Q&A With Thomas Locke: How do you research diverse subjects?

Q: How do you go about researching/understanding such diverse subjects as prions, quantum computing, and contract law?

Thomas Locke: It all started with my nephew and dear friend, Mason Matthews, to whom Trial Run is dedicated. Mason is a theoretical physicist and was doing his doctorate in quantum computing at the time. He is, needless to say, a lot smarter than me.

A lot of our conversations centered around Mason needing to dumb things down so I could understand what on earth he was talking about.

But the one thing that kept hitting me like a series of lightning bolts was the possible link between quantum mechanics and human consciousness. Our consciousness, at its core, does not seem to function according to what anyone would consider logical patterns. The whole issue of time and causality are redefined at the level of thought and human emotions.

That was the starting point. Even before I had the foggiest idea what he was going on about, I knew I had to try and put this into a story.

Also in this series:

1. Who is the ideal reader of ‘Trial Run’?
2. How do you use the ‘Tapestry’ writing strategy in ‘Trial Run’?
3. Do you alter details of real places to suit the story?