Enjoying Research by Betsy Ashton

If you're old enough to remember card catalogs at the library, congratulations. You're an old person, just like me. They were cool. You could flip though, looking for a single book, for example, and find a dozen more through serendipity.

Research today is so much more fun. Take yesterday as an example. I was fact checking a virus for a story. I wanted to be sure I understood how Hantavirus was transmitted. I knew it was called Navajo Flu. Whaa? What's this about Korea? It was named for a river in South Korea. I had no idea, but hey, I love Korean food, especially kimchi, the hotter the better.

Back to the Hantavirus post. Genome? blah-di-blah. Couldn't understand anything. There it was, method of transmission. Inhaled rodent feces and urine. Ya right, like I'm going to have my characters crawl around on the ground sniffing mouse droppings like powdered cocaine.

Hantavirus is carried by rodents and shrews. Shrews? You mean my mother-in-law could be a carrier. Apart from being a terrible cook, here's another reason not to visit.

Rethink Hantavirus. What's equally scary? I need something to strike fear in my protagonist's heart. What's that? Yersinia pestis? It's a Gram-negative, rod-shaped coccobacillus, a facultative anaerobic organism that can infect humans via the oriental rat flea. All I understood in that sentence was oriental rat flea. I live in Virginia. I don't think oriental rat fleas are prevalent. I read further. Plague??? What the hell! It's plague. Bubonic plague plus a couple of others. That I could work with. But, wait. That requires a nearly total rewrite of the story. Not going to happen.

Dump that. No plague. Back to Hantavirus. Found in the Southwest. Love Navajo jewelry. Went to research squash blossom necklaces. Whaa? They were influenced by Spanish pants buttons. Really. Also by buttons worn by Mexican caballeros. So, Pancho Villa? We don't need no stinking buttons, or something like that.

By now I'm so far from where I started that I'm not sure what the original question was. I was having too much fun learning all about new things. I looked at the clock. Where the heck had an hour gone? A whole hour wasted running down rabbit holes instead of stopping with snorting mouse poop.Oh well, I checked the fact. It's solid.

And now I need to figure out what kinds of poisonous snakes are in North America. See you later. 

Idle hands make mischief by Barbara Edwards

Feeling out of sorts

With all the bustle of the Holidays smashed by a nasty virus that lasted almost a week, I’ve been idle. This is scary. I’m always busy. Either working, finishing, starting or just planning my next move is the way I live. I like being busy.

Being ill forced me to stop. I was quarantined for five days with the nurovirus.

The TV only offered limited channels that quickly bored me to death.

I did have my kindle and a number of the wonderful ebooks offered free by many of my friends. Only I had a headache.

I slept the first couple days. I looked outside. I threw up often.

I sat and wished to be better. I spent time being angry and upset that my valuable days had been ruined by a germ.

I tried typing and found my hands so shaky the words were unreadable.

So I stopped. Does this make sense? I stopped. Not so simple for a type A personality.

I looked at my unpainted fingernails.

I took a long soak in the tub.

I fluffed the pillows and sat under the covers.

I sent my husband out. I hope that makes you laugh. I wanted to help make me better and drove me crazy with his fussing.

I hugged the quiet like a fluffy teddy bear.

I let my thoughts roam like butterflies searching a meadow.

Somehow all of this has turned out to be a good thing.

I am rested.

Although I didn’t aim for it, I lost five pounds.

I have the end of my book firmly plotted.

I didn’t make any New Year’s Resolutions and find the lack freeing. I don’t need to think about my eating habits, my exercise routine or my writing habits.

And I won’t have to feel guilty over failing to keep them.

Maybe I’ve discovered a new way to begin the year. Or maybe not.

After the long days

Visit www.barbaraedwards.net for excerpts from my books, free reads and links to my blog, Facebook page and Twitter.

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year.