Why doing research for a book can do bad things to your Google Search History...even when you write Romance.

Back when I first broke into the world of writing, I was all over the place. I'd write a children's picture book one minute and a crime thriller the next. Blood Bound in particular had a scene in it that made pretty much everyone who read it and knows me...well, a little worried. Sadly, I can't even claim to have done a lot of research that time. However, that being said, between Blood Bound, Salty and Drive, for a while there, my search history could easily have taken me from person of interest to prime suspect in a matter of seconds...you know, had I ever been accused of anything other than writing some slightly disturbing shit from time to time.

But...those days are behind me. Speaking of behind me...no...never mind. Won't go there. Some of my research topics are best left to your imagination...

Anyway, I'd like to tell myself that writing primarily romance novels has slowed my strange search requests, but alas, that is not the case. 

If anything, writing romance has improved my skills on my quest for more knowledge, which proved to be at almost frightening stalker levels when I began writing TIN and decided this handsome face:

had to be RIKER!

But it wasn't enough that he was hot, with enough muscles, tats and scruff to make me think all the right wrong things while I was writing....I needed to know who he was. For research purposes. To keep things official like. To be a PROFESSIONAL.

Insert Psycho Stalker Moment HERE

So...I implemented all of the skills I've acquired over the last few years since taking my writing from amateur levels up to the pros. I image searched. I clicked on a gazillion links. I scoured pinterest for hours. NOTHING. Just the same fucking (HOT) picture linking back to the same useless site. Then. It hit me. Zoom in on the tats. Those fuckers always mean SOMETHING.

  

And that my friends...ultimately led me to unveil the identity of my mystery man - the face (and let's be honest...body) which inspired me while writing Riker. It also led me to be a little frightened of myself...and the things I'm capable of. 

It's a good thing I'm perfectly sane (hey - who said you could laugh at that?!) because if I ever really lost my shit over a dude and took up stalking...Lord help us all.

Yeah...pretty much.