A Goodreads user
asked
James Morcan:
James, how long on average does it take you to do research for a book and where do you do the research? Internet, books, talking to people via email? I've introduced some of my friends in a book group on MeWe to a few of your books and they asked me this. Obviously I don't know but promised I would ask you. This pertains specifically to _Into the Americas_ and I will also be asking your co-author also. TY.
James Morcan
G'day Ila (G'day being hello in Down Under speak),
Research time varies from book to book and it's difficult to accurately estimate how long we spend as a lot of the subjects we write about have been lifelong interests or hobby interests. This is especially true of the non-fiction Underground Knowledge Series. Our methods of research include everything and anything including journalistic methods like interviewing individuals face-to-face or over the phone/skype or via email. Other times it's reading a lot of books and paying attention to the news. And sometimes it is chance encounters with people who have gained knowledge of things via rare experiences.
When it comes to Into the Americas, that novel is the end result of 13 years of research and writing. We first came across the centuries-old diary entries of young English seaman John Jewitt in early 2002 and immediately became enamored with this intriguing slice of North American history.
However, it took untold drafts and careful study of the region - including consultation with the tribal peoples of the Pacific Northwest - before we finally felt confident we had developed the original bare bones historical account into the epic adventure novel it deserved to be in literary format.
As with writing any novel based on or inspired by a true story, we had a million agonizing decisions to make along the way. Decisions like what aspects of the historical events needed to be added to, fictionalized or given more layers, and what could be kept exactly as occurred but expanded upon or "dramatized".
Thanks for your interest,
James
G'day Ila (G'day being hello in Down Under speak),
Research time varies from book to book and it's difficult to accurately estimate how long we spend as a lot of the subjects we write about have been lifelong interests or hobby interests. This is especially true of the non-fiction Underground Knowledge Series. Our methods of research include everything and anything including journalistic methods like interviewing individuals face-to-face or over the phone/skype or via email. Other times it's reading a lot of books and paying attention to the news. And sometimes it is chance encounters with people who have gained knowledge of things via rare experiences.
When it comes to Into the Americas, that novel is the end result of 13 years of research and writing. We first came across the centuries-old diary entries of young English seaman John Jewitt in early 2002 and immediately became enamored with this intriguing slice of North American history.
However, it took untold drafts and careful study of the region - including consultation with the tribal peoples of the Pacific Northwest - before we finally felt confident we had developed the original bare bones historical account into the epic adventure novel it deserved to be in literary format.
As with writing any novel based on or inspired by a true story, we had a million agonizing decisions to make along the way. Decisions like what aspects of the historical events needed to be added to, fictionalized or given more layers, and what could be kept exactly as occurred but expanded upon or "dramatized".
Thanks for your interest,
James
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