The life of a writer

It Took Me So Long to Find Out

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Guest post by Margot Kinberg, author of A Matter of MotiveI’m so excited to have my friend Margot here! happy dance Not only is she a talented storyteller but she’s an amazing person. She really is. As a professional writer who’s serious about her research, when you sink into one of her novels you can bet it’ll be a fun ride. Today, she shares her research behind her new novel, A Matter of Motive.

Welcome to Murder Blog, Margot!

Thanks for having me, Sue!

When people think about the work involved in writing a novel, they often think about creating a plot, or developing characters, or perhaps things like word count. Those things are important – they really are. Just as important (but harder to quantify) is research. So, why is research sometimes pushed down on authors’ ‘to do’ lists?

One reason, at least as I see it, is that it’s harder to see results right away. Many writers keep track of things like word count, pages written, or character descriptions. It’s a little harder to feel a sense of accomplishment when you’ve spent two hours looking up photographs of a place on the Internet, just so you can describe that place more accurately. And yet, those details matter a lot. Readers want their stories to feel authentic. In fact, many readers are pulled out of a story if those background details are wrong. If your characters are, say, from a certain region, it’s important to have a sense of that region’s culture and use of language. There’s no need to show off that knowledge in a book; that can actually backfire if the reader gets impatient with ‘information dump.’ But it is important to be authentic. Since no writer knows everything, that means doing research.

So, what’s the best way to go about doing research? Field trips are possibly the best way to do it, but that’s not always possible. Let me share with you a few other ways that helped me conduct research when I was writing A Matter of Motive. If they help you, too, so much the better.

Google Maps and other Mapping Options

A Matter of Motive takes place mostly in Chester County, Pennsylvania (just north and west of Philadelphia). I’ve been there many times, but not in several years, and never for any length of time. So, I wanted to be sure of where things are, and what distances are like between places. I also wanted to get place names right.

Google Maps helped orient me, and showed me what’s changed and what hasn’t changed since I was last in the area. I also learned some things about the physical layout of the area, as well as the kinds of businesses and communities that have developed there. Google Maps has some really useful features (like Street View) that give the user a sense of what a place really looks like.

Law Enforcement Websites

Guest post by Margot Kinberg, author of A Matter of Motive
Thank you, Margot!

I spent quite a bit of time on some of the websites of local (to Chester County) law enforcement websites. The main character in A Matter of Motive is a police detective, so it was important to get the facts on details like jurisdiction and procedure. Every local agency is a bit different. For instance, in the area where my novel is set, many (not all) police departments are designated by township, rather than county, city, town, or something else. That’s not true of all places, though, so I had to learn who actually has jurisdiction in the places I mention in the story.

Parts of A Matter of Motive take place in Palatine, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. That meant finding out who has jurisdiction there, as well. To add to that, there are some parts of the novel in which police departments exchange information. So, I also had to do some research to find out how and to what extent that happens (it isn’t always like what you see on TV).

Science Websites

When it comes to writing a crime novel, science websites are your friend. Each fictional crime is a little different; in my case, I needed to know about digitalis poisoning. For instance, where does a person who isn’t in the medical profession get digitalis? How can it be administered (without the murderer being seen doing it, of course)? What are the symptoms? How long does it take to work? I wanted to be sure that I had all of that information, so that what I wrote would be believable. There are several reliable medical sites (The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention was helpful to me). Whichever site(s) you choose, it’s important to be sure they are legitimate.

I learned some interesting things, too. You may already know that foxglove is a natural source of digitalis. I learned a lot about the places where it grows easily (fortunately, my setting is one of those places), as well as how one cares for the plants. For that information, I turned to some gardening and botany sites. I also found out how a person might actually ingest the digitalis present in foxglove (and, no, picking and chewing its leaves wasn’t what I had in mind). The leaves are dried and made into a powder, which, of course, can be put into just about any food or drink. And it’s a process that doesn’t require a lot of special knowledge or expertise – just what I was looking for to make the story work. 

Talking to the Experts

Never underestimate the value of what you can learn from people in the field. In A Matter of Motive, there are police detectives, advertising/publicity executives and other employees, airline employees, and more. I wanted to be sure all of these characters acted in authentic ways, and that meant finding out what they do and what they are(n’t) allowed to do.

One thing I learned, for instance, was that airline employees are not allowed to reveal information about passengers on any flight except in certain very limited circumstances, and to certain people. So, for instance, I couldn’t call an airline or go to a gate desk and ask if a certain person boarded a certain flight. Police officers with warrants can get that information, but otherwise, it’s very difficult to do. That figures into the novel, so I was glad to get the facts right. And the truth is, most people are happy to share what they know. So don’t be shy about asking questions.

It’s amazing what you can learn when you do research, and there’s no doubt that having the facts helps to make a story more authentic. I know I learned a lot, and I enjoyed it, too. Thanks, Sue, for letting me share some of what I found out!

NOTE: The title of this post is a line from the Beatles’ Day Tripper.

Guest post by Margot Kinberg, author of A Matter of MotiveA man is dead in his car, slumped over the steering wheel. But who killed him? Ron Clemons is the last person you’d think would be murdered. His wife and son love him. His employees respect him. His business is doing well. His clients seek him out. But someone wanted him dead.

The Clemons case is a golden opportunity for newly minted police detective Patricia Stanley to prove herself. It’s her first murder investigation, and she wants to do well. But it’s not going to be easy. For one thing, she has plenty to learn about handling a murder. And nearly everyone involved in this one is hiding something. Patricia faces her own challenges, too, as the investigation brings back the murder of an old love.

Look Inside A Matter of Motive on Amazon.

“A Matter of Motive grabbed my attention and kept hold as I tried to piece together the clues and uncover the motive alongside police officer Patricia Stanley. Kinberg did a tremendous job of leading us both down the garden path toward a twisted end.”
– Cat Connor author of The Byte Series.

Want a sneak peek?

Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as “Best 100 Crime Blogs on the Net.” She also blogs on the Kill Zone (Writer's Digest "101 Best Websites for Writers"), Writers Helping Writers, and StoryEmpire. Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series (books 1-3) and Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction. Now, she exclusively writes eco-thrillers, Mayhem Series (books 4-9 and continuing). Sue's appeared on the Emmy award-winning true crime series, Storm of Suspicion, and three episodes of A Time to Kill on Investigation Discovery. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her murder of crows, who live free but come when called by name. And nature feeds her soul.

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31 Comments

  • Patricia La Vignem

    March 27, 2020 at 7:18 PM

    I absolutely love doing research. I just wish I had time and finances to go to locations where my story is taking place. But the suggestions listed above are very effective. Thank you for all the information. Well worth the read. Pat

    • Margot Kinberg

      March 27, 2020 at 9:21 PM

      Thanks, Pat. I’m really glad you found the post useful. It would be fun, wouldn’t it, to be able to go to all of the places in our writing. It’s often not possible, though, so it’s good to be able to use the Internet!

  • Janet

    March 27, 2020 at 7:09 PM

    Interesting, Margot, I’m sure it takes a lot of effort and time to do research on a book but making it authentic as you say is important. Good to see the post title links to a song – it was always a fun element on your, sadly, ‘laid to rest’ blog.
    Thanks, Sue for hosting this terrific post.

    • Margot Kinberg

      March 27, 2020 at 9:20 PM

      Thanks, Janet. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. And you’re right; making a story seem authentic is worth the time and effort that it takes to do the research. And honestly, a lot of the research is interesting and even fun!

    • Margot Kinberg

      March 27, 2020 at 2:33 PM

      Thanks very much, Sherry! I was lucky to have the very talented Lesley Fletcher design the cover, and I was delighted with what she created. Wishing you much success!

  • jillian bullock

    March 27, 2020 at 9:00 AM

    Thanks for the tips Margot. I’m writing my first crime/thriller novel and I did research for two years since it deals with a serial killer in Phila. I even went out with forensic police for three nights and observed what they do at crime scene. I saw two dead bodies. Then the ME staff came out, secured the bodies, took them away. That was interesting. Research really is very important.

  • Lesley Fletcher

    March 27, 2020 at 8:40 AM

    Nice Margot.
    A few years ago I was able to find out my cousin was on an incoming flight and whether he was alone. I very much doubt I could do this now
    Privacy laws are so strict now, unless… ha, there is always a back door.

  • Christine Poulson

    March 27, 2020 at 4:15 AM

    Couldn’t agree with you more, Margot. Research is so important too, and it is one of the pleasures of writing for me, especially getting to meet people who are happy to share details of what it is they do for a living – though that is put on hold for now!

    • Margot Kinberg

      March 27, 2020 at 8:13 AM

      Everything really is different right now, Christine, no doubt about that! Fortunately, we have the telephone and online chat (like Skype) for right now. Still, that sort of communication is a challenge right now. But it’s worth it. Research is really important, and I find that I always learn some new things. To me, that adds a lot to its appeal. And you’re right; people do enjoy sharing their expertise.

  • Garry Rodgers

    March 27, 2020 at 1:10 AM

    Hi Sue & Margot – Motive isn’t a required element in proving a criminal offense. However, it’s a huge matter in telling a convincing crime story. In the end, the plot points have to tie up and make sense for the reader – even though real life crime cases rarely make sense. Not sure if this comment makes sense, and I wish you well with A Matter of Motive 🙂
    Garry Rodgers recently posted…JUST HOW DEADLY IS NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND COVID-19?My Profile

    • Margot Kinberg

      March 27, 2020 at 8:15 AM

      You bring up an important difference between real-life cases and fiction, Garry. I think in novels, people want to see that the motive for the crime makes sense – at least to the criminal. And, yes, the plot points do need to tie up, even if real life isn’t like that.