Serendipity, A Friend to My Suspense Novels by Rolynn Anderson

Why do fiction authors strain to be authentic?  Seems paradoxical, doesn’t it…but true.  Made up stories laced with accuracy?  You bet.  My brother writes non-fiction books, built brick by brick with carefully researched facts, but I’ll bet I do as much research to authenticate my fiction novels as he does.  We both yearn to have our readers believe that what we say is the truth.

Archives are our bread and butter, but serendipity makes our research exciting, especially to this writer, who composes from the seat of her pants.  Heck, I never know what I’m going to write until I sit down at my computer!

Here’s an example.  I’m surprised to be writing about people caught in a forest fire, an experience I’ve gladly never suffered.  I learn from Google sources that caught in a forest fire, my characters must stay low and head downhill to water.  The thing is, I’d sent my characters to a specific local area that may or may not be a place where a forest fire might happen.   Have I written myself into a corner?  Will I have to change the setting of the whole book, requiring hours of rewriting?

So I check the local fire department records for past fires.  Two years ago, a brushfire swept the exact area I’d chosen for my nail-biting scene to take place-two years ago.  The conflagration burnt more than a thousand acres, with hundreds of firefighters, fire trucks, a helicopter and a fixed wing plane helping to put it out.  Camping grounds had to be evacuated and roads closed as the forest service controlled the fire.

Can you believe my luck? I’d already inserted a helicopter in my scene, but newspaper articles about the event gave me names of roads (I didn’t have to make up), numbers of acres burned, and other details I could use verbatim!

How I love being an author when serendipity sits with me in my desk chair.  Have you got a lucky story to tell about when your made-up facts and reality aligned in such a magical way?

Speaking of magic, my third book in the boutique funeral planner series, will come out early in 2015.  Catch up on the suspense by reading FADEOUT, the first book in the series:

FADEOUT http://amzn.com/1612173616

More on my website: http://www.rolynnanderson.com

I love research

Please welcome Autumn Jordon, an award-winning author, and Golden Heart finalist.

First, thank you Mona for hosting me on the Voices from the Heart blog today.

Like Mona, I love reading and writing romantic suspense and if you’re a fan of Mona’s, it’s a given you do too.  Awesome! We’re kindred spirits.

Want to know why I love writing romantic suspense?  Yes, because I love to read the genre, silly, but seriously, I love writing romantic suspense because of the research.  When an idea comes to me, I can’t wait to dig into a topic and find the most intriguing facts. Sometimes data or comments by industry professionals lead me to other fascinating subjects.  And sometimes, the story idea I started out to write is left by the wayside because my research has uncovered a more interesting subject.

In my new release, SEIZED BY DARKNESS, the idea came to me years ago when I walked into my local post office and saw a poster of a missing girl, age 16, tucked among the flyers for church socials and postal information. Her smiling eyes haunted me. Her innocence apparent. Being a mother and grandmother, my heart immediately went out to her parents and extended family.  I could only imagine the nightmare they’d lived since their little girl went missing.

I wondered where the child was now and did she still smile? Staring at her face, I swear I could actually feel her strength and somehow knew she was hanging on. I pray the girl survived her ordeal and was returned safely to her family.

SEIZED BY DARKNESS

I knew right then I had to write a story about a kidnapped victim and her efforts to regain her life and my muse went on its way.  Since I’d written two novels already involving the Russian Mafia, I checked my research notes and found that the Russian Mafia has indeed been charged with human trafficking crimes.  However, I was surprised to learn that the agency who is foremost involved in the investigation of this felony is the U.S. Marshals and not the FBI or CIA or HLS.

As I researched the agency, I learned about their history and about the many crimes they are the go to guys and gals for.  Fantasizing and some real disturbing stuff, I tell you. 

I had longed for a while now to try my hand at writing a series and what better platform to use then the U.S. Marshals.  They’re honorable, loyal, intelligent, strong, etc., etc., and their site had some pictures of really hot alpha male types, which for a romance novelist is gold.  Anyway, I brainstormed and three plots involving US Marshals acting in undercover situations came to me within seconds.  I couldn’t flesh the ideas out fast enough while writing synopsis.

SEIZED BY DARKNESS, the first of my new series know as C.U.F.F. (Central Undercover Felony Force), is now available on Amazon and B&N in digital download.  A paperback version will be available very soon.  I hope you’ll follow the links and read more about the story and enjoy the sample.  I’m working hard on the second in the series and hope to have it available early 2013.  

My bulletin board is now covered with pictures of the whole C.U.F.F. team and their love interests and the stories villains of course.  I fell in love with the members I’d used in Seized By Darkness and again with the characters I’m developing in my next story. They watch each other’s backs. They share priorities and loyalties— country and family first. They argue, laugh and cry together. It’s a really family affair, the C.U.F.F. team, and I hope you’ll fall in love with them too. 

 Autumn Jordon can be found at her website.
Her book SIZED BY DARKNESS is available at Amazon . "You are on a rollercoaster of a ride from the opening scene to the last."~Cindi O