Research Rabbit Holes

A motorized velo-taxi

One of the things I like best about historical fiction (reading or writing) is finding out things I didn't know. Sometimes they're big things, but most of the time, what interests me is the everyday. That's where the line is really drawn between then and now.

In my current project, French Lessons (coming 1/31/25), I've set my story in 1946 post-war Paris. Pearl, 25, is there for a year away from her "real" life to become a writer. Obviously other adventures - and other learning experiences (lessons) are involved - but the one thing she thinks she knows to expect is Paris. Her aunt lived there for a year, she's read about it in books, she's seen movies, etc.

But post-war Paris is black-and-white. It's Kansas, not Oz. There are still shortages: food and clothing are rationed, as is coal. No one but the wealthy has a vehicle, and even cabs are hard to come by. And plumbing. Plumbing is different in a way she hadn't expected, because even as someone who grew up relatively poor, there was at least privacy in your primitive bathroom. She's about to discover the Parisian public baths, which are the only alternative to the single hotel tub, with its legally mandated 3" of water, and a premium paid to use it. 

And the pedal-powered variety

I've attached a few of the research photos I've found, to give you a taste. If you're interested in diving further, you could sign up for my mailing list, where I do a research rabbit hole email on the 15th of every month. If and when I'm not writing a book (is that possible?), I'll dip back into previous stories, because I have a ton of photos and text stored up to share.

Public bath house with hours