Romance Weekly #LoveWriteChat

Welcome back, everyone! If you've just landed here from Kim Handysides' website . . . Howdy! This week's revealing questions are brought to you by Dani Jace. Let's jump right on in. 

1. What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever done in the name of research for a book?

Ok. This is a bit embarrassing and sad, but I don't think I've ever done anything crazy for the sake of research. Although, since I've never been arrested (Yay me!) but my character is, my friend, who happens to be a lawyer, offered to take me through the booking process so I could get a feel for what happens. I just might take her up on that offer here real soon.

2. Name a nonfiction book you’ve read for research that you wouldn’t have read otherwise.  Not including writing craft books. 
Here's a book I read to help me with the writing of ASSASSIN P.I. It's called, The Everything Private Investigation Book: Master the techniques of the pros to examine evidence, track down people, and discover the truth, by Sheila L. Stephens. It would have been a wonderfully helpful book . . . if my character played by the rules. Since Jack doesn't mind breaking the law, it wasn't as valuable as it could have been for me. 

3. If you could travel anywhere to do research for a book, including back in time, where would you go?
I'm a SoCal girl, born and raised. To be totally honest, I've lived in my hometown my entire life and my exploits out of town are sadly lacking. I just don't seem to have a single adventurous bone in my body. Right now, all my traveling revolves around my son's soccer tournaments. It's not like I haven't done a bit of traveling myself, but if I could do it all over again? I'd kill to take a year or five off from life and just travel the world. I'd visit the East Coast, England, Paris, Italy, Greece, and of course, go back to Ireland and Costa Rica. Since I'm not very observant, I'd definitely have to plan extended vacations in each of these locations. Armed with a tape recorder, and my handy journal, I might actually be able to focus on the finer details of life, rather than just how petrified I'd surely be to be so far out of my comfort zone. As for which era I'd visit, I'm fascinated by the 1920's - 1940's. Hey, what girl doesn't like to swing dance?

Thanks for stopping by! Next up on the tour is Amy Jarecki. 

Research Me This . . .

Until I began seriously pursuing romance writing, I had no idea how little I truly knew about the world.

No, seriously.

I’ve lived in the same small town in SoCal my entire life. The town may have grown some, but many of the people I interact with on a daily basis are the same people I’ve known since elementary school. Let’s put it this way. My graduating class was a whopping total of 155 people (or thereabouts). You could say, I’ve lived what my hubby calls, “a sheltered” life. I admit it, and fully embrace that I will never be an adventurous person. I’m okay with that. Really, I am.

But the stories I write are definitely not okay with my lack of worldly experience. My characters constantly beg me to include believable details to help build rich settings and authentic characterization.

So what’s a girl to do?

I could become an adventure-seeking adrenaline junkie, but I have a terrible fear of heights. And my anxiety of driving off alone into lands unknown has left me staring out the window, wistfully wishing I could take a road-trip without getting lost every ten minutes. But alas, it’ll never happen in my lifetime.

Besides, since I mostly write romantic suspense stories about murderers and other such heinous people, I’m pretty sure the local law enforcement would seriously frown on me even touching a gun, let alone committing the kinds of crimes my characters do.

Instead, I am forced to turn to the Internet and YouTube. Even writers who aren’t writing historical fiction or non-fiction texts have to do some sort of research to bring a touch of authenticity to their books. I just have to do a little bit more than the average author does. 

Here are some of my more recent Google searches: 

• Process for being arrested
• How to post bail
• How to shoot a gun
• Types of guns
• Private Investigators
• Cigar basics
• Parrots (types, colors, and Do they cuss? The answer is yes, yes they can! Shamus is Jack’s foul mouthed African Gray Parrot)
• Scotch (the drink, not the tape)
• How to ride a horse
• Funeral Service rituals for fallen law enforcement officers
• Classic cars
• Dirty Harry
• Gumshoe detective novels
• Burlesque clubs & dancers
• Benjamin Bratt photos (inspiration for Mateo, a hunky ex-Marine you’ll get to meet soon)
• Gerard Butler (total hottie & inspiration for Jack Gaines, from Assassin P.I.)

 So what about you? Have you ever wondered how your favorite author knew so much about a particular topic or locale? What crazy topics have you had to look up to ensure you got things just right?

Sometimes Research Is Just Downright Fun

Until recently, I never realized, or at least never spent much time contemplating, how much research authors do. Like most people I assumed their storyline and details came straight from their demented little minds. And for the most part, I suppose they do. But to truly make a story come to life, there has to be some grain of truth sprinkled throughout.

Redemption For Liars is set in Texas, a state I have only passed through while on a summer road trip to Illinois when I was 18. Cowboys, lax gun laws, and summer heat was the extent of my knowledge of the Lone Star state. Pretty soon I found myself in a real pickle where I was trying to describe a landscape I had never set eyes on before. What kind of trees were commonplace? Just how do you mount and dismount a horse? My memories are rusty at best, and non-existent at worst.

To help fortify my story with details you could actually believe, I googled details, read up on the rankings of FBI agents, watched youtube videos, picked my husband's brain for dusty memories, and made phone calls to my friend who really does live in the wonderful state of Texas. Tedious? Absolutely. Fun? Not so much, unless you count chatting with a friend.

But sometimes research can be fun.

Some authors take trips and call it research. Other authors explore new hobbies in the name of research. Last night I went to a Vintage Bombshell make-up class held by the fabulous Makeupgrlz.

Why?

Research, of course! My new work-in-progress has a vintage noir feel to it. Think 1940's detective genre. My hero is a jaded private eye and my heroine is a burlesque dancer. Hence, I needed a better grasp of all things bombshell. Makes sense, right?

The make-up artist walked us through the stylings of the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's. Sixty bucks later, I came home dolled up in lush lips and fake lashes armed with knowledge and new make-up to play with. While I may still not be an expert at applying eyeshadow or the perfect winged eyeliner - and I probably never will be - at least my character can be simply gorgeous!

See? Sometimes research really is just downright fun!