Valerie Davisson's Blog

As AI rapidly evolves, so does its use by students, CEOs, sales managers, entrepreneurs—and, well, just about everyone. So how do authors use AI? For research, plotting, or even writing parts—or all—of the book for them, in their own voice?

I’m glad you asked.

The best way to answer that question is to share my personal journey with AI. Whether you use ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, or another chatbot, the experience is largely similar. I use Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT.

Each book in my Logan McKenna series places Logan in a unique setting, exploring a new occupation or fascinating topic I—and by extension, my readers—want to learn more about. That’s why I allow at least a month for research before beginning to plan and write any of my novels.

When I first began the series about ten years ago, research meant locating experts to interview, building long email chains, and scheduling in-person visits or phone and Zoom calls. I also did extensive online digging before reaching out to professionals willing to share their valuable time answering my endless questions.

I still do this. Nothing beats talking face-to-face in someone’s work environment—picking up co-worker dialogue, fact-checking, and immersing myself in the sights, sounds, and smells of a particular place. All of this helps make my stories as authentic as possible. Ten books in, my readers expect and appreciate that level of detail. It’s what makes my mystery/thriller series unique.

When chatbots first appeared, I asked a few questions—how to stop my dog from barking or who the female lead was in an old movie. I saw them as extensions of a search engine. But as AI quickly evolved, so did I. I realized I could ask if a gunshot could be heard next door if the killer used a silencer. (Spoiler: silencers aren’t really silent.) What gun would a non–law enforcement killer likely use? How does a forensic anthropologist determine the age and sex of a murder victim with just a few bones? Which bones would they need? What if those bones were buried for 15 years? Would they be white or stained brown?

My chatbot would quickly spit out detailed, specific answers—and tell me how brilliant I was for asking. Every time. I found myself thanking it, which is unnecessary but a knee-jerk reaction for many of us. And it would say, “You’re welcome.”

Then it got dicey. In addition to answering questions, the chatbot began offering to “craft a compelling scene” using the information it provided.

Oh, hell no! I am the writer, not you, chatbot! Close chat window.

And because I want to get it right, I triple-check the info it gives me with real experts. My chatbot is often incorrect—sometimes even inventing facts just to give me something to chew on. Not good. AI’s accuracy is improving, but I still verify everything before using it.

Then this happened.

A few months ago, I got an email inviting me to a free (aren’t they always?) webinar promising to show me how to write my next book in days—or hours—instead of weeks or months. Yikes! All my antennae went up. Were they kidding? Even if I could pump out a book that fast, I wouldn’t want to. Still, sometimes you have to peek into the enemy camp to see what they’re up to. So I signed up.

Wow.

He showed how to use AI to create a personal style guide—training it to write in your voice by uploading samples of your work. Then you could instruct it to produce a chapter of X number of words, and voilà. He raced through the setup and options at lightning speed before offering a paid program to walk you through it. His takeaway? Once customized, AI could pump out chapters—and soon entire books—in your voice. Plus design the cover. Write the marketing blurb. And probably make breakfast while you wait.

I find this deeply disturbing. Not only is it cheating, but the quality isn’t the same. Chatbots still overuse phrases like “take a deep dive” and rely on clichés. That will improve, yes. And I suspect many—perhaps most—authors, especially those in genre fiction who churn out five to ten books a year, will use AI to write part or all of their books.

Not me.

That would suck the joy right out of it. I don’t want AI creating my characters or deciding who the killer is, or how Logan gets herself into and out of trouble. And remember: AI can only “write” based on what it’s been fed or has gleaned from existing data. That’s not creativity.

For me, AI is an amazing, valuable tool. It provides background I then verify with experts before immersing myself in their world. The paid versions can help you give your cover designer ideas to work from, and I’m not opposed to using it for marketing blurbs or ads, but the day AI can write a Logan book better than I can is the day I hang up my keyboard.

P.S. I did, however, use it to copy edit this blog post and align it with Chicago Manual of Style.  It did a decent job. Again, complimenting me on my amazing writing. . .

The post AI for Authors: Beast or Blessing? first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

HOW’S YOUR BOOK COMING? When friends, family, or fans ask me this question, I usually stop and look up at the ceiling for a beat—visualizing all the characters I am creating but also all the dangling plot lines and corners I’ve written myself into and haven’t yet resolved.

Uh. . .it’s coming! I say, hoping that is true.

And somehow, it always is. Somehow I manage to write myself out of corners, tie up the loose ends, and finish that book, often with the help of one or two excellent beta readers who spot things I missed. Getting that book out—one that I hope will be a satisfying meal for the hearts and brains of readers—is why I write.

But readers don’t get to see how we get there. The easy part is coming up with the main story idea, setting, and characters. In a Mystery/Thriller, it’s getting one or more characters killed, one or more characters suspected, and a way for Logan to solve the crime, often putting her own life in danger, all while weaving in some sub plots, planting clues, foreshadowing, and deciding how the killer or killers will be caught.

The path from first inkling of a story idea to published book is messy, muddy, and full of wrong turns.

Here’s an example: One morning I was working on the murder scene of a new manuscript. I was in the zone, typing as fast as I could, trying to get my fingertips to keep up with the ideas in my head. Even wrote an extra chapter. Got my word count in plus some, went out to dinner with my husband, tucked myself into bed, and slept like a baby. Great writing day.

Next morning. I sat down at my keyboard with my second (okay, fourth) cup of coffee and as I always do before starting the new chapter, reread what I had written yesterday, to get myself back into the story.

Damn.

What was my killer doing in the building at 2 a.m.? I had the perfect motive, murder weapon, and opportunity, but absolutely no logical reason for them to be there in the first place. In dress shoes no less.

I wish I could say this was a rare occurrence, but I am a part-plotter, part-pantser novelist, so this happens more often than I would like. That said, it is also fun to find a way to write myself out of the corner I’ve painted myself into. It makes me go deeper into my characters. It makes me fine tune my story timeline (in an Excel spreadsheet, of course!) and find a creative answer. Sometimes this process makes me realize this character is not the killer after all, but the victim! That’s what happened in this story. There was a text message requesting a meeting and that killer turned victim met their demise.

If getting stuck is the Agony, then getting unstuck is the Ecstasy. Speaking of which, I need to get back to my keyboard, I’ve got a dog who needs to find a murder weapon in the rain. . .

The post Writing Myself Out of a Corner first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

THESE BROWNIES ARE AWESOME ANY TIME you’re craving something sweet, but don’t have all day to spend in the kitchen. YUM! They can be made gluten free or not-your choice! Both are delicious.

Ben’s Luscious Lemon Brownies

INGREDIENTS

Brownies

1  15.25 oz gluten free yellow cake mix*

1 box lemon pudding mix

2 eggs (room temperature)

Lemons for juice and zest

Powdered sugar

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 T lemon juice (add to desired consistency)

Lemon zest for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Brownies

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Oil lightly so brownies lift out easily)Preheat oven to 350 degreesUsing an electric hand mixer, combine dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, lemon juice, eggs and lemon zest in a medium sized mixing bowlPour batter into baking pan, smooth evenly and bake for 22-24 minutes or until butter knife or toothpick comes out clean from center (no wet batter).Remove lemon brownies from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Lift brownies out by the foil or parchment paper lining and let them cool completely.

 

Glaze

Whisk powdered sugar and fresh-squeezed lemon juice together in a mixing bowl until smooth.Slice brownies into 9 squares, then drizzle with glaze over the top and sprinkle with lemon zest before serving.

* Betty Crocker works, Krusteaze cake mix is 18 oz. If you get that one by mistake, just add another egg and more lemon juice. That’s what I did and it worked out great. Both are good. You can use gluten free or regular cake mix.

Calories: 286, Carbs 64, Sugar 34, Protein 3g, Saturated Fat 1g, Sodium 420mg, Calcium 109mg

 

 

The post Luscious Lemon Brownies first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

HEALTHY FOOD DOESN’T ALWAYS TASTE GREAT. . .I admit, but trust me, these are very tasty! I think it’s the coriander, but whatever it is, this simple combination of spices and instructions really work. I’ve tried lots of roasted cauliflower recipes and this is the best so far. When I want to fuel my writing without putting on twenty pounds, I add this to. my weekly menu. I save the lemon brownies for launch parties 🙂

The post Roasted Cauliflower Steaks first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR STORY IDEAS?

I get asked this question often and it’s an easy one to answer. When something grabs my attention, I naturally want to learn more about it. And before I know it, it works its way into one of my books. The details I learn while researching often suggest a new plot, a change in direction for Logan’s life, a murder weapon, or a motive for my killer.

Often, some stray fact will become a devious twist or turn in the story that even I don’t see coming! (That just happened, actually. Halfway through Book 9, my current project, I completely switched up my killer and murder victim! So much fun!) Here’s an inside peek into what inspired each of my books:

SHATTERED

Ten years ago, when I wrote my first novel, I lived in Irvine, CA, about a half hour away from Laguna Beach. Unlike most of southern California, it’s a great walking town and they’ve worked hard to keep it that way. Having lived in Europe and Japan as a kid, I felt most at home there. A vibrant artists’ community, the annual Sawdust Festival is very popular. One summer day, after talking with some of the glassblowers after their demo, the ideas started flowing. What a perfect setting for a murder. . . Wandering through the warren of paths, you can enjoy food courts and live music, including the fiddle, which Logan plays. So, Laguna Beach became Jasper and the Sawdust became the Otter Arts Festival. There’s even a real Killer Hill in Laguna, although it runs parallel, not perpendicular, to Highway 101.  There’s also a bit of Native American culture in there, because I was studying Cultural Anthropology at the time and liked attending local powwows.

FOREST PARK

As part of my Anthropology studies, I collected the life histories of Vietnamese refugees. Their stories stayed with me, along with a love of Vietnamese food. I remember attempting to make the Vietnamese soup, pho, one day for my friend. I’d boiled the bones and added all the new spices, just like she’d told me to do, but when she walked into my kitchen, she waved her hand in front of her nose and said, ‘Smell BAD!’  LOL I didn’t know I was supposed to scoop the foam off the top of the liquid as I boiled down the bones before using the broth. Live and learn! It’s humbling to be an inquisitive soul.

In writing Thanh’s story, I included bits and pieces of various people’s real life experiences as related to me, but names and circumstances have been changed. I also had the chapters involving the end of the Vietnam war checked out by a man who had served as an officer in the ARVN in South Vietnam at that time. He gave me a passing grade and said the facts I’d used in the story were accurate. All remaining errors are of course, mine.

I chose Portland as a location because I adore that city. Every year, when I flew up to Oregon to visit my sister on the coast in Lincoln City, I snuck in a few days in Portland. While staying at the Governor hotel (now called The Sentinel) I always stopped and got some pho from one of the food trucks across the street. That’s where the whole story came together. The Governor even put me up in a corner room so I could have the same view as Logan when one of the food trucks blows up! Oh, and the coroner gave me a fact about the initial intake process which prompted the perfect detail for Mrs. Nguyen.

DEVIL’S CLAW

This one came from a news story. A lone sea otter was spotted off the coast of Laguna Beach. It made me wonder what happened to the few who made it that far from their main colony near Monterey, CA. Who did they mate with? Did they die or swim back? As you know, hunted for their pelts, the sea otter population was decimated years ago. In Two Years Before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana talks about the piles and piles of sea otter pelts stacked on the beach, ready for shipping. They thought there was an endless supply.

I decided any sea otter who made it all the way down to Laguna Beach deserved to be rescued, so I created the fictional Southern Sea Otter Sanctuary and Education Center. To learn more about my new furry friends, I visited the Long Beach aquarium and interviewed the woman in charge of their sea otter program. The director had worked with otters for over thirteen years, but said although she loved them, she’d never turn her back on one! They can be mean and will take a nip out of you when you’re not looking. That line made it into the book. They look so cute, who knew?

VANISHING DAY

This is the book that begins moving Logan from California up to the Oregon coast. Since I had recently taken the plunge, quitting my day job and moving myself up to Oregon to write full time, I figured Logan should move with me. She still keeps a foot in both worlds, as I do, but spends the majority of her time in the tiny, coastal town of Depoe Bay.

One of the most dramatic chase scenes starts right outside the bedroom window our little forest cottage. The killer chases Logan through the darkened forest and down to a rocky cove. I will not tell you how that ends!

Beyond the new scenery, the main story line was inspired by the idea of an underground railroad for women escaping abusive husbands. I don’t know if such a system truly exists, but if it does, I know it will be staffed by strong, feisty women, like the innocent-looking old woman I parked outside the young mother’s room in the ICU, silently guarding her, clacking away with her lethal knitting needles.

During the research phase for this book, I discovered how an intelligent, confident woman, close to family and friends, over time and through much manipulation, could be turned into an isolated, dependent person, too terrified to leave. It usually takes three or four tries or more for them to escape, and that’s if they’re not killed first. Restraining orders being fairly useless.

For a spot of hope and love, I also give one of the characters in this story an adorable English Cream Golden Retriever puppy—which we also welcomed into our home that year. Dogs are awesome-watch for them in the series. There will be more!

SAFE HARBOR

This is the first story set entirely on the Oregon coast. Everything about my new home fascinated me, including how my neighbors’ lives were so intimately connected to the sea. Depoe Bay is home to several charter boat fishing operations, so I started there. I was lucky to be introduced to Lars Martin, a charter boat captain, by his sister, Liz, who has since become a good friend. They were raised in town and knew all about the area and charter fishing.

One of the minor plots in the story touches on a young man and his addiction to drugs. Through people in my own family who struggled with this issue, I was aware of how woefully inadequate most treatment options are. So, in this book, I created Safe Harbor, a fictional detox and rehab center I wish really existed. Maybe someday.

This story also features visiting musicians from China who gave home concerts. I was fortunate to attend some of these concerts when we first arrived.

LIES THAT BIND

In the forest in my back yard, almost hidden with overgrowth along one of the trails, stands an old still, used during Prohibition. That definitely sparked my imagination! The Executive Director of the North Lincoln County Historical Museum invited me to dig through filing cabinets full of newspaper clippings and old photos from that era. One photo in particular suggested the main character of the 1930’s story line in what turned out to be one of my favorite books to write in the series. Also, my new forest home was littered with all kinds of mushrooms after a good rain, so those, of course, found their way into the story. I’m still fascinated with fungi!

WHISPER CREEK

Book 7, also set in Oregon, but mainly at the fictional New School in the Dundee/Newberg area, has some recurring themes and characters in the series, with a satisfying twist at the end. I spent a lot of time writing a great backstory for my murderer. I am always interested in how normal people can become damaged so badly over time, that eventually, something triggers them and they feel entitled to kill another human being.

I also had the pleasure of learning about how Search and Rescue dogs are trained. And yes, another dog makes an appearance in this book. In fact, she helps in the investigation.

IN PLAIN SIGHT

Besides mushrooms, my new forest home—which is only a five-minute walk away from the ocean—has other cool, living things. . .like raptors! Owls, eagles, hawks, and ospreys to name a few. When  I was casting about for an idea for Logan Book 8, this seemed the perfect branch of the animal kingdom to explore. So, after giving Logan a bit more free time (her career changes over the series), I have her volunteer at the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, OR.

Since the raptor center is a real place, I called and asked if they could help. I drove up there expecting to be given a short tour and handed a brochure, but they did so much more! They gave me up close and personal views of their resident raptors and were kind enough to spend hours sharing stories and answering questions.

LOGAN BOOK 9

Which brings us to my current work-in-progress, Logan Book 9, coming out this fall. A salient feature of life here on the coast and a major source of income for many is commercial fishing, specifically commercial crab fishing. The closest I ever got to fish growing up was frozen fish sticks my mom would sometimes make us kids for dinner, so I wanted to learn more about it.

As always, people were generous with their time, answering questions and letting me hang out with them on their boats. The more I learn, the more I want to know. Every time I start writing a chapter, I have another question! Out of respect to the people who do this dangerous work, I want to get the details right.

As an extra bonus, I learned how to catch, clean, cook, and eat fresh crab. Everyone has their favorite method, but all the results are delicious! I will never again take seafood for granted. It takes a hell of a lot of work and risk to bring fresh fish from the ocean to our tables.

 

Who knows where Logan will take me next? Where would you like to go? I’m thinking maybe a train ride would be fun. . .The post Where I Get My Stories first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

IN THE SERIES, BEN IS THE COOK, but in a pinch, this recipe is so easy, even Logan can make it. I make this simple main dish whenever I need some relatively healthy comfort food. And as a bonus, it can be prepared ahead or made gluten and/or dairy free. Since Spring has decided to delay its entry this year up in Oregon, it’s the perfect meal to fuel my writing on this wintery April day. Let me know how you like it!

Ben’s Easy-Peasy Shepherd’s Pie

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 T sour cream

1 large egg yolk

~1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Salt & Pepper fresh ground

1 T olive oil

1.75 lbs of ground beef or lamb

1 good sized carrot, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 T all-purpose flour (for gluten free, use any good gf flour, cassava or almond flour)

1 cup beef broth

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

~half a cup of frozen peas (can also use corn or mixed vegetables)

1 tsp paprika

bunch of fresh Italian parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Place potatoes in a pot, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Boil until fork-tender, ~ 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and in a large bowl, combine sour cream,(for dairy free or lower calorie, use almond milk), egg yolk. and chicken or vegetable broth. Mash away!While potatoes boil, preheat a large, cast-iron skillet, add oil to coat and when it’s warm, add ground meat (not too cold or it will stick). Brown meat and drain any excess grease (leave some). Add chopped carrot and onion, sautee until onion is translucent.Make your yummy gravy-this pulls it all together. In a small skillet over medium heat, cook butter and flour together for a couple of minutes, which in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Stir for a minute until thickened.Add gravy to meat and toss in a couple handfuls of frozen peas. Stir!Preheat broiler to high. Spoon or pour mixture into a casserole dish, top with mashed potatoes, sprinkle with paprika and then broil 6-8 inches away from heat source until browned. Top with fresh parsley and serve!

(If you’re like me and are a teensy bit afraid of setting the house on fire using a broiler, just let it heat through in the oven and call it done :))

Serve piping hot with a big, tossed green salad on the side. Bread for those who want it, but trust me, no one will go hungry with this dish! 

PS. Rachel Rae has a 30-minute Shepherd’s Pie recipe, too, but Ben swears he thought of his first! ha ha

The post Ben’s Easy-Peasy Shepherd’s Pie first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

HOW DO YOU CREATE YOUR CHARACTERS? This is one of the questions I get asked most often at book fairs and live events. Do you use people you know and just give them different names? Neighbors? Family? Ex-lovers?

All authors are different, but for me, the short answer is no. Creating unique and memorable characters is what I love to do, so none of my characters are based on real people—including me! Real people come with their own history, physical , mental, social, and emotional characteristics. What would be the fun in that? Nothing left for me to do. That said, sometimes a glimpse of an interesting stranger sparks my imagination. Take Iona, for example.

Iona Slatterly, she of the neon lipstick and lacquered French twist, was inspired by a tiny woman I saw from across the room while serving jury duty years ago. Iona isn’t hard to spot. I never got to talk with the woman in person, but her image and the way she carried herself stayed with me. Years later, when I started writing SHATTERED, she just naturally found her way into the story.

And Iona makes quite an impression. In Shattered: Logan McKenna Mystery Book 1, she has been head of security at the Otter Festival where Logan and her brother had summer jobs as kids. In this scene, Logan is back at the festival and sees Iona for the first time in over 15 years. The tiny spitfire hasn’t changed!

‘Stuffed into tiny, pink jeans, Iona perched on her tall stool next to a rickety folding table covered with parking stickers and badges, managing a growing line.  Iona had been a fixture at the festival as far back as anyone could remember. Where did one find pink jeans anyway? Probably the girls’ department at Sears.

Topping the jeans was a crisp, sleeveless white blouse with western piping, tucked in and cinched with a white, rhinestone-studded belt. The woman couldn’t weigh as much as some of her 7th graders, Logan thought.

Bleach-blonde hair, ratted into an immobile French twist with two perfect ringlets on each side, was sprayed to withstand any and all of Iona’s activities, which, if rumors were correct, were prodigious.

A solid roll of bangs sat atop starkly penciled brows. Today’s lipstick was ‘Neon Geranium’. Number two pencil tucked behind her ear, Iona’s compact body was concentrating on the list she was checking off on her clipboard. A Marlboro Light burned on the edge of a Pepsi can near her left hand.”

Since many of my readers are also writers, I am working on another blog post that gives you the nuts and bolts of how to create main and quirky side characters for your novel. There really are some basics that will help.

In the meantime, enjoy Iona! I am sure she will find her way into future installments of the Logan series!

 

The post The Inimitable Iona first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

SINCE THIS BOOK FEATURES COMMERCIAL CRAB FISHING, I thought I’d better learn to cook and clean—or clean and cook, depending on who you talk to—my very own crab. Dungeness crab is the star of the fisheries here on the Oregon coast and oh, so delicious! I usually cheat and buy mine already cooked and cleaned, but I’m going to get brave. I’ve asked for a little help from my friends. I will keep you posted, but in the meantime, here are a few  YouTube videos with several methods to try.

The Crack’n Crab Cleaner is a tool designed by two Newport crab fishermen, but be forewarned, they start with a live crab!

Andrew Zimmerman has a pretty traditional method. We’re all familiar with crab pots. He has a cool way of using the crab shells when serving.

Becky Selengut claims to have the most humane method. She puts hers on ice first, and steams them vs boiling them. But she also prefers giving them a good whack to kill them first, before cooking them. So, there’s that 🙂

Let me know if you try one of these and how you do!

 

The post Let’s Get Crackin’! first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

November 2017 4:30 p.m. Bundled up against the cold, I’m out exploring the old-growth forest behind our house. Dusk is coming on. I enjoy the soft, cushioned silence, but suddenly, my Spidey sense makes me look up. Impossibly balanced at the top of a very tall, spindly tree is the biggest owl I’ve ever seen, silhouetted against the darkening sky. I freeze in my tracks. It’s gorgeous! So cool! I wonder how the thin branch it’s perched on is supporting its weight.

The only owl I know on sight is the great horned owl—we had lots of those in the California—easily recognizable by its distinctive ear tufts, but this owl’s head was smooth and round. What kind of owl was it?

Thus began my fascination with owls and other raptors in my new home here on the central Oregon coast. On my walks in the forest and along the ocean path, I encountered a pair of bald eagles, barred owls, ospreys, and yes, the familiar great horned owl.  I ordered field guides from Amazon, bought a pair of bird-watching binoculars, wore out Audobon’s bird identification site. It turns out the huge owl I saw was probably a migrating great grey or even a snowy owl, which occasionally show up here in winter. Not our usual denizens here, the more common barred owls.

Being on the lookout for these creatures resulted in some magical moments. Once, sitting on my back deck, relaxing, looking out at the forest after sunset, but before full darkness had descended, a large, dark owl silently swooped in from my right, straight through the trees, not five feet above the ground, miraculously avoiding hitting any branches along the way. Magical! Probably hunting.

Another time, I was walking my dog, Finn, across a small bridge in the forest when Finn stopped and stared intently up at something. I followed his gaze and there was a barred owl, not ten feet away, staring straight at us from his perch on a branch of an alder tree, close to the trunk. Just sat there, not worried about us being there at all. Later that week, in the same area, I saw one parent and two fluffy, baby owls perched side by side. Again, they were untroubled by our presence.

So, it’s no surprise that raptors, especially owls, would eventually work their way into one of my novels. They found a home with In Plain Sight: A Logan McKenna Mystery Book 8.

To write the story, I needed to learn a lot more about raptors than my two-minute, greenhorn encounters with them provided. I needed to talk to some experts and observe a variety of raptors up close and personal. After a google search, I discovered the perfect place.

The Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, OR! As I explored their website, my writer wheels started turning. I realized the center also made for a great setting for a murder. It is a small community of its own, with a director, trainers, a vet, and a groundskeeper, all with interlinking connections, pasts, and secrets of their own.

As I contemplated the structure of the story, I had to get my main character, Logan, out to the center, which was 2 hours away. I decided she would become as fascinated by the local wildlife on the coast as I was, so would volunteer at the Cascades Raptor Center a couple of times a week. Perfect!

I also needed her to stay out there for a few days in a row, not just pop in and pop out for her volunteer hours—she has to be around long enough to solve the crime—so I have one of her new friends in Depoe Bay, Jean Pullman, ask Logan to babysit a rental she’s remodeling near the college. Conveniently to my story line, Jean just happens to be the Lincoln County Medical Examiner. J Always good to have an ME nearby when a dead body shows up.

For me, the research always leads to the story, not the other way around. As I learn more about whatever topic I decide that book is going to feature, characters and plot lines come to me. I make notes as I go, then later decide how to use them.

I most appreciate the bits of dialogue I pick up from people who work in whatever field I’m researching. Where do they hang out? How did they come to do what they do? What are their daily routines? Any of these details can lead to a more authentic and interesting story for my readers.

In my research at the Cascades Raptor Center, Louise Shimmel, the director at that time and the founder of the center, was very helpful. She took me under her wing and answered numerous questions and emails, even after she retired.

During this process, I learned that in real life, while the need for wildlife rescue centers increases, they are chronically underfunded, so if you have even a small amount to contribute to the cause, check out their website. You can even adopt a raptor or schedule a tour. https://cascadesraptorcenter.org/

Here is a cool image for owl size comparisons. The great grey owl above is truly huge up close! The wildlife photographer wasn’t expecting it’s visit, but said the great grey stayed about 10 seconds, then flew away. Obviously not afraid of humans.

 

The post How Raptors Got Into My Book first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

One of my favorite parts of being an author is digging into a topic that interests me. The world is an infinitely fascinating place and I never have trouble finding a unique setting or profession in each book for my characters to run around in. For my current project, Logan’s 9th adventure, it’s commercial crab fishing.

I’ve wanted to explore this topic ever since I moved here to the Oregon coast six years ago—commercial fishing is the lifeblood of this area, particularly in the town of Newport, OR, twenty minutes south of me.

It’s always tough to know where to start when there is so much to learn, so I usually begin with people who are living the life I want to learn about. Armed with an initial short list of questions, I start asking them and see where the conversation takes me. Often, interesting details will push my story in a new direction or suggest an interesting character. Their world begins to take shape and form as they share their lives with me. I never know what pieces of information will be helpful for my story until I write it. And of course, my own life is enriched along the way. I’ve discovered new passions and of course, yes. . .new recipes!

This time, I started with a source I’d discovered while researching charter boat fishing for Safe Harbor: Logan McKenna Mystery Book 5. Stu is a former NOAA special agent who lives in my neighborhood. He has since retired from that job, but put me in touch with his replacement, Mitch, who was very helpful. From him, I learned that some fisheries are federally regulated, such as sablefish (commonly known as black cod, although it is not technically cod). Crab, it turns out, is state regulated. Both fisheries are very high value and the permits that allow commercial fishing are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and are tightly clung to and passed down in families, usually, although they do come up for sale sometimes. If you’re interested, you can google fishing permit brokerages and go from there.

I learned that sablefish permits are attached to a person and that person needs to be on the fishing vessel from the time it leaves until they come back and offload the fish. First receivers verify this with signatures at each end. Crab permits, on the other hand, are attached to a fishing vessel, not an individual.

These two fisheries are also located in very different places-sablefish is found far out and very deep down, while crab is found not far offshore. The seasons differ, too. Crab season is in the winter, while sablefish is later in the year. Neither always have set dates, as you’ll see in the book. A lot goes into deciding when to open a season. For crab it’s domoic acid levels and meat on the crab.

The most dangerous part of being a commercial fisherman out of Newport, no matter what you are fishing for, is ‘crossing the bar’. If you want to get a better idea of what that entails, check out Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove, which was filmed right here in Newport with real fishermen and their vessels.

Most of this research does NOT end up in the book itself, but understanding a topic more deeply really helps me make my characters and settings more realistic and hopefully, more fun, for YOU, my readers, to enjoy!

Next up:  How to Clean a Dungeness Crab!

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