True Confessions about Made-Up Things
No math whiz, Karin spent a long time studying the milestones of mathematics to create a realistic passion for Holly Markham in Substitute for Love. Her favorite fascinating fact was how measuring sound waves electronically replaced the whack of an engineer’s hammer against a train wheel to test for metal fatigue. File that under “Cool stuff writers hope some day will help them win Jeopardy!”
Cowboys in Russia (Love by the Numbers) were inspired by the rollicking “Bulgarian Cowboy” from pianist Paul Halley, which in turn was inspired by his travels in Russia with the Paul Winter Consort.
Making Up for Lost Time was named more for a life situation (Karin’s) than as a metaphor. It remains the novel written in the shortest time span. And the metaphor worked out anyway.