Our own Karin Tabke gave me wonderful advice several years ago regarding research.

Less is more.

I’m not a cop. I’m not a doctor. I’m not a teacher or a nurse or a bartender or a scientist or a killer. I rely on reading, interviews, and “field trips” for my information.

Reading comes first: I have more than four dozen forensic and crime research books. I’ve been reading true crime novels since reading IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote when I was 13. On my desk now is BOOK OF POISONS, a Writer’s Digest tome that I’ve used many times, and need for my current WIP.

But reading doesn’t always work.

For example, in SEE NO EVIL, I had a throwaway line about Valium. I don’t use Valium, and I looked at an old Vicodin prescription from my C-Section. I used those numbers, not realizing that the larger number related to the Tylenol content and the smaller number to the Vicodin. And, Vicodin is not Valium. A nurse emailed me highlighting my error. Had I not mentioned a dosage, I would have been fine.

Less is more.

Interviews are also an important part of research. While I spend more time using my books and vetted websites for the majority of my information, interviews provide me with more than just facts.

I use two types of interviews – emails and personal. Emails to friends who are experts in their field, like fellow writers CJ Lyons and Dr. DP Lyle, are extremely valuable. Writers understand writers. I can give them the set-up and what I need to have happen, and they help me with the details. Or, better, if I’m stuck—if I have this great crime by haven’t been able to put it quite together—I can explain what’s going on and we can brainstorm. I also will call professionals I don’t know—such as when I was researching Above Reproach, my GUNS AND ROSES short story, I called the public information officer for Sacramento P.D. to find out how the sex crimes unit was structured. (I learned then that there were only six detectives assigned to sex crimes in the city of Sacramento.) Brainstorming with a writer who is also an expert in their field is one of my favorite research venues. And I never discount writers on my loops like the Kiss of Death chapter or the gals here at Murder She Writes–I can always find answers to the most esoteric questions.

Personal interviews are also valuable because conversations are proactive. I can ask follow-up questions, we build a rapport, and I get the added benefit of body language.

While I love reading and talking, field trips are the most fun. I’ve been to the morgue, I’ve participated as a role player in SWAT training, and I’ve toured Folsom Prison, among many others. On Monday, I was at the FBI Academy at Quantico.

I’ve toured Quantico as part of my FBI Citizen’s Academy group, but this tour had several bonuses. I was able to go places that larger groups couldn’t—such as the BSU unit in the basement. I had the undivided attention of the Media Representative, Kurt Crawford, who answered all my questions. I met others—like the SSA in charge of physical training and defensive tactics who became an invaluable resource for STALKED, Lucy Kincaid #5, which takes place largely at the FBI Academy.

I probably didn’t have to go back and visit, but since I’m a very visual person, having the place fresh in my mind, and going places I haven’t gone before, helps me immensely. I can better picture my characters and the setting. In fact, while I’d been averaging only 1,000 words a day before my trip, I’ve written 2,000 a day this week. If nothing else, the on-site research got my muse working harder!

But with all this research—which is a lot of fun in what can sometimes be a very solitary job—I never forget what Karin taught me.

Less is more.

Most of the information I learned will never find its way into a book. In fact, probably less than 1% actually gets on the page. But feelings, atmosphere, and necessary details will find their way in print, and I hope the story is better for it.

When I participate in SWAT training or tours, I feel like I’m almost in another career. I learn so much in such a short period of time, I can almost picture myself as a cop or FBI agent or forensic pathologist. A little known bit of trivia about me? When I was in seventh grade, I said I wanted to be a forensic pathologist when I grew up. That I’ve spent a couple days at the morgue was a genuine thrill. It was a job I could have done, and because I had an interest so long ago, I absorbed a lot more than I expected. Even more important for me is staging–while I like movies to help visualize action scenes and television shows for blocking, being part of the action during role playing or observing prisoners or cops helps even more. I can’t really quantify the value–I sort of absorb what I’m seeing and use what I’ve learned to craft my own stories.

Being a writer is hugely rewarding, but I also get to live vicariously through my characters. I can be a new agent going through the FBI Academy. I can be a seasoned detective investigating a murder. And I can be a forensic pathologist finding the cause of death. At least for a few months.

If you could shadow someone in any career for a week, what would it be?

On Tuesday, I got an email that many writer’s dread.

The copy department wants a synopsis.

This is particularly dire when you, the author, DID actually send in a (very) brief synopsis weeks ago. They want more.

This doesn’t surprise me because I only sent them one long paragraph that I wrote as if it were back cover copy, with a few more details. I know there are formulas that people use, and I can write a log line, and I can put together the premise and backstory very easily, but I have no idea until I’m in my character’s shoes what they are actually going to do.

From this synopsis the copy department will be writing the back cover copy. And while the author (usually) gets to review and edit the cover copy, if there are errors of story they sometimes end up being released. Sure, they’ll be fixed for print, but it can take weeks to have the correct cover copy replicate to all the online sites. Sometimes they never do. Some on-line e-tailers have the never approved, mistakening released cover for KILLING FEAR … or the original cover for THE PREY that was pulled six months before release date because booksellers wanted more movement on the cover.

While the cover issues weren’t really anyone’s fault–the covers needed to be changed for a variety of reasons–back cover copy seems to stay longer in cyberspace and is harder to change. Don’t ask me why!

So I REALLY need to get my synopsis in order because I only have a few dozen very rough pages for STALKED that I know aren’t going to make it past the next two weeks. The deeper I get into the story, the more I realize the opening is all wrong.

I put that aside to work on the synopsis and thinking about where the story was going, or rather, where I THINK the story is going.

To be honest, my rough drafts and my final drafts have little to no resemblance.

In the first draft of THE PREY–the one that Ballantine bought and my editor gave me notes on–FBI Agent Quinn Peterson dies in an explosion near the end of the book. After reading the notes, I resurrected him. Good thing, because he ended up being the hero of THE HUNT. And while the first 300 pages didn’t drastically change in that first book, the last 150 pages were totally rewritten. The ending was completely different.

SILENCED will be my 18th book. Instead of the ending changing–that, more or less, stayed the same–the first half of the book was drastically rewritten. The premise changed (somewhat.) In my editorial letter, my editor wisely pointed out that the story started in the wrong place. I kept referring back to a pivotal event that had happened one week before. Why not write that scene?

I did. It’s now chapter two.

That’s why I was terrified about writing the synopsis for STALKED. I know my first 100 pages are going to be rewritten. They may even be completely deleted. I’ve rewritten the openings of all my books multiple times, both in my drafts and after editorial notes. (I’m sure there’s some deep psychological reason for this, but for me, the first act is just damn hard to write. It takes me twice as long to write the first 150 pages as it does to write the last 300.)

But I wrote the expanded synopsis. It went from roughly 250 words to 1300. And when I got to the end, I realized that I had a little problem. While I didn’t know how the story unfolded, I THOUGHT I knew who the killer was.

I don’t. As I thought about the killer as I envisioned him, I “tracked” him down as Lucy would. And I realized … he’s innocent. Yes, the murder has everything–and nothing–to do with him, but he’s not a killer.

In the synopsis, I wrote:

Lucy pulls the files of the people she thinks are most likely to have a connection to this case, and the answer is immediately clear.

I really, really hope that when (if) this scene actually happens, that the answer is clear to Lucy, because I have no effing idea.

The synopsis for STALKED is truly dreadful. But one good thing came out of writing it: excitement. I’m truly excited to find out what happens after Lucy finds the dead body of her favorite instructor at Quantico.

I just ordered a case of LOVE ME TO DEATH to give away at an event. But I’m going to give away FIVE copies here. BETTER, I’m going to let YOU give the copies away. If you comment and win, you get to choose any book from my backlist for YOU, and I’ll also send a friend a copy of Lucy’s first book, LOVE ME TO DEATH–signed, giving you credit for the gift. AND if more than 100 people comment, I’ll give away TEN packages. (Yes, you can see that I’m being very competitive with Rocki and Lori who always get over 100 comments, so just once I’d love to beat them. Hahahaha.)

So let me ask you a question: which is more important, the cover or cover copy? Can you see why I begged to have the KILLING FEAR cover tweaked?

SILENCED is now up for pre-order! Visit my website for all the links, cover copy, and an excerpt.

I don’t have a smoking hot excerpt like Lori (CHASING EIGHT–wow. Just wow.) And Sylvia and Rocki took care of the conference advice. But I do have a giveaway today!

I’ll be off-line until this evening because I’ve been taken hostage … in an FBI SWAT training program. It’s a tough job but someone … hell, no. It’s not a tough job. Even though it’s going to be ninety-some degrees and I’ll be in a warehouse without A/C, it’s FUN and exciting and part of my job. So don’t be surprised if sometime I write about a hostage situation … If you want to read more about my research philosophy, you can check out my Field Trip! blog over at Murderati.

I’ve been interested in hostage situations ever since I participated in my first FBI training session and one of the scenarios involved an active shooter situation. We’ve all seen the set-ups in the movies and television, but when role playing–even though not real–it feels much more immediate. I asked some of the trainees–mostly local PD SWAT teams coming in for advanced training, of which role playing is only one part–if they found value acting out different situations. Hands down, they said yes. They go into these situations not know exactly what to expect; they are being evaluated, and after the fact walk through for analysis, which is extremely valuable–not only for them, but for me as a writer listening to why they did what they did, and the critique–both pro and con–from the trainers.

But in the half dozen or so scenarios I’ve participated in, I haven’t been a hostage … until today. So I’ll return tonight and answer your questions, if any. For now … I’m giving away FIVE copies of a special promotional printing of my digital novella, LOVE IS MURDER. This is a stand-alone Lucy Kincaid mystery. I printed a limited number of copies to distribute at RWA and Thrillerfest, but I’ve pulled aside a few for MSW readers. All you have to do is either ask me a question, or answer this question: what’s your favorite movie so far this year … or what movie are you most looking forward to?

I’ll answer that too! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. Definitely worth seeing. I took my boys and while it was a bit scary for my 7 year old, he still liked it … my 10 year old LOVED it. Last night I saw SUPER 8 with my daughter, and it was also good–a little predictable, and I really don’t like movies were all the military guys are bad and keeping secrets from the citizens, but it worked better here than in other movies (cough *AVATAR* yuck cough.) I plan on seeing CARS 2 with the kids this weekend, before I leave for NYC, but the movie I’m really looking forward to later this summer is COWBOYS VS ALIENS. Until I saw the preview I was thinking ugh, but after seeing the trailer last night? It’s on the must see list. Daniel Craig. Need I say more?

Ask or answer, and five commenters will get an exclusive print version of LOVE IS MURDER, which includes an exclusive excerpt from the third Lucy Kincaid book IF I SHOULD DIE (11.22.11.)

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU . . . DEAD

After a tough breakup with her boyfriend, Lucy Kincaid needs a different kind of break. So she heads west to join her brother, an ex-cop, for a long weekend of skiing in the mountains. At a picturesque lodge tucked high in the Sierra Nevada, Lucy finds just what she’s looking for: a peaceful retreat undisturbed by Internet, television, and cell phone distractions. She also finds an unexpected group of newlyweds seeking their own idyllic getaway.

But finding one of her fellow guests dead wasn’t in the brochure. And neither was the overnight snowstorm that leaves the lodge cut off from the outside world. When Lucy’s brother suspects the honeymooner’s death was foul play, he’s mysteriously stricken ill. Now, to keep him and herself alive, it’s up to aspiring FBI agent Lucy Kincaid to figure out which of the lovebirds trapped in the lodge is really a bird of prey.

Please welcome my friend Misa Ramirez. For a short time, we were in the same critique group here in Sacramento. We have a lot in common! Five kids, lived in Elk Grove (she moved to Texas!), and a love of writing. I was very lucky to read her debut novel, LIVING THE VIDA LOLA, a terrific mystery and fun romantic mystery set in Sacramento. It was also the book she was working on while in our crit group! How fun is that? Please welcome Misa!

I’m a minimal plotter. I get a nugget of an idea and run with it, seeing where it takes me and my story.

This is true whether I’m writing my Lola Cruz Mysteries, my new Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, or my romantic suspenses (A Deadly Curse, available now, or A Deadly Sacrifice, coming in May). My ideas usually stem from something I’ve read, heard about , or have in my memory banks. From there, it develops, often requiring research to flesh it out.

This was especially true when it came to writing A Deadly Curse. It’s based on the legend of la Llorona. As an aside, I’d written this book in its current form, but because of my other mysteries, I thought about restructuring it to be more of a mystery with a little quirk. I discussed it with Alex Sokoloff when we were at a retreat in South Carolina, and boy, oh boy, she did not like the light treatment of the legend of la Llorona! I remember feeling like I’d been scolded for not taking a legend seriously, when in fact I had already taken it very seriously and written about it. But she was right, ad I went back to the original book, tightening it and making it even darker, respecting the legend(s) and all they represent. It was definitely the right decision. Gracias, Alex, for sending me back to my original manuscript!

Back to La Llorona. My husband, Carlos, grew up hearing the story. His parents, tias, and tios, and every other adult around, would tell the kids the story. Their purpose? To frighten them enough so they wouldn’t wander off alone. La Llorona was the Mexican boogyman.

I first learned about the legend of the crying woman after I met Carlos (we’ve now been married 20 years and have five children, so la Llorona has been part of my consciousness for a long time). We’d go camping with his brothers and sisters and their spouses, sit around the campfire, and invariably, the stories would begin. Before long, a low, haunting sound would float through the air. La Llorona. It was as if the ghost was right there, her wails coming from the banks of the river through the trees.

It didn’t take long to figure out that it was my husband making the haunting sounds, but the legend itself was spooky and stayed with me from the first time I heard the story. A woman kills her children by drowning them in the river. After she realizes what she’s done, she drowns herself. Legend has it that the woman has been haunting riverbanks ever since, looking for her children. Kids are warned to stay away from the rivers so la Llorona doesn’t steel them, thinking they are hers.

Creepy.

Yet fascinating.

When I began plotting A Deadly Curse, I needed to learn more about la Llorona. Why did she drown her children? That, I figured, would inspire my plot. Little did I know that the legend of la Llorona was far more complex than I’d ever imagined.

What I learned was that there are actually four different stories behind the legend. My husband’s family knew only one of them. Everyone I’ve talked to since then has only known one, or possibly two different versions. No one has known all four of the stories.

The woman in each story was called something different:

La Ramera (the harlot)

La Bruja (the witch)

La Virgin (the virgin)

La Sirena (the siren)

Needless to say, learning about the four different stories set my plot in a new direction. The knowledge created new opportunities and obstacles for my characters, and I couldn’t have done a better job if I’d painstakingly plotted. Research opens doors for me, taking my stories in fascinating directions I couldn’t have created if I’d tried. The uncertainty and reveals during the process makes writing that much more interesting, albeit nerve-wracking, for me. I always have a roadmap, so I know where I’m going to end up, but f I don’t always know the exact route I’ll take to get there. And if I don’t know exactly where the story is going, I can’t leave an subconscious trail of breadcrumbs for the reader.

In my opinion, a great book is most often the result of clever and tight plotting, combined with discoveries made by the author during his/her writing process.

As readers, do you find some books to have too clear a path to follow and does that spoil the read? Conversely, do you find that some books ramble, going in too many directions, leaving you wondering if there was a roadmap at all?

Misa Ramirez, who also writes under the pseudonym Melissa Bourbon, can be found online at:

Stripping down characters on The Naked Hero, giving away free books at Books on the House writing about Killer Characters, and contributing to The Writer’s Guide to ePublishing.

She’s on Facebook and Twitter

She’s the marketing director for Entangled Publishing, teaches creative writing at Southern Methodist University-Cape, and teaches online with Savvy Authors.

A Deadly Curse at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

On Tuesday, I spent the day with several SWAT teams as they went through medic training with the FBI.

SWAT–Special Weapons and Tactics- operatives specialize in hostage situations, high-risk warrant service operations, search-and-rescue operations, covert and undercover tactical operations and crowd control. Team members must complete advanced training and, while it is different from department to department, it’s rigorous and they must re-qualify continually. In the FBI, SWAT members must qualify monthly at the gun range, for example. But it’s not only firearms training–the physical training is just as demanding.

SWAT teams know how to be cops–they can take out the bad guys and secure a scene–but what about the victims? Until the paramedics arrive, SWAT is in charge–after they neutralize the danger, they need to assess injuries, give first aid, and maintain control. The victims are their patients. These guys already have experience with advanced first aid. Many are former military, and all have extensive experience–as Toni can explain better than I, to make a SWAT team requires not only a wide-range of abilities, but being the BEST at it. You can’t just make the SWAT team and coast–you are constantly tested and need to re-qualify every month.

This was the third role playing day I’ve done with the FBI, and the second that focused on triage. There were six stations the teams rotated through, including a hostage situation, a domestic situation, traffic stop gone bad, and an active shooter in a school environment. However, this time trauma surgeons and paramedics volunteered their time and expertise–at their own expense–traveling from as far as Virginia and San Diego because they are so passionate about their job and believe fully in these types of training programs.

The training sessions, which are put on by the FBI and offered to local law enforcement throughout the area, are multi-day events. On Monday, the SWAT teams–some which traveled over 150 miles to participate–took classes from the medical personnel. And on Tuesday, they put what they learned to the test.

They all know it’s not real, but a team of UC Davis trauma nurses came out to make it as real as possible, with “moulage.” Moulage is the art of applying mock injuries in training ERT’s and other medical or military personnel. Moulage is applying pre-made rubber or latex “wounds” and often uses makeup for realism (such as blood, open fractures, gunshot wounds, etc.)

The injuries could be minor:

Or life-threatening:

Heather above had a deep stab wound in her thigh. The medic set her up with an IV of blood attached to the rubber wound so that she could make it bleed when the SWAT team arrived. It was kind of cool Her wound was used to teach a technique about packing with a tourniquet would be difficult or impossible to place–packing gauze deep into a gaping wound to cover as much surface area as possible to help with the clotting process.

Some of the wounds looked incredibly realistic. Such as Tom’s blunt force trauma:

or this re-barb injury:

or Stan’s gunshot wound:

or my own “injury” — a protruding bone that I got from running and falling down the stairs when the shooting started.

In my scenario, there were two shooters in a school or workplace situation. SWAT came in, neutralized the suspects quickly, then tended to the victims while waiting for the helicopter and EMTs to arrive. The purpose is to, essentially, secure the scene and triage the victims–assess their injuries, perform emergency first aid (i.e. applying tourniquets, giving CPR, etc.) and prioritize for transport. Easy? Not really. As role players, we acted like victims. Once we were on–and there was simulated gun fire using paint pellets with a primer so it sounds close to a real gun–your heart races. The SWAT team comes through–and each team does it differently–to secure the site and take out the shooters. In a real situation, they’d have people running at them, or reaching for them to help, or calling over to them. There are screams and cries and they don’t know who the shooter is, often where he is, if there is a partner, how many–they have to go in assuming that everyone is a suspect. We’re not supposed to make it easy for them, because in the real world they’re going to encounter a wide variety of victims. Screaming. Hysterical. Crying. Helpful. Calm. Shock.

They need to ignore the victims while they take care of the shooters, secure the building, then tend to the victims. One thing the paramedic in my scenario suggested (and praised) was bring the victims together to share limited supplies, keep them in sight, and make them easier to treat and transport. Another point driven home: SWAT was in charge of the victims, not just the crime scene, until medical help arrived. They needed to treat us victims, talk to us, calm us down. Some of the teams were better than the others at small talk. Others were straight business.

For my part, I had a non-life threatening but extremely painful broken leg with a protruding bone. And it was bleeding pretty darn good as well. I screamed when the gunfire started, then cried, sobbing, and depending on my mood during that drill, I would either beg for someone to help me or demand to know what happened to my friend Heather (the stabbing victim.) Kathy was part of the “walking wounded” — scrapped knees and a gunshot to the arm. She was great that when she saw the SWAT guys she’d stagger over to them. I could totally see that happening in real life. (I mean, if there WAS a shooter, I would definitely want to be as close to the cops as possible! Or I’d hide. )

We’re supposed to stay in role until the instructor calls for the team to come together. One SWAT team–which was tactically the most aggressive–quickly assessed everyone, applied the tourniquet to my leg, and then left me (as well as the other victims.) I couldn’t see what they were doing, but if I were being left without comment, I would probably want to know what the heck they were doing leaving me alone with a dead body as company. So they walk off and I called out, “Wait! Don’t leave me! I want to go home! Where are you? Please come back!” The head paramedic liked my improv

Near the end, the “helicopter” arrives and the SWAT leader is required to give a rundown of victims and injuries quickly and accurately. Then, the medic asks, “I have room for three. Who goes now?” And they need to know. If they don’t, the medic loses confidence that they’ve done the proper triage.

One of my favorite parts of the role playing drills is when the instructor walks through the scene and assesses the teams strengths and identifies areas of improvement. I say it that way because none of these SWAT teams were weak. This is where I learn the most–the little details that help me understand my characters and what they may face–both as a victim and as a hero. The facts and stats are always good to know, but it’s the reasoning behind decisions, the human factor of being a cop or a victim, that makes my books real to me, and I hope to my readers.

I talked to some of the guys afterward. Because everyone knows this isn’t real, I wanted to get their impression of the effectiveness of these types of drills. Of the three cops I spoke with, they were all enthusiastic about the program. One guy said that even though they know it’s not real, as soon as they’re geared up begin, the adrenaline starts pumping. Having role players with realistic injuries and playing a part makes it more real, and helps them focus on the situation. Everyone had praise for the medical experts who came out–on their own dime–to run the SWAT/medic training program. Some had never been in a program like this; others had participated before.

And all of them–from the SWAT operatives to the trauma surgeons to the paramedics to the FBI instructors who ran the program and assisted in the drills–are truly the everyday heroes I like to write about.

I can’t wait to do another drill. This was my third role-playing scenario. I’ve also toured Quantico (and plan to go back later this year), toured the morgue and observed an autopsy, and toured Folsom prison (and was warned that they don’t negotiate–so please don’t be taken hostage.) And more–I have been both lucky and blessed to be able to do a lot of these research “trips”–because while I love reading and learning from books, there’s nothing like going on-scene. I haven’t done a ride-along yet, but it’s high up on my list.

One of the other drills was a barroom hostage situation–the suspect stabbed his girlfriend and had a gun on her. He shoots at the cops when they come in, then is gunned down. So the scenario is designed to deal with both an officer down and life-threatening injuries to a hostage. Here’s a shot from the catwalk of that scenario:

And here is me with Joe Getty, from the morning radio program Armstrong and Getty. I did another scenario with Joe–when he was a bad guy and I was the wife of a wanted sex offender. On that day, we were both handcuffed and decided that being cuffed wasn’t fun!

My question for you all whether or not you’re a writer, what’s the one “research trip” you’d be excited about? Role playing with SWAT? A ride-along with local cops? Firefighters? A tour of the morgue? A prison? A military base? What about flying a plane with a fighter pilot, learning to parachute, or touring the underground tunnels in Sacramento? Shadowing a judge? A prosecutor? It can be anything, just something you’ve always wanted to learn about outside of your normal profession or hobbies. Comment for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the online bookstore of your choice!

On a more personal note, thank you to everyone who helped put KISS ME, KILL ME on the NYT list (#16) and the USAT list (#32)! I’m now deep into writing IF I SHOULD DIE, which is scheduled to be released on 11.22.11. And I’m giving you all a sneak peak at the new cover . . . which looks so good with the first two Lucy books.