tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post2064043026198127729..comments2024-03-27T23:13:43.597-05:00Comments on Prairie Rose Publications: Blunders in ResearchLivia J Washburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05958199886826207363noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-43571060361363439522014-07-03T20:51:20.958-05:002014-07-03T20:51:20.958-05:00Tanya, late never bother me. I've been late lo...Tanya, late never bother me. I've been late lots of times. Things happen; we get busy. The girls in the Walton's also wore coveralls a lot, and although they were worn sometimes, mostly girls wore dresses. Even in the 50's, girls mostly wore dresses. You're right about the hair. Women wanted waves in the 30's and lovely curls--not straight. We are such slaves to fashion. Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-75677629134185063542014-07-03T20:08:27.627-05:002014-07-03T20:08:27.627-05:00Hi Sarah, sorry to get here late. I think we all t...Hi Sarah, sorry to get here late. I think we all try to be accurate, but I'm sure minor things can slip thru...but getting dates wrong, sheesh. Not good lol. But just look at the historical movies and TV shows...their hairdos often reflect the hair styles of the time the movie or show was made...Anybody remember the old show The Walton's....the girls' long straight hair was totally Tanya Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08580821680629254085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-39154828836853750922014-07-03T07:57:08.996-05:002014-07-03T07:57:08.996-05:00Jill, I feel ya. I've been to Wyoming once on ...Jill, I feel ya. I've been to Wyoming once on a visit with my friends. I have to look up things, too. I have a list of the fauna and trees so I don't put a red wood in a forest where there are none. Yes, it would be easier for me to write about North Carolina, just as it would be easier for you to write about England, but we must be drawn to the wild places and the unique people of the Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-84751857178099404582014-07-03T07:35:25.811-05:002014-07-03T07:35:25.811-05:00First of all Lacey, I really have to thank you for...First of all Lacey, I really have to thank you for your lovely compliments about my work. You really made my week.<br />I do remember good old libraries, the last bastion of quiet grace where a person can breathe in the scent of books and read in the presence of like spirits. I also remember encyclopedias and how they had to be updated to keep up with "facts" and new information. It wasSarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-52458467608821423392014-07-03T02:56:26.414-05:002014-07-03T02:56:26.414-05:00Hello Sarah, and ladies! So sorry I'm late com...Hello Sarah, and ladies! So sorry I'm late coming in here, but I have an excuse I live a million miles away!! I have had a good readofthe comments, and now I am worried! Being a UK author trying to write about a place I have never been id very difficult. Oh I have maps and reference books and there is Google I know all that, but even then, it's hard. There's nothing like being in a jillmcdchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09404306094725767275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-28350172423011108862014-07-02T23:51:15.302-05:002014-07-02T23:51:15.302-05:00Great post Sarah. I love your books. I was a histo...Great post Sarah. I love your books. I was a history buff at school, teachers hated me. Reason? The school issued us with a history text which gave us one set of facts and that is what we were taught. My problem was, I have always been a avid reader. I would go to the library, those places where books were stored before computers, and pull out other texts. It seemed no two textbooks had the same Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10790913724841317640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-24818581088896395322014-07-02T19:07:26.548-05:002014-07-02T19:07:26.548-05:00My first reply gotten eaten by the cyber monster.
...My first reply gotten eaten by the cyber monster.<br />See, Jacquie,that's the same mistake I made about trains. I once worked with a doctor in the ER who was a train enthusiast. He told me trains in Europe and the East coast could take you most anywhere, but out west, things get dicey. For all the drama about trains heading west, it turns out they didn't really go everywhere. I'm Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-39083510293207940572014-07-02T18:48:51.328-05:002014-07-02T18:48:51.328-05:00Welcome to idiot land, Kaye, because you can see, ...Welcome to idiot land, Kaye, because you can see, I have made some blunders in my historicals. I think most of us spend a great deal of time trying to get our facts straight and researching to get it all right--and we still blunder. There are some readers and editors out there that will not tolerate a mistake. I think Regency is the most meticulous about the details. Oh Lord, all those titles andSarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-4242601138094717352014-07-02T18:36:45.155-05:002014-07-02T18:36:45.155-05:00Well Celia, I do know the part about Dallas being ...Well Celia, I do know the part about Dallas being north of San Antonio. If I had been that author, I would looked at a map. In fact, I have a map of Wyoming in my Wilding notebook. Even though my town is imaginary, I did place it in a real place so I could co-ordinate it with other real places in the state.<br />See, this is what I mean, Celia. You research as best you can, check out your facts, Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-53625584233155611012014-07-02T18:20:05.836-05:002014-07-02T18:20:05.836-05:00I had a good laugh on that one, Linda. I don't...I had a good laugh on that one, Linda. I don't use packets of lemonade in this modern world, so I would never have an historical with it. I can see how those slips can happen when an author is just writing about every day things and forgets what time period they're writing about. Good one.<br />That was funny about the futuristic furniture in your historical. I've written some storiesSarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-1732538107843225602014-07-02T18:11:18.974-05:002014-07-02T18:11:18.974-05:00See Kirsten, that's what I'm talking about...See Kirsten, that's what I'm talking about. I went to several sources looking for a train from Wyoming to Omaha and got nada. All this research that told me there is no train in Wyoming--and you say yes, there was. I put a train in Banjo, but I'm keeping away from any further controversy by never mentioning a train again in Wyoming. Because the time period keeps moving forward with Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-69150211075835086762014-07-02T18:04:21.074-05:002014-07-02T18:04:21.074-05:00Kristy, if you're ever n Omaha, you really sho...Kristy, if you're ever n Omaha, you really should go to the Henry Doorly Zoo. It was amazing back in 1969--and positively awesome now. In fact, they have plans to knock it off the charts.<br />I killed off a beloved character. I killed Granpa Ben Wilding. I did it between books so it wouldn't hurt so bad. One book he was alive and well, and the next, he was buried on the hillside. If he&#Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-47084170562982785052014-07-02T17:58:29.094-05:002014-07-02T17:58:29.094-05:00Hey Doris, welcome to my world. I am like Queen of...Hey Doris, welcome to my world. I am like Queen of Blunders. I research like crazy and still mess up. I have a list of natural fauna and trees in Wyoming, have a few reference books about Western lingo, cowboy ways, horses and history books that give the changes decade by decade--and still missed the whole dang train thing. If they could shoot you for these mistakes, I would have been shot years Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-6013072970846324982014-07-02T17:52:25.397-05:002014-07-02T17:52:25.397-05:00Hey JoAnne. You did misspell a word--or just wrote...Hey JoAnne. You did misspell a word--or just wrote the wrong one. It's "two", not "to." LOL For a writer, I am probably the worst speller in America. For me, blunders are not so much as embarrassing as they are aggravating. I get mad at myself for not researching something enough, getting the wrong info, or missing the blunder entirely. People point out my mistakes all theSarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-64071458095850064172014-07-02T17:46:44.863-05:002014-07-02T17:46:44.863-05:00Ya know Cheryl, a writer can screw up even with pl...Ya know Cheryl, a writer can screw up even with places they think they know like their mama's house. When I wrote The Violin, set in a town in PA that I knew well all my life, I made a blunder. I wrote that John and Genevieve rode on a roller coaster at Knobles Amusement Park. The editor that just happened to live in that neck of the woods and told me I had to take that roller coaster out Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-71757126483093757532014-07-02T17:37:02.509-05:002014-07-02T17:37:02.509-05:00Well Meg, the readers are just going to have to &q...Well Meg, the readers are just going to have to "believe" there's some kind of train going to my imaginary town in Wyoming. If they could have a whole book about the Polar Express, I guess my readers can imagine my train. LOL Shoot, they may even have a Polar Express now. I guess you know the research process of hell we must go through sometimes--and still end up with wrong Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-18079091378833114282014-07-02T16:22:15.289-05:002014-07-02T16:22:15.289-05:00I read a book where the characters got on a train ...I read a book where the characters got on a train in Silver City, Idaho Terr. No train. Ever. And another set in 1868 where the character just came from Deadwood, which wasn't established until 1875-6. Both of these came from major publishers, BTW. But like Kaye, I hesitate to throw stones because who knows what inaccuracies are in my own stories. All we can do is try. And to tell the Jacquie Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17361793932364487636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-36594272388889509942014-07-02T15:49:50.554-05:002014-07-02T15:49:50.554-05:00Oh my goodness gracious sakes alive!!! I have blun...Oh my goodness gracious sakes alive!!! I have blundered so many times in my research, but luckily, I've caught the mistakes before I made a complete idiot of myself. lol <br /><br />However, I'm not opposed to the author taking a little poetic license in a work of fiction, because, well, it's fiction. ;-) I also believe that since I'm only "Mary Poppins' perfect, that Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-90550757761184146952014-07-02T14:46:54.209-05:002014-07-02T14:46:54.209-05:00One of my favorite topics. Trains...yes, Texas Dre...One of my favorite topics. Trains...yes, Texas Dreamer is set in 1915 just barely nw of Fort Worth so as a rancher and new oilman, he would have access to a train. At first, his ranch was set out on the South Plains, West Texas near the Panhandle. Then I researched trains, and even in that year, there were no trains. Amazing.<br />In one romance I read long ago, the author had her heroine riding Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-19850054113911079542014-07-02T12:22:59.324-05:002014-07-02T12:22:59.324-05:00Sarah, I really enjoyed this blog and the comments...Sarah, I really enjoyed this blog and the comments. I once read an historical romance set in Wyoming where the heroine couldn't sleep and went downstairs and got a packet of lemonade mix and made herself a drink. I don't think so. And I found myself furnishing an English great house in 1605 with 18th century furniture and had to back up and start over. It is so easy to forget what wasn&#Linda Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00749255692298669394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-10066395075102169122014-07-02T12:15:58.471-05:002014-07-02T12:15:58.471-05:00Great article, Sarah. No, poor Wyoming never had a...Great article, Sarah. No, poor Wyoming never had a zoo. Well, here in Sheridan we had a bit of an animal park if you will, and even had a lion. You might want to check a little deeper about the trains, though. We did have passenger trains come through. The Sheridan Inn still has the china from one the Burlington line. That's why the Inn was built is for train passengers, it was built right Kirsten Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720732595156726142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-2779434240716944442014-07-02T11:32:31.844-05:002014-07-02T11:32:31.844-05:00Sarah,
Thanks for sharing such great info about th...Sarah,<br />Thanks for sharing such great info about the Omaha Zoo. I've never been, and didn't realize how amazing it is, so it's definitely on my places to see now.<br /><br />As for research blunders...gosh, we all make them. As hard as we try, we're not computers and can't possibly retain all the info we dig up. I know I forgive authors when I come across something like Kristy McCaffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17363740420272046549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-47531510516812794212014-07-02T11:28:30.229-05:002014-07-02T11:28:30.229-05:00When Helen wrote about her trip from Chicago to Od...When Helen wrote about her trip from Chicago to Odgen she tells of eating lunch in Cheyenne, called 'Cheyenne City' at that time, and climbing over to Sherman and then down to Laramie. This would have been around 1870 or so.<br /><br />I think because of this essay I had assumed all of Wyoming had train travel. That is where assumptions can get you into trouble.<br /><br />Loved this postRenaissance Womenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09045401344374224512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-19980747925111720032014-07-02T11:14:34.793-05:002014-07-02T11:14:34.793-05:00An interesting post Sarah. I have to do a lot of r...An interesting post Sarah. I have to do a lot of research also for certain characters and places. It can be embarrassing to make a blunder, especially when there's always someone to correct you. And I think I misspelled a word or to in this. The best of luck to you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05981543474791174293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927727476793944291.post-76756579542923958302014-07-02T11:13:56.956-05:002014-07-02T11:13:56.956-05:00Sarah, what an interesting post! I didn't know...Sarah, what an interesting post! I didn't know anything about the Henry Doorly Zoo--that's just fascinating. And the bit about the train in For Love of Banjo--you're right--you HAD to have the train scene! LOL I don't think readers will mind a bit that you took a bit of "license" and created that. I have to say, I've done things like that before myself. Sometimes, Cheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.com