History & Research
Category
The Joys of Researching Romantic Suspense
I’m still in production mode, getting words on the page for Mission: Impossible to Forget which releases April 1. The research has been a delight, I must say.
I’m a huge fan of music and the performing arts so learning about professional musicians has been fascinating. I discovered 2CELLOs, a duo of young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser.
They are so talented and very attractive (a must for romance authors and readers!). You can enjoy a performance by 2CELLOS on YouTube.
Coming April 1, 2020
Available for preorder on Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Google Play
Professional cellist Emily Hewitt loves nothing more than creating music. Sharing her musical gift with the world is all she lives for. Until her life is threatened. Caught up in a treacherous conspiracy, Emily becomes the pawn in an international play for power and must be assigned a bodyguard.
Former Special-Ops Marine Nick Jenkins, is out of a job and out of patience. Discharged from the Corp because of hearing loss, the last thing he wants to do is babysit someone who’s surrounded by the haunting sounds of music he can no longer appreciate.
Researching Characters - Mission Impossible to Forget
Music is an important element in Mission: Impossible to Forget. Emily Hewitt is a professional cellist and her life revolves around music. Nick Jenkins is a former Special-Ops Marine who’s struggling with hearing loss, which has devastated his life.
I wanted to better understand Emily’s passion so I’ve been researching and listening to professional cellists, primarily Jacqueline du Pré. She was an amazing talent. You can enjoy one of her performances on YouTube by CLICKING HERE.
Part of what I’ve learned about professional musicians is how singularly focused they are on their art. As an author, this provides strong conflict between my characters. How does Emily deal with the distraction of her feelings for Nick? How does a strong, alpha male like Nick deal with an independent woman who may–or may not–want his intrusion into her life?
I’m still not sure how they will find their way to happy-ever-after, but that’s part of the fun in writing romance!
Coming February 2020
Available for preorder on Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Google Play
Professional cellist Emily Hewitt loves nothing more than creating music. Sharing her musical gift with the world is all she lives for. Until her life is threatened. Caught up in a treacherous conspiracy, Emily becomes the pawn in an international play for power and must be assigned a bodyguard.
Former Special-Ops Marine Nick Jenkins, is out of a job and out of patience. Discharged from the Corp because of hearing loss, the last thing he wants to do is babysit someone who’s surrounded by the haunting sounds of music he can no longer appreciate.
When danger turns deadly, will Nick be able to save Emily?
What I learned about military drones researching 'Mission: Impossible to Love'
In my new release, Mission: Impossible to Love, coming July 25, Elizabeth “Izzy” Benson is a tech genius whose Artificial Intelligence drone technology has been stolen and is being sold on the dark web. When I was writing the book,I spent a lot of time researching technology, including drones, AI, the dark web and hackers.
There is so much interesting research, and obviously not all of it can be included in a book. Here are a few facts I learned about drones that didn’t make it into Mission: Impossible to Love...but are still fascinating.
- Drone technology is also called “unmanned aerial vehicle” (UAV) technology.
- Drones (unmanned crafts) are built of lightweight composite materials, which enables military drones to fly at high altitudes, and are controlled from a ground-based system. Many drones are equipped with state of the art technology such as GPS, infrared cameras, and lasers.
- Applications for drones are becoming widespread in both the public and military sector. They come in a variety of sizes. The largest military UAV is the Predator drone. Click here to watch a video of a Predator drone taking off.
- Use of drones in the public sector is expanding. While you can’t yet have a pizza delivered by drone, this technology is widely used by companies for film, photo and video, as well as surveying and mapping land areas and inspecting and monitoring physical structures.
Here’s an excerpt from Mission: Impossible to Love. Enjoy this scene with Sten and Izzy and then preorder your copy to keep reading on release day!
Sten never stopped staring at her. “Avantus is using machine-learning algorithms to interpret drone-surveillance imagery. The company has managed to stay out of the controversy of using Artificial Intelligence in military operations. You have DOD security clearance, Ms. Benson?”
Why was he asking about her security clearance? What had he discovered about her? Paranoid fantasies of being dragged out of Dean’s office in handcuffs flashed before her. Now she could never ask Reeves for help in clearing her name. She had only planned to share her algorithm with him if she couldn’t stop Charles from selling it to North Korea or Russia.
“I have top secret level security clearance from my work at both Google and Avantus.” She didn’t add, “which you are totally aware of,” since she had been vetted before joining Dean’s software company.
All male eyes were now on her, and she felt the heat moving up her neck and across her chest. Darn her pale skin—it acted like a lie detector, preventing her from any subterfuge.
“But why leave Avantus?” Dean persisted. No wonder the man was a success. He was as tenacious as a colony of busy ants.
She gulped down the burning acid from her stomach moving upward. The noose was tightening around her neck. They didn’t still hang traitors, did they?
“I discovered that my work interests lie elsewhere.” Away from her cheating, conniving, criminal boyfriend.
“But I thought your second Ph.D. thesis was on machine learning?” Dean asked.
Izzy could feel the scorch of Sten’s intense focus zeroing in on her. It was as if he were slowly undressing her, leaving her sitting naked with every secret exposed. She could feel herself unraveling, wanting to believe that she’d soon wake up and be relieved that this was a bad dream.
“I never finished that Ph.D.”
Dean laughed. “At twenty-five, you still have plenty of time to finish it. Now, my daughter Sophie would say your arrival in Seattle was serendipitous. And I must agree. We need your help.”
“My help?” Izzy’s voice quivered. “How could I possibly help you?”
Mission: Impossible to Love ~ Releasing 7.25.19
Sources:
How Do Drones Work And What Is Drone Technology
Drones Are Doing More In U.S. Than You May Know, As These 3 Companies Show
Summer is officially here - let's celebrate Seattle style!
The first day of summer is also the longest. This event is known as the summer solstice. That makes it the perfect day to celebrate everything we love about summertime.
Before kicking off the fun, here are a few facts about the summer solstice.
- The summer solstice actually kicks off summer only in the northern hemisphere. It is the unofficial beginning of winter for locations south of the equator.
- Solstices occur twice a year when the Earth’s axis is tilted most closely to the sun. The (northern) summer solstice marks the longest day of the year while the (northern) winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year. For 2019, the winter solstice will be Sunday, December 22.
- Many ancient cultures considered solstices as revered celestial events. Many celebrated the occasion with festivals, gift-giving, drinking and dancing.
In Seattle and around the world, contemporary celebrations still include food, music, dance, festivals and gatherings. Here are a few of the events happening in my hometown this weekend:
Midsommar Seattle – Celebration of Musik
Celebrate the longest day of the year Scandinavian-style with three days of music.
Summer Solstice Soundscapes
Gary Stroutsos will play flute music drawn from worldly influences during a casual reception with food and wine. Head to the lower garden for Native American songs and storytelling.
2019 Fremont Solstice Parade
A giant costume-filled parade hosted by the Fremont Arts Council which includes stilt-walking, nude bicycle-riding and giant-puppets.
Facts Source: What is the summer solstice? The answer might surprise you.
When Horses are Cattle: Regency Slang and Expressions
I recently saw a Facebook post in which a historical romance writer shared a “correction notice” she’d received from a reader about referring to horses at “cattle.” Since when do horses moo?!
Of course, horses don’t moo, but according to Regency expressions and vernacular collected from the works of Georgette Heyer, the term “cattle” was sometimes used when referring to horses. If you’re still skeptical, a quick check of the Merriam-Webster dictionary found this definition for cattle: domesticated quadrupeds held as property or raised for use
I can’t fault the reader for alerting the author about this potential error. This expression was common more than 200 years ago and has–obviously–fallen out of use.
Balancing the use of vernacular language is a common challenge for authors. Sprinkling patois, jargon or slang into a story is one technique writers use to infuse authenticity to characters and setting. The goal is to use just enough to draw the reader into the period, era or community without confusing and frustrating them.
Here are a few examples from my most recent Regency romantic suspense, A Holiday Code for Love, book 7 in the Code Breakers series.
“Jack, where are we going?” Abbie paused and looked up at him. Her bright eyes were the same color as her sky-blue pelisse.
The soldier/footman opened the door to Rathbourne’s study. Jack didn’t see himself discussing his personal life with his superior. As Head of Intelligence, Rathbourne wasn’t the sort of chap who you would joke with or confide in.
“Mabel and Amelia are able to handle this group of people. And think of the great gossip with you, Jack, and Sabine all missing from the ball. Society will be entertained for weeks.” Aunt Euphemia winked. “Be aware of anyone watching you, my dear. Haste is needed.”
Have you ever encountered unfamiliar slang in a Regency romance? If yes, you might enjoy this guide to Regency Cant and Expressions or the Regency Reader blog’s Regency Lingo guide.
How do you feel about authors using slang and jargon in their books?
