NEW RELEASES
A Nifty Side Effect
One of the things I enjoy the most about writing is the research. I know that I’ve mentioned this before in previous posts. I really love the research. I have a ton of reference books in my own private library, but the Internet is a real boon too. I know that much of what you find on the net is not official but, still, the wealth of knowledge to be found is immense. Currently, my setting of choice is historical so I am discovering all kinds of fascinating fact of days gone by. My latest project is a pirate tale. As I write this I have learned all about ships – something to this point I knew very little about. I’ve learned all about Nassau and Jamaica, New Providence and Port Royal. I’m getting refreshers on geography as well as ancient maritime law.
If this whole author gig doesn’t work out I’m ready for Jeopardy.
I love to do research, too. Sadly, I once spent years doing research for a book, then I never finished writing the darned book. I sure learned a lot about the ancient Celts and other cultures from the era of my focus, though.
Really, I think we missed our calling as reference librarians–the kind from the old days when everyone and their brother didn’t have access to the internet. I remember when, if you wanted to find out a piece of information or settle an argument, you had to call a librarian (during library hours, of course), then wait hours, or days, for them to call you back. Now we can learn anything we want to know in mere minutes, and it’s available 24/7/365. What a revolution!