Welcome to the Pub Dates newsletter! We’re so glad you’re here. This newsletter is released as a companion to each podcast episode, and we use it to share the visual elements of our discussion — from mood boards to design sketches, from photos to secret giveaways just for subscribers.
Hi, Elli! I often use the American Heritage Dictionary, or sometimes Oxford to see when a word started to show up in print. But my favorite is this, which is all about the origins of different slang words: https://greensdictofslang.com
I listened to this episode while driving back from a research jaunt to look at an historic downtown for my current WIP, and it was a great way to end my day trip. It was really wonderful hearing about your world building processes, and I loved your descriptions of both worlds. Can't wait for your books next year!
Loving the pictures in the newsletter as well, so thank you!
I haven’t gone anywhere specifically for research sadly, but I do think a week-long trip I took to Amsterdam inspired my novel a few years later. Those memories of that city lived in my mind and came flooding out when I wrote. I hope to go back during a warmer season and get new inspiration!
It's funny how the places we travel burrow into our minds and find their way onto the page a long time later. New Orleans made its way into Nightbirds quite by accident: I hadn't known the kind of impression it left. I went to Amsterdam many years ago, but I still remember the bridges and canals and slender buildings so clearly. It's certainly an inspiring place.
That capelet!! And the guy playing the accordion! They tell a story all by themselves! I've never gone anywhere with the express purpose of story research but I've been to many places that just tell a story and fill my head with imaginings of the people who were there.
I do have a question for you that's off topic. Maybe it's something you could discuss in a later episode. Deadlines. How long are deadlines on contract? I'm constantly terrified that I won't write fast enough for a publisher. Thanks in advance for the read!
I love the windjammer photos - just the name 'windjammer' is so romantic and evocative.
If I could go anywhere in time for a day, it would be Cordoba, around 1000AD, when it was part of Moorish Spain, and a religiously tolerant centre of culture and learning. I visited the city some years back, and it sparked my imagination in a million ways.
To go anywhere and any-when for a day, I decided on March 23, 1743 to go to the London premier of Handel’s Messiah.
That would be amazing!
I love an incredibly specific answer! That would be quite an experience.
Hi there i absolutely love the episode, but i was wondering what is the website Kate uses to know if a word existed in a certain time period?
Hi, Elli! I often use the American Heritage Dictionary, or sometimes Oxford to see when a word started to show up in print. But my favorite is this, which is all about the origins of different slang words: https://greensdictofslang.com
I listened to this episode while driving back from a research jaunt to look at an historic downtown for my current WIP, and it was a great way to end my day trip. It was really wonderful hearing about your world building processes, and I loved your descriptions of both worlds. Can't wait for your books next year!
Loving the pictures in the newsletter as well, so thank you!
I'm so glad, Amber! I hope you had a fruitful trip. I love me a historic downtown.
I haven’t gone anywhere specifically for research sadly, but I do think a week-long trip I took to Amsterdam inspired my novel a few years later. Those memories of that city lived in my mind and came flooding out when I wrote. I hope to go back during a warmer season and get new inspiration!
It's funny how the places we travel burrow into our minds and find their way onto the page a long time later. New Orleans made its way into Nightbirds quite by accident: I hadn't known the kind of impression it left. I went to Amsterdam many years ago, but I still remember the bridges and canals and slender buildings so clearly. It's certainly an inspiring place.
That capelet!! And the guy playing the accordion! They tell a story all by themselves! I've never gone anywhere with the express purpose of story research but I've been to many places that just tell a story and fill my head with imaginings of the people who were there.
I do have a question for you that's off topic. Maybe it's something you could discuss in a later episode. Deadlines. How long are deadlines on contract? I'm constantly terrified that I won't write fast enough for a publisher. Thanks in advance for the read!
Thanks for the question, Megan! I'm going to add it to our list for a future Q&A.
I love the windjammer photos - just the name 'windjammer' is so romantic and evocative.
If I could go anywhere in time for a day, it would be Cordoba, around 1000AD, when it was part of Moorish Spain, and a religiously tolerant centre of culture and learning. I visited the city some years back, and it sparked my imagination in a million ways.
that's an incredible choice. What a time and place to bask in!
This all makes me want to build a world this way instead of my usual <3