On Researching for Summerset Abbey by TJ Brown, Guest Post & 2 Giveaways!

I never thought I would write historical. Not that I don’t love historical fiction, I do. As a child, books like Little Women, The Maud Reed Tale and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, had a huge impact on my desire to become a writer. So perhaps it is only natural that after the publication of my contemporary YA, (Read My Lips, 2008), most of the ideas that came to me were historical.

But the research scared me. During my school years, I didn’t do that well in history…mostly because while I loved reading the text books, history was all about the stories to me, not the facts or the dates. I enjoyed comparing the similarities and differences in the lives of people who lived in other time periods, not debating the importance of individual events. And, okay, I’ll admit it— I wasn’t that great at the teacher’s nitpicky insistence that I hand my work in on time. (Thankfully, I’ve become a lot better about that whole deadline thing.)  

When I think of research, I think of serious people sitting in quiet libraries with giant books on the desks in front of them. I think of dedicated authors going to obscure places to gain access to hallowed historical archives.

I’m so not that person. I like loud football parties, rock concerts and playing Apples to Apples with my friends.

Luckily for me, the Internet has changed research and most of what I needed was at my fingertips. The problem wasn’t finding good, solid information—it was retaining, tracking and disseminating the information I found in a way that enhanced the story.

One website I kept running into during my research for Summerset Abbey, was The Edwardian Promenade, (www.edwardianpromenade.com). Whoever was behind the website was a genius at all things Edwardian. I dug deeper and found Evangeline Holland, a fellow writer who about to give a four week course on the Edwardian era. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect because I was just preparing to write Summerset Abbey. The class was fantastic and she handed out tons of resources, both primary (having been written during the time period) and secondary, (having been written after the time period, about the time period). Her input was so invaluable; I ended up hiring her as a fact checker. I adore her. (Disclaimer: Any facts wrong in the manuscript are my fault, no doubt committed during the revising process, and not hers!)

As far as keeping track of all the details? I used a combination of Scrivener, (a writing program for writers) to track online research, a carefully annotated notebook for research taken from books, and of course, the ever popular sticky note method. Guess which method best suited my scattered haphazard brain? (See picture)

The upshot of my research advice? Do what works for you and have fun doing it. If it isn’t fun—if you can’t lose hours of your life in the research—then maybe you shouldn’t be doing it. I can’t organize worth a damn, but the research itself is pure heaven!

Title: Summerset Abbey
Series: Summerset Abbey #1
Author: T.J. Brown
Reading level:  Adult

Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 320
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Publisher:  Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | BN | The Book Depository

1913: In a sprawling manor on the outskirts of London, three young women seek to fulfill their destinies and desires amidst the unspoken rules of society and the distant rumblings of war. . . .

Rowena Buxton
Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “under class” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie. 

Victoria Buxton
Frail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret. Now, Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever… 


Prudence Tate
Prudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’s daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society—as ladies maid to her beloved “sisters.” But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls.  And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey…  

Future Books in the Series:

A Bloom In Winter (Summerset Abbey #2) March 5, 2013 

Spring Awakening (Summerset Abbey #3) August 6, 2013 

TJ Brown is passionate about books, writing, history, dachshunds and mojitos. If she could go back in time, she would have traveled back to England, 1910, Paris, 1927 or Haight-Ashbury, 1967. She resides in the burbs of Portlandia, where she appreciates the weirdness, the microbreweries, hoodies, Voodoo Donuts and the rain.

Connect with the Author:   Website | Twitter

Giveaway #1!

 Signed finished copy of SUMMERSET ABBEY provided by the Author (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway #2!

In celebration of the launch of Summerset Abbey, the first in a trilogy, Teri is holding a book lovers contest. All you have to do to enter is preorder Summerset Abbey through Amazon,Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, or through your local independent bookstore and  then forward Teri the e-receipt to Teri (at)teribrownbooks.com. Contest runs from 1/3- 1/14. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on 1/15, the day Summerset Abbey comes out! Is that an awesome way to celebrate or what?

Winner (Sorry, US addresses only) can pick from:
--Kindle Fire HD, 16GB (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GGCAVM/ref=fs_ta)
--Nook HD, 8GB (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-hd-barnes-noble/1110060426)
--Kobo Vox, 8GB (http://www.kobobooks.com/kobovox)



Check out the rest of the tour!