When an actor prepares for a role, they don’t simply memorize lines—they inhabit a life. They breathe the character’s air, absorb their memories, and slip into their emotional shoes. As authors, we might not step onto a stage, but our task is strikingly similar: we must become one with the world we’re creating. And when that world exists in the past, our work becomes even more immersive—and infinitely more rewarding. Blending true elements from the past with fiction is a del