Research: A Key To A Good Story
By Daniella Bernett
Curiosity is the tinder that sparks inspiration. It is important to remember that the tale conjured up from the nether regions of an author’s mind is a carefully choreographed piece of fiction. However, the story must have the absolute ring of truth to hook readers and keep them turning pages. Research adds richness and a layered nuance to the narrative.
The amount of research required depends on the complexity of the plot. On the other hand, inherent curiosity poses the danger that research may become an all-consuming process. An author’s primary task is to write. Therefore, to avoid straying on seductive tangents, I recommend concentrating on one or two essential aspects to lend an air of authenticity. Consider it a stepping stone. The remainder springs from the imagination.
Research can take many forms. There is no set method. A good deal can be accomplished by trawling the Internet, whether it is newspaper articles, court transcripts, videos, etc. Alternatively, reading books on a topic will broaden an author’s understanding and, in turn, give the story depth. Sometimes an expert is willing to provide insight. The key is to strike a balance between fact and fiction. Although readers enjoy learning new things, an author should not overwhelm them with too much information. It disrupts the flow of the narrative. Telling your story must take precedence.
I’d like to share some examples of what has worked for me. Secrets Lie In Wait, the latest book in my Emmeline Kirby-Gregory Longdon mystery series featuring a journalist and a jewel thief, focuses on a diamond smuggling operation between Amsterdam and London spearheaded by a Russian mob boss. I was already aware that Amsterdam is a renowned diamond trading hub. For background, I gathered newspaper articles on diamond smuggling. I discovered that U.S. and EU sanctions have made it illegal to import uncut Russian diamonds. The UK has banned imports too. This is straining supplies in major trading hubs. Criminals are exploiting a loophole, allowing Russian diamonds to be mixed with stones from other sources.
I was staggered and needed to know whether law enforcement agencies were having any success in smashing these diamond pipelines. That’s when I stumbled onto SaferGems, an initiative launched in 2009 to help stem a rise in major crime against the jewelry, antiques and fine art trades. It falls under the umbrella of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), the trade association for the professional security industry. The initiative catalogs attacks, incidents and intelligence, and provides analyses tied to jewelry crime around the UK. It has 6,000 members. SaferGems has links to all the UK police forces, including the Met Crime Squad Threat Authority, as well as Europol and Interpol.
I was intrigued. So, I sent an email to SaferGems explaining that I was an author conducting research. I indicated that the premise of SaferGems and its efforts to thwart jewel heists and criminal gangs was perfect for my story. I politely asked whether someone could help me. A question never hurts. The worst-case scenario is either your request is rejected or no one responds. (The latter is rude, but another matter entirely). I was fortunate because an intelligence officer agreed to speak with me. He patiently spent a half hour on the telephone answering my questions. In addition, he told me about the Pink Panther Gang, which according to Interpol has stolen $1 billion worth of jewels over approximately 500 robberies in 35 countries since 1999. The group is estimated to have 800 members with extensive military and paramilitary backgrounds. They hail from Serbia, Montenegro, and other former Yugoslavian states. I couldn’t ignore this tantalizing morsel and subsequently based the Peregrine Gang in my book on the group.
Research also prompted me to create the Golden Tulip, a brooch with a nine-sided, 126-facet double rose cut yellow diamond set in platinum on a stem of emeralds. I modeled it on the famous Florentine Diamond, which was thought to have been mined in the mid-1400s in India, where yellow diamonds are exceedingly rare. The jewel’s history captivated me. It was carried into battle in 1467 by the Duke of Burgundy, who considered it a talisman. Alas, it wasn’t. He was killed. Apparently, a peasant or foot soldier found the diamond on the duke’s body and sold it for two francs, convinced it was glass. In the intervening centuries, the diamond was sold many times for paltry amounts, as it wended its way from France to Switzerland to Germany and Rome, where it was briefly owned by Pope Julius II. The gem ultimately caught the eye of Ferdinando II de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. It eventually passed from the Medicis into the Habsburg Crown Jewels in Vienna. After the fall of the Austrian Empire during World War I, the diamond was carried by the Imperial family into exile in Switzerland. Later, it was thought to have been stolen and taken to South America with other gems of the crown jewels. It went missing in the early 1920s.
In Betrayed By The Truth, a stolen Fabergé egg is at the heart of the book. I chose this objet d’art after reading an article about an egg that was discovered on the seized superyacht of a Russian oligarch, who was facing sanctions. In my research, I found out that Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II commissioned 50 of the bejeweled eggs between 1885 and 1917. Only 43 are believed to exist today. I decided that the one in my story would be among these lost jewels.
Meanwhile as I was writing Viper’s Nest of Lies, which is set on Malta, I came across the fascinating fact that this playground of the superrich is a money-laundering haven. Criminals with bank accounts bursting with illicit loot can buy a Maltese passport, known as a “Golden Visa.” This document allows them to move freely and gives them carte blanche to make investments in EU countries, while avoiding prosecution back home. My research also led me to articles about Daphne Caruana Galizia, an anti-corruption journalist who was murdered in 2017. I worked the corruption and cover-up angles into the book.
Research is a vital component of the writing process. An author’s ability to meld fact with make-believe sows the seeds of the literary escape that readers crave.
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Daniella Bernett is a member of the International Thriller Writers and the Mystery Writers of America, where she is president of the New York Chapter. She also is a member of the Crime Writers Association. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Journalism from St. John’s University. She is the author of the Emmeline Kirby-Gregory Longdon mystery series featuring a journalist and a jewel thief, who are a magnet for murder, intrigue and espionage. Daniella has served as a panelist at ITW’s ThrillerFest conference and for MWA. Additionally, she is the author of two poetry collections, Timeless Allure and Silken Reflections. Daniella is currently working on Emmeline and Gregory’s next adventure. Visit www.daniellabernett.com or follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
Lost, found, stolen, dead…
In a den of enemies, there’s nowhere to hide
Debonair jewel thief/insurance investigator Gregory Longdon has always relied on his wits to extricate himself from tricky situations. But when he’s kidnapped and framed for murder in Amsterdam by Russian mafia boss Bogdan Kozlov, living on a knife’s edge stops being a game. Meanwhile, his wife, journalist Emmeline Kirby, is stirring up trouble—as usual—with articles about Kozlov’s diamond smuggling operation and the Golden Tulip, a looted 130-carat yellow diamond with a long, colorful past.
As husband and wife fight to clear Gregory’s name, they stumble into a web of blackmail and cover-ups that reaches the highest echelons of the British government and society. Rival under-world figures and the rich and powerful all have designs on the Golden Tulip. Emmeline and Gregory soon learn that running into danger means running for their lives.
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