Blog Tour: Blood Loss - A guest Post by the author, Kerena Swan
Absolutely thrilled to be hosting an post by Kerena Swan on the importance of research when writing fiction. Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Hobeck Books for inviting me to participate in the Blood Loss Blog Tour.
The Fact of the Matter – The importance of research
otherwise experience. On this journey, I especially like to learn about places I’ve never visited, careers, police procedures, and, most of all, realistic human behaviour and need to trust the author to tell me the truth and get their facts straight.
As a writer
I spend a lot of time researching all sorts of random details for my books and
will home in on minute details to ensure accuracy. I don’t necessarily include
everything I learn in the story, because that would be boring, but once I have
a good understanding of the subject I can write with confidence.
As an
example, in Here She Lies I included a scene with police dogs so went
onto the internet and read all about a day in the life of a dog handler, and
twitter feeds about police dogs in Perth, Scotland. I love the fact that they
are called PD Bruno or T/PD Shark (T/PD stands for trainee police dog) so even
get their own official rank and title. The tweets are humorous with hashtags
such as #TheNoseKnows and #OneForTheJail. Someone asked, ‘Can you touch a
police dog? And the reply was, ‘You can, but you have to ask. Because
they are trained from birth to obey said officer. Also, they're technically
cops, so it’s inappropriate to scratch a cop on the head.’ Priceless.
When Sarah
in Blood Loss researches her family online I had to made sure the websites
described actually exist and that the information is there to be found. I went
onto websites to look at bar cocktail menus, elephant sanctuaries and whether
courier services carried cash.
As well as
researching subjects thoroughly, I also visit Google Maps and drop the little
yellow man onto the streets and lanes so that I can ‘drive’ around and study
the area. I scan the towns and countryside and I’ve even chosen buildings to
describe in my story to add authenticity.
The internet
alone is not enough for me, so I attend numerous short courses and read books
on the craft of writing. I recently spent a whole weekend – and it really was a
whole weekend, from 6pm Friday to 10pm Sunday – on an online Crime Scene
Investigation course with Graham Bartlett. The guest speakers were a crime
scene forensics officer and a behaviour analyst along with well-known authors
describing their approaches to writing.
I spend a
lot of time reading and am accruing a collection of interesting non-fiction books
- Blood Spatters, Deadly Doses Guide to Poisons and the Emotional Thesaurus to
name a few. I watch The Real CSI, documentaries on drug dealing, popular
detective dramas and real-life investigations as they all equip me with useful
knowledge and feed my imagination.
My thirty-eight
years in the field of social work and disabilities gives me a strong foundation
of training, experience, and anecdotes to build my plots and characters upon. It
has also enhanced my ability to see the world through other people’s eyes and find
the positives in their personalities. I aim to create characters with many
facets to their nature and am thrilled when reviewers write comments such as:
·
Clearly
the author did a lot of research and the characters had real depth.
·
Hauntingly
accurate and heart-rending
·
Another
well-written and carefully researched book
·
This is so well-researched and authentic you really feel for
the characters
·
All social
workers should read this book. The content is accurate and well-researched.
As well as drawing on my own professional experiences I seek
the advice of Graham Bartlett, a retired police commissioner, to ensure all
police procedures are factual and correct. When I finish a book I feel able to
say to my readers – ‘Trust me, I’m a writer who won’t let you down.’
Blood Loss Blurb
Sarah
With one eye on the rear view mirror and the other
on the road ahead, Sarah is
desperate to get as far away from the remote
Scottish cabin as she can without attracting attention. But being inconspicuous
isn’t easy with a black eye and clothes soaked in blood…
… and now the fuel tank is empty.
DI Paton
When a body is discovered in a remote cabin in
Scotland, DI Paton feels a pang of guilt as he wonders if this is the career
break he has been waiting for. But the victim is unidentifiable and the killer
has left few clues.
Jenna
With the death of her father and her mother’s
failing health, Jenna accepts her future plans must change but nothing can
prepare her for the trauma yet to come.
Fleeing south to rebuild her life Sarah uncovers
long-hidden family secrets. Determined to get back what she believes is
rightfully hers, Sarah thinks her future looks brighter. But Paton is still
pursuing her…
… and he’s getting closer.
Kerena Swan’s brilliant novel explores how honest mistakes and
human frailty can have terrifying and long-reaching consequences. It’s a tale
of family ties and loyalty, revenge and redemption that you won’t want to put
down.
Purchase Links
US - https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Loss-Paton-Investigates-Book-ebook/dp/B08ZLPV615/
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Loss-Paton-Investigates-Book-ebook/dp/B08ZLPV615/
About Kerena Swan
Social Media Links
Website: https://kerenaswan.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @kerenaswan
Facebook :
@kerenaswan · Author
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment. It will now be placed in a moderation queue for approval.