ASK THE SISTERS!

This week, Deana Dick asks, “In doing research for a book, what interesting things have you found out?”  (For submitting her question, Deana won a $10.00 gift certificate from Amazon!)

“In the course of writing my mystery series, I’ve researched: Cryptozoology (the science of undiscovered animals) to learn about the Lake Champlain Monster; ice fishing to learn what equipment is needed; Bowie knives to be able to describe them; how a bounty hunter behaves (and how he might misbehave), the Grand Jury system and whether they will indict a minor;  Lake Champlain ferryboats to learn about their “man overboard” procedures;  and the anatomy of a vintage Volkswagen to learn where a bullet would go, to name just a few. It’s great fun!”

E.E. Kennedy, author of the Miss Prentice mysteries

You need to be careful with research. It can create a new passion in you! I spent a good deal of time researching baseball for a book I'm

writing for Harvest House and now I am hooked! I watch every Giants game that I can. It sure takes up a lot of time!

Dana Mentink

 

Some interesting research that I've done involves crime scene investigation. Particularly a 3-D laser and technology that can digitally recreate the scene down to the tiniest details, even blood splatter. That technology ended up a major plot point for one of my books.

Marji Laine

My “medical research” is mainly done online, where I am continually amazed by the advances that seem to occur in the field of medicine on a daily basis.

For my latest book, which involves an ex-president of the US, I needed to know about the Secret Service protection given these people. I didn’t get any response from my queries to the White

House or the Secret Service, but one letter to the ex-president who lives in the Dallas area resulted in a response from a Secret Service Public Information Officer by phone within a week. I was pretty close in the protection I’d described in the book, but what interested me most was the way I finally got the information.

Richard Mabry

I love to write because it takes me to new places and I can go on an adventure doing things I couldn't necessarily do in real life. Hence research is one of the most fun things about writing for me. There are too many interesting things for me to list here. In the Mountain Cove series I learned all things Alaska, and I'm sure there is much more to learn, but here are a few things I studied both online and through books I bought: mountain search and rescue, avalanches, Juneau ice field, Tongass National Forest, caving, wild fires, glaciers and ice caves. See what I mean? 

Elizabeth Goddard

I’ve learned a lot about police work, which I’ve enjoyed immensely. Right now I’m writing a new series and am working with a retired

Deputy U.S. Marshal. Picking his brain is fascinating. I love research!

Nancy Mehl

Each week the Suspense Sisters (and our Suspense Mister) will answer a question from one of our followers. If you’d like to be a part of “Ask the Suspense Sisters” Thursday, leave a question in the comments below. We’ll pick a question and pose it to the Sisters! You could win a book written by one of the today’s top suspense/mystery authors or a gift certificate for Amazon! (Be sure to leave us your contact information. Any comment that doesn’t include a way to reach you will be disregarded.)