James R. Callan, one of my favorite writers and a writer friend releases Political Dirty Trick, a mystery/suspense set in Texas with Crystal Moore as the protagonist in a deadly game set up to spread lies about a political candidate. I was delighted to be one of the book’s beta readers. Jim is one of the few male writers who can write a female protagonist who is loving, determined and courageous, but not a male clone.

 

After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, he turned to his first love—writing.  He has had four non-fiction books published.  He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense. His twelfth book Dirty Political Tricks releases in May, 2018.

Here’s what Jim has to say about writing his latest mystery:

I write fiction.  Not historical fiction – contemporary fiction.  And yet, sometimes a lot of research needs to happen.  It’s not that I pick a topic unfamiliar to many people, myself included. And yet, much time gets devoted to research.

Take my upcoming book, Political Dirty Trick, A Crystal Moore Suspense, Book #3.  As it says, this is book number 3 in the series, so I should know many of the characters by now.  But, it is a suspense and there are murders and attempted murders.  So, in a tiny town in east Texas, there is no medical examiner.  Who will proclaim the body as actually dead?  The wife or husband?  Maybe not a good idea.

Crystal gets locked in a metal storage unit when the outside temperature exceeds ninety degrees.  What happens to her? How long before serious problems arise?  Does she get heat exhaustion or heat stroke?  What are the symptoms of each?  What are the immediate affects? How dangerous is each?  What are the treatments?  Does this require a hospital stay?  And if so, for how long? What is the recovery time?  (If this gets too complicated, just let her go – peacefully. Just change the name of the series.)

What happens when a car get T-boned? How are people extracted from a car that has been T-boned? What cars, makes, and years would have a center front airbag?  Are there such?  My car doesn’t have one. But then, my car seems to be missing all sorts of things.

What is subrogation and how does it work with works of art?  How would different states likely react to subrogation?  Any court cases involving this?  Forget all that.  What does subrogation mean, anyway?

What are the election laws in Texas that might enter into this story? Under what conditions is there a recount?  Who can ask for one? (Well, probably anyone can ask. But who is likely to cause one to happen?) Who foots the bill for a recount and under what conditions? What other conditions are involved in a recount?  Can a partial recount be done? I just want a recount on the voting machine I used. And if my wife and I vote on opposite sides of the issue, should we just both stay home?

How are mail-in ballots handled? What about military personnel stationed overseas? The mail in Mexico is so slow that a vote for this election might arrive in time for the next election.  Would it be counted then?

All of those questions and more had to be answered in the writing of Political Dirty Trick.  (Well, maybe not some of snarky questions thrown in.)

So even the contemporary novel, set in your own home state, without getting into some convoluted legal battle, may require a good bit of research.  It’s part of the process.

What is the strangest question in one of your novels that you had to research?  And did the answer surprise you?  Or, for the readers, what is the strangest bit of information you found in a novel that you questioned its veracity?  (Or is it really voracity?)

Give us your thoughts – even snarky ones – on research.  And thanks for reading (and I really do mean that).

 

Crystal Moore’s good friend Ron Drake is a shoo-in for governor of Texas. Two members of the opposition camp believe their candidate’s only chance is a political dirty trip that will sink Drake’s backing. They execute an elaborate hoax. But something goes terribly wrong and a man is killed. And things only get worse. The dirty trick is successful. Drake’s support begins to crumble. As Crystal investigates the fake news being released, she becomes a target. Drake’s numbers sink below his opponent’s and attacks on Crystal increase. Drake may lose the election but Crystal may lose her life

Visit his website at www.jamesrcallan.com

You can find the book at: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=political+dirty+trick

You’ll love it!