Month: August 2022

Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction The Place—Mount Beacon

Mount Beacon is the primary setting for the first part of Search Beyond Lies. Is it a real place? Although I have been known to use the real name of a real place in my writing, it’s not my norm.

Mount Beacon – The Name

My first book was a nonfiction book titled, A Beacon for Life. The name “beacon” was chosen for sentimental reasons. A Beacon for Life is an inspirational written to help people through difficult times. For me, it was cathartic since it helped me work through my difficult journey while pregnant with my second child, Mary Kathryn, who was trisomy 13.

The Place—Is It Real?

The place is real. It is Mount Meeker, one of the most dangerous mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park. The information presented in the book regarding the mountain is based on my research of Mount Meeker and discussions with a number of the volunteers.

Mount Meeker, Rocky Mountain National Park, Brian Perri
Mount Meeker

The selfie taken on the summit of Mount Meeker is fact. When Brian Perri summited Mount Meeker on June 30, 2018, he took a selfie and sent it to a friend.

Nick Sangetta hiked Mount Meeker as a dedication to Brian, J.C., and the other volunteers. You can find his dedication on YouTube and get a first-hand feel for the danger presented on this treacherous mountain.

Mount Meeker Left / Longs Peak Right

My brother has hiked mountains all over the world and I asked him to view Nick’s video so he could provide me with insight into Charlie’s search for Brett and check my story for accuracy. I want my research and story to be correct always. He told me that Mount Meeker is very dangerous to hike, especially alone.

Mount Meeker, Columbine, Rocky Mountain National Park

The descriptions presented, including the lone columbine in an area that seemed hopeless to support life are real. This photo was taken by Kimo during their search.

I had provided an advanced reader copy to a few of the volunteers who felt they were reliving their journey.

How about Idaho National Lab? Is it real?

suspense thriller, romantic suspense, Colorado, Rocky Mountains, action

Search Beyond Lies is available on Amazon.


© 2022 Karen VDH Fischer

Search Beyond Lies – Fact or Fiction

Search Beyond Lies is a work of fiction that is inspired by real events and real people. There are people who lived through the tragedy as a participant in the search and rescue, others were affected either directly or indirectly through a loved one, the news, or as a prayer warrior. Still others first heard of the events during this book’s release and afterward. There were enough requests and questions where I felt it was time to write this Fact or Fiction Series.

As we explore what is behind Search Beyond Lies, we’ll delve a little deeper into the creative process in developing the characters, story, and the “Aha” moment.

Writers retreat

the characters

Fictional characters are created from the author’s experiences with real people. Authors people watch, live and work with people, and develop an understanding of which actions trigger certain reactions. The author “sees” the characters and their characters’ lives as the story develops. Often the author studies personality types and may develop their characters based on certain personality types.

 An author may hang a picture of how they visualize their character to help keep him or her focused and in the character’s head. The picture may be:

  • Physical or electronic.
    • An actor, a friend of theirs or family member.
  • Designed after a particular person, whether as a villain if someone has been giving the author a hard time, or the hero/heroine.

Regardless, often a real person inspires some portion of the character.

writing, inspiration, time, events, characters, Thyme for Writers, books, articles, short stories, graduation, Washington, D.C., Georgetown School of Medicine, army, residency, neurosurgery, radiation, Radiological Health Sciences
Graduation

the place

time, mountain, writing, perseverence

Although the place can be a real place with the real named location, often authors create their own fictional location that may be inspired by a real location.

As a lawyer, I’m inclined to create a fictional location, that may or may not be inspired by a real place, especially when writing a suspense thriller. The exception may be if nothing “bad” happens there.

the story

Some authors are plotters, others are “pantsers” (they write by the seat of their pants), and some have worked a hybrid.

Plotters outline their entire story before they begin writing. They know the end ahead of time.

Pantsers live the story as they write. They have no idea how it will end until they get to THE END. The hybrid form is used by some pantsers, like me, where traditional outlining doesn’t work for our creative process, but as a practicing attorney without a lot of time on my hands, I want to avoid wasting it.

The problem with writing by the seat of your pants is that when you reach the end, prior scenes may no longer fit the story and you would have wasted a lot of time on detail and dialogue that no longer works.

When you write the brief scene summaries telling the story, you discover the end as you write, without wasting time creating the detail and dialogue that cannot be used. It’s the best of both worlds!

In Part 2, we’ll explore one of the key places where Search Beyond Lies begins–Mount Beacon. Is it a real place? Is there anything specific that piqued your curiosity?

Find Search Beyond Lies at Amazon.

(c) 2022 Karen VDH Fischer