Words, Wisdom & Conversation

HOW I DO THE RESEARCH FOR MY INTERNATIONAL THRILLERS (and it's not just by travelling)

Hello,

Someone asked me recently why my first two thrillers were set in Italy and my third one in Malta. And it got me thinking. Although I don’t feel qualified to write a series on writing—because of Imposter Syndrome and the dearth of stellar craft advice here on Substack by authors far more accomplished than I—I do feel uniquely qualified to write about how I do the research for my novels.

Having had the good fortune to travel all over the world (I’ve lost count of the cities and countries I’ve been to), the country of Italy stole my heart in 2014 and I have gone back many times since. In fact, the “Covid trip” I had to cancel, as many of did, was to Italy. There are still several regions I haven’t yet visited, but as it fits into my writing life, I have a particular fascination with a little town named Tropea. Possibly the best way to describe it is in this excerpt from my first book, Deadly Switch: A Stone Suspense.

“Situated on a reef in the toe of the boot known as the Calabria region, the travel brochures referred to Tropea as “La Costa degli Dei,” the Coast of the Gods. The apartment he and Cynthia had leased for the summer was once a castle. Built in 1721 and renovated in 1921, it perched at the edge of a natural rock formation, overlooking Tropea’s charming town. From this fortress-like cliff, fifty meters above sea level, Gavin gazed out over the shimmering azure water of the Tyrrhenian Sea. White sands and spectacular views overlooking the Aeolian Islands provided an inspiring place to perfect one's tan.”

From this description, I hope you can see why I would want to write about this spectacular part of the world. But I did more than write about it; I stayed in this exact apartment with its stunning view the first time I went to Tropea. So, I think you can see that research is very important to me. I know. It’s a dirty job but somebody has to do it!

But here’s the kicker. I didn’t actually go to Tropea, Italy until a year after Deadly Switch came out.