One of my favorite questions I hear from readers and people who know I'm an author--"Do you do all the things you write about?" I have the biggest urge to say, "Yep. All of it. At least four times before I write about it." But really, I don't. Fiction is fiction.
However, real life and fiction can walk side by side. I've gone out for ice cream, enjoyed it, and sent my characters out for a bite of something with caramel and sea salt. I've also stayed at crappy hotels before and dreamed of what the really swanky ones were like and then transformed those dreams into words. As much as reading is an escape, writing can be too.
In David's Angel I walked way outside my regular comfort zone with the BDSM angle. That's not something that comes up in my world, so I asked questions and did lots of research. On the other end, though, I set it in one of my favorite places, Green Bay, Wisconsin. I used to travel there a few times a year for martial arts tournaments and testing. Those were amazing times, and I learned a lot. Like how to say the street names--I know how to do that, so writing them really gave me a little kick. It's the little things that draw readers into a story, and it's the same on the author's side. I love the details.
Have you read something lately that gave you an, Oh, I do that! sort of moment? Mine came today when I went out for ice cream with my family and the shop had the same kind of ice cream I'd written for Polly in David's Angel (tin roof sundae and peppermint and vanilla--all in the same row!). Naturally, I got small scoops of each. Bringing fiction to reality was sweet.
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All the best,
Stephanie Beck
www.stephaniebeck.net
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