Research From the Basement to the Attic

by Patricia Bradley

Have you ever wondered how far a writer will go to do research? I've had myself tied up so I could see how my heroine would escape, blindfolded because she was in a pitch-black room, and tried to do a cartwheel. (if you are a certain age, don't try the last one) 

But I think one of my most interesting research projects involved the Pink Palace in Memphis. This is the back side because I failed to take a photo of the front of the museum.

And the reason I didn't take a photo of the front was that my character didn't use the front entrance. See that pipe going up the back of the building? She's a cat burglar and she used the pipe to help scale the building so she could break into the museum. 

 By the way, here's a photo from the Pink Palace website of the front of the building.




I searched from the attic to the basement, looking for places to hide a body. :-) The ladies who work there were more than helpful on my tour, pointing out the best places to stash the body. :-)

Here are a few of the places I looked:

Where they keep the caskets...

Attic

The steps leading from the attic.

The crawlspace in the basement.

There are so many places to hide bodies there! If you were a writer, where would you like to go to research for a book? Leave a comment and I'll randomly pick a winner for the first book in the series, Justice Delayed.

Oh, and the book I did the research for is Justice Buried. It will release September 5, 2017.

Hot new inspy mystery!

Assistant Cruise Director, Millie Sanders is overwhelmed when her boss takes an emergency leave of absence to care for his ailing mother, and discovers she’s now in charge of the entire ship’s entertainment.As if she didn’t have enough on her plate, a family of special “guests” arrives for a last minute cruise, which threatens to send Millie over the edge.Her anxiety turns to outright panic when the manager of the ship’s art gallery discovers several expensive pieces of art have been stolen and she is pointing fingers at both Andy and Millie! Can Millie keep her cool long enough to help solve the mystery of the high seas heist or will she risk losing her job and face possible prison time?

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS!

We’re planning another great week on the Suspense Sisters. Check out our posts, our interviews, and our awesome giveaways!

THIS WEEK:

On our review page, senior reviewer Iola Goulton reviews THE PRIORITY UNIT by Susan Page Davis. Iola says: “THE PRIORITY UNIT was a Christian Romantic Suspense novel which actually managed to give all three aspects equal weight—it was overtly Christian, with a building romance, and an ongoing suspense thread. An excellent novel which is especially praiseworthy for the overt Christian aspect. Even better, it’s the first in a series!”   

You can find her complete review HERE. 

On Tuesday Dana Mentink will share What’s Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.

On Wednesday Suspense Sister Patricia Bradley talks about Research from the Basement to theAttic. She’s also giving away a copy of her upcoming release, JUSTICE BURIED!

Friday, we’ll talk to Kathleen Y’Barbo Turner. You could win a copy of ANNA FINCH AND THE HIRED GUN!    

When an aspiring reporter and a Pinkerton detective get tangled in Doc Holliday’s story—and each other—sparks can’t help but fly.

Despite her father’s attempts to marry her off, Anna Finch dreams of becoming a reporter. A chance encounter with legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday gives her the opportunity of a lifetime, but Pinkerton agent Jeb Sanders is about to ruin everything.

Though her father hired Jeb to keep her out of mischief, Anna’s inconvenient attraction to her hired gun only multiplies her

troubles. She doesn’t realize Jeb has a score to settle with Doc Holliday, or that her association with the famous outlaw will affect more than just her marriage prospects. Between her father’s desperation to see her wed and Jeb shadowing her every move, getting the story and fulfilling her journalistic ambition just got far more complicated than she ever imagined.

The Suspense Sisters! We love books!

AN INTERIEW WITH MARGARET DALEY

Roxanne Rustand, here---delighted to introduce you to prolific, award-winning author Margaret Daley, who has graciously consented to be featured here on the SuspenseSisters blog.

If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?  

Dedicated to God, family and country.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Any interesting hobbies?

I love to spend time with family and friends and read in my free time.

What is your writing schedule, and how do you manage to be productive despite everything else in your life?

I don’t always manage to be productive when a lot of different things are going on. I try to write six days a week. I’m trying to take one day off each week, which isn’t always easy. By working at least a little each day, I stay in my story world, and it doesn’t take much time to get back into the book I’m writing.

What was your favorite book as a teen or child?

All the Nancy Drew stories.

What genre did you start out writing? Have you changed course? Why or why not?

Historical romance. Yes, I’ve changed quite a bit over the thirty-seven years I’ve been writing. The first book I sold was a contemporary romance. Soon that was all I was writing, although I have published 3 historical romances over the course of my career. Now I’m mostly writing Christian romantic suspense. That is what I enjoy reading the most—and writing.

Any other genres you’d like to try? If yes, what and why?

No.

If you could go back in time and do something differently at the start of your career, what would it be?

Being part of a continuity series with my first publisher—I’ve done many since then and I’ve really enjoyed doing them.

Beyond just telling them to keep at their writing, what is the most important piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?

Read what you want to write.

For those who leave a comment, Margaret is offering a drawing for an ebook giveaway of her box set for her  Strong Women, Extraordinary Situations Series (a 3 book box set).

Margaret Daley, a USA Today’s Bestselling author of over one hundred books (five million plus sold worldwide), has been married for over forty-six years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

From USA Bestselling Author Margaret Daley--another romantic suspense novel you'll love!

Second Chances.

Revenge.

Arson.

A saboteur targets Alexia Richards and her family company. As the incidents become more lethal, Alexia must depend on a former Delta Force soldier, Cole Knight, a man from her past that she loved. When their son died in a fire, their grief and anger drove them apart. Can Alexia and Cole work through their pain and join forces to find the person who wants her dead?

Amazon Buy Link: http://littl.ink/DFRKAm

Interview and a giveaway with Jill Elizabeth Nelson!

Let's welcome author Jill Elizabeth Nelson! Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of her new book!

Tell us a little about yourself and your newest book.

Since grade-school age, I’ve been writing as a creative hobby outside of the classroom in one form or another—poetry, short stories, articles, essays. Becoming a published novelist was always my dream, but many times it felt foolish to believe I might actually succeed. In fact, the dream died for many years, especially when my four children were growing up. As they began to need my attention less, God relit the writing fire within me. Within a few years after that, I received my first novel contract. I was so excited! Still am.

That was in 2005, and my newest release, Rocky Mountain Sabotage, is my fourteenth novel with a mainstream, royalty-paying publisher. I’ve also self-published a couple of books on the craft of writing. Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View is on the popular topic of writing in deep POV, which is a skill my very first editor taught me to master. The Art of the Edit lays out some editing techniques that I’ve found valuable over the years.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

In Rocky Mountain Sabotage, my heroine is a newly minted physician’s assistant named Lauren Carter. Aside from her career, which is all about helping others, she is strong and courageous and a keen judge of character. Her insights into people play a key role in keeping her and her fellow passengers alive under intensely challenging circumstances. The crash landing of the charter jet, in which she and her mother are passengers, and the harsh environment of the abandoned Rocky Mountain mining town provide her with a number of patients who need every bit of her medical expertise, improvised without the amenities of a modern hospital.

Abandoned by her father at a tender age, Lauren sees in the hero, Kent Garland, the sort of man her father never was. However, she is reluctant to trust any man with her heart—even the ex-Special Forces pilot who successfully landed the sabotaged plane and now seems committed to sticking around, doing anything he can to ensure everyone’s survival.

What are you working on at the moment?

I just finished the manuscript for a book that is scheduled to release in January 2018, entitled Duty to Defend. I’m excited about the story because it explores a difficult but important topic for awareness and discussion—Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Hopefully, you dear Suspense Sisters will invite me back for an interview about that book at the end of the year. Bless you for hosting me for Rocky Mountain Sabotage!

What is the hardest thing about writing?

“How do you come up with your ideas?” is one of the most frequent questions I hear from people. I’m not sure I can give a scientifically precise answer. Ideas pop out at me all over the place—from people-watching, ordinary excursions to the grocery store, overheard conversations, newspaper or magazine articles, new interests and hobbies, etc.

I think a person has to have a certain type of brain to process these mundane facets of life into the stuff of suspense novels. Apparently, I have that sort of brain. So, getting the ideas is not the difficulty; it’s choosing which one to develop at any given time. Right now, I’m sifting through a bunch of different title and story ideas in order to develop my next book proposal for my publisher. Pray for me!

What is the easiest thing about writing?

 Getting to do what I’ve dreamed of doing all my life, rather than clocking in at a day job.


Anything else you'd like to share.


I’m going to be a grandma again! Just found out today. Our youngest is expecting her third child. “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3 (NLT) Grandchildren are like a reward from a reward!



BIO:

Award-winning author and writing teacher, Jill Elizabeth Nelson, writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith. Jill enjoys speaking at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, civic and church groups. She delights to bring the “Ahah! Moment” to students as they make new skills their own. Her bestselling handbook for writers, Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View, is available at http://amzn.to/IvQTkj. Visit Jill on the web at: www.jillelizabethnelson.com or look her up on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JillElizabethNelson.Author. 

Hot New Inspy Suspense!

A daughter, a cult, a secret.

When Ron Fields heard the news his only daughter Emily had joined the new age cult Lighthouse, he was devastated. Ron decides to keep quiet on his feelings about his daughter’s choice, a decision which changes his life forever…

The lies we tell are often thought to be innocent…
…but the lies we believe can sometimes be deadly.

From the best-selling Christian suspense author T.K. Chapin comes a story that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.