the trials of research

Ha! Trials. of research? Not really.

I'm having so much fun with my research for My Wayfaring Billionaire- book 3 in the Grimwood Legacy Series. I wanted to share some of the cool things I've found and have been doing. 

It wasn't hard to talk Mr. Castle into going to the boat show...

My main character, Colton Grimwood, lives on a yacht. If you've read My Beastly Billionaire, you've met Colt already.

Well, I'm a landlubber and haven't been on too many boats. (Admission time: they make me nervous and I'm one of those who makes sure they have a life jacket on. Securely tied. Tight. Floaties might have also been used a time or two. Just to be extra safe. Maybe.)

I'd seen adverts for boat shows around me, so I looked it up and was pleased to find out there was a boat show the following weekend. I sent Mr. Castle a text saying I needed a "research" date. He agreed to go so long as I wasn't looking to buy.
​No problem there. 
But I did see him longingly looking at a couple of boats, so there. 

I did get to check out a smaller yacht which I found amazing. But from some of the videos I've watched about luxury boats, I know there are much bigger ones. Colton would have a bigger one, right? I think so.

Then, I had to try to decide what kind of boat Priscilla (Cilla) the heroine had. This is important, but I can't say  why right now. She spends a lot of time out on the ocean swimming. (She's a mermaid, after all) 

More on that later.
 
I'm still undecided, but I think I'm looking toward a small sailboat, or a fishing boat. Still thinking about this. Her father used to take people out scuba diving in this same boat, so I need to take that into consideration. 

This cool thing happened while I was at the boat show. After touring the yachts, I was talking to one of the salespeople and mentioned that I was doing research. I'm not sure if she understood it was for a book, but before I could explain, she started talking about a Women on Water class that's free and will teach a beginner all about the workings of a large boat.

Score! 

If I get to go, I'll share more about that later. 

And then there's the mermaids...for real!

This bit of research is what made my book take off in a new, fun direction.

So, the story is about the oldest Grimwood, who is keeping a few secrets from the others about things that happened with the father Grimwood, who recently passed away. Colton has been given charge over the family's private resort island. It was something his father invested in years ago, but was never able to do much with. 

Marcus Grimwood left the island to Colt with the condition that if he wished to come into his full inheritance, he must do something with this island to make it turn a profit. 

Except, Colt hates that island and doesn't want anything to do with it. Trust me, he has his reasons. 

Finally, he makes his way, with his twin girls, to the island. Then, one day while out boating with the girls in the lagoon, he spots the most amazing sight. A mermaid diving off the end of a small boat. She goes under and doesn't come up for air for nearly five minutes!

Colt thinks something is terribly wrong and dives in after her. And here we enter the Little Mermaid parallel story line. Yes, My Wayfaring Billionaire is a retelling of this beloved fairy tale. And boy, I'm going to have a lot of fun with it. 

It's not available yet, but don't worry. When Jeremy's book, My Charming Billionaire is released, there will be a pre-order link for Wayfaring. 

​Below is one of the videos that inspired Cilla's character. 

Researching books is something I really enjoy. I'm a constant learner and always eager to find something new that I didn't know about before. 

And one never knows what they'll find when they go exploring for ideas. I knew Wayfaring Billionaire would be a retake on the Little Mermaid, but it wasn't until I typed in mermaids on you-tube that I found people did this for a living. 

Isn't that cool?
If you could have any crazy dream job- something you could do once in your lifetime-- what would it be? I'm living my dream job of being a writer, but I have to tell you, though I'm a landlubber, I'm intrigued about being a professional mermaid. I think that's something I'd look into if I was in my 20s again. 

​How about you?

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Check out the first two books by clicking on the covers.