The quest for knowledge

One of the fun parts about writing is learning knew things, or relearning old things. I get to go new places, meet new people and talk to them about their jobs, or their hobbies, or the things that excite them - which is... exciting!

Writing inspires our natural curiosity. What's it like to live in someone else's shoes? 

Take, for instance, my EPITAPH series. It started with a vision of a woman walking in a cemetery. For fun. So when Bluff City Cemetery hosted a cemetery walk, away I went, and I learned about all the different types of grave markers and monuments. I also enjoyed a beautiful day outside, walking a park-like cemetery. Later, as I was developing the story, I walked into a monument shop across the street from the cemetery and learned about making headstones, a process most of us take for granted. We order, they make it, enough said. I really enjoyed seeing behind the scenes, and it made my stories richer.

Let's not forget COOKIE THERAPY. Interviewing firemen? What's not to like? Not to mention it was the perfect excuse to call an old neighbor and catch up. And interviewing an indie bookshop owner? That was a fun one to write.

Some stories are helped along by friendships. I talked to one of my friends while I was thrashing around for an occupation for Kathleen McCormick, and it occurred to me she could be THE ARCHITECT--like my friend. Sarah assured me architects are boring (many of us find our day jobs boring), but the more I poked her for job details, the more she started seeing it from an outside point of view and remembering why maybe it isn't always so boring. 

My most recent "job interview" was with the owner of a ceramics shop. When I'd chosen that idea for my latest heroine, I was worried it might be a thing of the past--making your own ceramics--and was happy to find they still have ceramics studios around for people to go and explore their creative side. Years ago, I spent evenings with my sister cleaning greenware and painting bisqueware that turned into my kitchen soap dispenser, or Christmas decorations, or an Easter candy dish... well, you get the idea. So off I went to talk to Johanna. I wish I'd recorded our interview for a podcast! We had a great conversation, and I got all the details I didn't know or had forgotten that I'll need for the story (Thank you, Johanna.)

"Those who read live many lives," and I'm here to tell you those of us who write are honored to share those lives with you, even if it's only for a few hours.