Research Key to Authenticity

When I first heard about John Dunn in a televised documentary about the Zulu War, I thought he would be a fascinating character to write a book about. But back then I didn't want to be the one to write that book. It was before I began writing books for one thing. And when I did start writing books, I wrote about what I knew. Martial arts and ceramics.

I knew martial arts because I had trained in Ju Jitsu when I was younger and my son was training in Ju Jitsu at the time, which gave me great access to the local dojo and the senseis and shihan there. I did some research when it came to chemicals, poisons, and the scientific elements involved with the drug in the story. One thing that helped me was my experience working in a drug company. Syntex, the maker of Toradol and Naprosyn (AKA Aleve) is located in my neck of the woods, and I worked there for a year or two, and I became familiar with the processes and procedures of drug production. I used that knowledge in my book, Killer of Killers.

The Vase is a ceramics based story, and that's what I am. A ceramicist. I don't throw pots, but I do make ceramic sculptures, and I know how to throw pots, meaning I've done it before. But I did have to do a lot of research about Nazareth, Judaism, and Islam. Plus I had to research things like Shin Bet which is the Israel Security Agency.

When I wrote Killer Eyes I researched a lot about nuclear medicine. That's how the drug in the story evolved. I learned a lot about radioactivity, radioactive half-life, background radiation, radioactive elements, radiopharmaceuticals, and even Chinese funeral practices.

But when it came to John Dunn, wow, that's where the research had to kick in full gear. That involved more research than all the books put together. I had to read no less than five or six separate books about the Zulus, the Zulu War, John Dunn, and King Cetshwayo. Not to mention all the online sites I looked up. That was a lot of reading. But I did it. I'm not calling myself an expert on the Zulus or the Zulu War, but I learned enough to write the book. It focuses on John Dunn's experiences between the years 1856 and 1879, and that's where I focused my research.

It was fun. Time consuming, but fun. And now it's ready to be published. If all else fails, I know I can get it published with one of my two current publishers. But like I said before, I want to step up from POD. That's my goal for John Dunn. We'll see how that goes.