Do Love my Dulu-Dulu! by Reb MacRath
The experts like to tell us to shovel research by the ton...then add a teaspoon to our work. Authenticity and seasoning.
And there's something to be said for that. Failure to keep the old adage in mind results in bloated epics with chapters devoted to ancient Roman plumbing, the story itself getting lost on the way. Purists might even add that the teaspoon of research that is used be stamped 100% Organic. That is, the author must not pre-decide to add a particular bit.
Well, three cheers for the Purists. Even with my love of ancient Rome, I'm less likely to finish a history by Colleen McCullough than a Sub Rosa mystery by Steven Saylor. I feel crushed in the former but alive, in the second, on the streets of Rome.
And yet I'm here to tell you: I find it impossible, sometimes, to write or eat 100% Organically. My new Boss MacTavin mystery, Seattle Red, led me into the world of alternative weapons. For, in one of the most dangerous cities on earth, Boss is forbidden to 'carry'. No gun. Worse, he may be jailed if found with anything seen as a weapon.
I found myself on a long, merry chase for alternative weapons that Boss might carry--and a good way for him to transport them. The search wasn't cheap, I can tell you. But I felt I needed to test anything used in the book. (Test on a dummy, of course, not a thug.)
For $400 I found the ideal jacket, loaded with 30-odd pockets, most of them artfully hidden. The weapon/not-weapon search, though, wore me out. And my mailbox was soon flooded with mysterious plain boxes that raised the postman's eyes. I'll reveal a good number of these in the novel itself, coming your way the first week in March. Let me share just two for now: one revealing the Purist within me...and one showing a grinning horned devil.
Let us begin with the Purist. The Impact Kerambit Travel Wrench is 100% Organic, brought into the tale because it is AW (alternative weapon) perfection.
As you can see, it's clearly labeled as a travel wrench and has four clearly sized holes. Airport security would have no trouble with it if it's neatly stowed in your bag. But if you slip your index finger through the oversized ring at the top and rest your pinkie at the base of the L, you have plastic brass knuckles also good for chopping.
No question, then, of my not using this--or a half-dozen other AWs. But the devil did come into play with one rattling box I was brought. My 6" Dulu-Dulu had arrived.
Oh, wow. And wow again. How could I not give my main man a Dulu-Dulu in this book? By the rules of the book, he'll be jailed if it's found. Worse, it's not really 100% Organic. Rather, the Dulu-Dulu proved beyond me to resist. The devil whispered. And I answered, 'Yeah!'
So sue me if you really must. Better yet, though, buy the book and learn what a Dulu-Dulu can do in Boss's hands.
This is my report.
And there's something to be said for that. Failure to keep the old adage in mind results in bloated epics with chapters devoted to ancient Roman plumbing, the story itself getting lost on the way. Purists might even add that the teaspoon of research that is used be stamped 100% Organic. That is, the author must not pre-decide to add a particular bit.
Well, three cheers for the Purists. Even with my love of ancient Rome, I'm less likely to finish a history by Colleen McCullough than a Sub Rosa mystery by Steven Saylor. I feel crushed in the former but alive, in the second, on the streets of Rome.
And yet I'm here to tell you: I find it impossible, sometimes, to write or eat 100% Organically. My new Boss MacTavin mystery, Seattle Red, led me into the world of alternative weapons. For, in one of the most dangerous cities on earth, Boss is forbidden to 'carry'. No gun. Worse, he may be jailed if found with anything seen as a weapon.
I found myself on a long, merry chase for alternative weapons that Boss might carry--and a good way for him to transport them. The search wasn't cheap, I can tell you. But I felt I needed to test anything used in the book. (Test on a dummy, of course, not a thug.)
For $400 I found the ideal jacket, loaded with 30-odd pockets, most of them artfully hidden. The weapon/not-weapon search, though, wore me out. And my mailbox was soon flooded with mysterious plain boxes that raised the postman's eyes. I'll reveal a good number of these in the novel itself, coming your way the first week in March. Let me share just two for now: one revealing the Purist within me...and one showing a grinning horned devil.
Let us begin with the Purist. The Impact Kerambit Travel Wrench is 100% Organic, brought into the tale because it is AW (alternative weapon) perfection.
No question, then, of my not using this--or a half-dozen other AWs. But the devil did come into play with one rattling box I was brought. My 6" Dulu-Dulu had arrived.
So sue me if you really must. Better yet, though, buy the book and learn what a Dulu-Dulu can do in Boss's hands.
This is my report.
Comments
Jan, this is why I will always travel by train when I can. I have two tactical pens, one of which should be okay: very solid, very sleek, but not obviously a weapon. The other I wouldn't try: it looks dangerous and bears the Smith and Wesson logo. Next time I fly, I'll try my luck with the travel wrench...but will order a second one beforehand in case the first is taken.
Bill, in my defense I'll remind the court of the Clive Owen movie in which he stabs bad guys in the eye or head with one of the giant carrots he's forever munching.
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