http://www.npr.org/2011/08/02/138894873/vote-for-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-titles

It’s _nice_ to visit some of the locales I’m writing about–but usually not essential. I like to visit battlefields, particularly; they sometimes have a vibe, but it’s generally the terrain I’m looking at, the light and the vegetation. Buildings…sometimes, but they rarely have much to say, and often are remodeled or have been replaced, so only the siting is really useful.

But yes, I do see things now and then that I write into a story. Was _thrilled_ this morning, on a bus-tour of London (love bus-tours {g}), to have the driver point out White’s, the gentlemen’s club that began as White’s Chocolate House back in the 18th century–that’s Hal’s club. He also mentioned the anecdote about a man collapsing outside White’s, whereupon all the members ran outside–not to help, but to take bets on whether he was alive or dead. (I’d come across that story in my research, and used it in BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE.) Neat when that happens. {g}

–Diana

Funnier still, I picked up ‘Echo in the Bone’ this morning.