Guest Blogger Olivia Brynn - In the name of research

Thank you very much Nine Naughty Ladies! I just love the NNN blog, and I'm very happy to be here today. I'm going to tell you a little bit about research. Now, I write under two names. Alanna Coca and Olivia Brynn. My very first novel was a western romance by Alanna Coca set in the mid 1890s. Talk about research! I'm writing away and suddenly my heroine washes up in the powder room.

Wait.

Are there indoor powder rooms? In Wyoming? How about on a ranch in Wyoming?

Google.

Oh. A fireplace scene. That would be sexy huh? *writewritewrite*

Wait.

Are there fireplaces in bedrooms? In 1894?

Google.

It seemed that everything I wrote I had to research. Did the shoes lace or buckle? What were the chances of getting a glass of lemonade in the wild west? (Lemons don't grow in Wyoming, folks) In the end I found a mistake that went right through all of my edits. The word "Umpteen" wasn't in use in 1894. Oh well. More Google for me.

So far, Wyoming Solace is the only historical novel I've written. I have all kinds of respect for historical authors. I switched to Contemporary, because I live this stuff, so I can write it, right?

Well...thank God for Google.

As I was writing Cover Story, a short contemporary novel set in Los Angeles, my characters decided to go to Madame Tussaud's wax museum. I remember pausing before I wrote the scene, and I thought, wait a minute. I've always wanted to go to Madame Tussaud's! This will be fun!

Because I'm along for the ride, you know.

Google.

Then I remembered...Romantic Times convention is in Los Angeles! I wonder how far Madame Tussauds is from the convention hotel?

Google.

So guess what I did between the end of RT and my flight home? In the name of research of course. Ahem.

This is me with Will Smith. I just told him a really great story. You can tell that he's considering it for his next film. I can't talk about it yet. You know...contracts and agents and stuff. Sorry.

This one of Michael Jackson brought tears to my eyes. Seriously. I'm a sentimental sap.

When I was a kid, John Wayne was my hero. I wore full cowboy regalia from age five through ten. Yes, chaps and spurs too. So this was a real treat. I kinda wish they'd spritzed him with Old Spice or maybe some cigar smoke.

Me and Jim. We go way back. I could have spent hours swapping jokes with him, but you know...I was pressed for time.

This is Anthony Hopkins. There was a soundtrack playing in the background, where he does that little lickety-slurp thing he does in the movie. Creepy. Even in wax.

Especially in wax.

And Antonio Banderas (by the way I have to Google the spelling of his last name every time I type it, thanks again, Google). See how he's staring intimately into my eyes? We shared a moment. It would have been nicer if there weren't so many other people with cameras around. And if he was flesh. Again, I think Madame Tussaud's is really missing the mark on the scents thing. I'd love to sniff that wedge of chest he's showing off there...

So now I had all I needed for my Madame Tussaud's scene to ring true. I finished Cover Story, and turned down a publishing offer to dip my toe in the self-publishing pool. It's available from all the best e-tailers. If you mention in your comment below that you'd like a copy, I'll toss them all in a hat and choose a winner.

Now I should write a book where my characters go to the Bahamas!

Olivia Brynn is the very saucy alter ego of romance author Alanna Coca. Olivia was the one who lured Alanna into trouble as a child. She also would have been the one to get her mouth washed out with soap. Since controlling Olivia wasn’t as easy as she thought, Alanna decided to set Olivia free with her first book, For a Price, a story about one woman’s journey to sell her virginity. Other books followed, earning five-star reviews and bestselling status. Alanna realized what fun Olivia had writing sexy romances without censor. Olivia writes contemporary erotic romance near a window where the view of the Rocky Mountains beckons her to run naked through the tall foothill grasses. Except when it snows.

http://oliviabrynn.com

http://twitter.com/OliviaBrynn