About

Welcome to BackStory! I’m Rosa DeBerry King, the author of House Key, my debut novel. My early drafts taught me that research involves more than verifying facts and dates. It’s also about connecting words and images to new ideas that lead to bigger discoveries. That’s why I want to share the topics that inspire me throughout the process of writing. Things I want to know more about, too.

A Journey through Time

The topics are wide and varied. Random, if you will, but still essential to the House Key story. A lost key found unleashes secrets that force its multi-faceted characters to confront one another’s cultural differences. That’s tough on a normal day, but it only escalates as they travel through tumultuous historical times. They face their challenges by sharing art, cuisine, literature and poetry; the stones that pave the arc of their journey. The novel reveals backstories in layers of time that we peel back to get to the heart of the matter. Backstories with stories of their own. A blog is the perfect way to open a dialog about unique, cross-over topics. I’m convinced that, ultimately, all things are connected.

Learn and Grow

The artist and teacher in me sees this as a great way to learn, share ideas, and grow. This forum lets us explore myriad areas that pique our curiosity in as much depth or breadth as we choose. That said, perhaps the best way to start is by chapter, as things come up in House Key. Looking ahead to the sequel, I’ll include new research from my travels to favorite places like art museums. I also read widely and post book reviews on topics like American history, art history, and social sciences. That makes this blog pretty eclectic. I’ll include links for further reading, as well as images I’ve taken or found along the way that illustrate ideas that elude words. Please note that I do not own the copyrights to many of these images, but will cite their sources wherever possible. I hope you enjoy BackStory and will contribute your own thoughts and ideas!