Some days I spend as much time doing research as I spend writing. That's right, I let my inner geek loose and try to nail down some obscure detail. I spent half a day watching videos of tire recapping factories to understand a detail that will make up part of one paragraph in a future book. It's an important detail and if not correct, will certainly be noticed by several readers.
I spent a day trolling forensic entomology websites to determine what types of insects are found with a body decaying in the trunk of a car. That was tough, because it varies by region and season. It needed to be right, and that search probably put me on an FBI watch list.
I spent half a day in Washington D.C. with the FBI tape analyst. Yes, the FBI has a scientist whose entire job is analyzing tape recovered from crime scenes. The time with her gave me background and detail that have added to several books, and taught me that the natural rubber in duct tape (the tape of choice for criminals worldwide) has chemistry as distinctive and unique as a fingerprint. Each rubber tree exudes rubber resin containing chemicals unique to its location, soil, season, and weather. My geekiness was squealing with delight over that tidbit of information.
I contacted Michele, one of the few forensic genealogists in North America, for the details on how to use the burgeoning genealogical DNA information to track down a killer. That technology was recently reported in the capture of the Golden State Killer. It's fascinating, but requires information available through limited databases. The jargon is unique to genealogists, and the way it's used for law enforcement and legal cases is as specific as the handling of DNA evidence collected from crime scenes. She suggested a book on forensic genealogy that was immensely helpful, but took a week of reading to get the detailed information that makes up four or five pages of a future book.
I spent a day doing research on UFO sightings while writing Burnt Evidence. I went to the the Mutual UFO Network website. MUFON publishes a monthly list of UFO sightings in the US and has an array of clothing and gear with their spaceship logo. (My daughter loves the MUFON t-shirt I sent as a birthday present. She says it does a wonderful job of cleaning windows.) I also consulted the US Air Force site on UFOS.
Why do all that work? The books are just fiction, right?
I read a book by a best-selling author whose main character caught and scaled a catfish for his dinner. Catfish don't have scales. I put that mistake aside and later stumbled again when he described a scene under a Sycamore tree in a geographical location where they don't grow. Some readers wouldn't continue after two glaring mistakes. Readers have confided that when they find a glaring factual error they set the book aside and move on to an author who's done his/her homework. And they don't come back.
Every author has mistakes that make it through the editorial and proofreading processes. I've never read a book without at least one or more typos, spelling errors, homonym errors (there, they're, their), or a missing quote mark. I get that. After reading a manuscript a dozen or more times I see what I meant to say, not what the words say. I rely on my editor and a crew of proofreaders to help me minimize those errors.
On the other hand, there are factual issues that require research and patience. I rely on a crew of experts to make sure I get the facts right. My sister-in-law once said I write by committee. It's not that as much as deferring to people with more expertise.. Julie, a retired R.N. reviews my medical terminology and facts. Deanna is my equine and law enforcement resource. Kinsley, a teenager, helps me create age appropriate dialogue for my teen characters. Clem teaches police firearms classes, Mike F. is a rural coroner, Fran is an archaeologist, Don retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Mike W. is a veterinarian. Brian, Natalie, and Anne all have other areas of expertise.
When I'm outside their areas of expertise, I rely on the internet or resource librarians. The information is out there. What color is a South Dakota State Trooper's uniform? What kind of cap, or hat do they wear? Those are minute details, but they lend credibility to my writing. Readers expect those details to be correct.
I was on a mystery writer's panel discussion with a woman who writes historical fiction. An audience member asked her how to start writing a historical novel. Her reply was, "Kill yourself now and save yourself the trouble of doing all the research." She went on to explain how difficult it was to make sure the language, clothing, armor, weapons, and customs are correct for a particular place and time. She threw out the example of chainmail, and how it was important to not have it show up in a novel set in a time before it was invented or after it fell out of favor. What type of chamber pot was used by King Louis XIV? Was it porcelain, pottery, or silver?
As an author, I strive get the details right. As a reader, you expect the author to do his/her homework. That said, cut the authors some slack if they occasionally mess up. A last minute change can lead to disaster when a find/replace gets out of control on the eve of a deadline.
And when that typo/mistake shows up, feel smug that you found it, but don't feel compelled to contact the author, As John Sandford said in the author comment at the end of Ocean Prey, if you find a mistake, write it down, then wad up the paper, pop it in your mouth, chew, then swallow. He doesn't want or need to know that you found an error. His final words on the topic, "Don't make me come over there."
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