By Eilene Lyon
What Lies Beneath Colorado: Researching and Writing a Nonfiction Book in 13 Months
Serendipity. As I was wrapping up the final draft of my first book, my publisher put out a call for Colorado authors to write a book in the What Lies Beneath series about pioneer cemeteries in my home state.
What could be more perfect? I specialize in writing about dead people from the 19th century, after all. I’ve been blogging about them since 2018. My editor asked for a sample chapter section. After turning that in, they offered me a contract.
Gulp! Research and write 65,000 words about cemeteries through the entire state of Colorado in just 13 months? (I can do this; I can do this.) And provide eighty illustrations? Yep, that too.
Being organized and methodical was essential. The publisher had general guidelines for the format, but they gave me great latitude in subject matter and organization. They may have expected me to write about well-known folks who show up time and again in works about early Colorado history.
That’s not how I operate.
I wanted to tell stories about little-known subjects, people who endured the hardships and trials it took to turn Colorado into the Centennial State. While there are some famous people covered, they are the exception, not the rule. To be included, a person had to have 1) left a good story; and 2) left their body (or ashes) in the state.
I did not visit every cemetery I wrote about, and not every cemetery I visited is in the book. I had hoped to travel to every region, but the time restriction made it impossible. Overall, I took four trips that encompassed roughly two-thirds of Colorado.
To organize my research, I created a folder system that I used across all platforms: Windows, Word, Zotero, and Scrivener. The eight chapter headings matched the regions of Colorado as determined by the state tourism board (per the publisher’s guidelines). Within the regions, I worked county by county.
I compiled a bibliography of county and regional history books. The Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies has county-by-county directory of cemeteries: existing, former, known and lost. I used a variety of online resources to help me choose which cemeteries met the criteria (established prior to 1900), and to help me find people with stories worth telling.
In my Wintering talk, I will share details of my research process and some serendipitous occurrences that are typical with this type of work. Yes, I think that long-gone people do want me to tell their stories.
I will also share some of the fascinating women I “discovered” who left their mark on Colorado. A “guardian angel” in Pueblo; entrepreneurs in San Luis, Denver, and Glenwood Springs; a county judge in Red Cliff; and a journalist in Durango.
Be sure to register for Eilene’s Wintering talk on March 18th at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Free to members and non-members. Share with your friends!
…is the author of Fortune’s Frenzy: A California Gold Rush Odyssey, winner of the Will Rogers Bronze Medallion, and What Lies Beneath Colorado: Pioneer Cemeteries and Graveyards. She skis, hikes, and writes in Durango, Colorado. You can find more of her history writing (among other topics) on her Myricopia blog.
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