This post is for the Insecure Writers Support Group where once a month, on the first Wednesday, we come together to share our hopes, dreams, fears, and various reassurances. This month’s optional question is: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

That’s tough, like what’s your favorite book/movie tough. The last cool/weird thing I researched is for a fantasy story. I wanted to know how it was possible for a habitable planet to orbit a binary star system, and if so, how that would work. Yes, by the way, it is possible according to the wise Wikipedia . This is weird research to me, because this novel is *fantasy* not sci-fi, but I had to know.

The weirdest things I can remember aren’t in books or online, though. One time, I was writing a novel set in Minneapolis MN, and because I was living in St. Louis at the time (about 4 hours away), I decided to drive up. Along the way, I kept seeing signs for Avenue of the Saints. The signs seemed to be following me wherever I went, even though the roads changed from time to time. And this really started to weird me out. (Was this some kind of church thing? If so, what church? Bear in mind there’s not a whole lot out there.)

Later, I looked it up and found out, yes, there is a continuous, four-lane route (including older roads, upgraded as necessary) between St. Louis and St. Paul / Minneapolis. Hence the name.

Later, I decided to use both that route and the Mississippi River as magical routes between the two cities, because it sounds so magical. (So is the Mississippi River, but it has the downside of gossipy water nymphs who my MC would rather avoid.)

What about you? What is some fun research you’ve done? Happy May!