Memories of a glass mouse unfortunately don’t help with writing scenes located in a glass factory. As I write, I'll come to a place where I need more information. I'll put a note in brackets to do research in my manuscript and keep on writing. I do prefer hands-on as it's the best way to learn and helps so much in translating that experience for my readers. (No, I didn’t do hands-on for learning how to pick locks…honest.…the police cleared me of all charges!).

For the glass-blowing scenes, I took a class at the Goggle Works in Reading, PA. A little far away, but closer than Philadelphia or Pittsburgh (the only other places in PA that taught glass). And I learned glass is an amazing medium. The best aspect of learning was the limitless possibilities - molten glass can be shaped into anything. Also being able to re-use glass over and over appeals to my save-the-environment lifestyle. I have since taken more glass classes and have learned to fuse glass, to make stained glass, and to make glass beads (technically they are beads—even if they aren’t round per say).

By now you’re thinking—this is interesting, but what’s with the weather? So far you haven’t mentioned it at all. Well here it is…In Fire Study, Yelena and Leif are traveling north along the border of the Stormdance Clan and Leif gives Yelena a little history lesson about the Stormdancers—they dance during storms to harvest the storm’s energy into glass orbs. They use these energy-filled orbs to fuel their factories. Pretty neat, but where did that idea come from??

First, I included that information to give the readers a little taste of Sitia. It’s called world-building in the writing biz. Details like this make the fictional world more real (at least that’s what writers are trying to do—success is sometimes debatable). I never expected this detail to be a major part of a novel.

Second, I must admit to being a.…looks over shoulder..…weather geek.