No Blog This Week
Sorry, but I’m having cataract surgery today and wouldn’t be able to respond to any comments. I’ll be back next week with a summary of the final Writers’ Police Academy session I attended. Hope you’ll stop by then. Maris [ ... ]
The Art of Interrogation
How do you get your villain to confess? How do you know if a witness is telling the truth? Paul Bishop, who is a nationally recognized behaviorist interrogation expert and veteran LAPD detective, conducted this session at the Writers’ Police Academy. (He’s also a writer. Check out his books.) Paul Bishop’s Books While Bishop was a […] [ ... ]
Back from the Dead
Writing a story where a character overdoses on drugs? I am, so while I was at the Writers’ Police Academy I attend a session that dealt with that subject. Eric Paulowski was the instructor and, of course, the topic was the opioid addiction that’s been in the news this year. What surprised me was he […] [ ... ]
The Wonderful World of Crime Evidence
We’ve heard that what you see on CSI isn’t reality, that one can’t get fingerprint matches or facial recognition as quickly as shown, but the truth is, science and computers are bringing us closer and closer to what is shown. Just a week or so ago the news reported how facial recognition identified a man […] [ ... ]
Cowboy Hero Syndrome
Back in the 1940s and 50s the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and others were the cowboy heroes. If a good guy was about to be hanged, the Lone Ranger would ride in and shoot the rope and the good guy was saved. Or Roy Rogers would shoot the gun out of the hand […] [ ... ]
Writers’ Police Academy Overview
Michigan author, Elizabeth (Betty) Meyette, and I decided to travel and room together at this year’s Writers’ Police Academy. We took the 10:15 a.m. Lake Express Ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee and arrived at the Hyatt Regency in Green Bay, Wisconsin around 2:30 p.m. (CDT). Our room wasn’t ready, but the WPA planning committee had […] [ ... ]
Heading for WPA
Tomorrow I leave for Green Bay, Wisconsin to attend this year’s Writers’ Police Academy. This is my third WPA, but my first in Wisconsin. (It used to be held in North Carolina.) writerspoliceacademy My experiences in the past have been fantastic, and, looking at this year’s schedule, I’m sure I’ll once again come home with […] [ ... ]
Each Story is Different
Today, please welcome Diane Burton as she relates how she came up with the idea for her most recent release, NUMBERS NEVER LIE, and why it took so long from idea to finished product. Thanks, Maris, for inviting me to your blog today. Ever since we met, twenty-some years ago, I’ve thought of you as my […] [ ... ]
And I Thought It Would Be Easy
I thought converting the PDF file I had that Hale Books Ldt used to print the hardcover version of A KILLER PAST would be easy. Simply convert the PDF document to a Word document, go through it and change the English use of single quotes for dialogue to our American way of using double quote […] [ ... ]
A Little Bit of This . . .
A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I have been working on so many things lately, my mind is a jumble. Last Friday I thought I had my previously published romance, LYON’S PRIDE, ready to upload to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Actually I did upload the file, but then I started reading […] [ ... ]
Breaking the Rules
Last week I finished reading Lisa Gardner’s novel, Catch Me, and it started me thinking about some of the critique sessions I’ve sat in and blogs I’ve written that cover topics like point-of-view and how to format a manuscript. Why? Because in that book, Lisa uses both first person and third person point of view […] [ ... ]
No Blog Today
No Blog Today Stay safe, and if you live in the United States, have a fun-filled Independence Day with friends and family. [ ... ]
Getting My Rights Back
I finished writing and editing what I often call my “Old Lady” book in 2011. A KILLER PAST is the story of Mary Harrington, a 74-year- old widow who for 44 years has been living a quiet life in a small Michigan town. It’s only when two gang members try to mug Mary that her […] [ ... ]
Critiquing a New Writer
I don’t know how others feel, but I’m never quite sure what to say (or how much to say) to a new writer who asks for a critique. I know how I feel when I submit to a contest. I want the judges to tell me how wonderful I am. But, of course, that usually […] [ ... ]
Can you get published without spending a lot of money?
I recently received an email asking how a woman who had just finished writing a book could get it published without spending a lot of money. To answer a questions like this, I need more information. (1) Is this a novel, memoir, or non-fiction book? (2) Has she made sure it’s well edited in regards […] [ ... ]
Do Something Different
I recently took a break from writing (and thinking about writing) to allow my other muse to play. For three days, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., I participated in a watercolor painting workshop. Now, I majored in art and taught art, but that was eons ago and I’ve never had formal lessons in using […] [ ... ]
Planning for a Book Talk
I have a friend whose first novel was recently published. Now she’s been asked to give talks to several different organizations: an historical group, a library, and a book store. Her questions are: What does she need to do prior to the talk and during the talk? These are the steps I’m suggesting 1. From […] [ ... ]
Changes
Change is inevitable. I know that, still it’s always a shock to me when something that has been for years and years ceases to be. Lately, it seems like a lot of things are changing. There are the stores that have disappeared: Toys R Us, Radio Shack, Borders, for example. And there are the publishing […] [ ... ]
Too Old to Write? Too Young?
Is there an age when people are deemed “old enough” to be a writer? Or “too old” to think about writing and selling a book? Many schools have programs where children are encouraged to write stories, then the adults put them into a book form. That’s a great program, but we don’t consider those books […] [ ... ]
Independent Bookstores
While at Sleuthfest last February, I sat in on a session given by Joanna Sinchuk, manager of the Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore in Pineapple Grove Delray Beach, Florida. I thought about her talk recently when CBS ran a feature on April 23rd about Independent Bookstores. When the big box book stores came on […] [ ... ]