Tag Archive for: research

Listening is Also Research by Saralyn Richard

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I first started researching the 1900 Storm, the deadliest natural disaster ever to hit American soil, when I was 15 years old. In those pre-Internet days, research meant going to the library, reading books and other primary source materials (some of which was on microfilm and microfiche), and taking copious notes in spiral notebooks.

At the time I was burning to write about a family secret that I knew would be book-worthy, and I would be the best person to tell it. I thought of the premise as MY STORY, and I nursed and nurtured it over the years. In the 1980’s when I got my first computer (a tiny-screened Mackintosh), I began writing, but 100 pages into the manuscript, the computer died, taking the story with it.

Fast forwarded past a very busy career in education and eight books written and published, and I decided it was time to return to this story. By now, so many wonderful books were written about the 1900 Storm, that I decided to set the novel five years later. Turned out that the Galveston of 1905 was an exciting time, filled with optimism and state-of-the-art science and engineering, and a wave of immigration that brought energetic, clean-living workers to the island to help with rebuilding.

I spent time in person and online with the Galveston and Texas History Center at the Rosenberg Library, and I read lots of books and journals about the building of the seawall, digging of canals, raising of the grade, and building of boardwalks to give people access to the houses being raised.

I happened to include something in my monthly newsletter, asking subscribers to send me names of family members who lived in 1905, as well as any storm survivor stories they knew. The response was incredible! Within days I had more than fifty vignettes and names of real people to go with them.

Often, when I went to a restaurant in town or a public event, people would stop me to tell me another storm survivor story, and I realized I had opened a channel for people to share. The stories were tragic and uplifting at the same time. The grief and loss were excruciating, but the rebound extraordinary. A friend’s grandparents had two babies swept from their arms in the rushing tidewater, never to be seen again. But the babies’ parents went on to rebuild their lives and have three more children.

I found that listening to the stories immersed me in the time and place in a way that “book research” never could. And I included a lot of the stories in the manuscript of PORT OF DESTINY: A Victorian History, Mystery, & Romance.

The book was released on September 1, and I realized that, rather than being my book, it is OUR book. The story of three immigrants could be the story of every family in America, unless it is descended from indigenous people.  The book’s little stories add more than local color to the story. They tell the tales of resilient and brave people, and the forward-thinking island that wouldn’t be destroyed.

Listening to stories made our book much more authentic. I’m really glad I did it!

Do you have a storm survivor story to share? It’s not too late to add to the collection. Sign up for my newsletter at https://saralynrichard.com, and I promise I’ll listen.

Three immigrants. Two disappearances. One murder. And a love story that defines them all.
When Rosa’s brother vanishes from hurricane-ravaged Galveston, she turns to his best friend, Nathan, to help her uncover the truth. Together they are swept into the mystery that swirls around her immigrant family in a city rebuilding after the devastating 1900 storm. Just as Nathan’s feelings for Rosa blossom, Chana enters the picture. Bold, resilient, and with a conflicting love interest of her own, she forces them to make the most important decisions of their lives.

Before the Internet Search by Saralyn Richard

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When I was a junior in college, as an English major, I was required to take a course in John Milton. Taught by a professor who had made Milton  his life’s work and who strove to model himself after the legendary poet, the course had the reputation for being the hardest one on campus. I believed it at the end of the first session of class, when Professor Boyette gave us more than fifty topics to research at the library for homework.

The topics were as pedestrian as the Elizabethan world order, the cycle of sin and redemption, Christian  allegory, Dante’s circles of hell, and many others I can’t recall. If the assignment were made today, the homework could be done in an hour or so, courtesy of the Internet, but then we had to trek to the library and find reference books, drag them to the carrels, read about the topic, take notes….you may remember those days, not so fondly.

Image by alison updyke at Pixabay

            The research paid off, back then, and the Milton course became my most intellectually challenging and charming—a favorite. In fact, I chose to write and defend an honors thesis on Milton as a capstone course my senior year.

Not surprisingly, then, when I had an opportunity to visit England the summer after graduation, I became fixated on finding things that related to Milton. I saw his bust, but no grave, at Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey. I saw his famous mulberry tree on campus at Cambridge University. I asked around and nobody seemed to know where Milton was buried.

That shocked me. One of the most famous Renaissance poets in the world, and I couldn’t find out where he’d been interred. The British are essentially friendly to tourists, and almost everyone I asked had a theory. And every theory sent me on a wild goose chase all over London.

In the end, I had to leave England before finding out the truth. A few years later, my in-laws went to England. They asked me what I would like them to bring back for me, and I replied, “The location of John Milton’s grave.”

Sure enough, when they returned, they had brochures and pictures of themselves next to Milton’s grave, which is in the churchyard of St. Giles without the Cripplegate, Milton’s father had been the pastor of that church. Thus, a three-year treasure hunt came to a successful end, and I had my destination. (I was able to visit, myself, a few years after that.)

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

            Today, just for kicks, I consulted findagrave.com and asked for John Milton’s gravesite. This is what it gave me in a matter of seconds:

John Milton Famous memorial

Birth

9 Dec 1608

Bread Street, City of London, Greater London, England

Death

8 Nov 1674 (aged 65)

London, City of London, Greater London, England

Burial

St. Giles Cripplegate Churchyard

London, City of London, Greater London, EnglandShow MapGPS-Latitude: 51.5187642, Longitude: -0.0938894

            Oh, the power of the Internet, and how it’s changed our lives! One last example—I’m writing the historical mystery I started researching at the library when I was fifteen years old. The aftermath of the Great Storm of 1900 is a big part of the setting, and I had extensive notes taken from primary sources over a ten-year period. For various reasons, I was unable to complete that novel until now, and ta-da! The Internet is such a boon to the story-telling. For example, I can find out how many kopecks to a ruble or what a person could buy with five dollars in 1903 in a New York Galveston minute!

The experience makes me wonder—all the time—what we would do if we lost the Internet, the ability to ask Siri or Alexa, or even the ability to photograph objects for later use.

How about you? Do you have a favorite pre-Internet search to share? I’d love to hear about it.

 

 

Saralyn Richard is the author of The Detective Parrott mystery series, The Quinn McFarland mystery series, A Murder of Principal, and the children’s book, Naughty Nana. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter for contests, prizes, surveys, and other fun content at https://saralynrichard.com.

Switching Gears and Finding Joy

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My current work in progress is a historical mystery, my first foray into writing in that genre. It’s also the book I’ve wanted to write since I was fifteen years old. There are a lot of reasons the project has stalled over the years, but now that I’m fully into it, I’m finding so much joy.

As this is the first time I’ve ventured into history, I’m finding out how essential the research is. And savoring it! One example—I spent at least a half hour learning how the old-fashioned cash registers work. I’ll probably never need to use this information in real life, but my character needs to operate a cash register in her family’s shop, and I can’t have her standing before a customer, looking inept.

Everything about the writing feels different, too. Word choices and expressions must reflect the idioms of the day, more than a century go. It’s a treat to say things in different ways, not having to resort to modern-day slang or curse words. I find myself playing with language as I imagine a first kiss between two restrained and proper young lovers.

Shadows of a couple embracing on a column.

The best part is that the setting is my home town, and two of the characters are my grandparents, whom I didn’t have many years to know. I’m passionate about “getting them right,” and I’ve channeled them, conducted interviews with family and community members, and reacquainted myself with my family.

Overall, the writing of this book is fulfilling a dream, and I’m certain that the end product will be better for the story’s having percolated for decades.

 

Have you ever switched gears and found joy? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Saralyn Richard is the author of seven mystery novels, including the Detective Parrott series, the Quinn McFarland series, A Murder of Principal, and the children’s book, Naughty Nana. Visit her website at https://www.saralynrichard.com and sign up for her monthly newsletter for unique opportunities, giveaways, surveys, and fun.

Officer Friendly by Saralyn Richard

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In the business of writing mysteries, a person can hardly avoid the police. I know. I’ve written seven mysteries, eight if you include my children’s book, which is a bit of a mystery. Throughout the journey, I’ve relied on advice from various law enforcement personnel to help me tell an authentic, believable story.

Sometimes I consult with coroners, sheriffs, jailers, FBI agents, or courtroom professionals, but the people I have the most questions for are police officers, and, fortunately, I’ve never met a single one who turned me down.

I even received a phone call once from the Chief of Police in West Brandywine, the real-life version of Chief Paul Schrik, who heard I was writing about his department, and wanted to make sure his officers were giving me good information.

Depending on which U.S. state the story takes place in, I may need specific procedural information that requires consultation with experts. For example, in some states, there are coroners, while in others there are medical examiners. Certain crimes may be misdemeanors in one state, but felonies in another.

One of the bright lights in my research work is a dear friend, who happens to be a captain in the local police force. I met him when he was teaching a class in criminal justice next door to my class in creative writing. Over the years he’s responded to my calls for literary assistance hundreds of times. There’s probably more of him in Detective Parrott or Sergeant Schmidt than anyone else on the planet.

This week I had the pleasure of visiting the local police station, where historical artifacts lie in glass cases and on the walls. I met with a dispatcher and lieutenant, who permitted me to ask questions and take photos. They also pointed me in the direction of a wonderful Facebook group of retired police officers, who maintain a bank of historical information in their heads.

Everyone has been super friendly and accommodating. They apparently have a vested interest in the veracity of my portrayal of the department, and I couldn’t be happier to have them as partners.

The book takes place in 1903 Galveston, when the city was rebuilding after the Great Storm of 1900, still the most devastating disaster on U.S. soil in history. Here are some photos I took.

If you have any stories to share about immigrants, hurricanes, or crime at that time in history, please share them with me at saralyn@saralynrichard.com.

Saralyn Richard writes award-winning mysteries that pull back the curtain on settings like elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Her works include the Detective Parrott mystery series, Bad Blood Sisters, Mrs. Oliver’s Twist, A Murder of Principal, and Naughty Nana, a children’s book. An active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature. Her favorite thing about being an author is interacting with readers like you. For more information, check https://saralynrichard.com.

Guest Author M.E. Proctor Bops into Historical Fiction Waters

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Bopping in Historical Waters

By M.E. Proctor

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archeologist. I had romantic notions about digging in the Valley of the Kings, excavating the ruins of Troy, or following Percy Fawcett in his search for the lost city of Z—David Grann’s book had not been published yet or I would have known that was a no-no … the critters … yikes.

Adventure books contributed to my vocabulary (quirky), grasp of world geography (off the beaten track), and crossword cracking (obscure). They also developed a long-lasting interest in history. To this day, these are the bookshop shelves I go to first. Logically, I should write historical fiction instead of contemporary crime.

I know why I don’t. The problem is twofold.

First, I’m an impatient obsessive. It’s not as contradictory as it sounds. A few months ago, I wrote a piece for an anthology. The story takes place in 1640 C.E. in Ireland. I spent two months hopping from one rabbit hole to the next, gathering documentation, deeper and deeper. All for what ended up being a 6,000 words story. That’s the obsessive in me. Imagine what would happen if I decided to write a book. My impatient self shivers at the thought. Forty months of research? Before writing the first line? The historical fiction writers reading this will probably say that it isn’t that bad, that once the material is assembled the sailing is smooth, or that I need to be more focused, more organized in the search.

That’s where my second problem kicks in. I’m curious. If something smells good in that rabbit hole, I’ll go for it. What happened in that place a hundred years before, or a hundred years later? What about this character? I don’t picture historical research as an academic pursuit. To me, it’s the most tempting of candy stores, a place of delights where I want to pitch my tent and stay. I might never put a line on paper.

And that’s why I will never write a historical fiction book.

Yet, Bop City Swing is out in the world.

I was tricked.

Russel Thayer contacted me last year and suggested we write a short story in collaboration. We had both published pieces set in California in the 1940s and 50s, classic crime, inspired by the ‘noir’ movies we both love. His recurrent character is gun-for-hire Vivian, nicknamed Gunselle, and I had stories with SFPD homicide detective, Tom Keegan. Let’s bring them together. We didn’t think it would turn into a book.

I didn’t consider 1951 ‘historical fiction’. It isn’t a hundred years old—the marker for antiques—and women’s skirts didn’t sweep the floor, a visual cue that says ‘costume drama’.

Russell and I talked about plot and locations, decided to build the story around a political assassination, didn’t know what would happen next, and started writing.

The need for research became obvious right away. We needed an election year in San Francisco. That set the date, 1951, when incumbent mayor Robinson ran for a second term. We also needed a realistic scene for the crime and chose the Palace Hotel, still standing downtown. A stroke of luck delivered period-accurate floor plans. We didn’t know it yet, but these plans would be critical for the plot. We also gathered city maps and photographs.

Compared to my excursion to the 17th century, none of the work done for Bop City Swing was time-consuming, and the rabbit holes were few. Because we let the plot and the characters dictate the story. When we bumped into an anachronism or a historical impossibility, we adjusted the narrative. Minor modifications: change of address, different music selection. Ironically, the trickier part was shedding some of the language flotsam movies left behind. In the final draft, period slang and hardboiled expressions that leaned too much into Chandlerian back alleys were cut. They’re period-correct, but 2025 readers might blink.

Bop City Swing is neither an homage nor a pastiche, its ambition is just to be a damn good crime story. Historical? Maybe.

Bop City Swing

San Francisco. 1951.

Jazz is alive. On radios and turntables. In the electrifying Fillmore clubs, where hepcats bring their bebop brilliance to attentive audiences. In the posh downtown venues where big bands swing in the marble ballrooms of luxury hotels.

There the story begins, with the assassination of a campaigning politician during a fundraiser.

Homicide detective, Tom Keegan, is first on the scene. He’s eager, impatient, hot on the heels of the gunman. Gunselle, killer for hire, flew the coop, swept away in the rush of panicked guests. They both want to crack the case. Tom, because he’s never seen a puzzle he didn’t want to solve, no matter what the rules say. Gunselle, because she was hired to take out the candidate and somebody beat her to it. It was a big paycheck. It hurts. In her professional pride and wallet.

Buy links

M.E. Proctor was born in Brussels and lives in Texas. The first book in her Declan Shaw PI series, Love You Till Tuesday, came out from Shotgun Honey, with the follow up, Catch Me on a Blue Day, scheduled for 2025. She’s the author of a short story collection, Family and Other Ailments, and the co-author of a retro-noir novella, Bop City Swing. Her fiction has appeared in Vautrin, Tough, Rock and a Hard Place, Bristol Noir, Mystery Tribune, Shotgun Honey, Reckon Review, and Black Cat Weekly among others. She’s a Derringer nominee.

Website: www.shawmystery.com

Substack: https://meproctor.substack.com

 

 

Russell Thayer’s work has appeared in Tough, Roi Fainéant Press, Mystery Tribune, Close to the Bone, Bristol Noir, Cowboy Jamboree Press, Shotgun Honey, Rock and a Hard Place Press, Revolution John, Punk Noir Magazine, Expat Press, The Yard Crime Blog, and Outcast Press. He received his BA in English from the University of Washington, worked for decades at large printing companies, and lives in Missoula, Montana.

The Research Text

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By Donnell Ann Bell

Years ago, when I worked at the Colorado Springs Business Journal as assistant editor, spotlight writer, proofreader, dishwasher, you get the idea, I shared the print room with my delightful editor and a few crazy people. Delightful and crazy are just two adjectives that come to mind. The word I reserve first and foremost for them all is talented.

Kris Oppermann Stern was the CSBJ’s editor. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to keep in contact with her, whether we toured the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver so I could research Betrayed, stood in the crowded Tattered Cover bookstore waiting to hear New York Times Bestselling Author Daniel Silva, or just hung out at her house binge-watching Twilight. To this day, she remains one of my favorite humans.

Sadly, since I moved away, we don’t do many outings but thank goodness for technology. Our last text was so ridiculous and so much fun, and since it was getting close to my blog date, I asked if I could share. (Please forgive the blurry images I pulled from the text).

Some background. I’m in full research mode for my third book in my series, working title, Irredeemable.  Naturally, I was frustrated. Here’s where our texts begin.

Donnell:  Are you familiar with Morrison Colorado?

Kris: Red Rocks is about the limit of my knowledge. Why?

DENVER COLORADO: July 21 2012: Red Rocks Amphitheater.Famous Historic Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver Colorado on July 21, 2012.

Denver, Colorado, USA downtown skyline viewed from Red Rocks at dawn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donnell: I have an escaped mental patient that needs to get there.

Kris: Excellent … can’t wait to read.

Donnell: I was hoping you might want to take a nice walk 😊

Kris: Love to—sans the escapee.

Donnell: I would take that as a no.

Kris:  ??

Me:  My sister lives close by. We drove the area I planned to write about. I can’t believe how built up it’s become. There’s nothing but residences around there. Hence, I want him to travel to Morrison because I need him to be in harsher terrain.  P.S. I hate writing.

Kris: You do not.

Me:  All right. I hate having to get a character from point A to point B when I’m ten hours away!!

Kris: That’s a different story 😊 Will he take a concert goer hostage?

Me:  LOL

Kris: Where is the hospital?

Me: It’s fictitious so I’m placing it near 423 on this map. I’ll talk to Audra Bell [my daughter]. She may be able to help me.

 

Kris: Ah. I suspect (get it) she can.

Me:  You’re just a scream today. Okay. Gotta run. Must focus.

End of Text

As I mentioned above, I asked to share. Here are two pictures along with Kris’s impressive bio, along with one silly addition, which is another reason she remains one of my favorite humans. Happy writing!

 

Bio of Kris Oppermann Stern:

    • Editor of Colorado Real Estate Journal, December 1996 – present
    • Publisher of Building Dialogue, September 2013 – present
    • Passionate wildlife conservationist, April 2018 – in perpetuity
    • Reader of Donnell Ann Bell, always

Why ‘Google’ Isn’t a Synonym for ‘Research’

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WHY
‘GOOGLE’ ISN’T A SYNONYM FOR ‘RESEARCH’ by Connie Berry

The quote about
Google and research belongs to author Dan Brown, who himself undoubtedly spent
days, weeks, months researching his complicated thrillers and was accused (but not
convicted) of lifting information from books, journals, and blogs written by
others which were available online. So, what was he talking about? There’s so
much information on the web. Isn’t Googling information a good way to research
a book in this day and age?

We all know research
can be a black hole, sucking up precious time while deceiving us into thinking we’re
accomplishing something. That’s one problem. The bigger problem for me is
deciding how much of that fascinating research to include in the book. Here’s
an example from my brand-new mystery, The Shadow of Memory.

When my
characters travel from one location to another, I ask questions. What kind of
terrain will they encounter at that time of year? Are there any landmarks or
unusual features that will capture their attention? Since I can’t always be in
the UK, I have Google Earth. Which leads to Wikipedia and all

sorts of
information connected with my story. While researching Vivian Bunn and Kate’s drive
from Long Barston to the fictional village of Upford, for example, I happened
upon the quaintly named “crinkle-crankle walls,” typical of East Anglia. I was
captivated.

In an early draft
of the novel, Vivian Bunn is reading to Kate about local history as they drive:

“It says there’s no market in Upford anymore,” Vivian said.
She was reading something

on my cell phone again. “Their claim to
fame is a crinkle-crankle wall running along the main north-south
road—smaller than the more famous one at Easton but just as picturesque.” She
looked up. “I’ve seen the one at Easton.”

“What does crinkle-crankle mean?”

“Let’s find out.”
She peered at my phone screen. “A crinkle-crankle wall is an unusual type of
serpentine garden wall found mostly in East Anglia and especially in Suffolk.
The walls began appearing in the seventeenth century when Dutch engineers were
draining the fens. Because of their stability, they were especially well suited
to the soggy, unstable ground. Sometimes as many as fifty bricks high, they
actually require fewer bricks than a straight wall—Really? I wouldn’t have
thought that—because a wavy wall can be built one-brick thick whereas a
straight wall needs at least two layers of bricks. The American president
Thomas Jefferson incorporated serpentine walls into the architecture of the
University of Virginia, which he founded in— Look!” She screeched so suddenly I nearly
veered off the road. “There it is.”

Sure enough—a sinuous red-brick wall
snaked along the road on our right. We were so taken by the sight, we almost
missed the turning toward the village center.

Yes, I was beguiled by my research. No,
crinkle-crankle walls had absolutely nothing to do with the story. They needed
to go. Here’s the final version: 

The address we’d found for the Beaufoys—Wren
Cottage, 27 Bramble Walk—led us to

           the
east side of the market town of Upford, close to the Essex border. A sinuous
red-brick

           wall
snaked along the road on the right. We were so taken by the sight, we almost
missed

            the
turning toward the village center.

The problem with research-by-Google is
too much information and the temptation to include it in the book. I’ve learned
my lesson. Now, when I’m tempted to chuck in that captivating bit of research,
I ask myself four questions:

1. Is this information necessary to
orient the reader in the scene?

2. Does it draw the reader in
emotionally or viscerally so she is experiencing the scene along

    with the characters?

3. Does the information move the plot
forward in any way?

4. Does it reveal anything significant
about the characters?

If my answer is four “no’s,” I leave it
out.

What is the most interesting piece of
information you’ve ever found while researching a book?

Did it make it into the finished
manuscript, or did you end up cutting it out?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Connie Berry writes the Kate Hamilton Mysteries, set in the
UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes. She
was raised by antiques dealers who instilled in her a passion for history, fine
art, and travel. Her debut novel won an IPPY Gold and was an Agatha Award
finalist. Connie is a member of MWA, CWA, and SinC. She loves history, foreign
travel, cute animals, and all things British.

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

Untitled Post

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What I’ve Learned about
Death Services

by Saralyn Richard

When I was a senior in high school, I had an English teacher who moonlighted as a mortician. I don’t remember much about the course curriculum, but I have vivid memories of his stories about dead bodies, sitting up while he worked on them. Mr. M., as I’ll call him, thrived on telling grotesque tales and watching our reactions.

            Aside from those stories, I can’t remember the topic of funerals coming up much. No one likes to talk about caskets or embalming fluid over lunch or on a date. In the few instances where I’ve been responsible for arranging funerals, I’ve worked with experienced people whose calm, tact, and caring attitude helped block out the grief, and I’ve never asked too many questions.

            Fast forward to the past several years, when I’ve been writing mysteries. Mysteries often have dead bodies. Dead bodies require death services. To get the details right, I began interviewing morticians, and I learned a lot.


                                                                           One of my sources, Jay Carnes of Carnes Funeral Home, Texas City, Texas

Here
are a few salient facts:

1.          People who work in death services are
people just like you and me. They have the same hopes and fears and dreads, the
same olfactory sensibilities, the same tastes and distastes. They generally
don’t engage in discussions about them, though. If you complain about a bad day
at the office, they might sympathize, but they won’t tell you about theirs.
 
     When death is your business, and you’re
around dead bodies every day, you become immune to the drama and/or horror that
others may associate with corpses. You might even share inside jokes with
colleagues, like, “Want to have a couple of cool ones from the fridge?” This
kind of levity is never expressed in front of outsiders, though.
 
    There’s a tiny bit of guilt when business
is good, like when we have a pandemic. Some of the joy of a robust end-of-year
bottom line is mitigated by the fact that the income was derived from people’s
hardships, sorrows, or tragedies.

 

                                        James J. Terry Funeral Home in Downington, PA, where Lee Walasavage has graciously answered my questions.

My
upcoming release, BAD BLOOD SISTERS, centers around a woman who’s grown up in
this business.

Quinn McFarland has grown up around dead bodies…

Quinn’s
always joked about death, but this summer, death stops being funny. For one
thing, her brother finally undergoes transplant surgery. For another, Quinn’s
estranged BFF, her “blood” sister, is brought into the family mortuary,
bludgeoned to death.

            Quinn’s haunted by the past, her friendship gone awry,
and the blood oath she’s sworn to keep secret. The police consider her a person
of interest, and someone threatens her not to talk. Quinn is the only one who
knows enough to bring the killer to justice, but what she’s buried puts her in
extreme danger.



Bad Blood Sisters will be released March 9, 2022. My other mysteries, Murder in the One Percent, A Palette for Love and Murder, and A Murder of Principal can be found here. Sign up for my monthly newsletter with special offers, news, surveys, and more at http://saralynrichard.com. 

 

Crossword Puzzles or a Writer’s Research

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by: Donnell Ann Bell 

“What’s a three-letter word for expert?” my husband asks as
I’m getting a glass of water before returning to my office. I stiffen. Here it
comes, where I should be concentrating on three letters my brain turns into a
giant mushroom cloud and I think of every word under the sun meaning expert, including, adept, proficient, and skillful, sans one with three letters.

“You know,” he says, reading glasses perched on his nose, “Daily mind games keep your mind sharp.”

I swallow some of my water and say, “So you’ve said. See you
later, you know where I’ll be.”

What he doesn’t get is that while he works crosswords, Sudoku
and other puzzles our doctors insist keep our minds sharp, I work mind games
all day long.

I do research!  What’s
more the research I do has to. . . you guessed it . . . fit into a puzzle.  Further, that research has to appear seamless
and relevant, or you can come up with a pacing problem or worse, tell the
reader you’re DOING research.  As a new
writer years ago, my critique partner laid a dreadful accusation at my feet,
saying, “Your research is showing.”

Talk about red-faced. You never ever want your research to
show. It’s akin to a plumber’s crack or a piece of toilet paper clinging to your
shoe.

Here’s something that puzzles me, and I’ve often asked
myself why I don’t write less complicated books. The only answer I’ve come up
with is I love suspense, police procedure and want to address the topics
that interest me in my writing.  I want to understand
more divergent topics that I normally wouldn’t come across in my ordinary world. I
love thwarting my protagonists, then watching THEM work to outwit the
antagonist.

Wouldn’t it be incredible to hold all the answers in our
heads as we wrote our novels? Certainly would be simpler and imagine the productivity. But then, what fun
would that be? And how would existing knowledge stretch our imaginations? I
love discovering new avenues, further knocking around the plot with Lois Winston, my very smart critique partner, then brainstorming with experts.

One thing my husband and I are fairly equal at is Jeopardy. We watch it most evenings at 6 p.m. What’s a three-letter word for
expert? Try ACE.  Do you love puzzles? Research?
Both? Something else that keeps your
brain churning? I’d love to know.

About the Author:  Donnell Ann Bell gave up her nonfiction career in newspapers
and magazines because she was obsessed with the idea she could write a mystery or
thriller. Years later, she is an award-winning author, including a 2020 Colorado Book Award
finalist for her latest release Black Pearl, a Cold Case Suspense. Donnell’s
other books include Buried Agendas, Betrayed, Deadly Recall and the Past Came
Hunting, all of which have been Amazon bestsellers. Currently she’s submitted
book two of her cold case series to her publisher and is hard at work researching book
three.  www.donnellannbell.com

Henry VIII, My Husband, and the Pissing Drunkard

/in /by

Travel is a writer’s perk. I’ve often journeyed far from home to research the world of my books.

For my historical novels, I tramped England in the footsteps of
soldiers and queens. For my thriller The Experiment in which my heroine lives
aboard her sailboat, I explored a funky New York City marina where a skipper
took me sailing on Long Island Sound. For The Man from Spirit Creek I interviewed
a ranching couple in northern Alberta who invited me to stay for dinner where I
ate the best strawberry-rhubarb pie I’ve ever tasted.

In researching one book, though, I discovered an eye-opening
resource close to home. My husband.

  

The Queen’s Lady is set in England during the reign of Henry VIII.
Now, Henry and my husband share no similarity regarding tyrannical rule and
beheaded wives – I married a thoughtful, peaceable man. He is, however, endowed
with the standard issue male anatomy, and this helped my research.

Here’s how.

In my first draft of the novel, I’d written a
scene of a Midsummer Eve celebration in which boisterous revelers dance around
bonfires, lovers steal kisses, and a drunk old man pisses as he staggers
through the crowd.

Wait a minute, I thought. Can a man do that –
urinate while walking?

I took the problem to my husband. “Can a man do that?” I asked.

“I’ll go see,” he said, and walked out the door.

Thankfully, we lived then on sixty rural acres at the end of a dead-end
road. Not a soul around.

Five minutes later he came back in. “Yup,” he reported.

You can see why I value this resource, right?

These days, with the pandemic keeping us all close to home, I’m lucky because
I can turn to my husband again as a resource. I’m at work on a mystery novel in
which the main character is an animal rights activist, and Stephen has worked
with animal rights organizations for years. That’s him in the picture above, with an
otter friend. His stories about the fine people who protect animals inspired
this new book.  

I’ve enjoyed my travels, but right now close to home feels just fine.

Barbara Kyle is the author of the bestselling Thornleigh
Saga series of historical novels (“Riveting Tudor drama” – USA Today)
and of acclaimed thrillers. Over half a million copies of her books have been
sold. Her latest is The Man from Spirit Creek, a novel of suspense. Barbara
has taught hundreds of writers in her online classes and many have become
award-winning authors. Page-Turner, her popular how-to book for writers,
is available in print, e-book, and audiobook. Visit Barbara at www.BarbaraKyle.com  

 

 The Man from Spirit Creek 

When Liv Gardner arrives in the rural town of Spirit Creek,
Alberta, she has nothing but her old car and a temporary job as paralegal with
the local attorney. But Liv’s down-market persona is a ruse. She’s actually
in-house counsel of Falcon Oil, a small oil and gas company she co-owns with
her fiancé, CEO Mickey Havelock – and they are facing financial ruin.

Farmer Tom Wainwright, convinced that lethal “sour” gas killed his wife, is
sabotaging Falcon’s rigs. But Wainwright is clever at hiding his tracks and the
police have no evidence to charge him. With the sabotage forcing Falcon toward
bankruptcy, Liv has come undercover to befriend Wainwright – and entrap him.

But Liv never dreamed she’d become torn between saving the company she and
Mickey built and her feelings for the very man whose sabotage is ruining them. On a rain-swept night, Spirit Creek is stunned when one of their own is murdered.
The evidence does more than point to Tom Wainwright . . . it shatters Liv’s
world.

“A stunning thriller. A must-read with sabotage, murder, intrigue and romance.” – Goodreads review

 

Page-Turner: Your Path to Writing a Novel that Publishers Want and Readers Buy

“Kyle is one of the few authors who can break down both the art and the craft of writing in a way that is entertaining and easy to understand.” — #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong

 

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