Research.
Sometimes the bane of my existence and other times, the very best part of writing. I think the thing that's hard about research for me, and maybe some other writers, is the temptation to get lost in it. You go in, searching for one odd fact or another, and then suddenly you find yourself buried in all kinds of interesting information that you'd love to dump into your manuscript. Big no-no. No one else is going to be interested in the mating habits of the blue-bearded cockatoo, or whatever. And putting all the information in, when it isn't really needed to move the story along, is just going to irritate the reader.

Laurell K. Hamilton had a good suggestion for research which I once read in an interview with her, I believe. Write the story first and find out what you need to know. How hot does silver have to be to melt? Does it ever snow in West Texas? This method helps you define what you need to know for yourself and also for the person or persons that you may need to call upon for answers.

That's probably my favorite research. Calling people I know and asking weird, random questions that I hope they'll know the answers to. Everyone you know is an expert in something and more than likely, they'll be glad to share the information. And it doesn't have to be their profession either. Need to know how it feels to have a tooth pulled or knocked out? Chances are, someone you know has had this happen to them. Want to know what it's like working in a restaurant? Again, someone you know has done this, even if it was just for one summer at McDonalds. If you were an affluent, self-involved lawyer having an affair with someone in a big fancy hotel, which downtown Chicago hotel would be appropriate? This one, obviously, they don't have to have had the affair to answer, thank goodness, but simply have a good knowledge of fancy Chicago hotels and their clientele. : )

I love doing this because I love finding out about all the stuff my friends and family know that I never knew that they knew (Ha! Figure that sentence out!) My mom once worked in a hospital and I had a question about a hospital pharmacy. So, I called her and asked. And the best part is family and friends don't even usually ask you why you want to know. After they've answered a few questions for you, they'll just say, "Need it for a book?" And you'll say, "Yep." And that will be the end of it. Because you probably shouldn't discuss specifically what you're working until it's finished. At least that's what I've found. But that's another blog topic for another blog day, ha!

Or, you can try doing the research, whatever it is, by experiencing it yourself. In the case of getting a tooth knocked out, I don't recommend this method, obviously. But for example, I realized about halfway through my first book, The Silver Spoon, that Zara, my heroine, was going to have to learn some self-defense skills. Otherwise, she'd never survive all these murderous aliens. So, I signed up for a 6 week kickboxing class, figuring I needed the exercise and if I learned something useful along the way, all the better. Now, a year later, I'm still taking the class and I love it. And I now know enough about it that when Zara demonstrates her skills in book 2 (title TBD!), it will seem real to the reader. Plus, if I have questions about kickboxing, I have the name of an expert or two!

That's it for now. It's been a great deal of fun telling everyone about my book contract. People have been so genuinely enthusiastic--it's wonderful! So, thank you to all of you for making the news even more special by your reaction to it!

Talk to you tomorrow.