Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Scott Wrobel maps the mysterious suburbs for his collection Cul De Sac. + Writing Suburban Fiction: The way of the The Sac I moved to a suburb of a major metropolitan…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Stephan Eirik Clark writes about making Russian history his own for the stories in Vladimir’s Mustache. + In the summer of 2003, I read a review of Michael Bloch’s Ribbentrop in…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Kristine Ong Muslim leads us through the gallery that inspired her book We Bury The Landscape (which we reviewed here). + While writing We Bury the Landscape, I followed a very…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Jeff Vande Zande recounts the connections he made while working on his latest novel. + The Unexpected Gifts of Doing Necessary Research for American Poet My new novel American Poet was…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Kirsten Kaschock shows us the moving parts and magic behind her novel Sleight. Sleight: the underpinnings The art form at the heart of my first novel, Sleight, does not exist. Since…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Lars Iyer reveals the elements of Dogma, sequel to his 3:AM Novel of the Year Spurious. + Dogma Dogma, like its predecessor, Spurious, is based on real events, even if I…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Megan Stielstra describes the lengths — and depths — she went to for the sake of a story. + The Right Kind of Water The first hour is great. I’m in…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Ben Nadler reflects on writing Harvitz, As To War, a novel about military experience, without having military experience of his own. + Harvitz, As To War When people ask what my…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Ben Tanzer considers how being simultaneously true to an experience and true to a story can be more complicated than it first seems. + Tonic I suppose one could ask what…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Jane Roper shares some of the bricks of experience that became the foundation for her novel Eden Lake. + Searching my memory for Eden Lake When you write a novel, you…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, William Walsh writes about working with source texts from James Joyce in his new collection Unknown Arts, available from “Keyhole Press”:”:http://keyholepress.com/authors/william-walsh/books/unknown-arts/. Rejoyce: Unknown Arts Unknown Arts is a book of texts…

Our Research Notes series invites authors to describe their research for a recent book, with “research” defined as broadly as they like. This week, Corwin Ericson reveals the “truth” behind his postmodern maritime epic Swell, available from Dark Coast Press. + Cetology in Swell Research? Pshaw. I made it all up. Here, the publisher swears…