You probably have to be a super-nerd like I am to find research exciting. For “Warrior,” I have had to do a great deal of research, since my protagonist, Sirena, is a world-traveler. I’ve been to quite a few places, but I just really felt that part of the novel needs to be in Haiti.

So, I took a French degree in University. One of our courses was on dialects, and my professor was Haitian. I can understand French in a Haitian dialect, but I didn’t know a darn thing about the nation.

Well, I knew bits and pieces. That’s where the research came into play. You name it – weather, geography, cultural legends – I read up on it all until I felt like I had been there.

To be honest, I had never considered visiting Haiti. There are tons of places here that I’ve never seen, and they are on my list of places I want to go – D.C., Alaska, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, New York City. But, I feel like I’ve been living in another world that came partly from research and partly from my imagination.

Research: online, libraries, community organizations (depending upon your area of research), also online organizations can be very helpful in reaching out to different groups of people. 🙂

Research – it’s a writer’s friend, not a boring enemy.

Happy #Monday, and blessings to you all…