I find it very irritating when as I read the book the cover image doesn't match.e .g. the front cover has a blonde but the story is about a brunette. Even more irritating is when you get to the end of the book and you still cannot understand the title or why it was chosen. So yes apart from the cover is what makes you read the blurb, accuracy is also important.
Go for a run, it always clears one's head. I ran the 20km from the V&A Waterfront to Blouberg beach, then decided to start Sarah's cycle further along the route as I didn't find running along the verge of a highway pleasant.
Visit the location of your setting and immerse yourself in your 5 senses. This resulted in the cover photo of Surf n Turf.
Try out a skill our characters have. I had immense fun learning archery. The girls beat the boys in accuracy!
Of course! Write what you know. While I was still in the plotting stage of Surf n Turf, I managed to run into a street sign and knock myself completely out with a resultant concussion. I also got a puncture in my bicycle at the same spot that Sarah did. :-)
