This post started as writing about research for my books, and “dangerous waters” in the title meant the scene in Season of Joy, when the hero’s son falls overboard. Now the consequences of the Hurricane Harvey is the main thing on our minds here, and I learned once again how beautiful waves of the ocean can turn deadly fast. I live in Texas, and though my area was spared, others have been devastated. I’m respectfully asking you to join me in prayer for my beloved Texas, especially the areas that suffered the most.
For years, I’ve wanted to write a romance where hurricane plays the major part, but I never expected to do my research like this. About four months in 2008 after I moved to south Texas, we had Hurricane Dolly, and though it had been much smaller than Harvey, the experience had been scary.
As many authors, I do the research for my books. Sometimes it takes minutes, and sometimes days (and I probably still get some things wrong). I knew how to use the fire extinguisher before I started writing Season of Joy, so when in one of the scenes the tablecloth caught on fire, I just needed to brush up on the knowledge. But when the hero got bitten by a snake, I had a vague idea how to treat the rattlesnake bite before the ambulance arrives. Frankly, rattlesnakes scare me, so I hope I’ll never have to use this knowledge in real life (everything is really big in Texas, including rattlesnakes).
To write Season of Hope, I learned many things about toddlers, thanks to the help from my wonderful readers, and it was a lot of fun.
I also try learning things from books written by other authors, especially how to become a better Christian. I love books where the characters have an amazing spiritual journey and learn a lesson that help them grow. I learn that lesson, as well.
While writing this post, I realized that together with my characters and characters from other books, I learn how to deal with fears. I’m afraid of rattlesnakes, of fire, of drowning, and many other things. But my biggest fear that I shared with one of my heroines is not to be worthy of God’s love.
Research for me can be also looking deeper inside my own soul and putting things out in the open that I’m afraid to admit even to myself.
Do you like learning from books? If so, what kind of things do you like to learn? And would you share your biggest fear?
I look forward to reading your comments!
Alexa Verde writes uplifting, diverse books about faith, love, and hope. She has had 200 short stories, articles, and poems published in the five languages that she speaks. After traveling the world and living in both hemispheres, she calls a small town in south Texas home. The latter is an inspiration for the fictional setting of her series Rios Azules Christmas and Secrets of Rios Azules. Alexa has a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's in Russian. She's worn the hats of reporter, teacher, translator, model (even one day counts!), caretaker, and secretary, but thinks that the writer's hat suits her the best.
HI Alexa, I do like to learn from books which makes me appreciate the research authors put in. Biggest fear- snakes, which makes living in Australia interesting!!
Blessings:)
I do love learning through books, especially fiction! Historicals are one of my favorite genres because I get to experience different time periods through the plot.
My biggest fear? Not sure…..
Hi Alexa! As a retired teacher, I still enjoy learning from books – from fiction and nonfiction. I delight reading books about different settings and learning about new places, customs, traditions, foods. I appreciate the research authors put into their work whether through their travels, interacting with readers, or online and in libraries. A story with a new spiritual insight always makes me pause and reflect.
My biggest fears are snakes, bugs, and drowning. My thoughts and prayers are with the people affected by Hurricane Harvey. May God grant them strength and perseverance and the begin to clean up and rebuild.
I have a fear of water and a healthy respect .
I like learning about how to treat each other better, about forgiveness.
I’ll be praying for everyone affected by Harvey.
jennydtipton at gmail dot com
I’m happy to hear you and your family are safe, Alexa. Continued prayers for those affected by Harvey and also those who may be in the path of Irma. As for my biggest fear, it’s heights.
I enjoy learning to see my relationship with God, in new ways. In one of David Weber’s books The name escapes me) a member of a despised warrior race, asks an avatar of hid “god,” why keep trying to “recruit” him to his “servants.” The answer clarified much for me. (Paraphrased from memory.) “I want a willing, thinking, questioning follower, not an unthinking slave.”
Light bulb, as I understand what Christ wants from us.
(It’s the Hradani series.)
Hi Alexa! I love learning from books, sometimes it’s the whole book that keeps me thinking, but usually just a paragraph touches me in deep and gives me a lot to think about.
I’m glad you and your family are safe.
Yes I love learning from books , my biggest fears are snakes & water , as a child we were living beside a creek , and as I was playing in the water with my siblings I fell into a hole , was standing in water past my chin , & there were snakes in that hole , they must have been harmless , nobody got bitten , from that time on ::: I stay away from water , swimming pools included , just going past lakes , rivers , is enough for me
Hi, Wemble! Thank you for your response. And we share the fear of snakes. I’ve never encountered a rattlesnake yet, but that’s not a meeting I’d like to have! I’d love to travel to Australia once day (of course, I’d prefer the travel to be snake-free).
Thank you for your input, MH! I like reading historicals sometimes and I had an idea for a historical romance, but I don’t think I’ll ever write it. I can’t even imagine how much research authors of historicals have to do!
Hi, Renate! Thank you so much for your prayers! It’s heartbreaking when I hear about all the damages in Texas. It will take a long time to rebuild and even partly recuperate the loss, but people already do whatever they can…
Hi, Jenny! Thank you so much for your prayers! That’s a wonderful lesson to learn from books about treating each other better and about forgiveness. And a healthy respect for water is a good way to put it.
I’m with you on snakes, even harmless ones. Also heights. I could probably go on with a few other fears!
Praying for the Houston area, while here in BC we haven’t seen rain in three months and forest fires are still blazing over much of the province. We could sure use the excess Texas water around here. Two communities “near” us have been evacuated. By near, I don’t mean the fires are near enough to where I live to be any danger HERE (except for the ever-present smoke), but they can start and spread so suddenly, it’s scary.
I prefer reading about hurricanes and fires in stories. Snakes, I don’t ever want to read about at all!
Thank you very much for your prayers, Jill! And I appreciate your kind words. I can totally understand the fear of heights. I don’t think I’ll ever be climbing mountains. And now we’re closely watching Irma and worrying a lot. This hurricane season is so scary.
I like to be inspired by the characters in books…not sure if that counts as “learning”. Anything that encourages spiritual growth is great!
Hello, Walter Daniels! Your comment was so insightful. It made me pause and think. I read the quote several times, and it made me understand things better, too. Learning about one’s relationship with God is a great lesson. Thank you!
Hi Laura! Thank you for your kind words. And it’s a dream come true for the author when their book can touch readers. It’s so true, sometimes it’s just a paragraph that makes me stop and take notice and keeps me thinking about it.
Hello, Nikki Dawson! This was such a terrifying experience in your childhood. It would be scary enough to fall into a water hole, but with the snakes in it… Frankly, I’d be horrified of snakes and water, too. Thank you for sharing, and I’m glad you love to learn from books.
Thank you so much for your prayers, Valerie! And I’m so sorry to hear about forest fires. I’ll be praying for the residents of those areas. I wish we could send all the water that flooded areas in Texas to put down fires.
As for snakes, I totally agree with you. I know there are some harmless ones, but if I see a snake (I hope not!), it’s not like I’m going to stay, get close to it, and try to figure out if it’s harmless or not. I’d be running away as fast as I could!
Hi, Ellie! I believe that qualifies as “learning.” And I totally agree about the spiritual growth!
I enjoy learning from the books I read, whether historical fiction or modern day. The character’s journey and approach to life usually make me think and evaluate what I’m doing. Learning about different cultures and time periods, as well as different animals is fun. I don’t mind snakes or bugs, but don’t like driving on curving, skinny roads, especially in the mountains with a drop off on the side.
I do enjoy learning from books especially through historical fiction. I am terrified of snakes.
I like to learn lots of things.
Google is m y best friend.
Love this post,my friend.
I enjoy learning real history from historical fiction books. I’m not a non-fiction reader.
I fear being in water over my head, I can’t swim and panic. I’m also afraid of heights.
I LOVE learning things from books, and it’s too bad that we can’t learn just by reading! However, experience is a thorough teacher! What I like besides learning about hurricanes, snake bites, fire (especially in Susan May Warren’s series), etc., are spiritual lessons and encouragement in trusting God. I love books that build me up! Glad you were safe from the hurricane, and still praying for the others who were affected.
Hello, Diana! I love reading your words how the character’s journey and approach to life make you think and evaluate what you’re doing. I enjoy tremendously learning about different cultures, too. Hmmm, driving on curving, skinny roads is super scary, especially in the mountains, and I don’t think I’d ever attempt doing something like this, unless I really didn’t have any other choice.
Thank you for stopping by, Ann! And I can totally relate to the fear of snakes.
I have learned a lot through my reading… Better attitudes, different scripture interpretations, but mostly how to try to be a better person and to value those that God places squarely in my life. I have a long list of fears, but always try to remember that we are not given a sense of fear. We are however given the good sense to stay away from snakes ?
Hello, Linda! Thank you very much for the kind words about my post! And I’m so grateful for Internet. So much easier to learn new things!
Hello, Gail Estes Hollingsworth! Thank you for stopping by. Reading historical fiction books is a great way to learn history. And there’s a never-ending variety of time periods and countries. I can totally understand your fears! I know how to swim, but I’m not great at it, so I’m even cautious to swim to the part of pool with deeper waters.
Hello, Becky! Thank you so much for your prayers! And learning spiritual lessons and encouragement in trusting God is so important. I’m grateful if I can spiritually grow by reading the book. Oh, and Susan May Warren’s books are great!
I love leaning from books- all kinds of things. Hebrew, writing, animal husbandry, cheesemaking, grammar, history- everything! My home is pretty much a library. Yikes.
My biggest fear is dying without accomplishing the things I want to do and learn and also I’m pretty afraid of drowning, fires, and heights Dog attack, terrorists…oh my word the list is long. I better pray about all this.
:)
Hello, Joelle! Thank you for stopping by. The spiritual lessons that you’ve mentioned are great. A book that can make its reader a better person is a very valuable book indeed. And I so agree, there’s a reason we have fears – we need them to stay away from danger!
First of all, I absolutely love your name! You have a very curious mind, and now I want to learn about cheesemaking, too! :) And the home that is pretty much a library is a wonderful home to me. I hope you accomplish many things in life and learn many things. As for the long list of fear, right now we’re having a thunderstorm, so I might be adding another fear to my list.
Yes, I love when a book can apply & help in my own personal life. I am a very private person, so one big fear I face is just interacting with others. Outside family, I try to avoid big groups. I am totally fine in a one on one conversation. :)
Hello, Susanne! Thank you for stopping by. Talking to strangers, especially in big groups, can be so difficult. I’m super shy, so I can totally understand.
yes, almost anything
I do like learning from books. I’ve learned so much history from reading historical fiction! I used to be really fearful as a child. In Junior High School I started claiming II Timothy 1:7 (I learned it in King James Version), “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Amazingly, one of my fears is NOT snakes, because I grew up with several boy cousins who loved to catch snakes, lizards, you name it, and stick whatever it was in my face and say “Want to hold it?” I learned to say “Yes,” and they’d lose interest :-)
Glad you/family are safe; I am praying for the victims, rescue people, in TX.
I am an avid reader and DO learn a lot from books! I can’t imagine a person not liking to read! lol As to fears…snakes for sure!
I love reading books where the heroine learns something about being a godly woman. My biggest fear is that I am going to develop a serious health problem.
Hi Alexa, I read the title of your post and thought you were writing a book set in Australia! Wildfires, snakes, cyclones (our equivalent of hurricanes) could all appear in a book set in northern Australia. My thoughts and prayers are with Texas and everyone affected by the hurricane.
I read a lot of historical fiction and learn many things through them. Maybe even events in High School history class that I never paid much attention to, lol! It wasn’t my favorite subject at all. I really love when authors do extensive research, you can really tell by reading the book. It lends authenticity to the story and makes it a fun way to learn facts & events. I can’t really pinpoint what I like to learn, because I love learning it all :-)
My heart goes out to the people who had to deal with Hurricane Harvey personally. On the other hand though, I’ve really seen people pull together to help neighbors & friends and how other parts of the US have banded together to bring aid. It’s refreshing to see! Times of tragedy can really bring out the best in people.
Thank you very much for your input!
Hello, Margaret! I love this Scripture. When I’m afraid, I need to start repeating it to myself. Thank you so much for sharing! And what an awesome story from your childhood. That was a great way to deal with the snakes, but I don’t think I’d ever be able to do it.
Hello, Jackie! Thank you so much for your prayers. And I appreciate your kind words. And I can’t imagine a person not liking to read, either.
Hello, Jessica! Thank you for stopping by. This is a great lesson to learn, indeed. I appreciate you sharing your biggest fear. I pray that you remain in good health!
Hi, Narelle! Thank you very much for your prayers. I’ve always been fascinated with Australia, but I never thought all these things happened there, too. A book set in Australia sounds great to me (and with lots of adventure!)
Hi, Trixi! I also find history in historical fiction much more interesting than history that we had to learn in school. And yes, difficult times can bring out the best in people, and so many people are helping each other now to deal with the consequences of the Hurricane Harvey.
Hi Alexa. First of all, I’m really sad every time I hear about Hurricane Harvey. My heart goes to all of those involved in this tragedy directly or indirectly.
I also enjoy learning useful things (like using a fire extinguisher) and also getting to imagine new places (real ones that I can potentially visit) from books.
Hi, Priscila! Yes, it was such a huge tragedy and changed lives of many people.
It’s so much fun to travel through books and learn about new places and different cultures! Thank you for stopping by.
This post is so true, Alexa! I learn the same spiritual lessons as my characters with every story I write.
Thank you so much, Autumn! And I learn valuable spiritual lessons from your books!
I learn spiritual lessons when reading, also talking to different people. I tend to listen more carefully to the young and the older generation both have precious lessons to teach.
HI Alexa!
Prayers for those in Texas as well as those who have been hit my Irma and are in Irma’s path right now! And I LOVE learning from the books I read. I love ot be uplifited and edified. Soemthing that helps me on my own spiritual journey is always a plus, Biggest fear? One is that I won’t find my life partner or that God doesn’t have one in mind for me while I’m on earth, That is a HUGE fear of mine.