Without question, one of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is researching history. My deep fascination with the past, with learning about the people whose lives intersected with both the enormous and tiny moments in history, goes back decades before I started writing. The countless hours I have spent and continue to spend deeply exploring the past have given me the seeds of so many of the books I have written. 

I stumbled across the historical foundation of Ashes on the Moor, a Victorian-era historical novel set in the then-isolated West Riding of Yorkshire, during one of my countless delves into history. I read about two significant changes in that area of England that occurred in very close succession: the implementation of the Elementary Education Act of 1870 and the continued spread of the textile industry in the more rural parts of the county. What, I wondered, would it have been like in a small town experiencing the massive changes that came with the arrival of a mill and the implementation of education for even poor children? As many teachers arrived in the north of England from places far removed in order to teach in these new schools, I also wondered what would a teacher’s experience be in a town where so much was changing so quickly. 

I knew, the more I pondered that storm of changes and upheaval that I had the foundation of a story I couldn’t wait to explore. And, very quickly, I realized that exploration needed to include traveling to that area of England to do some in-person research. 

I found a still-standing textile mill that had been converted into a museum in West Yorkshire. The mill has 19th-Century machinery, still run on the centuries-old steam engine that would have been used in the Victorian Era. On the grounds of the museum is a set of row houses from the era, and I knew that row houses would play a significant role in the story that was building and growing in my mind. The stars aligned, and I was able to go visit the museum, several houses from the era, as well as taking a day hike on the surrounding moors. I had the chance to talk with the local people, to hear their unique and fascinating dialect and accent, which also plays a significant role in the story. 

It was incredible and fascinating. The story deepened and expanded. The complexity of a story featuring multiple dialects, an intimidatingly complicated historical backdrop, and dauntingly nuanced and contradictory worldviews suddenly became an exciting prospect. This was, I knew, a story worth telling. 

NEW! ASHES ON THE MOOR COLLECTOR’S EDITION: This beautiful hardback collector’s edition includes a new, never-before-published chapter in the romance of Evangeline and Dermot.

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today best-selling author of witty and charming historical romances, including 2019’s Foreword Reviews INDIE Awards Gold Winner for Romance, The Lady and the Highwayman, and 2020 Holt Medallion finalist, Healing Hearts. She is a two-time “Best of State” Gold Medal winner for fiction and a three-time Whitney Award winner.

Combining her obsession with history and her affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting deep characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Visit Sarah at www.sarahmeden.com.