Friday, January 18, 2019

# WRITING

Researching - The Backbone of any Novel by John R. Beyer @drjohnrbeyer #writing


Researching – the Backbone of any Novel
John R. Beyer

When the concept of writing my fourth novel teaming up my protagonists, Jonas Peters and Frank Sanders (their first book together), I knew there would have to be deep research to ensure the readers would believe the words I put down onto the paper. There was no chance I was to spend a year or more writing a tale involving these two fine men without the diligence of powerful exploration and research.
That is the hallmark of any good writing. Without painstaking research a writer ends up with only a tale without merit. Fictional writing may be what wordsmith’s make out of their creative memories but good fiction must resemble non-fiction to the audience.
When I read a novel I want to be taken away from the present reality and thrust into a new reality. What I did not realize when the idea for ‘Iquitos – the Past Will Kill’ sprang into my head was that I would be spending a month in the darkness of the Peruvian rainforest.
The jungle comes alive at night and hunkered beneath mosquito netting and swinging in the heavy and moist air in a hammock one thinks it is safer to be inside than outside. More than once each evening something outside would let loose with a scream and suddenly nothing but silence invaded the night.
During the daylight all one did was sweat in the ninety percent humidity
The rainforest on the Amazon just a short distance from Iquitos, Peru is a dangerous place to reside – for both human and the other creatures who roam the dark paths below the sky hiding branches.
On previous trips to Peru, my spouse (Laureen) and I had made close friends with a naval commander who set up the Amazon adventure including riding for hours in a fast boat. This navy small boat was capable of over sixty miles per hour on the wide and dark river and sported two fifty caliber machine guns. It was a fitting place for Jonas (who was the only character to venture into the Amazon) to hitch a ride and find out firsthand the magnitude of one of the largest rivers in the world.
Islands would appear out of nowhere – the shores teaming with life. Howler monkeys kept eyes on us as we swept by the land masses as well as Toucans and Macaws flying overhead. The skies were often covered with rain fat clouds ready to deluge us at any minute – often without warning the sky would open up. Suddenly drenched and smiling we would understand the thrill of research – to be somewhere not expected and enjoying every minute of it.
A month on the trail to making sure the research was correct left my spouse and our good friend Paul Bakas (photographer for our blog – jandlresearchandexploration) satisfied with that research and an understanding of the difficulty of living in such a primitive place as the Amazon. It takes a special type of person to make it day to day – we made it a month but with a guide, prepared food, constant warnings of the dangers behind every bush, and an overall appreciation of where we were and why.
As Laureen stated as we headed back to the states; “That was the best trip I never want to repeat.”
‘Iquitos – The Past Will Kill’ was a novel based on a past event involving Jonas Peters which brings that past rushing to the future. Fatal events occur at the beginning of the novel.
About the Author

John R. Beyer spent nearly ten years in law enforcement in Southern California as a street cop, a training officer and a member of the elite SWAT team. After leaving the force, he continued in public service entering the field of education. During his tenure, he served as classroom teacher, school administrator and district administrator, and was an integral part of the gang and drug force in San Bernardino. While in both worlds he earned a Doctorate in School Administration and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

During all those years, he never gave up the passion for writing – both fiction and nonfiction. He has been published in numerous magazines, newspapers and the like for decades, writing on a variety of topics. His latest short stories in the past year can be found in Foliate Oak Literary Magazine (2016) and GNU Journal (2017). He is also the author of three highly praised internationally known novels – Hunted (2013), Soft Target (2014) and Operation Scorpion (2017).

He won the 'Write Well Award' in October of 2018 from the Silver Pen Writer's Association for a fictional short story.

His newest novel, ‘Iquitos – the Past Will Kill’, was released in November of 2018 by Black Opal Books bringing two of his protagonists together for their first investigation. Jonas Peters and Frank Sanders will work hand in hand with an international incident which left undetected could cause a catastrophic issue for the United States. They are friends and they are good at they do. Catching the bad guys.

Website Address:    http://johnrobertbeyer.weebly.com/
Twitter Address: @Drjohnrbeyer


About the Book:

Title: IQUITOS: THE PAST WILL KILL
Author: John R. Beyer
Publisher: Black Opal Books
Pages: 353
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

BOOK BLURB:
Jonas Peters and Frank Sanders team up to solve a string of murders, starting with the intentional and fatal bombing of a local coffee shop in downtown Riverside—a usually calm city in Southern California. Dozens are dead after an explosion rips apart the Coffee Grind, leaving dozens of others gravely wounded. Frank soon finds himself up to his elbows assisting the bombing victims, especially when he discovers that Jonas was walking to the Coffee Grind to meet up with his fiancée, but he never made it. In an instant, all their lives are thrust into a trail of death and destruction carried out by an unknown psychopath.

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