The thing I despise most about writing is researching. I am awful at it. I’m the person who enters a question on Google and gets nothing in relation to my topic. Yet, my mom can do the same thing and find plenty of useful information. With that said, I still use Google for most things. That is after I’ve asked everyone I know personally. Yes, most of my research comes from a question I ask my mom. That’s because she researches it and makes sure I have the right information. I love my mom.
With my last book, one of my main characters was from Ireland. Talk about knocking myself in the head for that idea…. I did my research on Google and found an overload of stuff but most of it wasn’t professional research. Then I remembered some Irish authors from a Facebook group I am a member and they turned me onto the right sites for my needs. But, it wasn’t enough, so I purchased an Irish-English dictionary to help with the language. That helped quite a bit. As for my research on my HIS team, I have already bookmarked some sites and videos on weapons, offensive and defensive moves, and the sites from all of their backgrounds – such as the Secret Service website.
In essence, I search on Google and when that fails; I ask people starting with my mom. While she’s not an expert in any of the topics, she gets me to the right spot. I probably should just hire her to make it official. I have conducted on-site interviews such as with a canine companion training facility, a U.S. marshal, and a helicopter flight company. But, with my location, those are few and far between. Don’t worry, I make sure the information is valid before I use it in my books.
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