HEWWO is this the place to ask non-spoilery questions? (Is there a place to ask spoilery questions and/or are you open to DMs about your work?)
I'm wondering where exactly Amaranth Moor has been plopped down on the map. I have google maps of North Yorkshire right here and theres no sign that says "here be vampires" so did you pick somewhere specific?
ALSO what are your fav research sources for this setting? Fashion, history, literary/writing style references, etc.
Thamks <3 waiting patiently for vol ii (this is a lie I am chewing the walls)
AODUSJDHS WHY HELLO THERE!!! YES THIS IS AS GOOD A PLACE AS ANY AND YOU CAN ALSO ASK QUESTIONS IN DMS OR ANYWHERE BLABLABLA!!!!!
1. WHERE IS AMARANTH MOOR - While reading you may have noticed the rare mention of the town being named Helmsley, this is a real town on the east side of the North York Moors!!! The manor would be like a 1-2 hour walk away, though I didn’t specify the direction.
There will be more mentions of nearby places in upcoming volumes BUUUUT KEEP IN MIND I ALSO EMPLOY A LOT OF CREATIVE LICENSE
By the way, the REAL “here be vampires” place on those moors is actually Whitby, WAAAY on the west side, where Bran Stoker was inspired to write Dracula 🧛♂️
2. RESEARCH SOURCES - I wish I could give a specific one, but the truth is……EVERYTHING
I’m a source omnivore, and I also went through a whole history major in college while writing the book, so I’d say the best thing is to use the right keywords to find things online and to use your local library as a resource (PRINT SOURCES ARE ALWAYS BEST) (ALSO PAINTINGS AND FASHION PLATES FOR HISTORICAL FASHION)
However, in my opinion, the single BEST SOURCE for this kind of writing will always be primary sources, especially novels from the time period. I can’t count how many times I ran into little details and had to fix things in the novel for historical accuracy!!!
(Including smut from the era, which DOES exist) (WINKS WITH BOTH EYES)
ALSO I LOVE ETYMONLINE SO MUCH, IT TELLS YOU WHEN WORDS ORIGINATED, I USED THIS IN BASICALLY EVERY SINGLE WRITING SESSION TO LOOK UP ANY WORD I SUSPECTED MIGHT BE TOO MODERN (YES IM A LITTLE CRAZY) DID YOU KNOW “HELLO” WASN’T USED UNTIL LIKE 1848. IF YOU SEE MY CHARACTERS SAY THIS PLEASE COME KILL ME
The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of Eng
ANYWAY THANKS FOR THE LOVELY QUESTION AND I AM SO GLAD YOURE ENJOYING THE BOOK!!!!
