FYI

If writing were only writing, I'd probably have penned fifteen novels by now. But then, it's not. It's research, observation and editing as well. And that research in particular can be a real time-eater. All it takes is for me to think, "Hmm... would they have needed a key to start their car in 1932?" And then there I am for the next hour, getting to know Google better than my next door neighbor, overloading my brain with all sorts of information that's interesting, yes, but does not in any way answer my question.

This may be the information age, but it's amazing how difficult it can be to hunt down one small, but very specific, piece of information.

Over my short time in writing I've scoured the internet for things such as when lemonade became popular, what an early-1900's jailhouse window would look like, how people felt about the war before America became involved, whether or not women in the 1930's wore slips, and what time of year green beans are in season.

It's amazing how little I really know!

Thankfully, other people know stuff. And I depend on them to write the books and articles that help me write more books. So I'm actually rather grateful that I can get lost in a land of search engines and discover things like whether or not women commonly wore taffeta in 1939.

Which reminds me... time to take another spin on Google.