Guest Author, Kat Henry Doran -- Again!

No, you're not seeing double...I've added a new feature to my guest author days. At least once a month I'll be posting writing-related articles, and maybe later some interviews with editors. The first article was generously provided by last week's guest author, Kat Henry Doran. It's on Doing Your Research. With that, and our thanks, take it away Kat!

Just because I write what I know, to create interesting characters—and I firmly believe settings are an important secondary character—I still do my research. I love it, mainly because I learn something new.

For my first book, CAPTAIN MARVELOUS, I researched the Rom, or Gypsy, culture. Great fun and absolutely fascinating. Many myths as well as unwarranted prejudice abounds about this often maligned population. I also went to Google.com about sources for information on political and social unrest in Central America during the Reagan and Carter administrations. Eventually that led me into South America, particularly Argentina and Chile, doing research for upcoming books which will feature the role of the religious who organized protests against political and social injustice during the Pinochet and Allende reigns of terror.

For TRY JUST ONCE MORE, I spent an entire day making rounds with an equine veterinarian. She and her staff were very helpful when I needed suggestions about the mechanism of injury for a horse used on a mounted patrol unit. Also very helpful were the officers of the Mounted Patrol Unit for the Rochester Police Department. Some of the dialogue in the book came directly from the lips of the commanding officer. My deep thanks go to them.

For Maggie, the heroine in TJOM, I had to learn more about “top shelf” brands of liquor. This veteran beer drinker knew nothing about the hard stuff. The liquor store owner, and a couple customers, were very helpful. The phrase “top shelf” comes from the practice of placing the most expensive brands on the higher shelves. By the end of my jaunt I had a massive pain in my neck trying to read the brand names. And while we're on the topic of The Mag, I interviewed a local eye surgeon for help on a plot twist at the very end of the book. He explained the mechanism of facial fractures and their treatment, including the use of leeches to reduce swelling around the eyes. Very cool and a lot of fun. I like to have fun and doctors are like cops; they're all frustrated authors.

I have always loved Saranac Lake, so I made this small Adirondack town which is about five minutes down the road from the more well known [and wealthy] Lake Placid as the setting for TRY JUST ONCE MORE. I spent many family vacations walking the streets, taking pictures of the “cure cottages” and “cure porches”, exploring the shops and diners to add local color to the story. When I discovered they hold the oldest winter carnival in the Eastern United States, and includes teams playing softball on snowshoes and a women's fry pan toss, it was a done deal. In fact, the first scene takes place the day before Carnival opens.

One of the secondary characters in TJOM is a nun from the order of Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent dePaul. Long name, big habit. We called them the Sailboat Sisters when I was growing up. All it took was some time on the Internet, researching nun's habits to add a little color to the story. Another secondary character is the local parish priest. Here's where it got a little dicey because I knew I'd have to invade the sanctum sanctorum of the confessional booth. So, as I'd spent several winters in sunny Florida, caring for a group of retired priests, all I did was explain what I was after and one of them told me exactly How Not To Make a Grievous Error. That priest died a maybe six months before TJOM came out. Man, I miss him.

For some time, I've belonged to Kiss of Death, the on line mystery/suspense special interest chapter of Romance Writers of America. They have several active author loops; on one of them authors write in with a question, asking for help. It never fails that within 24-48 hours multiple responses will be there—if not from the members themselves then from their spouses, children, aunts, uncles, the family cat. KOD is a super example of writers helping writers.
It is my feeling that research is an essential part of any book. It helps you to create strong, memorable characters.