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David
answers questions submitted by fans from all over the world. He's
answered questions like, "What made you decide to become
a writer?" Or, "Of the books you've written, what's
your favorite?"
This section
of the David Morrell Network takes you up-close-and-personal with
David as he answers fans' most Frequently Asked Questions. Simply
click on each of the questions to learn more.
CLICK ON EACH NUMBER TO READ MORE ANSWERS
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| How much research do you do? |
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I love doing research. For a couple of reasons. First, I enjoy learning, so I often pick a subject that I’ve always been interested in but never had a chance to learn about. Thus, I expand my horizons, learning about such topics as photography (Double Image) or how to use egg yolks to make an artist’s paint (Burnt Sienna). The other reason I like to do research is that it adds authentic details to my fiction. Readers enjoy having inside knowledge. When I write about spies or soldiers or protective agents, I make a habit of receiving instruction from people who actually do what I only imagine. This research is especially important because I have never been in the military. During the Vietnam War, because I was a Canadian with a wife and an infant daughter, the military wasn’t an option. After FIRST BLOOD was published, soldiers from various elite military groups became fans. Some taught me some pointers. Later, in 1986, I attended the G. Gordon Liddy Academy of Corporate Security. This legendary three-week course was taught only three times. Its faculty consisted of former members of the CIA, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, US Marshals Service, the Mossad (Israel’s equivalent of the CIA), and so on. I became friends with some of these teachers. My novel ASSUMED IDENTITY was based on instruction I received about assuming identities. THE FIFTH PROFESSION and an up-coming novel THE PROTECTOR were based on instruction I received about how protective agents operate. I’ve had extensive firearms instruction as well as instruction in surveillance, electronic eavesdropping, hostage negotiation, industrial espionage, and a lot of other subjects, including anti-terrorist driving. The latter training occurred at the Bill Scott Raceway in West Virginia, where numerous government agencies send their operatives to learn what I call anti-terrorist driving. I learned how to run barricades, do 180 degree spins, and car fight at fifty miles an hour. I learned wilderness survival from the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, Wyoming. I’m also an honorary lifetime member of the Special Operations Association and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, whose members give me further opportunities to do research. For more information, see my chapter “The Importance of Research” in LESSONS FROM A LIFETIME OF WRITING.
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