Emilya Naymark's short stories appear in Secrets in the Water, After Midnight: Tales from the Graveyard Shift, River River Journal, Snowbound: Best New England Crime Stories 2017, 1+30: The Best of Mystory, and in the upcoming Harper Collins anthology, A Stranger Comes to Town. She has a degree in fine art, and her artworks have been published in numerous magazines and books, earning her a reputation as a creator of dark, psychological pieces. Being married to an N.Y.P.D. undercover detective compelled her to create the character of Laney Bird, whose occasionally wild and, even more often, terrifying experiences are inspired by real events. When not writing, Emilya works as a visual artist and reads massive quantities of thrillers and crime fiction. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.
Behind the Lie is the second installment in Emilya's Sylvan series, in which NYPD detective-turned small town PI, Laney Bird, is in a fight to save lives—including her own—after a neighborhood block party turns deadly and ends with the disappearance of her friend and another woman. As people closest to Laney fall under suspicion, the local authorities and even her colleagues question her own complicity.
Emilya stopped by In Reference to Murder to take some Author R&R about writing and researching Behind the Lie:
My novels Hide in Place and Behind the Lie feature an ex-NYPD undercover detective. In my case, the research happened before the ideas for the novels even materialized. Being married to an NYPD undercover detective gave me a lot of my research ahead of time. In fact, it generated the story.
Once I had my novel’s plot, I sat down with my personal detective and asked him hundreds of specific questions—everything from how, exactly, an undercover makes a drug buy on the street (lots of acting), to what happens with the evidence in the precinct (the drugs get tested and whatever was confiscated gets vouchered, including cash), to what happens to an undercover during an arrest (they get arrested).
For those who don’t have a personal detective, I recommend finding one. Police officers are often very pleased to discuss their jobs. Many of them write, and if you know any who belong to the same writing association as you do, reach out! Take him or her out for lunch and ask away. Schedule a zoom. Offer a beta read in exchange for their hard-won wisdom. In addition to my husband, I interviewed three other detectives and one corrections officer.
I read everything I could find on racketeering cases against the Russian mob. The Shulaya gang case in Brighton beach was a treasure trove, and I downloaded the official indictment and referenced it for plot ideas. And really, when it comes to the Russian mob, no ideas were too wild.
My detective’s teenage son is a firebug, and I spent countless hours watching instructional videos on building homemade flamethrowers (it’s super easy), breathing fire, and juggling flaming torches. I downloaded and read elaborate instructions and journals written by people who practice fire breathing for a living.
One of the characters in Behind the Lie is a research scientist, and I’m fortunate to have a research scientist in the family. I needed to know how medical compounds are tested and how drugs get approved for human use. He gave me thorough notes.
Another part of the novel takes place inside a residential facility for at-risk youth. I found a similar establishment near me and read about its troubles. Whatever I put into the novel, no matter how drastic it sounds, came directly from the news. Then I spoke with a psychiatrist who works with residential programs, and she gave me the procedural details I wouldn’t have gotten from just reading articles.
Because my novels and stories revolve around crimes, I downloaded the entire NYPD Patrolman’s Guide, all 1000+ pages of it. It’s been quite useful because my police officer characters have to know procedures and what crimes come with what charges. The Patrolman’s Guide is an exhaustive manual for both.
I bought several handbooks for private investigators, which are a goldmine because they list not just how to run a case, but what tools of the trade to use, down to the brand names and models.
In general, my best sources are the news, legal and judicial websites, and professionals who work in the pertinent fields.
For me, there can never be too much research or too much information. A great deal of what I learn doesn’t make it into the books, but it gives me the confidence I need to write about a subject as if I know it well. Or, more importantly, as if my characters know it well.
You can find out more about Emilya Naymark via her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. Behind the Lie is available via Crooked Lane Books and can be purchased through all major booksellers in ebook, print, and audio formats.
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