Adams used her own experiences as a figure skating television researcher to write her mystery books.
In January 2012, she took the time to chat with Jo Ann Schneider Farris, About.com's Guide to Figure Skating, about her experiences as a figure skating researcher.
How did you end up getting the job as a figure skating researcher for television?:
Shortly after I finished college, I was hired by E! Enterntainment in Los Angeles. I then worked for ABC Daytime Soap Opera which eventually led into me working as a researcher for ABC Sports.Were you a figure skater?:
No, but my younger brother, Martin Sivorinovsky, was a competitive figure skater who competed at the United States National Figure Skating Championships in ice dancing. I learned about the competitive ice skating world because of my brother's involvement in competitive figure skating.What years were you a figure skating researcher?:
I began working as a reasearcher in 1995. I was at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. I continued doing figure skating research until about 2000 or 2001. I had to stop when it became difficult to juggle being a mother of young children with all the hours required for skating research work.I get the feeling that figure skating researchers for television put in long, long hours. Is that correct?:
It was common for me to begin my day very early during a competition. I had to watch every single official competition practice session and take extensive notes on what moves and elements were in a skater's program. I had to get everything ready for the commentators. They did not sit in the arena for ten hours a day and watch every single skater's program; they did not take extensive notes. I did.Yes, I did all the behind the scenes work for the commentators. I was the one who let them know who was skating well in practices. I was also responsible to gather all the information needed for the human interest stories that the fans expected. I also put together material for the commentators that listed biographical information on the skaters. I passed all the information I gathered on to the show's producers.
It was common for me to put in twelve to fifteen hour days. Being a figure skating researcher is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. The work was done when it was done.
How did the plot for your first figure skating murder mystery, MURDER ON ICE, come about?:
I wrote a book about Sarah Hughes before she won the 2002 Olympics. Then, the 2002 Olympic figure skating scandal came about. I submitted an idea to my editor about a book that included a plot about a figure skating judging scandal, and my editor immendiately liked the idea. Murder on Ice became a reality.What was it like to work with Dick Button and Peggy Fleming?:
Both commentators were great people to work with. Dick Button does and says what he wants, but knows so much, and Peggy Fleming was always so appreciative of my behind the scenes work and so nice to me.What challenges or setbacks did you face?:
Once we prepared an entire feature on a skater, but then, permission to air the feature was pulled. Another time, a coach gave me all the wrong elements that were in his skater's program. Sometimes I was given permission to interview a skater, but the skater, parents, and coaches changed their mind about granting the interview.All these obstacles are part of the business. You have to be tough to be a researcher for figure skating for network television. Elite ice skating is an unusual and dramatic world.
