Mythological monsters wreak havoc in the modern world!

Learning about new things is one of the perks of being an author. I was never much on following the rule of “write what you know,” because for one thing I don’t know much, and for another, that’s just boring.

For my latest book I’m doing research on monsters from Greek mythology. I took Greek mythology in grammar school and in college, but those classes didn’t really focus on what I was interested in—those fantastic creatures banished to the underworld by Zeus. And there is a butt-ton of them.

Cerberus is a three-headed, sometimes two-headed, sometimes multi-headed dog (depending on who’s telling the tail...er...I mean tale). In my story he ends up in Egypt, where he literally emerges from inside the Great Sphinx. His day job is to guard the entrance to Hades, keeping the dead in and the living out. He’s big and mean with snapping jaws full of teeth and huge, blood-dripping claws. He’s also known as the Hellhound, so what’s not to like? 

Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters, is disturbing to even think about. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Clash of the Titans,” you know what I mean. Her face is one that not even a mother could love, and instead of hair, she has a head full of live, poisonous snakes. What’s cool about her is that any human or beast that gazes into her eyes turns to stone. Well, it’s not cool for the victims, but you know what I mean.

Imagine the Minotaur, with the head of a bull and the body of a man, coming for you in the middle of the night. He didn’t really have a specific job in Greek literature, but hey, he looks cool, so who cares, right? He fits right in with my battalion of havoc-wreaking monsters.

There’s also the Cyclops, who is the first to appear in my new book to a couple of hikers in the Blue Ridge Mountains of all places. He’s got one eye, a giant horn on his head and speaks ancient Greek, but with a loud, booming, animalistic growl. There were supposedly three of these guys, but I’m only using one in my story. He wears a robe, knows how to hunt and build a fire and as I said, how to speak ancient Greek. Oh, and did I mention he’s twenty feet tall?

All the monsters in my story (tentative title: ORACLE OF THE DEAD) also have supernatural powers given to them by...well, you’ll have to read the book, which is still in its early stages, to find out.

I have used mythological monsters in pretty much all of my books to date. The reason for that is I like to draw from actual mythology and add a layer of realism to an otherwise fantastical story. I love reading stories like that myself—Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, even Homer—all mixed fantasy with reality and created imaginative stories that still resonate decades or centuries later. Hopefully, my books will do the same.

Find out what I'm up to by connecting with me on my website at tobytatestories.com and don't forget to sign up for my email newsblast while you're there!

What exactly is an MTA, and why do you need one?

by James Jackson

Mr. Jackson is a former US Navy Chief Petty Officer. He has spent almost two decades in military service with a large portion of that as a tactical instructor.

During his years in service, he has been part of fielding teams, mobile training teams and interacted with other branches of the US Military as well as foreign military units.

Since leaving the Navy, he has served as an advisor for diplomatic security and as a private military contractor.

He is an author, an outdoor survival instructor, serves as a disaster mitigation consultant, and is a Military Technical Advisor for several published authors.

For every author there is, or should be, a requirement that they conduct due diligence research. That way they will be to provide enough details that the reader is immersed within the story they tell and not taken out by something that just doesn’t sound right. Research is extremely important.

Due diligence would require that the author be able to describe the locale that their story takes place in in intricate detail. How many times have you read something where the story fails to cover some basics and just plain falls short? The concept is simple to understand.  If a story is set in Washington D.C., there are a lot of locations that are known to the locals that won’t be something that Google maps will show. Case in point, there is a museum close to the Smithsonian Complex that is not part of that complex, that contains medical oddities. It’s often mistaken as being part of that complex yet has no association with it. Some of the locals know of it, but tourists would be hard pressed to find it.

While that is one example of something that could be added in to a novel to increase the details, another example was a novel I read many years ago that was a spy thriller set in that same city. The details were so intense that years later, a tourist that had read that same book, traveled to D.C and was amazed that the location was just as true to life as depicted within the book. He visited the Lincoln Memorial and went downstairs to see if there really was a drinking fountain right outside the door to the restroom. It was exactly as described. When the tourist reached under the fountain to see if there was space for a magnetic holder, a key element within the book as it was used as a message for the main character, he was amazed to find one. Inside, there was a simple note, “Good book, wasn’t it?”

 

That is the level of detail that every author should strive for. That brings us to technical assistance. What is technical assistance? For some, that might mean the tech guy you call when your computer goes down. Technical Assistance or Military Technical Assistance for authors is a service that can provide a level of detail to authors that is unprecedented. While MTA is not for computer technical issues or in-depth knowledge of locations, it is for basic technical assistance that can flesh out a character, the actions of that character and/or character background. 

Military Technical Assistance does that same thing only for the thematic elements within a book. Military Technical Advisors are a resource that all authors should have on speed dial or bookmarked on their favorites. 

Why, you may ask, when Google can provide “everything” you need? 

Google can only provide so much. Without someone who has actually been in the military, used the equipment, been on a deployment, or used that particular weapon system, how accurate can an author really be if they only rely solely on Google? 

Military Technical Advisors are commonly found in Hollywood working within the film and television industry. While those companies, extremely prevalent and numerous in and around Los Angeles, provide their services to directors, actors, and screenwriters, there are very few that provide any kind of service to authors. The world of writing is overlooked for the most part, by the MTA industry. Apparently, it just isn’t worth their time and effort to work with authors as all the ’big money’ is in the film industry.

That’s where The Ward Room comes into play.

What, pray tell, is this Ward Room? The Ward Room is a site where authors can go for information about weapon systems, uniforms, rank structure, and even some general information about locations around the world. There is even a page for Writer Resources that breaks down ‘basic’ information and covers some of the most common mistakes. If the information an author seeks is not listed on that page, then they can contact the site and request that someone review their work. There are two free services offered that any author can take advantage of. If they want a more thorough insight, there is also a listing for premium services.

Why is this even important if the book is fictional? In every fictional work, there is something based in the real world.

Let’s put that into perspective. There are millions of fictional works out there that could use the services of a MTA. Several particular issues come to mind. In a book I recently read, a supernatural thriller about a reporter investigating a cult, there was one scene where the main character was handed a Gloch handgun. I’m sure the author meant Glock but that slipped past not only the author but the editor as well. In another novel, a character popped open a revolver and spun the cylinders before engaging the safety. How is that even possible? A revolver has one cylinder with chambers. The way it was described was that the revolver had multiple cylinders. Revolvers, for the most part, do not have a safety like other conventional handguns.

Even big name authors, New York Times bestselling writers could use the services of a MTA. In a novel by a well known military suspense author, he placed the 3/75th Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington. At the time that the novel was written, Fort Lewis had already been combined with neighboring McChord Air Force Base to become Joint Base Lewis/McChord, a joining that had taken place several years prior. While that’s a minor issue, one that Google might have shown, the major issue was that 3/75th Ranger Battalion is stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia and not JBLM. That is another case where a simple email to a MTA that specializes in assisting authors would have prevented this error and the many others that the novel was riddled with.

 

Consider other fictional books with a real world setting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a book that contained characters that were part of the US Armed forces and the rank structure was way off. Sergeants, Majors, and Colonels in the US Navy? Not going to happen. One book that stands out, I won’t name the title or author, depicted a lieutenant general attempting to evacuate his unit out of Egypt while under siege from an army of the undead. I had to pause several times and ask myself just what size unit was this general in command of? He apparently had no staff, no logistics unit, no air support, no artillery, no headquarters section and he micromanaged what was described as a company sized unit that apparently had no other officers at all. 

That is micromanaging to the Nth degree. Imagine a general officer directing privates, corporals and sergeants. Not something that normally happens. Later in that same book, the general was able to squeeze his entire unit onto an Arleigh Burke class naval vessel. In the real world, that general would be in charge of a division sized unit or larger. A division is approximately 10-15k troops. He would have a command staff made up of other officers from colonels on down to lieutenants, and a senior enlisted staff. That staff would have told him that there is no way a division would fit on an Arleigh Burke class vessel; there ‘s barely room for the crew.

As you can see by the example provided, Google can show some results, very generic results, but falls short when in comes to specific details. To get the real deal, the inside scoop as it were, authors should consider the use of a Military Technical Advisor. The Ward Room offers such a service. There are several free services available that can readily answer questions and address issues. There are also premium services for authors and publishers that want more.

The Ward Room is a resource that enables authors to enhance their work. Take advantage of it.

Check out the Ward Room at http://wdrmmta.wordpress.com/.

Look for these James Jackson books coming from Permuted Press:

Up From The Depths 1: Denial Measures 9/8/2015
 

Up From The Depths 2: Acceptable Losses 10/6/2015

Up From The Depths 3: Collateral Damage 11/10/2015

Up From The Depths 4: Movement to Contact 12/8/2015

Up From The Depths 5: Defilade 1/5/2016

Up From The Depths 6: Secondary Objectives 2/9/2016

Researching the novel: Making it real and getting it right

In his book ON WRITING, Stephen King said, “Do the research, but don’t overdo it for the reader.” Writers like me should probably take that to heart. But it’s tough, because I love to make things real.

In my last book, LILITH, I wanted the reader to feel like they were there on the USS Gerald R. Ford with me. Being ex-navy, I spent many a day sailing the ocean blue on several different ships, so that experience came in quite handy when it was time to write. I also managed to spend some time aboard a carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, which was pretty awesome. I got to stand right out on the flight deck while the jets were taking off and landing, rattling my bones until I thought they would fracture. The picture below is one I took myself of a navy jet landing in 2010.

For LILITH, I researched several different types of weapons used by Special Forces and CIA, the CIA and its methods, nuclear fission and nuclear power, DNA and genetic mutation, animal tracking, New York City, especially Manhattan Island and its layout, the abandoned New York City subway tunnels, hurricanes and weather patterns, the offices and buildings used by the mayor of New York, the type of security used by the mayor, on and on and on. I used Google maps to see exactly what the parks and buildings looked like at street level and videos to see what the abandoned subway tunnels were like. I even enlisted the help of a retired navy commander to get my facts straight about the USS Gerald Ford, which has yet to be commissioned. 

  

The research itself took a good six months, the writing another six months. In the end, I had to cut 10,000 words out of the book to secure a contract with DarkFuse, most of it having to do with the back story, via the musings of the ship’s chaplain, Commander Crane, of the creature that takes over the ship. But it was worth it, because the back story will be fleshed out in the sequel, PRIMORDIAL, which I am now writing.

For PRIMORDIAL, as with all my other books; DIABLERO (Nightbird Publishing, Oct. 2010), GOD PARTICLE (Crossroad Press, June 2013), and THE BLACK CHURCH (DarkFuse, Dec. 2013), I did most of the research beforehand. Most of the action for PRIMORDIAL will be set on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean, but there are also scenes in Romania, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Sicily, and Washington D.C.

Since I am not an archeologist and have limited knowledge on the subject, I enlisted the help of archeologists and geomorphologists from Boston U. and NC State, and even picked up a book about the basics of archeology, just so I could get the jargon right. I looked at videos of several different dig sites on Crete, researched modern Crete and its ancient Minoan civilization, which figures heavily in the plot, and did more research on the CIA, nuclear radiation, DNA and genetic mutation. And that’s just the basic stuff.

Sometimes it seems like the research will never end. I just want to turn off the computer and say, “Forget it! I’m going fishing!” But even though I make my share of mistakes, I am a stickler for realism, and getting it right. If I say, “He walked through the gate and into the park,” you can be sure that I have either been there, or I looked it up on a recent video or photo and saw a gate in front of that park.

But in spite of all the necessary research, a writer can’t forget the most important element of any story: the human element. But I’ll save that for next time.

Are you a writer? Do you do a lot of research before you write? How do you go about it? Leave me a comment and tell me about it. If you have a question about research, feel free to leave a comment, as well.

For more information on me and my books, find me on the web at www.tobytatestories.com. Thanks for reading!