Ann Parker talks about Objects of Desire

RHYS BOWEN: Ann Parker has been one of my long-time friends in the mystery community and we've done many events together. I adore her Leadville historical mysteries, filled with so many real characters and real happenings that you feel you are there.

I wonder how many stories start with a found object, or a found photograph? They've certainly sparked ideas for me, as they have for Ann. And what better excuse to collect things in the name of research! Welcome to Jungle Red, Ann.

ANN PARKER: Objects of Desire, or Confessions of an eBay Addicted Historical Author

My fascination with historical objects goes waaaaay back, to when I was but a young’un (pre-teen, at least), digging through my grandparents’ basements full of dusty boxes and ancient traveling trunks. I’d marvel over the treasure within: beautiful fans, old tintypes, elegant hats, indecipherable letters written in faded ink, worn buttontop shoes… the list goes on.

So, perhaps it’s no surprise that I browse brick-and-mortar antique stores and eBay when doing research for my Silver Rush historical mystery series. From antique stores, for instance, I have obtained a cobalt-blue, gold-latticed “poison bottle,” a magnificent metal clamp for holding papers, a well-used button hook, an old ceramic “cupel” used in silver assaying, and a table crumb brush. Most of these objects have found their way into my Silver Rush stories, which are primarily set in the silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, in 1880.

 The cupel kept me company as I delved into silver assaying for the first book in the series, Silver Lies. In Leaden Skies, the poison bottle makes an appearance and my series protagonist, Inez Stannert, puts a button hook to good use.

I also scoop up old photographs and cabinet cards that catch my eye, and muse over the anonymous faces.

Who were these people, and what are their stories? Sometimes, these people from long ago find a place in my fiction. The three top-hatted gentlemen, for instance, became models for my “Lads from London”—British remittance men, who appear in both Mercury’s Rise and What Gold Buys.

Antique stores are dangerous to my pocketbook, and eBay is even worse.

My most recent eBay frenzy occurred when I was working on A Dying Note, the newest in my series. In this book, my protagonist Inez Stannert has relocated from the wild silver-boom town of Leadville, Colorado, to the somewhat-less-wild city of San Francisco, California. It’s now 1881, and Inez is managing a music store, which is quite a bit different from her previous position running the Silver Queen Saloon in Leadville (how this all comes about is another story for another post!). For plot purposes, I needed to get a better bead on Victorian “trade cards” that stores and businesses used for advertising. So, late one night, I turned to eBay, looking for examples from the 1880s.

Big mistake.

I indeed found examples, including some cards advertising music stores, even some from San Francisco, Inez’s new stomping grounds. But then I also found other cards—one for “Fine Hats” that featured a shoe full of flowers, another touting Coraline corsets, another extolling the virtues of Zoedone (a drink both “stimulating and invigorating, yet non-intoxicating” according to copy on the reverse side), and a card with an impressive image of San Francisco’s Palace Hotel.… Before I knew it, I had clicked “Buy Now” for half a dozen or so.

I haven’t found a place for all of the objects, people, or businesses in my collection, but there’s always the next book!

Ann Parker authors the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press. During the day, she wrangles words for a living as a science editor/writer and marketing communications specialist (which is basically a fancy term for “editor/writer”). Her midnight hours are devoted to scribbling fiction. The sixth book in her series, A Dying Note, is being released this month. Publishers Weekly calls it “Exuberant.... brims with fascinating period details, flamboyant characters, and surprising plot twists.” Visit annparker.net for more information.