Welcome Carol Preflatish

Using Real Events and Places in Books

     In the two novels that I’ve written, one took place in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Paris and my current one takes place in Indiana. While I have been to Washington and Indiana, I’ve never been to New York or Paris. So, it took a little research to make sure I portrayed the locations as accurately as possible. That’s when the Internet came in handy.

     When doing my research for a book, I like to take a “desk vacation.” When I take a desk vacation, I first go to Google Maps and search for the town I want to write about, so to the satellite view, then go to street view and take a drive along the streets. Because I have an idea for a book that takes place in Yosemite National Park, I took a desk vacation there not long ago.

     Obviously, other web sites you can rely on for location information are tourism and chamber of commerce sites. I also like to request a Travel Guide for an area I want to write about so I can sit on the couch and read a little about the types of hotels, restaurants, and shops in the area. Wikipedia is good too, but remember that anyone can update those sites, so not all information found there are true sometimes.

     My biggest obstacle that I've come upon was with my current book, “Saved by the Sheriff.” I wrote about the fictional town of Royal, Indiana, which I made up using features from several small towns all rolled into one. The mystery that the story revolves around is very loosely based on an actual mystery that happened near where I live. To protect anyone involved and to also protect myself from being sued, I changed the details enough that it’s no longer the same event.

     In that book, I also had the characters visit the campus of Indiana University. Both my daughter and myself attended IU so that made it a little easier to describe the campus. But, that didn't keep me from going to their web site to look at photos of the campus again. The internet can be a very useful tool in researching real events or locations, just keep in mind that not everything you read on there is accurate.

Blurb: 

     New York City writer, Jaime Wilson wants the Assistant Editor job at Real Mystery Magazine. In order to get it, she has to write a kick-ass story, and what could be better than a 30-year old unsolved murder in a small town.

     When Jaime visits Royal, Indiana to investigate, she soon finds that someone in the town doesn't want the mystery solved and she becomes a target. After an arrest for trespassing and an attempt on her life, Sheriff Ben Hunter lets her stay at his place where he can keep an eye on her while she continues to work on her story.

     She didn't count on falling in love with the sheriff and he didn't think he would have to work so hard to keep her safe. Finally, when she finishes her story, she has to make her choice whether to stay with Ben or go back to New York.

     My current book, "Saved by the Sheriff" is published by Secret Cravings Publishing and I couldn't be happier with them. “Saved by the Sheriff” is available in both the e-book and paperback and can be purchased at http://bit.ly/ScpPre. It’s also available as a Kindle download at http://amzn.to/dMgIpd and for Nook at http://bit.ly/y72Po8

You can also find me on the web at:

http://CarolPre.webs.com

http://CarolPre.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolPreflatish

I want to thank Dawn for hosting me here today and please feel free to leave a comment for me. I love hearing from readers. Thank you.

About Carol:

 Carol Preflatish knew at an early age that she loved to write. In high school and college, her favorite classes were composition and creative writing. It wasn't until after she married and then became a parent that she decided to pursue it seriously. Her first book was Masters & Disasters of Cooking, a cookbook full of anecdotal stories of her own cooking disasters. She published Love, Lies & Deceit, her first romantic suspense in 2009 and her current book Saved by the Sheriff, is available in both paperback and e-book. Always loving a good mystery, Carol is constantly thinking up ideas for future books.

     Carol lives in southern Indiana, sharing her log cabin in the woods with her husband and their cat and dog. When not writing, she loves to read, watch football, and go camping with her husband.    

Teaser Excerpt for Saved By The Sheriff

Available at Secret Cravings Publishing

Jaime carefully walked up to the old house that stood near a newer home with a barn between the two. She took a few pictures through the windows. The inside of the house looked like no one had been there in years. Perhaps left just the way it was when the Murdock's had last been there. She stood at the front door and couldn't resist trying the knob. The door opened.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he warned.

"I'll just take one picture of the inside and then we'll go." She took one step into the house.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he related again.

"You should listen to the boy," a deep voice echoed from behind them.
She knew that voice.

"Come on out."

Jaime turned to see Ben standing at the corner of the old house, handcuffing Bobby behind his back. "What are you doing?" she asked, walking over to them.

"Arresting him for trespassing. You're next."

"What!"

"Didn't you see the No Trespassing sign?" Ben asked.

"Yes, but..."

"Then you should have turned back. Now, turn around."

Jaime put her camera on the porch and turned around for Ben to handcuff her. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I thought of you handcuffing me," she mumbled to him.

He didn't answer, but instead picked up her camera and led them through the trees to his police car that was parked in front of the other house. She assumed it belonged to the Cook family. A woman in a housedress stood on the front porch.

"They won't be back out here again, Mrs. Cook," Ben called to the lady.
"Thanks, Sheriff."

He opened the back door of his car and Bobby got in. Before Jaime got in, she looked up at Ben. "I'm sorry."

He didn't answer, but put his hand on top of her head so she wouldn't bump it as he guided her into the car.