Okay, a REAL update this time!

Alright. Let’s get this party started.

First off, in my personal life, let me just say that not much has changed. I’m hoping to make a career move in the next few months, but I’m keeping it quiet until I know more. Two momentous things have occurred, and ironically, both involve babies. Last night, one of my dear friends delivered a boy, Cuinn. I’ll be seeing Mom, Dad and the new arrival tomorrow and I’m very excited. But also very cool, my sister is going to have a baby, oh, about nine months from now. I’LL BE AN AUNT!!!! To say that I am very excited, well, that would be a huge understatement.

Now, in the writing world. I didn’t make Nanowrimo. Work interfered and completely upset my plans for the month of November. I did, at least, beat my best ever word count. Okay, it’s a bronze medal, but it’s still a medal. I’m getting back in my groove, and I have, as of yesterday, officially graduated from Holly Lisle’s “How to Think Sideways-Career Survival School for Writers.” I’ll be adding more information about the course to my “Writing Resources” page soon.

The novel has required some reworking, which I’m still working through. Some of the characters were entirely too under-developed, which gave me two choices: beef them up, or cut them out. I’ve done both to some of the secondary characters, and will be adding one or two. I’ll be adding a “promo” page to this site soon. Both as information for you, and motivation for me to finish this bloody thing.

Also on the writing side, I saw today that Lee Lofland was kind enough to leave a comment on my blog. I made a reference to his book Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers a while back. This was his comment:

Thanks for the kind words about my book, Police Procedure and Investigation, A Guide For Writers. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. Also, you might enjoy my blog, The Graveyard Shift. It’s a great compliment to the book.

Thanks.

Lee Lofland
http://www.leelofland.com

The Graveyard Shift
http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/

I’ll be adding this blog to the list of blogs I read. And now, I’ll tell you in detail just why I find his book invaluable.

It’s often stated by professionals that crime shows like CSI often get it wrong, more than they get it right. There are two obvious reasons for this: A, they are changing the rules for the sake of the show, or B, they just didn’t take the time to properly research. Most of the time, frankly, it’s A. These shows are fiction, and their primary purpose is for entertainment. Sometimes, the real way just isn’t the best way for storytelling. That is, to quote a childhood favorite fiction detective, “just the facts, ma’am.”

I’m working on a book which has a very important character, who happens to work on the police force. Now, I have no friends or family on any sort of police force, so I have no one to simply ask for all the details, be they cool or down right boring. So I picked up Lee Lofland’s book.

Dude. Short of joining the police force myself, I’m unlikely to find a better source of information. He pays much attention to detail, from an officer’s uniform and equipment, to a detailed description of the process of an autopsy. SERIOUSLY. The book is littered with personal anecdotes about situations in which he was involved. There’s information on DNA, finger printing, and tons of other topics.

This book isn’t just invaluable. It’s that for any casual reader interested in police procedure. If you’re writing something involving police procedure and investigation, YOU NEED THIS BOOK. You will not regret the dollars you put down on this book. I promise you that.

Yeah, it’s been a while. I’m headed out to work, but look for some updates in the next few days.