In Jazz Age Chicago, Dot Rodgers sells hats at Marshall Field while struggling to get her singing career off the ground. Independent and feisty, she’s the life of the party. But underneath the glitter, she doesn’t believe she’s worth the love of a good man. Why would a strong, upstanding man want to build a future with a shallow, good-time girl like her?
Small-town businessman Charlie Corrigan carries scars from the Great War. After all he’s been through, he wants nothing more than to marry and start a family. But the woman he loves is a flamboyant flapper with no intention of settling down. She’s used to a more glamorous life than he can offer. As his fortunes climb with the stock market, it seems he’s finally going to win her love. But what happens when it all comes crashing down?
On Research and Rabbit Trails
by Jennifer Lamont Leo
When it comes to source materials, we authors who set our stories after, say, 1910 have an advantage over those writing about earlier eras, in that we have so many different types of media available to us. We can access not only books and newspapers, but also radio, movies (both silent and “talkies”), and voice and music recordings. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, we can listen to the songs, learn the dance steps, and study the lingo and voice inflections. Scattering these details throughout our stories helps paint a richer picture of the time period.
The early twentieth century also saw an explosion of advertising in popular magazines like Woman’s Home Companion and Ladies’ Home Journal. Consumer ads tell us a surprising amount of information about people’s everyday lives and concerns (“What will the neighbors think?” was—and continues to be—a big one) as well as a wealth of detail about clothing, hairstyles, color schemes, prices, home décor, automobiles, and recipes.
The downside to this cascade of information is that those of us addicted to research risk following every fascinating breadcrumb and rabbit trail, losing hours and even whole days in pursuit of some arcane fact. At some point we need to stop the research and start writing the darn story!
During the writing of Ain’t Misbehavin’, I had to restrain myself many times from getting lost in a Pinterest forest of fringy, beaded dresses and adorable cloche hats. On the other hand, after a few hours of sedentary writing, nothing gets the blood flowing like a few kicks of the Charleston, thanks to YouTube.
I hope all that research makes reading Ain’t Misbehavin’ a rip-roaring Roaring Twenties experience for you. As the lead character, Dot Rodgers, would say, you’re the bee’s knees!
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About the Author:
With a passion for all things historical, Jennifer Lamont Leo captures readers’ hearts through stories set in times gone by. She is also a copywriter, editor, and journalist. An Illinois native, she holds a deep affection for Chicago and its rich history. Today she writes from the mountains of northern Idaho, where she shares her home with her husband, two cats, and abundant wildlife.
Visit her at A Sparkling Vintage Life and Miss Marjorie’s Jazz Age Journal, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
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Thank you so much for hosting Jennifer's post, I greatly enjoyed it!
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My pleasure!
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