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Wednesday, September 19, 2007


Research.

Damn, I love research. Especially the type you have to do for a Suspense Novel.

Here are a few of my recent research projects:Jumbotron Explosion.

In my second novel, I have a scene where I plan to drop the giant hanging scoreboard during the National Anthem at a hockey game. Being an engineer, I wanted to get the details right. I tried researching the particular arena on-line, but I couldn't get the fine details about the video control room or how the scoreboard was attached to the ceiling. So, I took the next step. I incorporated a research trip into the opening day practice for the St. Louis Blues and Scottrade Center.

It turns out that the new scoreboard is made by the same company as the one in the arena I plan to blow up in my novel. So, at the risk of being arrested for planning a terrorism attack, I approached a young man that was working on a charity event for the Blues, called "You Make the Call." Guests could pay $10 to act as a play-by-play announcer for a clip of a classic Blues telecast. The young man worked in the video booth and was familiar with the system for the Blues and the St. Louis Rams, which was perfect.

After I introduced myself and described what I was doing, he gave me all the information I needed (and more). He even suggested a way to splice into the video feed to display a message on the board moments before the explosion. I then went out into the seating area and took pictures of the catwalks and pulley system used to suspend the big scoreboard. I could see the video booth from the seating area and got some good pictures of it. I noticed details about the catwalk and how it ran right by the American and Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling.

In my original draft, I had it close, but not quite accurate and I left out little details that would bring the scene alive. I ran home and started editing.

Handguns

My protagonist, Laura Daniels is an FBI agent. At the suggestion of a female law enforcement officer, I chose a Sig Saur P229 Semi-automatic 40 caliber handgun for her. In my writing, I include details to try to bring out realism. I read all about the gun. I knew its features. But I didn't know how it felt, how it shot, how accurate it was. I only fired a handgun once and that was a long, long time ago.

I took a trip to Top Gun firing range in Imperial, Missouri to find out what I was missing. The experience was awesome. I talked to the owner and told him why I was there and what I wanted to know. He set me up on a lane, with a 40 caliber Beretta that was similar in firing characteristics to the Sig P229. It was a Double Action/Single Action with a de-cocking mechanism and no safety lever; same as the Sig. At 25 feet, I was surprised by the accuracy. I got a chance to feel the heft of the gun and the recoil. I smelled the gunpowder, felt the concussion, and experienced the rush of aiming a lethal weapon at a target.

I also used a Glock and a Smith and Wesson. They all had different features and different feels. After a hundred rounds of ammo, my arms were tired and I spent an hour chatting with two of the workers there. They were both retired law enforcement officers and had a wealth of information. The owner pulled a new Sig P229 off the shelf and showed me the details about its features and let me handle it. I was pumped to go back and tweak my novel.

In school, I hated research. Now I love it.