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And she travels -like the wind? Author Interview
How has the pandemic affected writing? Rebecca explains.
Writing and publishing during the Covid-19 pandemic is exactly like living through it–lots of frustrations but opportunities for gratitude.
Online resources have long been helpful research tools for any modern author, but now they are absolutely vital. Trade of a Lifetime and the entire Trade Wind Series is set in Victorian England. In the last few years, I’ve scoured historical and modern online maps and virtual museum collections, researching everything from period jewelry and clothing to birth control methods, recipes, trade routes from China to England, food preservation techniques, and the cost of a bridge toll for a two-horse carriage in 1850 London.
As thankful as I am for the modern convenience–no, necessity–of the Internet when researching, it is an imperfect replacement to the in-person experience of travel. We all long for the days of traveling as freely as we did prior to the pandemic. I especially look forward to returning to the UK to visit the many sites I write about. A website can show me the location of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, but there is no replacement for walking the grounds and watching the time ball drop at 1pm. Visiting London’s streets by using the streetview function of online maps cannot compare to the inspiration I found during my last trip, pre-pandemic.
Woven into the Trade of a Lifetime tapestry are details about the main character’s (Clara’s) church in Mayfair, Grosvenor Chapel, built in 1730, and the building at Soho Square that houses her charity. Certainly some of the information came from online, but it was wandering the neighborhoods on foot and daydreaming that truly sparked various plotlines. I spent a day in the Charles Dickens Museum–located in one of his former London homes–and that treasure trove of mid-Victorian customs has informed the series a great deal, and in a way that simply looking at photos or reading about it would not have.
Another impact of the pandemic is that it allows us to contemplate the suffering in the past with greater understanding and empathy. Living in the age of antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines, just a few years ago, it seemed difficult to convey to readers in developed countries just how vulnerable to infectious disease the average person was only one hundred fifty years ago.
Coincidentally, prior to the pandemic, one of my Trade Wind manuscripts featured a vicious respiratory virus that swept through London. I remember wondering whether readers would find it difficult to relate to, or even question, just how frightening a “simple” virus was as it ravaged the population. That book will be published this year, and I anticipate that most readers will assume that I was inspired by Covid to include that plotline! As difficult as our lives have been the last few years, we also have a great deal to be grateful for–and there is no better reminder of that than reading about the medical practices in the 19th century, let alone earlier!
On a final note, more than ever, we all want and need connections with others. Reading about love and passion is more than a guilty pleasure; it renews and lifts our spirits and reminds us of the importance of meaningful relationships. Writing emotionally-rich stories with plenty of primal lust has helped sustain me through these times, and I genuinely hope they pave the way to a wonderful, if temporary, escape for my readers, as well!
Read the Trade Wind Series
Book 1 (full-length novel): Trade of a Lifetime – updated in 2022 with an epilogue Book 2 (novella): Finding Harmony Book 3 (full-length novel, coming 2022): Terms of Trade Book 4 (sequel to Trade of a Lifetime, coming 2022): Love Unbound
Author Bio
Romantic by birth. Author by choice.
Rebecca has lived on both U.S. coasts and is currently in between. She’s resided in three European countries, including in a national capital and a quiet town with a fifteenth-century church.
Between daydreams, Rebecca nurtures two curious kids. Mr. Aubrey is really Dr. Aubrey, a dashing professor and her supporter-in-chief. Her constant indoor and outdoor gardening projects exist in various stages of life and death. She has detailed plans for her next book, bake, and cocktail–and a vague notion of what’s for dinner.
Rebecca is also a lawyer and proud graduate of Smith College. She writes luscious contemporary romance as Lana Siren.
Author Links
https://rebeccaaubrey.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22000146.Rebecca_Aubrey
https://www.lana-siren.com
