Historical Photos: Guest Post by Karen Barnett

Today I'm welcoming author Karen Barnett to my blog!! I had the pleasure of getting to know Karen better at our agency retreat last October in Monterey. Karen writes historical novels, so we had a lot in common. Today she's talking about finding inspiration in historical photos, something I'm fond of myself. My most recent novel, which I entered in the Blurb to Book Contest with Love Inspired Books, was inspired by a photo I found years ago of a father, his four children, and his wife who was in a coffin at their feet. It's an eerie picture, but one that inspired a whole story. Join me as we learn about a photo that inspired Karen!

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Karen: Sometimes readers are surprised to learn that even though I spend most of my time shaping words and chapters, I’m even more drawn to photographs. I love searching the Internet for interesting historical images. Every time I find a good one, my mind buzzes with story ideas.

I’m not unique, apparently. I’ve met several writers who have been inspired by photographs. Just this week, I met a woman at the Oregon Christian Writers conference who goes out and buys photos at antique shops so she can write stories about them. I love that! I always feel badly for the poor nameless pictures mixed in with the antiques. I want to know the people’s names and stories. Just recently I was able to reconnect a set of orphaned portraits with a ministry who desperately wanted them. It was a fun experience, and I’ll be writing about that Monday over at my own blog (www.KarenBarnettBooks.com).

Have you ever been inspired by an image? Here’s one that got to me.

(Photo courtesy of Stanford Medical History Center)

When I was doing research on Cooper Medical College and Lane Hospital for my recent release, Beyond the Ashes, I stumbled over an image of their surgical amphitheater. I was stunned. The imagery moved me: the eager medical students leaning in to watch, the proud surgeon in white, the glossy wood paneling, and (eww!) the lack of gloves and surgical masks. I could almost smell the ether and the cigar smoke.

I knew I had to capture this imagery in my novel. My character wasn’t a surgeon—he was a doctor working with X-ray technology. No matter. I’d find a way to get him in that room with the scowling surgeon. I had to.

It became a turning point in the novel. The tension visible in the image fed into the scene, creating a make-or-break moment for my character. I loved the amphitheater setting so much, I had another character visit it later in the book—and receive news that would bring her to her knees. If you’ve read Beyond the Ashes, you know what I’m talking about. (Don’t spoil it for anyone else!)

(Photo courtesy of Stanford Medical History Center)

Gabrielle Here: Thank you, Karen! I love seeing the images that inspired you. I know exactly how you feel about finding nameless people in photographs. It's almost as if they're begging us to tell their story.

Karen has graciously offered a free copy of Beyond the Ashes to one lucky winner! Share in the comments what inspires you about this picture of Union Station in 1923. What kind of story do you see? We’d love to hear your thoughts! (Don't forget to fill out the Rafflecopter. Sorry, due to shipping costs, only US Citizens are eligible to win.)

(Free image courtesy of HistoricalStockPhotos.com)

**The winner of a Novella Collection (winner's choice), from Michelle Ule, is Connie Saunders! Congrats, Connie. I'll be in touch.**

About Karen

Inspired by God’s devotion to His people and her own passion for research and learning, author Karen Barnett creates historical romances that explore her characters’ faith and how their experiences impact the way they view God.

A graduate of Valparaiso University and Oregon State University, Barnett’s debut novel, Mistaken, was released in 2013 and earned her the Oregon Christian Writers “Writer of Promise” award. A former park ranger, she loves getting out into God’s creation. She spends her free time taking photographs, dragging her kids through dusty history museums, decorating crazy birthday cakes and watching movies.

Karen, her husband and their two children live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

To learn more about Karen Barnett, visit karenbarnettbooks.com, become a fan on Facebook (KarenBarnettAuthor) or follow her on Twitter (KarenMBarnett).

About Beyond the Ashes

She’s had her love and lost it.
He’s still missing his heart’s desire.
Is it really better to have loved and lost 
than never to have loved at all? 

Where better to rebuild and face one’s fears than in 1906 San Francisco, a city rising from the ashes? Ruby Marshall, a young widow, is certain she’ll discover new purpose assisting her brother Robert with his cancer research, but she doesn’t anticipate finding new love.

Dr. Gerald Larkspur dreams of filling his empty home with family, but he’d always hoped it would be a wife and children. In the aftermath of the great earthquake, the rooms are overflowing with extended family and friends left homeless by the disaster. When Robert’s widowed sister arrives, the close quarters seem close indeed.

Ruby and Gerald’s fledgling romance is put at risk when Gerald develops symptoms of the very disease they’re striving to cure. Together they must ask—is it worth a second chance at love when time might be short?

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