Hello,

I don’t talk very much about research though it’s important and it’s been on my mind because I’ve been asked, “How did you know about this or that? Or, “Where did you come by that information?” I always give the same answer, “Reading” meaning; research and though I don’t love it, I just realized I don’t mine it either because it’s a total necessity for me. I am not a rocket scientist and the subjects I love writing about I know almost nothing about, actually less than nothing so I have no choice but to learn all I can about my topic, yet the great thing about this is that what I need to know about I am one-hundred percent interested in which makes the learning, the research not a problem.

For the second novel in the Owen Story trilogy I had to learn about Gulag and found this was the name of the state system that developed the harsh prison system, not the name of the prison camps, it just eventually came to be that the camps themselves became known as the Gulag or Gulags, and reading about the history of the system kept me glued to the pages until I read numerous articles on the subject, it was riveting—at least to me. I’m blessed to write stories with very surprising plot points, twists and turns and steady prose I find interesting, wonderful and feel the reader will find just as terrific.

The research, the reading, the learning is just part of the deal and it makes my stories all the more real, believable and true which is exactly what I look for in the stories I choose to take my time—which is so precious to us all—to experience and hopefully, love.

Write.

If you have any comments or suggestions I have a new e-mail address at: mathewsla@hotmail.com

Until next time, God willing.