Pepper Basham | Real and Readable

I’m a lover of history! Words that can create scenes to sweep me back to another time and place keep me reading great fiction…and researching interesting time periods, but there are moments when I’ve had to put a book down because the ‘reality’ of the historical detail hit me too hard. The experience of the heroine or the depth of the tragedy or the abject hopelessness wrung my emotions to the knotting point and I couldn’t continue. Have you ever read a book where the historical detail went too far for you?

This happens for me, particularly, when reading World War 11 era books related to the Holocaust. There’s a sensitivity in my spirit to which I cannot cope, especially if the author writes well enough to hold me in the story.

Some people may never get to this point, but I do…and I know there are other readers who do. The story is great, the characters are fascinating…but the intensity has me teetering on the brink …usually BECAUSE the storyline, writing, and characters are so great. Clearly, the authors did their research!

I had some concerns about that very thing when I started the research for my debut novel, THE THORN BEARER. Because my characters are on the ill-fated passenger liner, The Lusitania, I knew the research might become a little intense. From the actual first-hand accounts of the sinking, the physical destruction as well as the massive loss of life, to the aftermath on the shores of Queenstown, the morbid descriptions and painful loss pushed the limits on ‘dark’ content. Some of the pictures and information was graphic and uncomfortable, to say the least.

Then there is one of my main topics woven into the novel – sexual abuse. This topic is never a ‘light’ term and has been misused in fiction (or not used at all), so delving into such heavy material felt daunting.

How did I know the fine balance of ‘too little’ or ‘too much’? Well, personally, I used my own gauge. The novel ultimately points to hope, so when the events of the Lusitania, the devastating effects of sexual abuse, and the tragic results of World War 1 are filtered through the veil of ‘hope’, it gave a fairly solid boundary from which to create this story.

Reality and readability can dance on a fine line sometimes. It’s the author’s job to paint a story with a broad enough stroke to encompass a larger reading audience and use historical information to enhance the story without sacrificing the ‘heart’ of the story or the interest of the reader.

A few tips I keep in mind:

How would this look in a movie? As I write, the story evolves like a movie in my head. If a picture becomes too graphic in that ‘moving picture’, then I will modify what I’m writing to make things more readable.

Does the information move the story forward? This is a good question to ask any time. How does this bit of story progress and/or enhance the larger story? If I’m adding dark, intense, tragic scenes…just for the purpose of adding dark, intense, tragic scenes – then I need to reevaluate those scenes.

How does this information intensify and clarify the storyworld? If, by adding this information, I give the reader a clearer view into the world of the time and help them ‘experience’ the story at a deeper level, then the information is probably worthwhile to include.

Of course, it will all be subject to editors and publishers, but these are a few ways I try to ‘keep it real’ but also keep it ‘readable’.

Giveaway

What do you enjoy about historical detail in books? Have you ever read a novel that you couldn’t finish because the information ‘hit too close to home’ or was ‘too intense’ to continue? Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of THE THORN BEARER!

About THE THORN BEARER

From the decks of the ill-fated Lusitania to the smoke-filled trenches of France, Ashleigh must choose between the forgiveness of her past, life in the present, and a Savior who can rescue her from them all.

When her fiancé leaves her eight months before their wedding, the unexpected blow ignites a battalion of insecurities stemming from her father’s intimate betrayal. Her worst fears are confirmed – who could ever love a soiled woman?

In an attempt to escape the shame and disappointment of her past, Ashleigh boards the ill-fated Lusitania to cross the war-torn waters of Europe. Much to her dismay, she isn’t traveling alone.

Sam Miller is always making up for his best friend’s mistakes. Determined to help Ashleigh, he offers his compassion and protection as she ventures across a perilous sea. With the faint hope of renewing his lost love for Ashleigh’s sister, Sam never expects to find the woman of his dreams in his best friend’s former fiancé and his own childhood companion.

As they travel across the Atlantic, neither is prepared for the life-altering and heart-breaking journey of their friendship.

When the truth of Ashleigh’s past explodes in the middle of war and Sam rejects her, Ashleigh must decide if God is enough – or if the double weight of her betrayal and past will crush her life forever.

About Pepper Basham

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She’s a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mom of five, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate. She enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction whenever she can. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she works with kids with special needs, searches for unique hats, and plots new ways to annoy her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. She is represented by Julie Gwinn and her debut novel, THE THORN BEARER, released in April 2015. You can connect with Pepper on her website, Facebook or Twitter.