Sunday, October 21, 2018

Sacramento #7


Sacramento, CA

In search of a plot for our next book

We spent seven days in Sacramento to research our next book, GAME TOWN,  for 2019 release. So we thought we would give you a peek into researching a new book.


On March 26, 2018, we had breakfast, packed, checked out and headed to our last research stop the Automotive Museum.
The place is huge, looks like an airplane hangar!  We had a tour guide who knew a lot about the history of automotive in the US. The cars on display begin in 1895 and end in current 2018 cars.
We needed to find cars for our characters (old and new) in the Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series. With suggestions from our guide, we found just the right cars to match the personality of our characters and the role they will play in the book.


-Lori Carrington (the secretary) will drive a Nash Metro,



-Marion Carrington (long time matron of Beverly Hills) a 1929 Super Six Hudson-Victoria


-Tom Stone (mob boss) and girlfriend Coco Amore, Ford Thunderbird, 1956.
It helped to actually see the cars when making the choice.


We checked out an area called Poverty Ridge. People told us about using it as a body dump. At one time it was where lower income people lived, at the bottom of the ridge. The upper part of the ridge was where the rich lived. We drove by and found lovely homes on the top of the ridge and one story homes on the bottom of the ridge. It is a lovely area now.
It as a freezing 50 degrees outside. We headed for Trader Joe’s for a To Go dinner to eat at the airport. By the time we got to the gate, we were well fed, warmed up and ready for the flight home.
Friends picked us up from Long Beach Airport right on time, walked in the house at 9:30pm exhausted!


Aha moment-While waiting for our flight we struck up conversations with several passengers from Sacramento going to Long Beach. Not only did they recommend several more places for body dumps, but they also suggested places for fight scenes. Can't wait to sink my fingers into the story.

Monday, October 15, 2018

Sacramento #6

Sacramento, CA

In search of a plot for our next book.

We spent seven days in Sacramento to research our next book, GAME TOWN,  for 2019 release. So we thought we would give you a peek into researching a new book.

On March 25, 2018, after breakfast, we left for Sutter’s Fort State Historical Park. It was like an outdoor Rancho. Sutter built a fort then planned his a large cattle ranch. However, word of the gold discovery on his land got out. He couldn’t control the lawless squatters on his land and his dream never came to. The first hospital in the Sacramento region was at the fort.


We ate at Claim Jumper in Downtown District then went to some sites recommended to us for body dumps. Found five good places. We stopped at each one we thought would work and took pictures. Now we are getting excited about the new book.


We drove back both of us enjoying the old “mansion” homes. We parked and walked to the old Governor's Mansion built in the 1870s. It was closed for renovation. The building is three stories with its carriage house still intact. I can see a murder there and our P.I., Sky Drake getting involved in it. I was impressed with the woodwork and the landscaping. We looked it up when we got back, the current Governor’s Mansion is in Carmichael.

As soon as we got back to our hotel, both of us opened our laptops and spent the evening, into the wee hours, researching Sacramento 1950s.

Aha Moment-Current events of the 1950 capital city were full of political scandals, swanky parties, and cool crimes. This book is going to be full of all three!!


Sunday, October 7, 2018

Sacramento # 5



Sacramento, CA
In search of a plot for our next book.
We spent seven days in Sacramento to research our next book, GAME TOWN,  for 2019 release. So we thought we would give you a peek into researching a new book.
On March 24, 2018, Janet was tied up with her colleagues all day, so Bill decided to drive to the California Automobile Museum as it was only ten minutes away. The GPS put him there quickly, but when he turned the last corner traffic stopped. A police car blocked the street.  Bill had driven into the assembly point for a massive march on the State Capitol (March for Our Lives.) Since it was a Saturday, thousands of people and their cars prevented him from going to the museum.  He made his way out of the area and returned to the hotel. The streets and intersections were blocked by police. He had to drive around the Capitol grounds then north and west to get back to the hotel. 

He decided trying to get anywhere today would be a mess so parked the rental car in the hotel lot and walked to lunch at a place called Sandra Dee’s BBQ. Their fired oyster Po’boy and potato salad were great.

Back at the hotel,  he spent the rest of the afternoon writing.


At 5:00 he walked about three blocks to the Sheraton Hotel and met Janet for a tour of the beautiful hotel lobby.  We headed for dinner at Pieology Pizzeria – a custom order pizzeria on the order of Chipotle.  On the way, we stopped to read the many historical plaques. It was a cold walk there and back but the pizza was really good.
Sunset had just started, we took different streets back to the hotel enjoying the charming Victorian homes along the way. We noticed an unusual white building a few blocks away with what looked like a mini replica next to it. It was getting colder and darker by the minute. We ran into the tail end of a walk for Stephon Clark.

Aha moment-During Janet had lunch with local therapists. After telling them about our murder mysteries, Janet asked, "Where would you dump a dead body?"  Well, they gave her cross street and local landmarks- they seemed to have thought about it before!
Several highly recommend we check out Poverty Ridge and explained that before the levees have completed that area as well as others flooded yearly. However,  the ridge was where the rich built their homes and the poor living below the ridge. We checked the map and there was Poverty Ridge. So we drive by on our way to dinner.