Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Why I Enjoy Researching: The Things I’ve Learned By Margaret Daley

Why I Enjoy Researching: The Things I’ve Learned
By Margaret Daley

When I think back over the many years I’ve been writing, I remember the places I’ve been to for research, the books I’ve read, the searches on the internet, the writer’s police academies I attended. When I started writing years ago in the late 70s, I was writing a book about Brazil in the 1800s. The history of the country was fascinating. That’s when I became intrigued about the Amazon and the jungle. I even went to Rio with a friend and had a wonderful time learning about the people and the country. That’s when my love of researching (learning about) different places, people and professions was sparked.
 





I’m written several books placed in the swamps—Hidden in the Everglades and Deadly Countdown. The above picture is of a swamp. I’ve traveled by boat several times into a swamp. It has a strange, eerie beauty about it. The only problem I had was the snakes—one of my least favorite animals. Even the alligator leaping up out of the water for a chicken the captain held didn’t frighten me as much as the snake swimming in the water.

Since then I’ve traveled to many places around the world, some used in a book and others stored away for possible use in the future. The above picture illustrates the time I learned to scuba dive so I would know what it was like when my heroine did. It didn’t go quite like I’d hoped. During my second dive, I couldn’t go down very far because I couldn’t clear my ears. I had one more dive to do before we were leaving. I got a tip from the dive master about equalizing the air pressure in my ears. It worked. I was able to follow the group. Although I’m glad I did it, after those drives I stuck to snorkeling. 

 


















I have attended the Writer’s Police Academy several times. I’ve learned so much about police procedures and the various jobs they do. For instance, every time they go into a building checking for suspects or approach a driver in a car when he was pulled over, it is extremely dangerous and tension filled. I went through what it was like to clear a house, searching for a suspect. In the picture above, I was protecting my partner’s back as we began to move down the hall toward the bedrooms. For a few moments, I walked in a police officer’s shoes and saw all the things that could happen in an instant.

What is something on your bucket list that you want to do but haven’t yet?


Love’s Healing Power—Free to May 29th
By Margaret Daley
Tess Morgan loves being a pediatric nurse and helping the children under her care. She’d always wanted a large family, but that dream was shattered when her fiancé was murdered while volunteering in South America.
Peter “Mac” MacPherson, a former football superstar, had dealt with his own tragedies—the deaths of his father followed by his wife while she was giving birth to their daughter. His faith sustained him through his grief, but can he help Tess believe again in God and finally find a family—with him? 
Buy link: Amazon 

8 comments:

  1. How exciting, Margaret! Thank you for sharing the stories and photos!!

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  2. Love all Margaret Daley books. We've been friends some years. sarahmom335 @ yahoo dot com

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  3. So interesting, Margaret. I've always wanted to enroll in the writer's Police Academy. Hopefully some day!

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    1. I wanted to go this year, but with everything going on I'm not going to this year.

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  4. Margaret, that is some fantastic research. I'd love to go on a safari.

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