Sometimes, I think I spend too much time reading non-fiction
history. I realized this the other day when a friend of mine asked me to explain the difference between a Queen Consort and a Queen in her
own right. Without hesitating, I explained. I also veered into an explanation
of Salic Law and how it didn’t exist in Britain.
Yes, these are the kind of facts I keep in my head, the kind
I wait eagerly to whip out when an opportunity arises. Once, I was in a Denny’s
near a college when three girls in the next booth started discussing William
Wilberforce. I nearly jumped over the booth to join in the conversation. Yes,
my enthusiasm for history is that powerful.
Combine my love of history with my equally powerful love of
movies and watch out. Someone I know who lives in Virginia once said, “You know
where they filmed Gone with the Wind, don’t you?” Without blinking, I said,
“Yes, in Culver City on the MGM lot.” My friend then tried to correct me and
tell me that the Twelve Oaks staircase scene was filmed in Virginia, according
to some sign in some hotel in Richmond. Now, if there is one thing I know
besides history, it’s Gone with the Wind
trivia, and I know for a fact they did not shoot that scene in Virginia. Thank
heavens for Google, or I’d have had to pull out one of my five books on the
filming of Gone with the Wind in
order to prove I was right. Remember those big, glossy coffee table books that
used to be a film buff’s go to source before Google and IMDB? 
Yes, folks, these are the kinds of facts crowding my mind. Gone with the Wind and golden age of Hollywood trivia to help me
make my novel, Studio Relations, more authentic and believable. Also, through my writing, I’ve been
lucky enough to meet other history buffs. I’ve spent a great deal of time
before signings or panels talking to other writers about Tudor England, the
American West and Regency England. Speaking with other writers who love history
helps remind me that I’m not the only one obsessed with history. My obsession
is probably a sickness, and I’d do something about it except that Gone with the Wind is on TCM tonight.
Thankfully,
I also love writing about history, so I’m able to use all this great knowledge
to entertain people. I used a great deal of my
If you love history then you will love my novels because there is a lot of history in them.
For more posts about movies and writing click here and here.
For more posts about movies and writing click here and here.
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