Do you really know all of that, or are you just making stuff up?

 Yes, that was a question from a young guy who stopped by my table at a local book fair. He'd read the blurb while I was talking to someone else, then waited politely until I was free. He waved the book at me and commented about how much detail seemed to be in the book.

I explained that I'd gone to Kentucky on a research trip, had toured several distilleries, visited a cooperage where they made the charred white oak barrels, and had spoken to numerous experts about the nuances of making bourbon. 

"But this is fiction!" he replied.

"Yes, the plot and characters are fictional, but the location, Lincoln's Birthplace National Monument was very real and people who read the book and have gone to the park will know what it looks like. If my description isn't correct, someone will gladly point that error out to me." The same goes for the bourbon making and flavors in the finished bourbon. I did a lot of research on bourbon flavors, right down to understanding the chemicals that create good and bad flavors, and how the distilleries manage their processes to maximize the good and minimize the bad.

The young man had a hard time getting his head around all of that. "You do THAT MUCH research to write a book of 'made up' stuff?"

I said that I did, then he gestured to the piles of thirty-eight different titles arranged on the table in front of me. "You did that much research on each of these?" I assured him I had, then showed him the acknowledgement where I cited assistance from a gun expert, a law enforcement expert, a horse expert, to an archaeologist, and even a rural coroner, all of them helping me get the details correct.

The guy asked me to sign a book for him, and he handed me cash to cover the purchase and sales tax. Before he left, he commented that he felt better about handing me twenty bucks knowing how hard I'd worked on the book.

As he left, I thought to myself Outlining a plot, writing 80,000 words, rewriting, proofreading, and doing the final prep for publishing wasn't enough "work" to justify his purchase. However, knowing I'd traveled to the location, spoken with experts, and researched the details of making bourbon was sufficient 

Either way, I hope the story and detailed research are enough to entice you to check out a copy of A Bourbon to Die For. Check it out at my publisher's website or on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore.

https://www.bookswelove.com/shop/p/a-bourbon-to-die-for