When I hit a stumbling block with a scene, or I need inspiration, or to see if it's plausible, my first port of call is to jump on the internet and punch in a few random word strings, and see if anything comes up.
For example, I found this newspaper article a few months ago when I chose: Spies, Russian, Smuggling, Real Life, Maine.
After wading through a few, I was gobsmacked to find a plotline straight out of 'The Americans.'
"As the Braymans lived a seemingly quintessential American lifestyle — attending Celtics games, vacationing in Florida, visiting local arts festivals — Alexey Brayman allegedly received a steady stream of “advanced electronics and sophisticated testing equipment used in quantum computing, hypersonic and nuclear weapons development and other military and space-based military applications,”
But it was this little nugget from the Boston Globe's article that I found even more interesting...
"Alexey and Daria Brayman, a pair of thirtysomething Eastern European emigres, blended well into this land of shared casseroles, poker nights, and neighborhood book clubs. They ran a popular online craft store — selling quirky night lights on Etsy — and stood out largely for their generosity and good will.
“They are the nicest family,” said a delivery driver who frequently stops at the home, dropping off packages of various shapes and sizes. “They’ll leave gift cards out around the holidays. And snacks.”"
I had a chuckle at the 'dropping off packages of various shapes and sizes' line from the driver. No wonder they left him gifts and snacks!
Truth really is stranger than fiction.
Hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into my research process.
Sariah XX