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How I Handled Research for My Book by R. ArundelThe Face Transplant is set in the near future. It deals with transplanting a face from one person to another. Alice is a supercomputer who assists in robotic surgery. The story takes place in New York, Palo Alto, China and Macau. These facts made it very important that a great deal of research be conducted.Facial transplantation is in its infancy at the present time. The results are nowhere near what would be needed to make this story plausible. The fact that blood vessels would need to connect up to other vessels in a seamless manner puts this technology far in the future. Also, there would need to be receptors and compounds that would allow the vessels from the transplant and the recipient bed to join. As a surgeon my background is in medical science and the research I did for the book was very enjoyable. I looked at research papers on facial transplantation and nerve regeneration. Then I decided what would need to happen to be able to do perfect face transplants. A science background is not required to do this research, online research and talking to someone in this field is more than adequate. In the final draft a great deal of the scientific research that I did was not included in the novel. In my early drafts, I could see that I had included many long, boring pieces of research because I had spent so much time doing this research. In the end I realized it did not advance the story. It may be easier for this type of research to leave it until most or indeed all of the first draft is complete and then go back and see what needs to be researched. My only fear with this is that the initial draft may not read true if you start with no idea of fundamentals of a face transplant.Robotic surgery research again was very extensive. The value of the research at the start was that it was clear that present day medicine could not approximate any of the technology I wanted for the novel. This dictated that the book be set in the near future (about seventy years from today). This is a guess as to when the technology to do perfect face transplants and have robotic surgery would be realized.My approach to researching locations where a story takes place is to try to get as much as possible accurate. The other option is to create your own version of reality. If a place exists I like to get it accurate. If the reader knows a certain highway hat you mention in real life does not travel in the direction you have stated in your book it can be distracting. The reader may also think if the writer has not gone to the time to get his facts straight how much time have they gone to create a great story. I use the Internet extensively to research places and even look at streetscapes etc. I try to create my own cafes and warehouses because it is not practical if you don’t live in the city to use a well-known cafe and get it right.
By R. Arundel
Publisher: R. Arundel
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Genre: Medical Thriller
Format: eBook/Print
Length: 379Pages (910KB)
ISBN: 9781459290617
ASIN: B00E6XU322
About the book:
Dr. Matthew MacAulay is a
facial transplant surgeon at a prestigious New York hospital. When his friend
and mentor, Tom Grabowski, dies under mysterious circumstances, Matthew
uncovers his friend’s secret: a new technique that allows perfect facial
transplants. No incisions, no scars. Tom was able to accomplish this monumental
feat with the help of Alice, a supercomputer robot with almost human abilities.
While trying to find the people responsible for murdering Tom, Matthew realizes
he is the prime suspect. He must flee for his life with the help of Dr. Sarah
Larsson, a colleague and reluctant helper, who has a secret of her own, and
Alice, who helps them make sense of a baffling series of seemingly unrelated
events. The clues carry Matthew and Sarah around the world. They stumble onto a
sinister plot of monumental proportions that leads Matthew all the way to the
White House.
The Face Transplant is a
powerful medical suspense thriller of the first order. The novel was written by
a surgeon who weaves politics, medicine, and espionage into a tightly paced,
intelligent thriller.
EXCERPTThe man in the black fedora is going to kill Matthew MacAulay. It will bring him no joy. It will bring him no sadness. It is just something he has to do. He knows this one should feel different, but it does not. He sees Matthew and begins to approach him. He is very excited; it feels almost sexual. The small pin he carries in his right palm is a work of art. It is a two-inch-long needle with a hollow core. It is very difficult to have this manufactured. The mechanical specifications are exacting because the point is so fine it is invisible to the human eye.He has to be careful with the point. If anyone looks closely at his right hand, they may notice a thick flesh-toned pad on his palm with a needle flat against it. As soon as he pushes the small button, the needle will become erect. The needle will penetrate Matthew’s skin and the plunger will inject the microdroplets. The amount is less than two grains of salt. Eight hours later Matthew will be dead. It will be relatively painless. Matthew’s muscles will violently constrict; it will be over in two minutes. Maybe it will not be so painless, but less pain than Matthew is causing him with his inquiries.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
R. Arundel is a practising
surgeon. This experience brings realism to the story. The novel asks what would
happen if a surgeon were to develop the perfect face transplant. This would allow people to have a new face,
in essence create a new identity. You can create the perfect double, the
perfect Doppelganger.
Contact link: http://www.amazon.com/R-Arundel/e/B00EBCQVEC
Happy to be a part of this tour, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting today
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ReplyDeleteNice site. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteReading about your research was quite interesting-thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteResearch can be very interesting, but the author must realize that most of the research does not need to be conveyed to the reader. In fact, most of the research you do never gets into the book. It can be painful to remove the interesting research while editing a book.
DeleteI'm impressed by your research acumen!
ReplyDelete--Trix
Thanks. It's very easy to do research on a book since you are very passionate about the topic.
DeleteGreat post, I enjoy learning about how authors get their ideas and create their stories. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNew ideas are always fun to share.
DeleteGreat cover! Can't wait to read!!
ReplyDeleteThe Face Transplant is a medical suspense thriller that is action packed. I hope you enjoy.
Deletelet me know what you think about the book at www.thefacetransplant.com
DeleteWhat is one of the weirdest things you used to do as a teenager?
ReplyDelete