Sandy Kay Slawson (The Homemaker/Writer): My First Novel's Inspirations ~ Part 1

Good morning and happy Monday! I hope y'all had a great weekend. Mine went along as normal for the most part, but yesterday ended with tears. Stick around to the end and I'll tell you a little about that.

Today, I am starting a series (not sure how many parts it will take yet) about my first novel's inspirations. Some of the things I started out searching for, because they were already on my mind and others I found along the way as my story went progressed or during my research.

This is a fiction novel, so although I used these different places, people, things, etc. as inspirations, they may have been changed to fit my imagination as I saw fit. It's called Creative License. So, if you see this and then read my book one day, don't expect exact representations.

Husthwaite, North Yorkshire, England 1747

This is where and when my novel Hope for Charity begins. I had in my mind from the very beginning, the type of place I wanted my main female character to live. I wanted her to be a farmer's daughter in rural England. (I'll plan to talk about the farm in a later post.) It took awhile for me to find the perfect place, at least in my mind. I needed her home to be in a location that would work with the various scenes transpiring in my story. I wanted the farm to be near a village, not a town. I felt the lower population, would suit her situation better. My story also leads us to other locations in England. The roads, waterways, travel times and so on, all needed to be considered. While writing my novel, I tried to be as accurate as I could. I am still learning how to research and where to do my research. I'm sure with each new book I write (Lord Willing), I will have found new and better ways to hunt down the information I need.

Find the painters information here.

Why 1747?

I didn't want my story to revolve around wars. The two wars my story is squeezed between, are the Jacobite rebellion and the Revolutionary war. Although, those would make for great stories. It wasn't the story I had to write this time. I also wanted my novel to be set in a time period that would severely restrict my female character's options. Choosing this time period, didn't come easy. I had to take many things into consideration. I spent many times with my calculator, trying to do the math to see if my tale would work with the real historic information I found. If you know me at all, you know that I am not a math person. So, for all the history buffs or math geniuses out there, give me a break. I don't claim to be either and again I do claim Creative License. 😁

18th century map of England

Husthwaite Today

Husthwaite is still a village today. It's population is around 400. They are known for their apple orchards and sheep farms. When looking at recent pictures of the area, I imagine, that things probably don't look a whole lot different from the area in the 18th century. Of course roads would be better and modern conveniences would be available now, but the land and at least some of the buildings, probably look much the same. Trip Advisor will even tell you the best things to do in Husthwaite. Another site touts it as "The Best Village in The North of England". I already know that. 😊 But I really would love to go visit it someday.

In my novel, I don't have time to talk about all the places and things to see and do around Husthwaite. If I wrote a sequel, I might could get more of them in there, but that's not in my immediate plans. So, check out some of the sites linked above and see what you think of the place my story begins...Husthwaite.

A little bit personal...

My weekend went sour, when our family dog of 10 years passed away yesterday. We knew for the last few days, that it could happen, but I really hoped she would rally and be ok. She lived a good long life and she will be missed. She was a sweet dog, who happily greeted us anytime we came near. I'm glad she didn't seem to suffer and went peacefully. I'm thankful for the years the Lord gave her to us to enjoy and love. Goodbye, Taffy.