Tag Archive for: #Miami

Why I Wrote Missing in Miami by Kathryn Lane

/in /by

Location is important in my novels, yet it is only the
setting. It does, however, dictate the type of story that can take place. By selecting
Miami and Havana,  I had to delve into
the creativity pool in my frontal cortex to select a topic bursting with
possibilities for a new and interesting storyline. A storyline that would
entertain readers and keep them guessing about the bad guys.

To be released on Amazon: eBook – Feb 23
Paperback Feb 21 

Stem cell therapy gave me a platform where I could build
an interesting medical angle and include medical tourism as a subplot, adding
the risks and rewards that such therapy can bring to those who undergo
treatment. Add then a teenager in need of stem cell therapy. When she disappears,
my protagonist, Nikki Garcia, is hired to try to find her.

Nikki calls on her husband’s expertise as a medical
doctor to help in the case. Of course, her boss, Floyd, is there to provide
access to law enforcement agencies and their information gathering. Bring in a
cast of characters, locations, and situations that Nikki must maneuver.

And the hunt is on!

At some point along the path of writing a novel,
something wonderous takes hold. I realize the magic is coming from somewhere
outside of myself, as if the characters are directing the story. And they
always make it better!

The twists and turns
of a mystery novel are my favorite part of writing. I hope you will also find
it fun to follow the labyrinth Nikki must travel in Missing in Miami.

 

***

Happy Lunar New Year!

NOTE: If you’d like to
write an advance review, contact me at KathryLaneAuthor@gmail.com and I
will send you a free copy of Missing in Miami through Book Funnel. The review
needs to be posted on Amazon on February 23, the day of the eBook launch. In
the review, you can mention that you received an advance copy of the novel to
write a review. If you also wrote a review on BookBub and Goodreads, I’d
appreciate it so much! Thank you to my Stiletto Gang friends who have already told
me they will write a review!! 😊

Researching in Miami

/in /by

 By Kathryn Lane

I place my novels in countries where I traveled during my corporate job. Miami is a city where I attended many
regional conferences. I also passed through the international airport innumerable
times coming from or going to Latin America and the Caribbean. Yet I only saw the city from airline windows as we approached the airport, through taxi windows as we drove to hotel conferences, or from hotel rooms for the couple of days I would attend meetings.  

Now I’m setting a novel in Miami. It’s
the perfect excuse to do on-site research and get to know the city. I’d planned this trip last year and then
Covid hit, so I put my novel on hold. Now I’m here in a wonderfully hospitable city. I love that Spanish is spoken everywhere. A diverse city, Miami is a melting pot of people from Latin
America and the Caribbean. And yet there are immigrants representing every
country in the world. Tourists from around the globe flock here, too.

My novel starts in Miami and takes my
protagonist, Nikki Garcia, to Cuba. Of course, I do online research before I
travel. Online experiences do not provide the “feel” of a place, the culture,
the food, or the special little bits of information I like to add to my novels.

My husband is a wonderful travel
companion on research trips. He’s a great sport when I ask him to
explore areas he might not be interested in seeing. Over the time I’ve been an
author, we’ve encountered surprises, whether it’s walking the old neighborhoods
of Barcelona to locate a mosque as in a previous trip, or to explore a section of
the Everglades, like on this trip. Or finding a Cuban restaurant in Little
Havana in Miami, walking in, and discovering it served Spanish food, not Cuban.
What the heck, we were there so we ate seafood paella.

When I’m performing on-site research, I
like to put myself into Nikki’s shoes. How would she react to living in a condo
in Miami Beach? Eating at Little Havana? Interviewing security guards in Doral?
Would she shop for fresh lychee fruit and orchids in the Redlands agricultural
area on the west side of the city? Should she discover a corpse in the Everglades
or in a canal on Cutler Bay? Would she visit the Deering Estate and Key
Biscayne?

Bob and I follow the outline of the places I
want to investigate. Doing this work makes me feel like a location scout for a
big production company. Of course, this is only one part of my research. And
it’s definitely the most fun!

After indulging in food, music, and
culture, then reality sets in and I have to actually write the story!

***

What kind of research do you do? Do
you enjoy researching various topics for your novels? Ever done on-site research?

Visit me at https://www.Kathryn-Lane.com I love
hearing from readers. Ask a question, suggest an idea, or comment about the blog.

Kathryn Lane started
out as a starving artist. To earn a living, she became a certified public
accountant and embarked on a career in international finance with a major
multinational corporation. After two decades, she left the corporate world to
plunge into writing mystery and suspense thrillers. In her stories, Kathryn
draws deeply from her Mexican background as well
as her travels in over ninety countries.

https://www.kathryn-lane.com

https://www.facebook.com/kathrynlanewriter/

The
Nikki Garcia Mystery Series: eBook Trilogy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GZNF17G

Photo
credits:

All photographs are used in an editorial or educational manner.

The Grounds at Deering Estate, Lily Pads in the Everglades, and Server Showing Paella are photos by Kathryn Lane