And you wonder why it takes so long to write my Amelia
Island/Fernandina, Florida novels?
Research, dear readers. Research
and tweaking. With regard to research about things available and happening
in 1898, the year in which my Amelia
Island's Mark of a Man, the next novel in my Goodbye Lie series, is set, here are just a few questions to which I had
to find answers:
-
When was Yankee Doodle written? – Answer: 1770s
-
What were the Suffrage movement colors worn by women seeking the vote? I thought they were red, white and blue. Answer: WRONG, oh great assumer, I say to
myself. I was watching a PBS show and
there, before my eyes, were suffragettes.
They were wearing white, green and gold! I verified this through research and went back
and corrected it.
-
Will lavender grow in north Florida? Answer: Yes, provided
it's watered and in pots. Then I
recalled a horticulturist friend of mine telling me that, yes, it will grow
here, but he suggested no matter where it is planted, you cover the surface of
the dirt with pebbles. Without pebbles,
the water may splash up onto the lower leaves and transfer bacteria to those
leave, causing mildew or fungus or whatever bad germs might make the plant to die
eventually.
-
Did doctors wear surgical masks? Answer: Not yet.
They weren't developed until 1905 or so I read.
-
When as Ava Maria written? Answer: The music was written by Franz Schubert to a poem
before he died in 1828, so I can use it!
- What about God Bless America? When as that written? Answer: 1918 by Irving Berlin, so I can't use it.
- How about Rock of Ages? Answer: Yes, it was written before 1872.
-
Hail Holy Queen composed when? Answer: It is from the 11th
century, so heck yes. Use it!
-
John Phillip Sousa's Stars and Stripes? Answer: composed in 1896 and published in
1897. It's a squeaker, but it will work!
-
What is the difference between a bowler and derby hat? Answer: The bowler, a hard felt hat with a
rounded crown, was invented in Britain in 1848.
The Americans copied it and called it a derby.
- Lyceum Hall in Fernandina, Florida – When was it built and where was it located? Answer: Built in 1873, Lyceum Hall was located on Centre Street, the main street in historic downtown Fernandina, between Sixth and Seventh Street. Lyceums were public halls in small towns constructed to showcase wholesome entertainment, song, dance , the arts and assorted programs.
