The amount of research depends entirely on the subject matter of a particular novel. As you know, each novel has a real-world issue or controversy as its framework. Some of those subjects are familiar enough to me I don't have to do extensive research. Others, like mineral rights, wind energy, environmental terrorism — required much more time. Sometimes, I put on my old reporter hat and interview experts in a particular field. And often I ask more knowledgeable people in a given occupation to review passages I've written for accuracy. I do like the research part of writing, I must admit.
I always end my interview with what I call my bonus question: What question do you wish interviewers would ask that they don't ask or ask often enough? Here's your chance to ask and answer it.
Okay, I'll bite:
Q: You often feature children in your novels — particularly young girls — and sometimes write from their perspective. Isn't that unusual in this kind of genre?
A: What a terrific question! I wish more interviewers would ask about the family aspects of the novels since I think it's integral to the series and the stand-alones. I love to feature children and young adults as real people — flawed, naive, virtuous, venal — but real. I think it adds nuance and depth to the stories that wouldn't exist without them. It also creates empathy, I think, because every reader was young and can probably relate to the character and their feelings and aspirations in some way.
As a reader, I'm often put off by authors and story-lines without families or children and all of the angst and joy they bring with them. It's asking for too much of a suspension of disbelief in a genre that requires too much of it to start with.
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