A lot of research will go into every novel someone writes. Or rather, if authors intend to make their work as meaningful as possible they will do the applicable research. In my new novel (THIS NEVER HAPPENED) there is a laundry list of extremely diverse topics I felt I had to research in order to help the authenticity of the story. Some of this research time was spanning many days, while other bits only required a few relatively simple internet searches.
Because I think the range of topics in this book is quite impressive (and maybe a little bit out there) I’ve compiled a list of some of my research topics over the last 2+ years. Here’s what I’ve come up with, just off the top of my head:
- What was happening on Earth 10,000 years ago
- The Neolithic (agricultural) Revolution
- Black holes, and the death of them
- Alternate universes, parallel worlds
- Cosmological and astrological epochs
- Brain cancer
- Prosopagnosia
- Hypoxic Hypoxia
- Dementia
- Prescription drugs: pain killers, anti-depression meds, medicinal marijuana (psychopharmaceuticals)
- History of Coney Island, NY
- Coney Island Mermaid Parade
- Coney Island Sideshows by the Seashore; freak show history
- Russians in Brighton Beach, NY
- Polish surnames
- NY subway system, specifically routes within Brooklyn
- Roosevelt Island
- Shoe repair supplies
- Mythological creatures: griffin, headless horsemen, undine, pegasus
- Metal bands’ album covers
- French novels from the 1970’s
- MMORPG’s
- Virtual reality gear
- Conspiracy theories
- Drones
- The science of throwing a baseball
What does it all add up to? Hopefully a thought-provoking, frightening and sometimes humorous work of fiction. We’ll see.
