Okay, this post isn't really by moi. I'm merely fronting for my good friend here.
It is my pleasure to introduce Alison Bruce to all you SleuthSayers! Alison is the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada (yes, she took over from me a few years ago, bless her!) With a dad who was in the Canadian Navy, and a British mother who was in the Royal Observer Corp during WW-II, her take on using history to embrace story-telling is particularly inspiring, I think. Take it away, Alison!
Women in the Military: From History to Mystery
by Alison Bruce
My favourite teacher of my favourite subject knocked the academic wind out of my sales in grade thirteen. He told me, "You'll never be an historian."
I was hurt, angry, and determined to prove him wrong.
It turned out he was correct. After graduating with a double major in history and philosphy, I finally got it. I write stories, not history.
I decided to do my undergraduate thesis on women in the military in World War 1 and 11. The focus would be World War 11 because my aunt was in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). I grew up listening to the war experiences of my aunt, mother (Observer Corps) and grandmother (first time in the workforce.) Unlike Nana and Mum, however, my aunt kept in touch with the women she served with. With their help, the bulk of the paper was going to be based on the stories of women in the military.
They were able to reach out to friends of friends and post my call for volunteers locally, something I couldn't do in Canada. (This was the 1980s. No World Wide Web to access.)
If I'd had enough time to gather more stories,I might have written a good popular history book. But, as my academic advisor pointed out, I didn't have enough primary research other than stories.
That was okay. By this time I had added Philosophy as a second major, and had given up on the idea of teaching because of the horror stories I was hearing from friends. (What do you mean I would be expected to wear pantyhose and a skirt or dress?) I had also started my second novel. (I lost the first one in the woman's washroom at college.)
Fast forward a quarter
century. I still love to research history, or almost anything else, but
prefer to write stories. I've used research to write a mystery set in
the old west, a romance set in the American Civil War, three mysteries
set in Canada, and one in the Arctic Ocean involving the US and Canadian
Navies. Now I'm going back to the stories that put me on the road to
becoming a writer.
I don't know of any author who has written about being in the Royal Observer Corps. If you do know of such a book, fiction or nonfiction, please let me know in the comments. It was made up of volunteers except for a few naval officers who ran the outfit. My mother's tales of her service were largely self-deprecating, but that just makes them tailor-made for storytelling. And all those stories I listened to when I was writing my paper? Grist for the mill. I only wish my professor was still alive so I could send her a copy of the book...when I finally finish it.
Alison Bruce is the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada. She writes history, mystery, and suspense. Her books combine clever mysteries, well-researched backgrounds, and a touch of romance. Four of her novels have been finalists for genre awards.
GHOST WRITER
In her role as ghostwriter, Jen Kirby joins a Canadian Arctic expedition to document and help solve a forty-year-old mystery involving an American submarine station lost during the Cold War. The trouble is, there are people—living and dead—who don't want the story told, and they’ll do anything to stop her.
https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Writer-Alison-Bruce-ebook/dp/B07Q6SS1K3
