One of the parts of being a writer that I love most beyond the actual writing is all the interesting subjects I get to explore. For instance, Sword Yoga. Who knew there was such a thing? I didn’t, until I attended a writer’s online conference where there were two demonstrations. It’s a fantastic way for writers of …

One of my favorite workshops that I’ve attended this year was the in-person workshop Fight Scenes: From Practical to Tactical taught by Carla Hoch at the Author Nation conference in Las Vegas. She and her assistant demonstrated holds and kicks and other techniques, accompanied by explanations that will definitely help me write more realistic fight scenes. …

I recently found a couple of fascinating links from the FBI in my Twitter feed. In the WAR series, JC is a former explosives expert with the US military. I hadn’t considered having him use his skills underwater. But after listening to this podcast (Yes! The FBI has its own podcast. Who knew?) and remembering that …

My current research revolves around the art of espionage. On the practical, and dry, side is How to Become a Spy: The World War II SOE Training Manual. This was the syllabus from the British Special Training Schools of the Special Operations Executive from 1943. It’s in outline format, so doesn’t have a lot of explanation. Still, …

​Today before I started editing, I realized that the picture I had in my head might not be accurate enough for the detail I needed to include in my scene. I needed to find a photograph to work from. Or, in this case, I found a video on YouTube that shows a boat​ passing underneath …

This recent interview with former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison on the Star Talk Radio podcast brings up some fascinating points about long distance space travel. For example, with weight being closely monitored, how do you handle people’s clothing needs if you can’t bring along cartons of clothes? I think this episode would be a great resource …