Researching a Monster

I’m fairly old-school when it comes to researching a book. I’m not averse to consulting Internet sources when a work is in progress and I’m stuck behind the computer pounding the keys, but I’ve learned over the years that information gathered through real-world experience and interaction generally trumps anything gleaned from a Google search. As good as websites are at providing data and pictures, they tend to fall short in providing the kind of sensory textures that make fiction come alive. . . . [Read more at my guest blog for the upcoming Pennsylvania Literary Festival.]