Authors Electric

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 forb...