One of the tricky parts of writing is convincing your readers you know what you're talking about even when you don't. It's sort of like waffling, but more respectable, because you've done your homework. You know your stuff, but you don't want to sound like a textbook. It isn't your objective to impress readers with your knowledge, but to provide enough 'colour' to make a story come alive. What you need is first-hand experience, but because you don't have any -- and there isn't time to get any -- you have to fake it.

I've done this many times in my writing. In Truths I Learned From Sam (Dundurn Press, 2013), there are all kinds of horse and rodeo references/scenes. In reality, the total of my equestrian experience is paying to ride a pony around a corral when I was eleven -- and the pony nixed the plan. As soon as I got on his back, he rolled over and that was the end of that. I don't even know if I got my money back! 

As usual, I digress -- the point is I had to do a ton of research to write Truths. I had the information I needed, but I didn't own that knowledge. I wasn't comfortable with it. So I included only as much as was necessary to convey the scene/image/idea I was going for. The rest I left up to the readers. If they knew lots about horses and rodeos, their brains would automatically fill in the gaps. If they were no more knowledgeable than I was, they wouldn't know there were gaps that needed filling. But they would still get the gist and be able to move forward. The interesting thing is I actually received praise for the horse bits in that book. Here are a couple of examples --

"I enjoyed the rural setting, and the horse aspects were very good (I am usually annoyed by the unrealistic horses in books)."

"Webb’s River is like so many small interior towns—Spuzzum, Malakwa, Yank, Moyer: little on the road but a gas station, but teeming with life in the woods and hills around them. Dani learns to ride; she learns to drive an old standard transmission clunker. We can smell the sage in the air she breathes, feel the dust in our throats at the rodeo." (I'm pretty sure I never talked about 'sage' in the novel, and I've never been to a rodeo, so I know nothing of the effect of the dust. Clearly this reader has been to a rodeo and mentally filled in the parts I left out.)

I have received letters from readers complimenting me on the descriptions in various other novels I've written, and when I've reread those passages, more often than not, it turns out I didn't write what the readers said I did. They  described those scenes to themselves. I merely nudged their imaginations.

It's the same with The Seer Trilogy. Yes, I did the research. I found out all I could about ancient Druids, Celtic daily life and culture, dragons, and Irish flora and fauna, as well as the history and geography of the region. And I infused bits and pieces of all that research into the novels. Not everything -- just the stuff that added to the story and only enough to get readers' imaginations working.

Sometimes less is more.

• American Gods by  Neil Gaiman, a blockbuster hit that went on to become a television series, is a long book but sparce in description.
  

• Ernest Hemingway' writing style was bare bones. He included only that which added to the story. Nevertheless his characters and plots were deep and multi-layered, and his books have become classics.

• Readers seem split about the value of in-depth descriptions. Some people like being given every detail, though most favour moderation. They say lengthy descriptions slow down the pace of the story and give the reader too much to digest. One college prof suggested writers ask themselves if the description advances the story, develops the character, or paints important background. If not, leave it out. Another reader observed that details should be used like seasoning -- too much salt ruins the soup.
  

• The copy edits for The Sorcerer's Revenge are complete. I'm guessing page proofs are up next. So I'd best be thinking of a dedication and author's note.

• The poster of The Seer Trilogy characters is going to be the back cover of Crwth's fall catalogue. How cool is that!

• You already know the trailer is in the works. I promise to post the video when it's done.