Writing and Research go hand in hand

Terri Reed here.  I'm waist deep in a book that is due in June for a new continuity series for Love Inspired Suspense that will be released in April of 2015.  The Capitol K-9 series will feature the men and women of an elite K-9 unit set in Washington DC.   The other authors in the series are Shirlee McCoy, Lynette Eason, Margaret Daley, Val Hansen and Lenora Worth.  I respect and admire these ladies and am so glad to be working with them.  

The current continuity series from Love Inspired Suspense wraps up this June with my book Undercover Marriage.

THE BABY MISSION 

An illegal adoption ring—using kidnapped babies—has to be stopped. To gather the necessary evidence, U.S. marshal Serena Summers goes undercover—as a married woman desperate for a baby. Her "husband" is her own partner, U.S. marshal Josh McCall, whom Serena blames for her brother's death. How can she act like a loving wife when she has to constantly fight her feelings for a man she isn't sure she can trust? The closer they get to unraveling the dark web of deceit, though, the more being Josh's undercover wife means putting her life—and future—in his hands. 

Witness Protection: Hiding in plain sight

I'll be doing a Goodreads giveaway starting May 20th for five autographed books.

As a person who's never been in law enforcement I look to others for help in researching and verifying information for my books.

Here are two places that I thought I'd share with you in case you too wanted to know more about the fascinating world of law enforcement.

Lee Lofland does a great blog that covers many different aspects of law enforcement.  Plus he does a review of the popular tv show Castle.  I love this show as well as the characters and have to giggle sometimes when I read Lees's take on the show.
http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/

D.P. Lyle, MD's blog delves into the forensic side of law enforcement.
http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com

Suspense and Research

Hi, Terri Reed here.  Writing suspense books requires research.  Unless of course the author is familiar with the workings of crime scenes, law enforcement and criminal behavior.  I'm not. However there are so many great resources for research.  The most obvious resource is books.   I have a library full of research books ranging from homicide investigation to crime scene techniques to guns and ammo.
The next resource is my local police department and the officers who are living what I portray in my books.  Many state and county local police forces will have a citizens academy or will allow a lay person, such as a writer, to ride along in a patrol car or to visit the police station and ask questions.  The hit TV show CASTLE depicts this scenario.  My experience wasn't quite like Castle's.
The other place I go to for information regarding all things to do with the law, justice and criminals is the online community.  Many law enforcement professionals are willing to be a resource for writers.  Many have become writers themselves.  Many have blogs or websites dedicated to providing research material on a variety of subjects that are geared toward helping the suspense writer.
Let me share a few favorites with you.
http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/
http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com
http://www.inreferencetomurder.com

If you have a site that you think might help a suspense writer, please share! I love finding new places.