Jane. She was illiterate, so there were no letters to show what she thought about or who mattered in her life. While the book was thoroughly researched and the facts painted a picture of her sad, wild, and wandering life, I never felt connected with this woman because I never heard her voice. I can't write without a voice. Sometimes, it must be mine.
When researching Sarah Herring, I found one interview that provided a glimpse into her inner life. I jumped on those details as if they were gold. I could have gone to the historical archives in Phoenix or Tucson to find more. But I didn't. Now, I wish I had taken the time. However, I'm not unhappy with how I wrote the book.
With the little information I found, I began to develop my story and Sarah's character. I decided to make this story fictional because I had only that one interview, assumptions, and a few documented facts to build on. It might make a decent article, but those have been written. Not too exciting. Fascinated with this trailblazing woman, I wanted more. While most sources said that she and her younger brother arrived in Tombstone in 1882, those sources said the town was "still reeling" in the aftermath of the famous OK Corral gunfight. I took my author's fictional license and moved back their arrival to the day after the gunfight of October 26, 1881. I had discovered that her father, Col. William Herring, was one of the lawyers who defended Wyatt Earp after he was charged with murder. What was the catalyst that convinced Sarah, a young schoolteacher, to become a lawyer? I wanted to demonstrate her strong will, her determination, and her intellect, leading to her trailblazing successes. With that decided, I had my story.
Recently, I've read Social Media writing groups' discussions on how an author uses bits and pieces of his/her personality to infuse their protagonist. I do that. Many authors do that. We all have imaginations, but when we're drawing a character with our writing, we can hardly help creeping in somewhere. Having lunch with my sister a while back, we briefly talked about this book, and my sister said, "She's you!" I'm not a lawyer, but I must admit that later in my career in different capacities, I dabbled in legal stuff. I remember a disgruntled employee or two once sued me and the CEO, and/or the company. It was my job to write up details for the attorney. When I handed over my work, one attorney said he didn't need to change a thing. Maybe I missed my calling, but it took too long to figure that out. So I do the next best thing. I write! At this time in my life, it's what I want to do.