Hi Coffee Time Romance readers. I’m so happy to be here with you. Since my book, The Secrets on Forest Bend, was released by Soul Mate Publishing in December, I often hear one comment that concerns me.
Writers and readers alike remark how much easier it must be to write contemporary romance instead of historical. “You don’t have to spend months researching details,” they say, with a superior attitude.
It’s true, I don’t dig into dusty old tomes to learn what an upper-class woman would wear under her gown, but I do put in the necessary time on research to ensure that my facts are correct.
Some research is easy, even fun. If there is a teenager in my story, I watch how they dress at the mall. I might stop one and ask what they’re listening to on their IPod. I double check the name of those expensive shoes with the red soles that Oprah likes to wear.
In a restaurant, I study the menu for dishes my hero or heroine would order. What is the waiter or waitress wearing? How would I describe it?
When a dog bit my hand–I’d like to claim it was for research, but I doubt you’d believe me–I asked the doctor about using Super Glue to close a cut while he was busy putting in the stitches.
I spent an hour questioning a retired Assistant DA, not only about how his department worked, but what it looked like. How large is the department? What floor is it on? Does each attorney have a private office? These are just a few of the questions I asked.
From a former homicide detective I learned all I could about police procedures. My hero, Adam, shows Eddie a photo lineup by turning the pictures over, one at a time. This is the preferred manner of identification, and results in fewer mistakes.
Yes, you can learn on the Internet how to make a drug lab, but I didn’t totally understand the directions, so I called my rocket-scientist, Ph.D, son-in-law. I could hear my daughter over his shoulder.
“What does my mother want?”
“She wants to know how to set up a Meth Lab.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea.”
To his credit, he explained it all to me without a pause.
I had to rewrite the following scene after taking a class on handguns. If I had left it the way I first wrote it, Adam would have been deafened when Hector fired a gun at him in the concrete stairwell.
Adam waited. It was much too dangerous to try to apprehend Hector in that small room with Yvonne, her sister, and the baby. He deliberated calling for help. A security guard could be there in seconds, but Adam was hesitant to depend on someone he had never worked with. He didn’t even want to use the backup piece strapped to his ankle. He would have to wait until he got Hector into a secure place or let him go and try again later. While he might be hesitant to use a gun around so many civilians, Hector wouldn’t be.
When Hector stepped out of the room, Adam slipped in behind him. They walked toward the stairs, Hector unaware Adam was following him. His plan was to hold back until they were in the concrete stairwell to make his move and just hope Hector’s brother wasn’t waiting. As they passed the elevator, the doors opened on an empty car, and Adam took the opportunity to shove him inside. Hector stumbled, but regained his balance and stomped on Adam’s foot.
Son of a bitch! How did he know? Just when that toe was almost well.
Hector threw himself backwards and smashed Adam into the elevator door. Air flew out of his lungs with a loud whoosh. Adam hung onto the handrail with one arm and wrapped the other around Hector’s neck. He used his leg to keep Hector from pulling away while he tried to allow small, painful sips of air back into his lungs. As Hector worked to pull Adam’s leg away, his shoe slipped off and Hector saw his toe. It was still slightly swollen and had turned a rainbow of colors.
Adam was larger than Hector, but older by almost fifteen years, while Hector was obviously in his prime and adept at street fighting. Hector grabbed the toe and started twisting. Adam let out a yelp and dropped his leg. Hector immediately drove his elbow into Adam’s mid section.
Adam didn’t have time to hop or limp, so he swung his sore foot at the back of Hector’s knees and Hector fell to the floor, already reaching for the gun hidden under his shirt. Adam kicked again, and Hector’s gun skidded across the elevator floor. A fresh jolt of pain shot up Adam’s leg, but this time he didn’t have enough air to manage a sound. Hector tried to reach for the gun, but Adam threw himself on his back and clamped a hand on his wrist. By the time the elevator reached the ground floor, Hector was in handcuffs and Adam was carrying one shoe, his toe bleeding again.
“You hurt me, man,” Hector complained.
“Stand up and stop whining or I’ll leave you alone with Yvonne’s mother for five minutes. Then you’ll have something to bitch about.”
Have you ever noticed an inaccuracy in a book or movie? Did it spoil the story or were you able to ignore it?
The Secrets on Forest Bend is available from: www.soulmatepublishing.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Follow Susan at www.susancmuller.com
- About the Author
- Posts in the Past
I’m a native Texan, complete with Southern drawl, and live in Spring, a suburb of Houston. I’m a mother, grandmother, and long time hospital volunteer. I enjoy traveling and have been to every continent except Antarctica. I also like to snorkel, swim, and take walks. I love to read and will never be found without a book nearby. I used to keep two books close by, just in case I finished one, but with the invention of the Kindle I’m always well stocked. Now I only have to worry about forgetting to charge my Kindle.
Great post. Primariliy a historical romance writter who dabbles in romantic suspense and paranormal 😉 Research is key to a good story. But there is a fine line as to what makes it historical romance and historical fiction. Get too heavy into facts and you might lose the reader or the purpose of the book if writing a romance.
Good luck with your book and future projects
Hi Susan, I loved your book! Very nicely done! I adore Adam!
As far as movies/books and inaccuracies, it all depends on the magnitude! If it's something glaringly obvious and it yanks me out of the story to think about it, yes it's annoying. More so in books than movies – since in a movie, I'm unlikely to walk out in the middle. A book, I can put it down and stop reading it immediately. That doesn't happen often. If a story has pulled me in, then I'm unlikely to over analyze the small stuff!
What drives me crazy is holes in the plot! So many movies stumble that way.
Great post about research. I think as authors we all have to do a bit of research, the fun part is just living life, it gives you ideas and details like no web browser can, down to the foul or delightful smells that go along with it
Hi Susan,
Working in the medical field, I often see inacccuracies. Especially when they hang a chest x-ray backwards or a tib-fib (lower leg) upside-down. I've seen more mistakes in movies then I've read about in books. I guess the authors I read do their research. Makes me want to go do some more research myself. Don't want someone to pick a mistake out of my novel one day.
Raven
What a great blog! I'm still laughing about asking your son how to set up a meth lab. What a hoot! Looking forward to your next blog…
Regards,
Jan
Hi Susan
Yes, research is so important, but time consuming. I don't know how many fiction and npn-fiction books and websites I went to, not to mention the time I spent, to research my middle-grade/ youth adventure story, In His Father's Footsteps. But the book is so much better for the research we do.
Bev Irwin/ Kendra James
Susan, I love how you're always open to collecting data for your stories and take advantage of every oportunity to learn the how and why. So, what's the answer to the super glue? Did the doctor say that would work, create more issues? I'm curious!
BTW, I've read The Secrets of Forest Bend. It's an awesome story, hooked me from the start, and could NOT put it down. Anything else coming out? Soon, I hope!
I here ya, Susan. Research is necessary whether Historical or Contemporary. Inconsistencies and illogical always thow me when I'm reading or watching a movie. My daughter doesn't like watching movies with me because I always point out these things.
Love research. Love your book, too. 🙂
What a great excerpt!. I write both historical and contemporary stories and I have to do an equal amount of research for both…and shame on whoever told you you had it easier with contemporary.
In most cases, it's not going to spoil the book. I'm not going to get upset because the author goofed up on a small detail. It happens. I could make the same mistake. But a huge one — then I start having problems. I live in Washington, DC, the land of politicians. Picked up a book about the first female vice president of the U.S. It was billed as a thriller, but was actually a romance. The VP was in her 20s, which was the first flub. There's an age requirement in the law. There's no way around that. The VP also had serious judgement issues that should have kept her out of the job completely. And she was simply too nice to have gone through the vetting system with the press attacking her during the election. To be fair, I think the facts didn't fit in with a standard romance, so the author ignored them. Sometimes that's necessarly for the sake of the story — but here, the author ignored so many very well-known facts that I couldn't fundamentally believe the story.
Thanks for stopping by everyone. And Jaye, the doctor laughed and said just don't use it near your eyes or on a knuckle or joint, anyplace that bends or moves.
Depends on how bad it it. Sometimes it's so bad it knocks me out of the story. Most authors I've seen/read do some research. I think it's necessary for any genre out there. 🙂
Great post. I love when I read a book and can tell the author has done his/her research about a topic. I'm much more impressed when I can tell the author is right on, than I am dissappointed when they have flubbed something.