Down the Rabbit Hole for The Emerald Necklace by Linda Rosen

Down the Rabbit Hole for The Emerald Necklace by Linda Rosen

Several years ago, I was at a party at a historic house in Delray Beach, Florida. It’s nooks and crannies, narrow hallways, and cozy rooms called to me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to use the two-story home, built in 1923, in a future book, yet I knew I wanted to set a story in that beach town, in the not-too-distant past. My book, Sisters of the Vine, which I was writing at the time, takes place during the 1960s and ‘70s and, I realized, I was not done with that tumultuous period in U.S. history.

I knew it well. It was my time. But what was I going to focus on? And would it center around this old house? It didn’t have a front porch and I wanted one in my story, one where a group of women friends would gather every week for tea. I even had a title in mind, Tea at Rosalee’s, though that never made it onto the book cover. It didn’t even come close. And, I wanted a historic event, one that spoke to me and the characters I had running around my head. I could touch on the Viet Nam war protests, Civil Rights, the counter-culture or generation gap although none grabbed me or Rosalee, my protagonist. And she was looking for something to light a fire in her belly, to make her want to march, as her mother had when women were fighting for the right to vote in the early twentieth century.

So, I took a trip through Google.  I discovered the Women’s Strike for Equality in New York City on August 26, 1970. Rosalee jumped on that one. But there was so much more she had to go through before that even came up in the story. You see, Rosalee is an insecure sculptor and her new neighbor, Fran, is a best-selling mystery writer. Rosalee wants that fame, or so she thinks. And she is, also, incredibly envious of artists who are accepted to juried art shows – and have the guts to even apply to them. So that’s how I got lost down the rabbit hole of research. I had to learn more about the Strike for Equality as well as sculpting and what was going on in Delray Beach at the time, and even herbal abortions which one of my characters had back in 1934. The historic house, though, never made it into the book. A turquoise  blue cottage with a cozy front porch suited Rosalee best.

Although I lived near New York City in August 1970, I had no memory of the Strike for Equality. But I was sure one of my friends must have been there, or knew someone who was. Sure enough, I found one and through emails, I was introduced to several women who were at the Strike. Even the woman who organized it! I had struck gold. Having first-hand history made my fingers fly across the keyboard and bring that important day to light. Little bits of other research filtered into setting the scene at the march and the road trip Rosalee, her granddaughter, and friends took from Florida to New York stopping in Charleston, S.C., and other spots. I even used my parents’ honeymoon itinerary from 1936 in that part of the book. Research for term papers in high school was drudgery. This was tons of fun.

Since I dabble in ceramics, I identified with Rosalee as her fingers moved through the moist, malleable clay as she sculpted. But I didn’t know all the intricacies of the art. So down the rabbit hole I went again. Fortunately for me, I have a friend who is an award-winning sculptor. She joined me in Rosalee’s studio and led me through all the steps, even the mishaps and mistakes sculptors experience. I learned everything from the weight of the clay in a typical order to how to transport it, shape it, fire it, and even to get horsehair for a design (which was fascinating). I learned all about bronzing and firing the pieces, even what it’s like to be in a gallery show. I’ll never be a sculptor but I loved every minute of the research. And, in the back of the book you’ll see photos of my friend’s work which influenced Rosalee’s. 

I did worry a bit when I researched abortions. I was afraid of what ads would show up in my feeds now that Google knew what I was interested in. Thankfully nothing happened other than me learning what herbs were used in herbal abortions many years ago – and why this type of procedure should never be used today. As in all my research, I gleaned much more than made it into the novel though I am now well-versed on the various methods of terminating a pregnancy and the laws around it. 

Because my book is set in Delray Beach, 1969- 1971, I spent hours at the Delray Beach Historical Society. I talked with the archivist who lived in the town at the time of my story. I viewed old newspapers, read articles, saw advertisements for tomatoes at 19 cents a pound and S&H Green Stamps Rosalee might have saved. I learned all about the art studios above the Arcade Tap Room and so much more that, I hope, sets the readers’ feet in the time period. In The Emerald Necklace.

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Linda Rosen lives with her husband in New Jersey, but when the leaves fall and she has to swap sandals for shoes and socks, they’re off to their home in Florida. She is the author of The Disharmony of Silence, Sisters of the Vine and The Emerald Necklace, all published by Black Rose Writing. Linda is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and The Women’s National Book Association where she is co-coordinator of their Great Group Reads committee and founder of the South Florida chapter. In addition, she is a founding member of The Author Talk Network and an administrator and editor of the Facebook Group, Bookish Road Trip. Follow her at www.linda-rosen.com.

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THE EMERALD NECKLACE, Linda Rosen

“Engaging and mysterious, The Emerald Necklace sheds light on that inevitable time when lovers, family, friends and circumstances change and force you to reinvent yourself whether you want to or not.” –Rebecca Rosenberg, award-winning Champagne Widows series

Three months after her husband’s death in 1969, Rosalee Linoff is determined to jump back into life.

For her, that means returning to her art. She desperately wants to be accepted as a talented sculptor, but that requires she dig up the courage to submit her work again – and be judged. Her paralyzing insecurity mounts when she meets her new neighbor, best-selling author Fran Barish.

Fran has the recognition Rosalee craves. But Rosalee’s joy with her children, especially her granddaughter, Jill, eats at Fran, a constant reminder of her childlessness. A spiral of mutual envy ensues. It constantly bubbles below the surface of their friendship and is intensified by Fran’s long held secret – and her inexplicable fascination with Jill’s emerald necklace.

As Jill starts college, Rosalee worries about the choices her granddaughter might make. But Jill’s passion for women’s rights makes Grandma proud. Together with Rosalee’s friends, they travel to New York City for the Women’s Strike for Equality – which further escalates the tension between Rosalee and Fran.

When Jill’s convictions are tested, Rosalee faces a dilemma. Does she dare trust Fran to help? Will their mutual jealousy make that impossible? Or will the story behind Jill’s emerald bind them together?

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers