A couple of weeks ago at an author event, someone asked me what kind of research I do for my books. I love this question. Research is one of my favorite parts of writing. Curiosity has always been an intrinsic part of who I am, and I find that when writing a story, there is built-in direction and motivation for me to learn new things. Granted, I did very little research for Missing. The years spent living and working in Chicago covered pretty much everything I needed to know. For Stolen, however, I was largely ignorant of the locations and procedures I was planning to write about. Fortunately, there is Google. I used Google maps to familiarize myself with certain neighborhoods. I read about the Chicago Police Department and how it is structured. I discovered facts about the Field Museum that I didn't already know, specifically, the bits about their storage facility. But Google is only a beginning. As Gray says, "Real investigation inevitably takes you into the field." It is far easier to write about that which you have first hand knowledge. Last summer, I went to Las Vegas for vacation. I have a plan for a new series that will be set there, so I took lots of notes and pictures, especially of the Mirage hotel, where the main character will live. Unfortunately, I no longer live in Chicago, so visiting these places to research Stolen wasn't an option. I could, however, talk to people who did live there. I reached out to the Prior of the Monastery of the Holy Cross to get a virtual tour, and he was extremely helpful in describing the layout and the day to day life of the brothers. I also had a sit down with a lieutenant at my local police department to discuss procedures, paperwork, and how someone could bury a case. He was a font of information both related and not. He also scared the crap out of me when he talked about some of the stuff that happens in our town. I had another meeting with him this morning to talk about ideas for the next book. It's important to me that I get certain facts and procedures correct. As a result, I'm going to have to change the timeline of the next story. To an extent. I reserve the right to take certain artistic liberties. After all, I do write fiction that is only loosely based in reality, but I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
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