One of the recurring questions I get is how much research goes into my books. It's a great question which I appreciate a lot.
Even though the stories are fictional, I want as much as possible to be true, which is why I spend a lot of time doing research.
'Of Darkness Born', for example, took three years to complete. One of those years went wholly into research. The main part of what I studied had to do with how forensic units work, how autopsies work - especially brain autopsies, and how K9 units work, but I also read about geology, chemistry, toxicology, entomology, slang language of the 1960's and 1970's, how cults form, the process of making plastic bags, and how a living city becomes a ghost town, among other things.
Doing research is a love-hate relationship for me. I love to learn, and I find most of the subjects incredibly interesting, but at the same time, I really, really want to write, to get the book finished so I can start on the next one.
Here's part of my research literature. The book about homicidal investigation is my number one go-to source.
