Writing and Blooming: A Sneak Peek into Researching My Next Heroine

For many, many, many months, I’ve been working on the edits for Running the Asset. Much of the work I’ve been doing lately involves research, confirming facts, and location scouting. It’s been a fun but time-consuming part of the job.

Not only has it been necessary for the story’s verisimilitude, but it’s also helped me connect with the characters on a far deeper level. It’s a process I want to streamline for future books in the series.

I mentioned this desire to my wonderful husband, Jez, and he came up with a great idea. Post to Cee’s FOTD challenge–he’s been posting his amazing flowers for several years now! (Give both Jez and Cee a follow to fill your day with stunning photos.)

Okay, why would I post to a Flower of the Day challenge to help with romantic suspense novel research? Well, my next heroine, Bron, is a florist (with some kick-ass moves).

So, to add a little beauty to your day and sneak in some low-grade research while building a deeper connection with Bron, I’m going to post some beautiful flower photos (fingers crossed) each day.

Here’s my first FOTD:

One of my all-time favourites, the Bird of Paradise. (I took about ten shots of this one in Santa Monica)
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Hi! I’m Scottish author Susan Tippett Braithwaite. I craft romantic suspense stories featuring Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies where danger and desire meet with explosive results.

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16 responses to “Writing and Blooming: A Sneak Peek into Researching My Next Heroine

  1. For many, many, many months, I’ve been working on the edits for Running the Asset. Much of the work I’ve been doing lately involves research, confirming facts, and location scouting. It’s been a fun…

  2. Photos by Jez – I'm a Royal Navy Veteran from Scotland and love to get out and about with my wife, susantbraithwaite.com, on our Kalkhoff e-bikes. My faithful camera, Snappy, and the ever-present Lensy (lensball) are always along for the ride to capture the beauty of Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. Join me as I share photos from our travels, how Lensy views the world & pretty much anything shiny ✨

    Superb shot, Sweetie ? The blue really pops; I remember well that considerable clump of “birds” on Pacific Palisades ?

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​

      Thank you, Sweetie! That’s still one of my favourite spots in Santa Monica ?

    2. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​

      I think we called them “those weird bird flowers” for ages ? So close!

  3. bushboy – Landcare, photography, music, poetry (of sorts), cooking, our environment, life on the land and making a difference where I can. MotoGP is my "boy" fix.

    They are a stunning flower.
    A ggod idea from your ideas man 🙂

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​

      Thank you, Brian! You can’t go wrong with a good ideas man ?

  4. Stefanie Neumann – Hamburg, Germany – The Art of Awareness – a bright light on the path of beingness. Basically I am… well… me! That contents: Dreamer. Visionary. Connector. Peacefounder. Adventurer. Teacher. Lerner. Artist. Embodied Spirit. … Born as a highly sensitive person and empath I am using these gifts to bring awareness into the world through authenticity. This comes with a natural, strong tendency for clarity. I am in love with creative expression, drawing my inspiration from a colourful, wide range of interests. People often describe me as open-hearted and friendly. What I learned from life on earth: You cannot think an experience. But you can thank for it. ************************************ Die Kunst der Gewahrsamkeit – ein helles Licht auf dem Pfad des Seins. Im Wesentlichen bin ich… nun ja… ich! Das beinhaltet: Träumerin. Visionärin. Vermittlerin. Friedensgründerin. Abenteurerin. Lehrerin. Lernende. Künstlerin. Verkörperter Geist… Als hochsensible Person und Empathin geboren, nutze ich diese Gaben, um Gewahrsamkeit durch Authentizität in die Welt zu bringen. Dies kommt mit einer natürlichen starken Neigung zur Klarheit. Ich bin in den kreativen Ausdruck verliebt, wobei ich meine Inspiration von einer bunten Palette an vielseitigen Interessen beziehe. Menschen beschreiben mich oft als offenherzig und freundlich. Was ich vom Leben auf der Erde gelernt habe: Man kann eine Erfahrung nicht denken. Doch man kann für sie danken.

    Such a beautiful flower, very well captured.
    I’ve never seen one in the wild.

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​

      Thank you, Steffi! I’d never seen one until we were walking towards them. The shape and colours are just so striking that you fall in love with them. Well, I did ? I hope you get to see one in the wild some day.

      1. Stefanie Neumann – Hamburg, Germany – The Art of Awareness – a bright light on the path of beingness. Basically I am… well… me! That contents: Dreamer. Visionary. Connector. Peacefounder. Adventurer. Teacher. Lerner. Artist. Embodied Spirit. … Born as a highly sensitive person and empath I am using these gifts to bring awareness into the world through authenticity. This comes with a natural, strong tendency for clarity. I am in love with creative expression, drawing my inspiration from a colourful, wide range of interests. People often describe me as open-hearted and friendly. What I learned from life on earth: You cannot think an experience. But you can thank for it. ************************************ Die Kunst der Gewahrsamkeit – ein helles Licht auf dem Pfad des Seins. Im Wesentlichen bin ich… nun ja… ich! Das beinhaltet: Träumerin. Visionärin. Vermittlerin. Friedensgründerin. Abenteurerin. Lehrerin. Lernende. Künstlerin. Verkörperter Geist… Als hochsensible Person und Empathin geboren, nutze ich diese Gaben, um Gewahrsamkeit durch Authentizität in die Welt zu bringen. Dies kommt mit einer natürlichen starken Neigung zur Klarheit. Ich bin in den kreativen Ausdruck verliebt, wobei ich meine Inspiration von einer bunten Palette an vielseitigen Interessen beziehe. Menschen beschreiben mich oft als offenherzig und freundlich. Was ich vom Leben auf der Erde gelernt habe: Man kann eine Erfahrung nicht denken. Doch man kann für sie danken.
      2. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​

        I’ve got my fingers crossed!

  • Cee Neuner – Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA – I'm visual and always have a camera with me, so photography is a natural way for me to express myself. As the saying goes, a pictures says a thousand words.

    I’m so glad that Jez finally talked you into joining the fun of flowers. He’s a great guy, but I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. Your bird of paradise is a wonderful photo. I look forward to seeing you participate when you can. Thanks for joining in the sun 😀 😀

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​

      Thank you for your kind words and warm welcome, Cee! You’re right, Jez is a great guy… we just need to be careful that we don’t boost his ego too much ?

  • Andrea R Huelsenbeck – Arizona – Andrea R Huelsenbeck is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a former elementary general music teacher. A freelance writer in the 1990s, her nonfiction articles and book reviews appeared in Raising Arizona Kids, Christian Library Journal, and other publications. She is currently working on a middle grades novel and a poetry collection.

    Beautiful birds of paradise!

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​
  • Chris Hall – South Africa – Novelist, story writer, writer of just about anything for anyone!

    Gorgeous! I am very lucky to have these huge flowers in our garden. I love the photo!

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite – Glasgow, Scotland – 📚 Scottish author who loves writing romantic suspense books filled with Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies that will make your heart race 💗
Explore the world of Scottish spies with me. I live in Scotland with my awesome husband, Jez (check out his photo and AI art fusion blog: jezbraithwaite.blog).​

      Thank you, Chris! I’m so, so jealous that you have one of these of your own… You’ll have to share some photos of it!?

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