Allie Pleiter on fun research sources

Sometimes, research requires me to dig into obscure and strange places to get information.  Right now, for example, I’m looking into the Australian foster care system and pediatric prosthetics.  Other times, something just perfect pops into your life to solve a research dilemma.

One of those perfect pop-ups happened to me in doing the research for The Texan’s Second Chance.  Since this is the third book set on the Blue Thorn Bison Ranch, I didn’t need to augment much of what I already knew about raising bison.  I am delighted to note, however, that Bison became the Official U.S. Mammal during this series (hooray!).

No, I needed to learn about food trucks.  After all, Jenna comes onto the Blue Thorn Ranch to be the creative chef behind the family’s bison burger food truck.  I love doing food research.  Bison burgers—if you didn’t know—are delicious and very good for you.

One of the questions I always ask my sources is “which movies or TV shows get it right, and which get it wrong?”  Most bakers will tell you their life doesn’t look anything like “Cake Boss,” while a firefighter told me he felt “Ladder 49” nailed it. In the age of DVDs and Netflix, a writer has a host of great info at her fingertips—if she knows what to watch and what to skip.

My food truck source sent me straight to the movie “Chef” to give me a good grounding in the ins and outs of food truck life.  Not only was it a good night’s entertainment—it’s a very good movie even if you aren’t doing research—but I learns tons of stuff and came away with a pile of questions to ask my source.

My favorite reader comment so far was how hungry the book made her for several of the specific dishes mentioned.  It warms a writer’s heart to know my grilled cheese description sent you straight to the kitchen to make one!

How about you?  What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a movie lately?

Allie Pleiter takes on Texas...

When I chose to set my new series in Texas, I knew there had to be cowboys involved. After all, what romance reader doesn’t love her cowboys?  

Only you know me, I can’t do things like everybody else…my books always have to have something unique or off-beat about them.  A surprise element, if you will.

So I went nosing around central Texas to see what caught my eye.  Oddly enough, the perfect solution showed up right under my nose at a yarn show in Illinois.  The nice folks at The Buffalo Wool Co. captured my imagination right away.  You see, Texas is host to some of the nation’s finest bison herds (Buffalo Wool Co.’s herd included).  Once I learned the amazing story of the American bison restoration from near extinction, I was hooked.  

Or was that needled?  Because, you see, The Buffalo Wool Co. makes some truly splendid knitting yarn and other products from bison.  Cowboys! Dramatic stories! Sweeping landscapes! Knitting! Ranches!  Really, what more do you need for the perfect Allie book?? Actually, a whole series of Allie books—I couldn’t possibly hope to stop at one…

Then I met the wonderful owners of the Lucky B Bison Ranch in Bryan Texas.  This, to me, is the best part of my work:  I get to meet the most interesting people and learn about their lives.  When someone is kind enough to stage your own personal bison stampede for you, you know you’ve landed a fabulous resource.

It never ceases to amaze me how God orchestrates people and places into my life to create the books I will write.  America’s bison ranchers are an extraordinary group of people, and I was delighted to write the story of Gunner Buckton’s return to his family ranch.  The Texas Rancher’s Return is a terrific launch to this new series.  After all, who doesn’t love a homecoming for the prodigal cowboy—especially when there’s a perfect love and a new family waiting for him!