WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT DETAIL?
I’ve no Indiana Jones, but I dig research.
In fact, research has become a natural part of my process. For more than 25 years, as a school district leader, I had the responsibility for researching everything from new technology to published textbooks to teacher training. So, when I transitioned from educator to author, I brought my research skills along. They came in handy.
When I penned the Haunted Shores Mysteries, I conducted extensive research for each entry in the series. I researched particulars about each town, Cape May, Crystal River, Saugatuck—attractions, culture, dialects, restaurants, histories. For each tale, I engaged in new experiences like navigating a sailboat or swimming with manatees. Or the process migrant workers use for picking strawberries. I also had to research the issues behind the murders—to learn everything I could about lynching in a small town, about the horrors of human trafficking, about the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
But when I turned my attention to my new historical thriller, ABIGAIL TRENCH, it demanded a whole new level of research. I mean, how do you create a story of the Revolutionary War in New York when virtually none of the buildings from that time are still standing, when it was decades before any photographs existed and many of the records from that time have been lost or destroyed?
Still, I was committed to creating a story which would immerse readers in that world and I worked to find the details to let them experience life in the late 18th century, all in the middle of a captivating suspense. Of course, I did the usual. I read books about the Culper Ring, since my tale revolves around the secret spy ring organized by George Washington.
Since the Culper Ring story takes place in and around New York, the nonfiction title, The Battle for New York by Barnet Schecter proved invaluable. I’ve also read a number of other books about the American Revolution. A considerable amount of Google-ing and deep diving into a good number of historical websites helped uncover such particulars as what clothes did people wear, what games did children play, what foods might my characters take on an impromptu picnic., what products would a dry goods store carry.
I was delighted to find actual diaries, journals and dispatches of the time—most of them digitalized—in several historical archives including the American Revolution Institute, the Smithsonian Institution, the American Battlefield Trust, the Long Island Historical Society and the Journal of the American Revolution. As a result of this extensive research, I was able to craft a narrative that submerges readers in the dirty, smelly, chaotic, dangerous world that was New York City, 1776.
Based on the early responses to ABIGAIL TRENCH, this research has paid off. Reviewers have noticed.
“The descriptive narration is immersive, allowing the reader to touch, taste, smell, hear, and see everything the author is detailing. The world-building is flawless. The characters leap off the page.”—N N Light Bookheaven
“The descriptions Overbeck used were heart-wrenching. I could see everything clearly, even the smoke from burning houses, the rats overflowing the prison ships, and the utter cruelty of the British soldiers. I applaud his talent for painting a scene where you can’t help but feel the desperation, terror, and hopelessness of the Rebels who were taken prisoner.”—Mistress of Book Reviews
“With an eye for remarkable detail clearly anchored in deep historical research, master storyteller Randy Overbeck delivers a rousing, top-notch tale of courage amid our nation’s struggle for independence.”—William Kent Kreuger, author of the bestselling series, the Cork O’Connor mysteries
“A visceral spy thriller that drops readers into the heart of the Revolutionary War. Melding sweeping research with creative invention, Overbeck puts a face to the nameless female informant who helped Washington’s Culper Ring bring liberty to the States.”—Bookstr
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary, what could be better than the untold story of the female spy who helped Washington win the war? You can check out ABIGAIL TRENCH where you get your favorite reads. Simply click the link below.
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