Congratulations! You've just discovered the Mysterious Blog of Sheila A. Nielson
This is where I post hints, work-in-progress concept items, and information about stories that I'm currently working on, but are not published yet. Many of them will never see the light of publication, but then again--maybe they will.
I will not be posting any outside links to this page, so only those who know their way around Blogger will be able to find it. Now that you've found it, keep the secret and let others find it on their own.
A friend of mine recently found the book shown to the left at a thrift store and bought it for me knowing how much I love doll collecting. Little did she realize that this book is exactly what I need as research material for one of my current stories.
The book is practically an antique itself, having been written back in 1974, but it has some fantastic information about antique dolls--a subject I am currently needing to know a lot more about.
I even went and had a friend set up an interview for me with a woman who owned a doll museum in the area I live. It was so much fun talking with this woman and finding out all about dolls and their long, romantic history. The museum owner lived in this fantastic old Victorian house which caught my imagination as she gave me a tour of it. It made me want to run right home and get to writing on my story without delay.
I have also taken to reading a couple of Georgette Heyer's novels in an attempt to do some minor research for the book. I have discovered I like Heyer's work very much. I might just have to read a few more of her mystery novels in the future--for pleasure this time.
Who knew research could be so much fun?
There aren't enough books about centaurs in the world, don't you think?
These are some character sketches I made for an upcoming book I plan to write. I usually work on three manuscripts at any given time. Right now I'm actively working on one story that is almost complete, one story that I'm about half way through the first rough draft, and one book I've started preliminary work and research on, so it's ready to go once I finish the book that is almost complete.
There are lots of other stories that crowd my mind begging to be written (besides these three stories) but they have to wait patiently until it is their turn.
Years and years ago, I found this picture of a set of Victorian wedding dolls for sale in a Paradise Galleries catalog. That was all it took. My imagination took flight and the beginning of a new story was born. A rather creepy story actually.
You'd never know it to look at them. They look so innocent, don't they?
I now own this set of dolls as part of my collection. How could I possibly resist?
