Nancy's Research Notes on the Bad Hair Day Mysteries

KILLER KNOTS (Cruise Ship): This is based on over fifteen cruises I've taken, complete with notes, photos, and memorabilia. Specifically for this book, I attended the art auctions on board the RCCL Navigator and NCL Spirit. I also took detailed notes in the ports of call as described in the story.

    It's a hard life, I know.

PERISH BY PEDICURE (Hair Show):  This story was inspired by a conversation I overheard when I attended the Premiere Beauty Show in Orlando. Most of the show details in my tale come from this event. The most memorable experience researching the story is from the Russian Shvitz in North Miami Beach. I spent an afternoon at the bath house, soaking in the steamy atmosphere and exploring its dark corners. Probably the most difficult thing to research was boar bristle hairbrushes. There's not a whole lot on the subject, but I did learn that boars are farm-raised and sheared like sheep.

DEAD ROOTS (Haunted Hotel) involves a historic resort built on the grounds of a former sugar plantation, ghost stories, and Marla's family reunion--the real roots of the story.  I used the Haunt Hunter’s Guide to Florida by Joyce Elson Moore to read up on haunted sites in the state and then visited the Gamble Mansion in Ellenton FL.  With its rich history as a sugar mill plantation and its location among moss-draped oaks by the Manatee River, it inspired my design for Sugar Crest Resort in DEAD ROOTS.  Reading the history of other grand resorts in Florida also provided information as did the www.ghosttracker.com website for explanations of ghostly phenonmenon.  And of course, don’t forget the Tower of Terror in Walt Disney World.  If you get the chance, watch the film based on the attraction; it’s a lot of fun.  Other topics of interest for this story include walking stick collectibles and alexandrite stones.

DIED BLONDE: Seminole Indian bingo, psychic readings, and the spiritualist camp in Cassadaga FL are the topics explored in this book.  I personally got readings from two psychics whose techniques varied considerably, and I stayed overnight at the Cassadaga Hotel.  Have you ever had a psychic tell you things that rang true? Victorian mourning jewelry is another find in this story. It's fascinating how detailed the mourning customs were in those days, down to the type of trim and buttons allowed on your clothing. Wearing hair jewelry became fashionable at this time, and I don't just mean barrettes. Try weaving a lock of your dead loved one's hair into a brooch or locket and you'll see what was popular during ages past.
 
HIGHLIGHTS TO HEAVEN deals with dog and cat fur products, beauty school curriculum, "Harperites", and citrus canker. The citrus canker eradication program is a highly charged issue in South Florida, and as a result of my research, I have a better grasp of both viewpoints: the homeowner versus the state agricultural department. If you want to keep drinking Florida orange juice, you'll be interested to learn what's going on. And if you want to learn more about the enterprising hairdresser who started the first business franchise system in this country, read Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream by Jane R. Plitt.

For BODY WAVE , I dragged my husband along on a research trip to Tarpon Springs, FL. Tarpon Springs is a fascinating Greek fishing village on the Gulf coast where divers plunder the waters for live sponges.  While taking diligent notes, I strolled the narrow streets, ate moussakka and baklava until I thought I'd burst, and prowled the shops for unique knicknacks.  Marla will track a suspect here, so you'll read all about it in BODY WAVE.  Hopefully you'll also learn about shade-grown coffee  and tilapia fish farming.  After reading about how tilapia are raised, you'll run right out for a seafood dinner.

To research MURDER BY MANICURE, I attended citizens police academy and joined an athletic club for a trial membership, just as Marla does in the story.   A jaunt to Vero Beach was a pleasurable part of the research, since this is one of my favorite Florida weekend getaways.  I feel like I’m living Marla's life in many respects, except she’s single and runs around solving mysteries while I’m sedately married with kids. It would help if I had her skills to fix hair! <vbg>

HAIR RAISER research involved one of my favorite pasttimes: eating.  Between dining at popular Fort Lauderdale restaurants and a trip to the Bahamas, I sampled many delicious menus.  Touring Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale provided hours of pleasure as I studied the mangrove habitat and tropical vegetation on this magnificent estate.  An interview with a funeral director, an exhibition of Samoan fire knives, and a visit to a biomedical waste disposal facility rounded out the information needed.