Canadian author Maggie Giles developed an interest in writing while backpacking in Europe and began writing historical fiction from the Tudor era in England. She later turned her hand to thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy, including the 2022 novel, The Things We Lost. She has been a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association since 2014 where she volunteers as their Social Media Director. Her latest thriller novel, Twisted, is being released via Rising Action Publishing today.
In Twisted, Detective Ryan Boone thought the simple jewelry heist was an open and shut case. That is until he discovers an unknown drug, and the minor crime he was investigating may be tied to a string of seemingly unconnected murders. Meanwhile, Mel Parker, unscrupulous leader of a high-end escort service, stumbles across the same pills. On top of protecting her "investment," she has her own reasons for attempting to unravel the mystery behind the medication. Ryan knows someone has the answers he seeks, and Mel can’t come forward. To complicate things further, five other women are implicated in the murders despite most having never met. As the trail turns up as many mysteries as resolutions, Ryan and Mel must discover the twisted connection before someone else ends up dead.
Maggie Giles stops by In Reference to Murder to take some Author R&R about writing and researching the book:
Research has always been a tricky thing. Authors want to make sure we get the facts right but we also don’t want our stories to be too rooted in reality. We want some suspension of belief and some escapism.
Most readers, when they think of research, they think historical fiction as this is a genre that requires the upmost care and precision to stay true to the times written. However, it is often overlooked how much research can go into a contemporary novel. This includes specifics about jobs, procedures, places, and people of importance. The opportunities for research are endless.
When it comes to my research, I find my focus is on the more finite details. In my debut novel, The Things We Lost, one of my characters is arrested. I was lucky enough to chat with an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Officer to nail down some of the details surrounding the police procedure and arrest. I wanted to make sure my character’s experiences were authentic and believable. In my upcoming novel, Twisted, I have a point of view that follows a Toronto detective on the case of his life. For this I chatted with an Ontario Provincial Police Officer to ensure I represented him correctly.
Both officers were super helpful in talking me through the different scenarios that I hoped to portray. While I didn’t feel the scenes needed to be 100% accurate to the real-life processes, having close friends in law enforcement has allowed me to experience their frustration with poor representation of procedure in some fiction and that was something I wanted to make sure I got right in my books.
I’ve set both my works in the Toronto area, which has been a huge bonus as it was somewhere I spent a lot of time growing up. I was able to pull from my own experience (verified with online research) and bring the city alive.
In 2024 my third novel, Wicked, will be released and this one presented more of a challenge. I opted to set the book in Ottawa, a well-known city but one I’ve only spent a few days in. To make sure I got the correct details, I spent hours going through the different neighbourhoods in Ottawa and learned about the different types of publications I could tie into my work. While I still took some liberties, I wanted the things I mentioned to come across as authentic as possible.
I make use of a lot of online imagery to get the descriptions and visuals of places, people, and things correct. I have something called aphantasia which basically means I do not have a visual imagination. Due to this I can sometimes struggle to describe things in the amount of depth a reader would enjoy. To combat this struggle, I will often use visual aids to help me properly explain what my readers may see in their minds.
Writing groups are another great way to find the resources you need. While online research can be stellar and heading to the library archives can provide you with an abundance of knowledge, I’ve found my ability to learn and retain information this way hasn’t always stuck. For me, it’s real-life people that can answer my real time, specific questions that have helped the most.
The Women’s Fiction Writers Association, which I am a member of, offers a toolbox for emerging authors which includes a list of member experts. I’ve consulted this list a few times when dealing with a specific industry or profession I don’t have any knowledge of.
My upcoming duology, Twisted and Wicked, revolve around a new medication and the consequences of it. To properly understand the intricacies of medication creation, I spoke to a former FDA employee to learn the ins and outs of how a medication gets to market. While I continued to take my creative liberties, I wanted to fully understand how such a thing could happen, so I could properly apply it to my novel.
While too much research can stifle creativity (or distract us from writing entirely!), I find that going into a story with a better sense of how things should be makes it easier for me to craft my storyline and allow for some creative changes.
You can read more about Maggie and her books via her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and TikTok. Twisted is now available via Rising Action Publishing and via all major booksellers.
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