by Sybil Johnson
Research. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I love learning new things and figuring out how to incorporate them into a story.
Some people have told me they don’t think cozies need much research. Granted, my Aurora Anderson mysteries aren’t police procedurals or historicals, but I do need to know at least the broad strokes of how the police conduct an investigation. That helps me make a story seem believable. I don’t worry excessively about the fine details, though. As long as what I write “kisses the truth”, I’m happy.
Besides needing to know something about how the police operate, I also want to make sure my setting comes off as a real place. My series is set in Vista Beach, a fictional Los Angeles County beach city similar to the one I live in. I draw on my town for inspiration as well as nearby cities, each of which have their own personality. Doing research is often only a short walk away.
Once I know the month a story is going to take place, I find out what events happen in my area around that time of year. From there, I create my own fictional versions of similar events where I can set scenes or where my characters can discover a body.
If I’m able to, I attend local events so I get an idea of what they’re like. I’ve gone to a pumpkin race where pumpkins are decorated and outfitted with wheels and raced down a hill near the beach. I’ve also attended a pier lighting ceremony that kicks off the Christmas festivities in my town. Versions of both of these made it into my books, Designed For Haunting and Ghosts of Painting Past, set around Halloween and Christmas, respectively. If I can’t attend an event, websites and YouTube videos give me a feel for what happens there.
For the most recent book in my series, Brush Up On Murder, set around Valentine’s Day, I learned about bank robberies in Los Angeles County as well as lock picking and locksporting. At Bouchercon several years ago, I tried my hand at picking locks. I got a feel for what’s involved and the tools used. As to how I did, let’s just say if your valuables are behind a locked door, they’re safe from me.
Sometimes, I read an interesting article in the paper that I think would be good to incorporate into a story some day. I keep it and store it away for the future. This was the case when I heard about businesses that automatically send out emails when someone dies. That idea served as the basis of the story in Designed For Haunting where Rory receives an email from a friend. “I think I have a stalker,” the message reads. “If you’re reading this I’m either missing or dead. My life may depend on what you do. Please find out what happened to me.” From there, the story is off and running.
As you can tell, I find all sorts of things interesting. I love that my job as a fiction writer allows me to indulge my love of learning. I hope it also helps bring a sense of realism to my stories.
ABOUT SYBIL JOHNSON
Sybil Johnson’s love affair with reading began in kindergarten with “The Three Little Pigs.” Visits to the library introduced her to Encyclopedia Brown, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and a host of other characters. Fast forward to college where she continued reading while studying Computer Science. After twenty years in the computer industry, Sybil decided to try her hand at writing mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mysterical-E and Spinetingler Magazine among others. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in Southern California where she enjoys tole painting, studying ancient languages and spending time with friends and family.
