Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Sometimes I think the dictum of

write what you know can be kind of silly, especially for fiction, right? Isn't the whole point

using your imagination? And yet, there's something interesting about writers who go the extra mile

and try and do as much research as possible in order to really get a

sense of what their characters are going through. Which is why I wanted to talk to Mark

Graney. He's the author of the popular espionage series The Grey Man and the latest book is out now.

It's titled Midnight Black. And like you'd expect in a spy action series like this, his characters

shoot guns, apply first aid, endure extreme conditions in order to catch the bad guy, that sort of thing.

And he tries to get firsthand knowledge of these things within reason, of course.

After the break, we talk about how far he'll go for his research and the big name author who really

pushed him to get better at his craft. That's ahead. In the U.S., national security news can feel

far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new

show, sources and methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

You know, we're past Valentine's Day now,

and I've been thinking a lot about the obstacles that get in the way of spending time with your person.

Maybe you and your partner are so busy that your schedules never align.

Maybe you're in a long-distance relationship, and the thing keeping the two of you apart is an ocean.

Or maybe you're in Off the Books Assassin, a former CIA, and the woman you

love is imprisoned in a high security Russian gulag. That's where we find court gentry in the

upcoming thriller novel, Midnight Black. It is the latest in the Greyman series. Author

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