A few months ago I wrote a blog post detailing some of the background details that were needed and some research points for Book 3. I thought I’d share some of the research and interesting things I found in follow up to the previous blog here.

My first point of research was Bristol, I’d like to know where the Universities are and all the transport links and map off an area where Sherdan’s compound could be. I went on google maps and had a look around the city, I couldn’t find anywhere already perfect for a compound but I did find an area that with 9 years of change could well be suitable. Here’s a shiny map of the area with a red outline of the part Sherdan’s people will occupy.

I’ve kept my boundary lines off main roads for the most part, especially as I’ve not yet decided how Sherdan will keep unwanted people out, if he even will. I’d like there to be some kind of barrier of sorts, just not sure what yet.

As you can see the entire main Bristol University Campus is included in the area and I’m going to make that the main headquarters of Sherdan’s little empire. Bristol Homeopathic hospital is going to be the entrance of the main underground bunker and the school that’s not labeled in the middle of the area will be some high rise flats and useful things like a Hellipad.

I estimate with my modifications there will be approximately 4,000 people in this compound, with over half of them being young people of student age and just above.

Bristol University will still be taking Students on each year as that’s how Sherdan is making new people with abilities. Spiking the students in some way.

I wanted to have it in the coffee or something like that but it turns out orally ingested enzymes are broken down by the stuff in our stomach before it can be absorbed by the body, essentially having no effect at all. Therefore I’ve decided to have a patch or armband the students and surrounding people are encouraged to wear to support something, like a nicotine patch it will allow the enzymes or whatever chemical compound I want be absorbed by the body.

Stage 3 of my research was into cults, I want to know how much Sherdan is likely to have achieved before people have noticed he’s up to something. I found that most cults that stay relatively close knit and don’t talk too much can easily have several thousand members for quite a few years before anyone really hears about them, at the most there might have been the odd local news paper report or two but unless Sherdan has deliberately talked about his cult publicly himself there won’t be much awareness of what’s going on at all.

My final point of research was the miracles that God was likely to perform. It seems there are four types of these, the healing three which are cures, exorcism and raising from the dead and the natural miracles that involved God controling nature in some way. This actually leaves me with a lot of scope to explain something as God if I need to.

In terms of progress with the book I now only have my character bio’s to do which I probably shan’t post. I’ve already done a couple of character interviews so I’ll leave it there. Hopefully that means my next post concerning book 3 will actually be the opening scene or two, maybe, if I do really well a whole chapter.