PROGRAM FOR 2013 PSWA CONFERENCE

Time Keeper:  Marie Flores 11:30 AM-12:15 PM Promotion, What Works? Internet Marketing/Use of Social MediaModerator: Janet Greger   Panelists: Barbara Hodges, Ilene Schneider, Chris Swinney, Marilyn Meredith 12:15 PM-1:15 PM 12:15 LunchTime Keeper: Larry Collins 1:15 PM-2:15 PM Killer Talks – Serial Murder Rick Reed served 20 years as a police detective, was a criminal justice professor, and currently a full time-writer. 2:30 PM-3:15 PM How to Build a Suspenseful SceneModerator: Pete Klismet  Panelists: Mike Black, Mike Angley, Lorna Collins,  L. Frank Hickey

Time Keeper: Lorna Collins 3:30 PM-4:15 PM What Works for Non-Fiction Writing on Public Safety Websites (The 5 Cs)Doug Wylie, Editor in Chief of PoliceOne. 4:30 PM-? The Pathway to Publication:  Finding the Right Publisher for Your BookModerator: Marilyn Olsen   Panelists: Kathy Cottrell, Wild Rose Press, Billie Johnson, Oak Tree Press, and Houdini Press

(This presentation may run over because of the tremendous amount of knowledge to be shared.)

After the panel.

Booksignings and One-on-Ones: Authors will be available with their books for purchase and signing. Saturday 9:00 AM-9:30 AM Welcome and Housekeeping ItemsA.J. Farrar 9:30 AM-10:15 AM Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem: It’s All About SexHonora Finkelstein and Susan Smily, who together have over 40 years of teaching and writing experience, and have several published mysteries. 10:30 AM-11:15 AM Homeland Security- How Secure Are We?Moderator: Michael Angley   Panelists: John Wills, Doug Wyllie, Bob Doer, Ron Corbin, Guy Painter

Time Keeper:  Robert Haig 11:30 AM-12:15 PM What’s the Difference Between Writing a Short Story and a Novel?Moderator: Larry Collins   Panelists: Keith Bettinger, John Wills, Michelle Perin, Kathy Ryan, Sunny Frazier 12:15 PM-1:15 PM LunchTime Keeper: Emily Simerly 1:15 PM-2:15 PM Keynote Speaker:  The 10 Best Book Promotion Ideas for Every AuthorPatricia Fry is the author of 36 books, including her latest, “Talk it Up, How to Sell Books Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” 2:30 PM-3:15 PM Designing Book Covers and Book TrailersModerator: Honora Finklestein  Panelists: Barbara Hodges, Billie Johnson, Lorna and Larry Collins, Rick Reed

Time Keeper:John Miller 3:30 PM-4:15 PM The Mystery of DNASusan Connell Vondrak is a 27 year veteran of the Illinois State Police working in the Forensic Sciences Command as a forensic scientist, training coordinator, lab director, and the head of research and development. She’s the author of two mysteries. 4:30 PM-5:15 PM The Non-Professional SleuthModerator: Susan Smily  Panelists: Ilene Schneider, Lorna Collins, Madeline Gornell, Marta Chausee 5:15 PM-? Book signing Sunday 9:00 AM-9:15 AM GreetingsA.J. Farrar

Time Keeper: Dave Cropp 9:15 AM-9:45 AM Real vs. reel Crime Scene and Evidence CollectionModerator: Mike Black:  Panelists: Sue Vondrak, Joseph Haggerty, Bob Haig, Pete Klismet, Chris Swinney, Steve Scarborough 10:00 AM-10:45 AM Going from Blog to BookTim Dees is a writer, editor, trainer and former law enforcement officer, and the editor in chief for both Officer.com and LawOfficer.com. 11:00 AM-11:45 AM Writing Believable DialogueModerator: Irene Schneider:   Panelists: Madeline Gornell, Kathleen Ryan, Kathy Cottrell, L. Frank Hickey, Marilyn Meredith 11:45 AM-12:15 AM Final Book Sale (Books must be picked up after lunch) 12:15 PM Awards LunchMichelle Perin

Since its founding in 1995, the Public Safety Writers Association has been managed entirely by volunteers.  No one is paid for the many hours each dedicates to this organization and each member of the Board of Directors and those who serve on committees plan and accomplish all the activities of the association.

One of our responsibilities is to create the quarterly newsletter that appears on this website in March, June, September and December.

This quarter, the newsletter features columns by each of the members of the PSWA board.  As always, we appreciate any feedback you, as readers, may have.  Just click on “Contact Us” on this site.

Marilyn Olsen, President
Public Safety Writers Association

An Anthology, What a Great Idea!
By Marilyn Olsen, President,

At last year’s PSWA conference, members were invited to submit entries for inclusion in Felons, Flames and Ambulance Rides, Stories from and about American’s Public Safety Heroes.  The overwhelming response proved, we think, that writers of many genres see the value of being included in an anthology.

For those of you who’ve never consider an anthology, here’s why you should.

Most anthologies, like this one, are prestigious.  Many apply, but not all are chosen, so if you are, you know you’re in good company.  Even if you’re at the stage in your writing career where you aren’t yet a household word, there’s a chance your work will end up in the anthology right next to someone a bit more famous.

Your work also benefits from the association with other writers, even if they write something very different than you do. So the buyer who chooses the anthology primarily because it includes the work of an author they already know and like, the odds are pretty good that since they already own the book, they’ll also read someone they don’t know.  And that someone could be you.

An anthology also offers you the challenge to write something to a specific word count.  Such writing requires that you practice your editing skills, taking out all that extraneous text that in most cases makes your work a whole lot better.  Thus, those who read your inclusion should be getting some of your best work.

Another good reason for being in an anthology is that it offers you the opportunity to write outside your comfort zone.  For example, if you’re a novelist, you have the chance to try writing a short story, non-fiction or poetry.  Because anthologies like this one also include the authors’ biographies, people who buy the anthology and like your work can easily find out what else you write.  The anthology serves as a nice marketing opportunity for you.

Speaking of marketing opportunities, inclusion in the anthology means you’ll have all those other writers out there promoting your work in addition to their own.  In this way, a poet may be selling your short story or a non-fiction writer may be selling your poetry.  This cross over marketing will expose your work to many buyers who might not ordinarily read the kind of thing you write.

Felons, Flames and Ambulance Rides, including more than 60 entries will be offered by Oak Tree Press in July, 2013 and all proceeds will benefit PSWA.  For those of you who are included, congratulations!  For those of you who will buy the book, well, you’re in for a treat!

Benefits of a Good Writers Group
By Keith Bettinger, PSWA Secretary

I’m a member of a local writers group here in Las Vegas.  We’re the Wednesday Warrior Writers.  The reason we picked that name is because ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out) was already taken.  In order to be a member of our group you must be invited to come to meetings by a group member.  After three meetings, the members decide if you are a comfortable fit.  If not, the group member who invited you is obligated to tell you, you have been declined membership.

There are a number of benefits for me to being a member of this group:

1. We get to go out and have lunch together at least twice a month.
2. We read our latest work to our members and get honest but gentle criticism.  Nothing is more destructive to writing than to have every sentence picked apart and rewritten by a person who knows little or nothing about the subject you are writing about.  Changes in writing are suggested with “hints” like “would it sound better if was written this way?  What do you think of making chapter one – chapter 2 and making chapter 2 chapter 1”?  Gentle questions to make the author think without being overly critical of their work.
3. Ideas and solutions to storyline problems are solved.
4. We help one another with getting published and make suggestions for publishers.
5. We encourage non-writers to read books written by our group members.
6. We do public service presentations for people interested in writing but who don’t know how to start.
7. We produced an anthology of short stories about heroic and patriotic acts by people titled I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE… We edited, formatted, produced, published it and made it available for sale nationwide.  Instead of arguing over who gets paid how much for their stories, all eleven contributors donated their share of the profits to support the local Las Vegas USO facility located in McCarran Airport.
8. Being in a group like ours keeps your mind sharp.  The sharper your mind, the better your writings will be, and the healthier you mind will continue to be.
9. One of the things we do not discuss is politics.  There is no better way to lose control of a meeting than to have people arguing with one another and hurting one another’s feelings.  We are there because we are writers – not politicians.
10. I have heard editors say authors do not like to let their work be edited because the story is their “baby”.  I have told people writings are not babies, they are puppies and sometimes they need to go to obedience school.  A good writers group is that obedience school.

Blogging and Blog Tours
By Marilyn Meredith, Member PSWA Board of Directors

Blogging is a good way to get the word out about your writing and your books—or anything else you want to write about. But if you want anyone to read your blog you must let people know about it and what topic you’re writing about.

Of course, put your blog address in your signature of your email. Not sure how many people actually get to your blog that way, but even if it’s only one, it’s worth it.

When you do a new blog, be sure to put the topic and the blog address on all the social sites you visit like Twitter and Facebook. Do it more than once a day. Some people only visit these sites in the morning or evening, you want to catch both.

If you have a blog you must change the content. I try to do it every day though sometimes that’s not possible. I love having guest authors.  Besides my own blog, I’m also on two others on the first and third Tuesdays of the month: the Stiletto Gang’s blog, and Make Mine Mystery.

I’ve been on a blog tour for each of my latest books and I must confess I’ve paid a blog touring company, Pump Up Your Promotions. There are lots of other blog tour outfits available. If you’re going that route be sure to check out the different prices and what is offered.

However, you can do a tour yourself. It takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s definitely possible. You want to find blogs that you like and are interested in the kind of books you write, books in general, or like to interview authors, and if you can find readers blog, all the better. Then you’ll have to ask the owner of the blog if she/he would be interested in hosting you during your blog tour. Of course you’ll have to have a calendar to keep track of the dates for each stop. It’s okay to have two stops in a day, but no more than that.

You’ll need a photo of yourself and your book cover, a short blurb about your book to send. Most blog owners know what they want from you. It might be a set of questions, an interview, or for you to write about a specific topic, but you want to make sure that you’ve included where your book can be purchased with a direct link. One new thing I did on my last two tours was to use different photos of myself, rather than my usual one. If you are holding a contest on your blog, be sure and advertise that too. I’ve offered free books—not the one you’re promoting, you want people to buy that one. A very popular prize is offering to the person who leaves the most comments to have his or her name used for a character in your next book.

Once your tour is set up, then you have to publicize it. Don’t give too many dates and blog sites out at once. Be sure and publicize the day before and of the tour. Also, go to the blog site to thank the person for hosting you. Go back more than once to see if anyone has posted a comment you’d like to address.

If you’re not ready for a blog tour yet but know you’d like to do one in the future, start making a list of the different blogs that you come across.

Sound like a lot of work? It is, but the pay off is getting your name and the name of your book out there. With any luck, what you’ve written on the various blogs will entice someone to buy your book.

Some things I learned on my last tour:

• Captcha Codes are a big pain. They can keep people from promoting. I took mine off my blog—blogger catches most of the spammers.
• Clue your host blog owner that they can post the blog ahead of time.
• Email the host the day before the post to remind them.
• Always check and make sure the post is actually up on the date it’s supposed to be.
• Promote each blog on the day your post appears on Facebook, Twitter (several times), and your listservs.
• Thank the host in the comment box, and go back periodically and check the comments—respond to them.

When the tour is over, when your royalties start coming in, you’ll be able to see how successful your tour was.

It Pays To Think Ahead:  Reasons to consider a three- year membership
By Nancy Farrar
PSWA treasurer

Our membership fees structure is as follows:

• $55.00 for one year
• $100.00 for two years  (saving you $10.00)
• $135.00 for three years (saving you $30.00!!)

The three year membership gives you experience in both personal benefits and peace of mind.  You do not have to worry about whether you are a “member in good standing” (that means you are current and have not allowed your membership to lapse).  This is important when you enter the writing contest that is for members only and requires that you be a “member in good standing” at the time of the entry, as well as later when the awards are decided.  You do not want to enter, win and then find out your membership expired during the contest!!

It is also important to get the best rates for conference registration.

You can also submit your work for a special one-time free manuscript review at any time during your membership, no worries about a deadline for those of you who are racing to get a manuscript done in a year! (A service that is worth many times your membership cost, as many may attest.)

Your three-year membership also gives you plenty of time to get used to using the listserv and reaping the benefits of picking the brains of the group and putting those good references to use in your writing project -  three years to create bonds and friendships with a great group of fellow writers who understand your genre and are there to support and help as well as appreciate you for the special writer that you are striving to be.

We have been in existence since 1997, if you are worried about our longevity.  Our strengths are the commitment and common goal of our all-volunteer board of directors and committee persons, to share and assist fellow members with our writing.  Having a shared knowledge base is an extraordinary thing to be a part of.

Your three year membership renewal gives you the security of knowing all this and more is at your fingertips without time slipping away and oops, your membership has lapsed!  Save yourself time, money and have that peace of mind that comes with having one more part of your life secured.

So, if you have been ignoring that invoice as a “when I get around to it”, think ahead to all that you will be missing. Renew for three years and you can sit back with one less thing to “niggle” at your mind when you could be writing and reaping the benefits!!

The Four  Best Reasons for Entering the PSWA Writing Competition
By Michelle Perin
PSWA Contest Chair

If you don’t enter, you can’t win

This goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. You can’t win an award if you don’t submit a story, poem, screenplay, article, book, etc. (we have lots of categories-published and non-published. No excuses. Everybody’s work fits in somewhere). I once heard a coach tell my son, “You’ll never make a goal, if you don’t touch the puck.” This makes sense in the literary world too. Even if you don’t win an award, most entries still get Judge’s Comments. Use this advice to tighten up your writing and become better at the craft.

You get snazzy stickers and a photo op with the tallest girl in the Association

Who doesn’t love gold foil stickers that tell everyone you are an “Award-Winning Author”? Well, if you don’t love them then you don’t have to have any (more for me to love). When you place in the PSWA writing competition, you get these snazzy stickers to put on your works (or your computer or your dashboard). When you attend the awards ceremony on the Sunday of the annual writing conference, you also get the opportunity to have a picture taken with me, the tallest girl in the Association (I will take my high heels off so that you come up to at least my chin if you request). These photos are great for marketing your book or showing everyone how freakishly tall your Association contest chairperson is. Whichever, I’m okay with that.

You can count yourself among great company

We are part of a unique and distinguished association because our authors are unique and distinguished. Therefore, those who have won awards are among your esteemed colleagues. I won’t name names because I’d leave someone out and alienate my friends (they’d also probably leave me standing by myself at the opening reception) but I assure you we have winners with impressive bios. The other thing that makes our members and winners distinguished is that each and every one is willing to help out their fellow writers. We are uniquely non-competitive. We want to see each other succeed and will do everything we can to assist in that.

You get to say “I’m an award-winning author”

Writers are connoisseurs of words. I’ve found this to not only be true on the written page but also verbally. We love to toot our own horns. After all, most of our work is done in isolation. Our projects spring from our minds without the help of others (except for many those who work in collaboration but I’m not really sure how those stories mingle. Maybe the authors are telepathic and the characters jump back and forth between them). I don’t believe anything makes an author feel more distinguished than being able to tell another person that they are an award-winning author (this works particularly well when you are dressed to the nines at a fancy dinner party, have a glass of champagne in your hand and are talking in a phony British accent). And, if you are one of those shy types who don’t like to talk to others, you can always write it down in fancy calligraphy on a piece of paper and shove it at others across the table.

Whatever your reason-enter the contest!! It’ll be fun and you just might come out an Award-Winning Author.

The Importance of Belonging
By A.J. Farrar, PSWA Vice President

As I began my research for this PSWA Newsletter assignment from our Queen, “The Importance of Belonging.”  I was drawn to my most frequently used research tool – Bing.  As you may know, it is available at the click of a button whenever you are working with Microsoft Office tools such as Word and even Outlook.  Top on the Bing results tab was “The Importance of Belonging – imagine” copyrighted by David Pitonyak and available for review at www.dimagine.com Mr. Pitonyak focuses on the importance of belonging and quotes Simon Weil – “To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.”

Next, I probed wiki.answers.com where I found this very interesting posting:

“Belonging is a necessity for humans, as we grow, as we travel through life, we feel the need to belong. Belonging is an important part of life as by belonging we feel complete and some may even see their purpose in belonging. However sometimes through this overpowering desire to belong we are forced to sacrifice some of our individuality. This is not necessarily a bad thing as we may learn new things from this sacrifice or further develop ourselves.

An example is from J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist Holden Caulfield has this strong desire to conform, so much that when he meets a boy’s mother from his school (Pency Prep) whom he actually perceives as “one of the biggest bastards that ever went to Pency.”, he tells the boy’s mother that her son is “a very sensitive boy”, thus telling her his name is Rudolf Schmidt, the name of their janitor.

It is a desire to conform which drives us to do certain things which we may not do if we were alone. Teenagers are a great example. If parents do not ensure that their children feel like they belong by allowing them to join clubs and sporting teams, their teens may find teenagers from other places such as gangs or cults. HOWEVER this does NOT mean every teenager that doesn’t join clubs gains belonging by joining gangs and cults.

Belonging is human nature and without it we may feel something missing, to fulfill this category of completing ourselves we strive to gain this sense of belonging….”

Then, I reflected on my experiences with the PSWA. If belonging is “…the most important and least recognized need of the human soul”…, then, clearly, the PSWA fills a needed void.

Back in the 1980’s, when Nancy and I first joined the former Police Writers Club (PWC) for our first conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, I was a little concerned that we might not fit into this specialized writing group. Although I had been encouraged to seek out similar writing expertise and people by my local Ventura County Writing Group orientation, I still wasn’t sure that I would fit.  My writing credits only consisted of a handful of law enforcement journal articles up to then.

When we arrived in Williamsburg for that first conference and we were met by PWC Founder, Roger Fulton and his assistant, Ginny Harrell, we were immediately put at ease. It was clear from the first introductions that this was a group worth affiliating with even back then.

Each year since then, belonging to the PSWA and attending the annual conference has paid numerous dividends.

In the ensuing years, PSWA has broadened its focus and become even more embracing of a variety of backgrounds, writing skills and expertise. If you have attended even one conference during these years, you know first-hand what it is like to be accepted and belong to a very supportive and understanding group of people.

From the personal to the professional level, PSWA encourages all members to aspire be the very best writers possible.  To help them accomplish their personal and professional goals, the group perfectly addresses the human need to belong.

Why The Truth About Cops was published as an eBook
The answer is simpler than you might think
By Tim Dees,
Member, PSWA Board of Directors

Her Most August and Imperious Extremely High Majesty Queen Marilyn (blessings be on her head and elsewhere) recently issued an edict that certain PSWA board members compose assigned articles for the newsletter. This one, characterized in its title as more or less the way it was assigned, is my response.

I didn’t set out to have The Truth About Cops to be a book at all. TTAC started as the oeuvre of my responses to questions posted on Quora, a question-and-answer blog that covers every topic imaginable. My responses seemed to resonate with Quora users and eventually with the site’s staff.

Quora maintains a presence on at least two other popular blogs, Forbes.com and The Huffington Post. Because of their wider appeal (for HuffPo, maybe not so much with my conservative friends), the posts that Quora selects to appear there get considerably greater exposure. Quora chose several of my posts for publication on the satellite sites, and these got the attention of the folks at Hyperink Press in San Francisco. Hyperink is a unique publisher. It specializes in blog-to-books, taking from a medium that didn’t even exist a few years ago.

Because there are literally millions of blogs (an estimated 31 million in the U.S. alone), most of them don’t get attention from anyone except the bloggers themselves, and maybe a few people within their sphere of interest. Others, like HuffPo, have become wildly popular and profitable. More than any other feature of the Internet, blogs have stolen power from traditional publishers and handed it to the common man. Anyone can create a blog, and yours is just as easy to access as is HuffPo. Everyone speaks with an equal voice, even if they don’t reach as many ears.

Hyperink recognized that there is a market for blog posts condensed into books. Their primary focus is non-fiction eBooks on topics ranging from personal fitness to atheism, with considerable emphasis on technical topics. Most of their properties start life as eBooks, with dead tree versions sold through Createspace and Amazon.

eBooks are to publishing what downloadable software is to computers. They are composed almost entirely of intellectual property with no investment in paper, printer’s labor, or shipping. In mid-2011, Amazon sales of eBooks surpassed print books for the first time, and the sales gap between the two ever widens. The proliferation of inexpensive dedicated eBook readers like the Nook and the Kindle has helped this trend along, but eBooks also benefit from the ability to read them on tablet and conventional computers and on smartphones. I haven’t invested in an eBook reader for myself yet, but I have 27 eBooks presently residing on my iPhone, which is never very far away from me. I’m far more likely to finish reading an eBook than a print book unless I’m on vacation and carrying a book around all the time.

So to address the original question: I published TTAC as an eBook because that’s Hyperink’s specialty is, and what they offered. The print version was available through Amazon about a month after the eBook was published, albeit at a premium of 166% of the eBook price.

Would I recommend Hyperink as a publisher? Absolutely. They are easy to deal with and personable, and their royalty rates compare favorably with other publishers. You’ll be responsible for promotion beyond the Hyperink website, but that’s mostly the case with other small publishers.

I’ll be talking more about the blog-to-book phenomenon at the annual conference in July. I hope to see you there.

CONTENTS:

• PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
  
• ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HOTEL
  
• PSWA WRITING CONTEST
  
• KINDLE DIRECT PUBLISHING
  
• MEN OF MYSTERY EVENT
• IS IT ALL IN THE NAME OR JUST THE PRONUNCIATION?
• GREAT TIPS FOR AUTHORS
• REPORT ON THE PSWA CONFERENCE
• COLD WEATHER MYTHS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME
• MEMBER NEWS

* * *

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

We are, unfortunately, all familiar with the term writer’s block.  Those occasions when, usually with a deadline looming, no matter how long we stare at the blank screen, the words just aren’t there.

I submit that just a disconcerting are those times we find ourselves experiencing what I’ll call writer’s doubt.  When we go over the words that did appear and have to wonder, “Is that really what that character would actually do?”  Or, “Is that the agency that would really deal with a crime like that?” Or, perhaps even worse yet, “Is this story/article/book something someone would actually buy/read?”

Fortunately for PSWA members, there’s a solution to the problems associated with writer’s doubt.

The members-only listserv can instantly put you in touch with experienced writers and experts who can answer just about any question you might ask about characters, weapons, or the criminal justice system and even suggest insidious plot ideas.

By submitting your manuscript for a free review by an experienced editor, you can find out what the strengths and weaknesses of your writing are, what errors need tidying up and even how likely it is that a publisher would be interested in your work.

By entering the writing competition, you can see just how your work stacks up against others writing in your genre and, if you win, the chance to add “award winning author” to your resume.

By attending the annual conference, you will have the chance to learn from the experts and, as importantly, become part of a network of writers, like yourself, who will give you advice, encouragement and support.

Don’t let writer’s doubt become a roadblock to your writing success.  Join PSWA today.  There is no doubt you’ll be glad you did.

For 15 years, Marilyn Olson was publisher and principal writer for Indiana’s Finest, an 80-page quarterly magazine about the Indiana State Police.  During that time, she published more than 400 articles about law enforcement.  She is the author of two published books, Gangsters, Gunfire and Political Intrigue, the Story of the Indiana State Police and Women Who Risk: Profiles of 11 Women Who Do Extreme Sports.  She is co-author of two medical books, Living with Chronic Heartburn and Living with Chronic Sinusitis and is co-editor of CopTales 2000, an anthology of 37 police stories.  For 10 years she was co-owner of a public relations and graphic design firm and for five years, national director of public relations for a retirement community development company.  Currently, she is a free-lance editor, ceramic sculptor and textile designer.  She is one of the founding members of the new PSWA and has served as president since that time. She is also the immediate past president of the Washington Press Association.  She and her husband live in Bellingham, Washington. Email: marilyn.olsen@comcast.net

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HOTEL

Once again we will be hosting our annual conference at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on W Tropicana Avenue.  The prices are very reasonable for your stay, $35 per weekday night and $80 for Friday and Saturday.

They have also been gracious enough to hold the prices for a week on either side of our conference if you would like to make a working vacation out of the conference.

The Hotel provides shuttle bus service to the famed Las Vegas Strip and their other hotel properties.  However, they do not provide shuttle service from the airport. There are taxis and shuttle bus services that will transport you to the hotel from the airport.

We will start registering attendees at 3:00 pm in the upstairs lobby. We will have your conference schedule and other materials in goodie bags for you.

The hotel has a buffet which even though Tim Dees doesn’t like it, it really isn’t bad.  I’ve eaten there many times.  It also has any number of different restaurants and snack bars to entice your appetite and treat your wallet from the inexpensive to the expensive.

If you wish to take in a movie, the hotel has 18 different theaters to pick from.  It also has 64 bowling alleys where you can bowl the night away. There is a showroom right in the hotel for weekend entertainment.  Sorry, but I don’t know what show they will be booking in for our weekend in July.

Remember to take advantage of the hotel pool.

If you have any materials you want to share with your fellow attendees and don’t want to carry on the plane in your luggage, ship them to my house at the address below.

Looking forward to seeing you in July.

Secretary – Public Safety Writers Association keithbett@cox.net keithbettinger@policewriter.com Author of: Fighting Crime With “Some” Day and Lenny Author of: End Of Watch Winner of 18 awards for writing

PSWA WRITING CONTEST

One of the greatest things about being a member of the Public Safety Writers Association is the inclusion. We have writers from many different walks of life, ages, geographic regions and experiences. Our body of work crosses genre lines and includes fiction, non-fiction, technical, poetry and screenwriting. What we have in common is that we love telling stories (many of us both on paper and vocally. If you’ve ever listened to a room full of cops, you’ll know what I mean). Another thing we have in common (myself included) is we are “Award-Winning Authors”. We have entered and won in the PSWA Annual Writing Competition. As a member of the PSWA, you can be a part of this sub-group within our group as well.

The 2013 contest opened on November 1, 2012 and includes a variety of entry categories. Published and non-published work is welcomed. If the work is going to be published, but is not yet published at the time of the contest, it is considered non-published. You can enter it as published in the next year’s competition. A hard copy of the entry and the entry form need to be sent to me at the address listed on our website. I also request an electronic copy as well. That can be sent via email or on a CD.

All work must be public safety related somehow. We keep this very broad but also narrow enough to make our contest special to our organization, we are the Public Safety Writers Association after all. If you have a question about whether a work qualifies, please email me and I’d be happy to screen if for you. To enter the contest, you must be a member in good-standing.

All entries must be post-marked by May 1, 2013. Enter as many categories as you’d like, especially since 2013 will be the inaugural year for a “People’s Choice Award”. This award recognizes the member who enters a variety of categories. We love to encourage feats of daring and often like to push our colleagues off cliffs (literary cliffs, of course).

I hope to see entries from all of our membership (especially since the piles of entries that take over my office/kitchen make my adolescent boys crazy and antagonizing my children is one of my favorite pastimes). The winners will be announced and awards given at the ceremony in Las Vegas on Sunday, July 14, 2013. Hope to see you all there and good luck!!!

–Michelle Perin, MS
Chairperson PSWA Writing Contest, Volunteer Firefighter, South Lane County Fire & Rescue
michelleperin@policewriter.com & michelle@thewritinghand.net
Website: www.thewritinghand.net

KINDLE DIRECT PUBLISHING
My experience on Amazon

I’ve been writing short stories for several years, accumulating dozens of them in varying lengths and about different subjects. I had the idea that perhaps rather than let them collect dust on my computer’s hard drive, it might be a good idea to put some of them together in a collection.

What prompted me to finally do just that was when I received an email from Amazon about their Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program. The first thing that struck me about KDP was the royalty structure. The author receives 70% of all sales. “That’s an offer too good to pass up,” I thought.

Still, I wondered about the process, and how involved it might be. Although KDP advertised as “free, fast and easy,” I was skeptical.

Nevertheless, I went to the website and read through their “Getting Started and FAQs” section, which answered many of my questions. Next, I downloaded the 30-page “Building Your Book for Kindle” PDF, which incidentally, can be downloaded on your computer or Kindle. And there is also an audio version. The guide proved to be a simple, easy to follow tutorial to assist in assembling your book, to include formatting, creating a cover and inserting a table of contents.

Next, the guide walks you through the process of publishing your book by uploading it to Kindle. Once that’s finished, you can preview your book and make any necessary edits. If you’re satisfied, you can then set the pricing, royalty and where your book(s) will be sold. You can make your book available world-wide.

There is also a feature called, KDP Select. If you enroll your book in this program, it becomes available to be included in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which means you can earn a share of the $6 million annual fund dedicated to independent authors and publishers. Another advantage to joining KDP Select is that it gives you access to a new set of promotional tools, such as offering your book free to readers for up to five days.

I found the process of assembling, formatting and publishing my book to be simple and straightforward. After publication, you can easily check your sales on your Kindle page and get month-to-date reports, prior months’ royalties and prior six weeks’ royalties. It is also possible to publish print copies of your book as well.

KDP is certainly an option to be aware of, particularly if one wants to create something on a smaller scale than a full-length novel or a non-fiction book containing many photos. However for what I did, which was create an intimate collection of prose and poetry (55 pages), KDP was the ideal vehicle to use as a potential moneymaker and advertising tool to further get my name out to readers. Kindle and other ereaders don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Why not experiment? You may like what you see.

Here’s the link to my Kindle book:

—John M. Wills www.johnmwills.com  Award-winning Author / Freelance Writer Reviewer for the New York Journal of Books http://womenwarriorsbook.com/  Read my monthly article on Officer.com

MEN OF MYSTERY EVENT

This is for those of you who haven’t heard or, or attended, Men of Mystery in Irvine, California.  Men of Mystery is the brainchild of Joan Hansen who was the founder of the Literary Guild of Orange County with its Festival of Women Authors held every year.  She felt that the men mystery writers weren’t getting their share of attention and hosted the first Men Of Mystery event in 2000.  (Some of you were still teenagers at the time.  But if you look at the 2011 photos you will see a smiling Michael Black.)

That first event had 25 authors with over 250 guests and if you go to their website you can see photos.  On November 17^th, 2012 the 2 day event boasted 50+ authors with over 500+ devoted readers.  Guest speakers were Joseph Finder, John Lescroart, and James Rollins. The networking possibilities were worth the trip, not to mention the fantastic food and drinks (make mine Scotch please.)

This event is very inexpensive, and near Newport Beach where you can take the ferry to Balboa Island.  If you have kids, this is the perfect trip.  I plan on attending next year, and hope to meet some of you there.

You can find out more at their website: http://www.menofmystery.org/

–Rick Reed:  (The most hated man on the Evansville Police Department, now retired.)

IS IT ALL IN A NAME OR JUST THE PRONUNCIATON?

When I first found out my book would be published, I planned for a long career as an author. I wanted to be like Janet Evanovich or Sue Grafton with a naming convention for their titles. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series uses progressive numbers like One for the Money, Two for the Dough. Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries are A is for Alibi, B is for Burglary, etc. When I submitted A CASE OF INFATION to Oak Tree Press, the name I gave it was Infatuation. It was a perfect name with a double meaning. However, my publisher brought up a good point in that it sounded like a romance and not mystery.  She suggested adding “A Case of” in front of it.

That worked so when the second book came out I wanted to keep the same theme running through the title. Book 2 became A CASE OF ACCIDENTAL INTERSECTION.  I really liked the double meaning again. (I don’t want to say what the double meanings are because that would give away some of the mystery!) That name is quite a mouthful and many times I wondered whether adding the beginning was worth it. Try saying it fast when you are nervous and standing in front of people.  Let’s just say it could become a tongue twister with a bit of profanity thrown in.

Book 3 was A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES. That one was easy to say and was an apt title for the story.  The only problem is it takes me five minutes to say the titles of my three books. Book 4 comes out in February and I struggled over this title. I finally found what I was looking for but didn’t learn from A CASE OF ACCIDENTAL INTERSECTION. Book 4 is called A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS. Not quite the amount of alliteration but quite a number of syllables to spit out.

I’m gearing up for my launch in February and I’m practicing my annunciation. I don’t want anything to slip out accidentally when I start. The bonus is if books are listed in alphabetical order, mine are all at the top and all in a row. Hopefully that will make buyers stop and see what they are about. Then it doesn’t matter whether I can pronounce them or not.

–W.S. Gager (aka Wendy)
Author of Humorous Whodunits: A Case of Infatuation, A Case of Accidental Intersection, A Case of Hometown Blues-Now Available  A Case of Volatile Deeds – Coming in February
http://wsgager.blogspot.com/

GREAT TIPS FOR AUTHORS

For authors who would like to autograph their customers’ ebooks. Go to: http://www.authorgraph.com/ and follow the simple instructions. This process works for ebooks and those in print. Great idea!

I’ve discovered a way for authors to accept credit cards. It’s a small device (provided free) that you plug into your smartphone’s earpiece port, and it allows you to swipe credit cards. Each transaction costs you 2.75%, small change for the ability to now accept credit cards.

You create your own account, and transactions under $25.00 do not require a signature. For anything over $25.00, simply have the customer sign your phone. Receipts are emailed to customers via your phone. I’ve used this system–it’s simple and it creates the ability to accept credit, which means more sales. Here’s the link: https://squareup.com/

Both of these are thanks to John Wills

REPORT ON THE PSWA CONFERENCE

As usual, we have some great speakers lined up for the annual conference. If you haven’t checked out the lineup, go to http://policewriter.com/wordpress/conference/  and you can read all about each one and what they will be presenting.

As for the panels, we’ve had some great suggestions—and will always take more—the panels themselves won’t be worked out until June 1. You must be signed up before then to be on a panel. We do our best to put people on the panels that will work best for them.

We’ll be having more panels on the craft of writing and on promotion as requested.

The Early Bird price for registration only lasts until the end of the month, so get your registration in soon.  You can pay via PayPal or print out the registration form and mail it in.

If you have any questions, you can email me at mmeredith@ocsnet.net

Looking forward to a great conference.

–Marilyn Meredith, PSWA Program Chair, and author of the Rocky Bluff P.D. series and the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. http://fictionforyou.com and http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

COLD WEATHER MYTHS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME
Sadly, Mom wasn’t always right.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve are probably the most memorable holidays of the year. It’s a time when we gather together with family, friends and co-workers to celebrate. These special occasions invariably include lots of high fat, high-calorie food, along with things like eggnog and liquor. Many of us think, “Hey, it’s the holidays. I can make an exception and eat and drink what I want.” But, can you?

What are the implications to your waistline of eating and drinking in excess on holidays? Conventional wisdom, as well as many of our friends and family, tells us that eating all that extra chow will put on at least five pounds of holiday weight. But, does it really? Not according to The New England Journal of Medicine. Their study suggests that few data support this accepted assertion, debunking the notion that we gain weight during the holidays. Holiday weight gain is a myth.

Let’s explore another oft-heard bit of advice. Wear a hat outdoors to stay warm. Anyone who runs or walks outside in the winter has heard that you must wear a hat to keep warm. If you fail to wear one, you’ll lose up to 75% of your body heat. True or false? False. The correct figure is probably closer to 10% for an adult.

The old adage about losing 75% of one’s body heat applies only to newborn babies, and is predicated on their head size, which is a much greater percentage of their total bodyweight at birth. Thus, the reason we see babies in the hospital nursery wearing caps. Truth is, adults lose body heat through any part of their body that’s exposed to the cold (arms, hands, feet). Therefore, the no-hat rule is a myth.

Holidays can be a difficult time for some folks. It is said that the suicide rate increases during the holiday season. If you’ve lost a loved one, or have other stressors such as health issues or loss of a job, depression can become overwhelming. However, a 35-year study of Minnesota residents found that suicide did not increase during the holidays, or other important events such as birthdays. Another myth.

Everyone loves brilliant red poinsettia plants at Christmas. These beautiful flowers decorate homes, businesses and churches throughout the holiday season. However, I remember my mother telling me to keep my younger brothers and sisters away from the plants because they were poisonous. She also warned us to keep our pets away as well. But is the poinsettia plant really harmful to our health? No, not according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. In 1996, their analysis of 22,793 poinsettia cases reported no significant poisoning. It is possible to become ill by consuming large amounts of the plant, however, that is also rare. Poinsettia poisoning is, therefore, a myth.

Don’t go outside with wet hair—you’ll catch a cold! Ever hear that warning? I have. But what about that, will you really get sick by going out in the cold with wet hair? No. You will feel cold, but feeling cold does not affect your immune system. According to Dr. Jim Sears, co-host of the TV show, The Doctors, going outside with wet hair is harmless. Sears cited a Salisbury, England study that proved the wet hair notion was indeed a myth.

Feed a cold—starve a fever. Which one is correct? Actually, Dr. Sears advises that in both cases one should eat and drink, and then drink some more. “Staying hydrated is the most important thing to do, because you lose a lot of fluids when you’re ill.” However, should you drink special beverages such as Gatorade? Sears advises that unless you’re severely dehydrated from vomiting or diarrhea, there’s no need to drink anything containing electrolytes.

Have you ever heard your parents tell you that if you swallow your gum it stays in your stomach for seven years? It’s true, they explained to you, because gum isn’t food, therefore, the stomach has a difficult time breaking gum down in the digestive system. Myth or fact? That is another myth. Most non-food items swallowed by kids will pass through the system in a couple of days, and won’t even cause a tummy ache.

How about this one? You should wait an hour after eating before going swimming. True or false? False. The digestive system will not make your muscles cramp and cause you to drown. Blood flow to the muscles will decrease, since more blood is directed to the digestive system to break down the meal you just consumed, meaning you may have less energy. However, swimming immediately after eating will not cause one to drown. Go ahead and dive right in after enjoying that cheeseburger.

We all know that eating at night makes you fat . . . or does it? That is a myth. According to registered dietician, Dr. Jeannie Gassaniga-Moloo, who is also a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, don’t worry if you are forced to eat dinner later than usual. “The time of day a person eats is not as important for overall weight gain as the amount of calories eaten during the day.”

During the holidays, we feed our children much more sugar in the form of cakes, pastry and candy. Does sugar make the kids hyperactive, or is that a myth? You’ll be happy to learn that according to twelve placebo-controlled studies, kids who eat sugar do not act any different than those who did not. Another myth.

And speaking of kids, did your mom ever tell you that if you cross your eyes, they’ll stay that way forever? Well, according to Ophthalmology Professor W. Walker Motley, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, that warning is yet another myth. “There’s no harm in voluntary eye crossing,” the good doctor tells us. But it sure did sound scary when mom said it.

The bottom line about myths is that any advice that is anecdotal in nature should be researched. Don’t take advice at face value every time someone tells you something. Ask an expert, or research it yourself. The internet provides instant access to authoritative sources that can help you decide what is a myth and what is not.

—John M. Wills www.johnmwills.com  Award-winning Author / Freelance Writer Reviewer for the New York Journal of Books http://womenwarriorsbook.com/  Read my monthly article on Officer.com  This article reprinted from Officer.com

MEMBER NEWS

PSWA Award-Winner Quintin Peterson’s short story Hope to Die is featured in Issue #3 of Sanitarium, a monthly horror literary magazine founded and edited by Barry Skelhorn and published by Eye Trauma Press, West Sussex, England. http://www.booksofthedeadpress.com/2012/11/quintin-peterson-hope-to-die.html

Bob Doerr is happy to announce the December release of the fifth book in his Jim West mystery/thriller series. Titled No One Else to Kill, in this book, Jim West travels to a small, remote hunting lodge in the Pecos Wilderness area in New Mexico to rendezvous with an old friend and do some hiking. His friend stands him up, and Jim is about to return home when a murder occurs in the lodge. Law enforcement umps in, and Jim’s early departure plans are scrubbed. When a second murder occurs less than twenty-four hours later, things really start to get dicey. Both crimes were intricately planned to mislead the authorities, no one appears to have a motive for the killings, and everyone has an alibi. Up against a wall with time running out, the deputy-in-charge asks West to be their man on the inside, but West is adamant that this is not his case to solve. Since his retirement from the Air Force, however, Fate has had her own plans for West. Why should this be any different?  www.bobdoerr.com

SEPTEMBER 2012

 CONTENTS:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

GIVING OUT THE GOODIES-2012 PSWA WRITING CONTEST

WAITING FOR ISAAC WHILE REMEMBERING KATRINA

TRAVELING WITH THE STARS OF THE PSWA

PITCH PERFECT

CUTE SAYINGS CAN CREATE REAL WRITING RESULTS

OFFICER.COM SEEKS NEW CONTRIBUTORS

DON’T GET COMFORTABLE

OFFICER.COM SEEKS NEW CONTRIBUTORS

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

CHUCK E. CHEESE

INTRODUCING MEMBER RICK REED

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

As many of you know, in addition to being president of PSWA, I often review the manuscripts members send for review.  More often than not the errors I find in them are not a lot of different errors but the same error made many times.  Clearly, the spell check feature on our computers has its limitations, as does the online thesaurus.

While most readers have, alas, come to expect a few errors in most books especially in e-books, that as our mothers always said, doesn’t make it right.

Perhaps it might seem old fashioned in these days of apps for basically any subject but my recommendation for writers who really do want to make their manuscript error-free is to invest in some good printed reference books.  One of my favorites is Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer’s Guide to Getting it Right by Bill Bryson.  In addition to helping you avoid using farther when you should use further or talking about koala bears, since koalas are marsupials and not bears at all, or how to correctly spell nincompoop, this little book is just a lot of fun to read.

In addition to eliminating errors in your manuscript you can also amaze your friends by knowing that aroma only applies to pleasant odors or that there is no such thing as very unique.  Something is either unique or not unique.  See?  Isn’t this fun?

If you have other reference books to recommend please let me know and I’ll share them with our members.  Contact me at president@policewriter.com.

2012 PSWA WRITING CONTEST

by Michelle Perin

From a poem about children donating toys, to a novel where the protagonist is killed but walks-in to the body of a feisty young woman, to a hands-on manual for how to save your partner when the medics can’t get into the scene, the 2012 PSWA Writing Contest had it all.

The contest awarded sixteen PSWA members First Place certificates in a myriad of categories both published and non-published, Book, Short Story, Creative-Technical, Poetry, Flash Fiction, Screenplay, Creative-Non-Technical and Technical Manual. Twelve members walked away with a Second Place certificate, nine a Third Place and eight took Honorable Mention. Along with the certificate, each winner got the coveted (okay, maybe only by me) gold sticker announcing he or she was now an “Award-Winning Author.

As the Contest Coordinator (I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for so many years now. By the way, I AM NOT getting older), I’ve seen this contest grow in ways more than the number of entries. Our membership continues to increase and I get to see works come through my mailbox from a wide-range of our authors, from new recruits to those who were there at the beginning of the original Police Writers Club. Each Fall, I can’t wait to set aside the spot in my office where the pile of entries lives while the contest runs (I’m sure my small-town postmaster and my children who can’t walk through our horse-shoe kitchen for about eight months are less excited.) Each year, (and I know I say this every year, but it’s true), the number of entries but also the quality of the entries increases. We have some fantastic writers in this group. Although, my judges do most of the work (Thank you! Thank You! Thanks You, Judges!), I read almost every entry that comes in. After all, I am a writer and I love to read. During the last month of the contest, it’s like Christmas every time I open the mailbox. I get to see what our members have been working on– Who’s been published—Who’s trying a new genre—Who’s written a sequel. I can’t express how excited I get about watching our membership and our published credits grow.

What happens during the crazy time during the contest months? The entries come in, I assign them a number and once the deadline passes I send them to my judge for that category with guidelines. The judges return them to me where the first places are then judged for Grand Prize and I get to sit on the exciting knowledge of who will be honored at the PSWA Writer’s Conference in Las Vegas. Those of you who know me know I’m a talker and I love to encourage people and tell them how amazing I think they are, so you can imagine how hard it is for me to keep quiet especially during the three days preceding the Awards Ceremony. One year, I even shared a room with one of the winners and I just couldn’t say anything. It almost killed me, but I’m willing to suffer a bit for the good of the association (Love you Wendy).

So, in closing, congratulations to all of the 2012 PSWA Writing Contest winners. It was a pleasure to meet those of you who were at the Conference and I hope to meet all the rest of you next year. Remember the awards are always given out after lunch on Sunday. It’s my favorite time of the contest and I hope to see all of you there in 2013 (After all, I’m a writer and everything is always about me.) As far as earning a trip up the aisle to come stand by my side (not in the way Marti has possibly made a marriage during the conference a new tradition in our group), the 2013 contest will open in November. This year, we’re adding a new category as well honoring an author who tries out new things and crosses over categories. More specific details will be coming so keep checking the PSWA website. You can also see great photos of the 2012 Ceremony on there (many of them of me. Did I mention me..me…me..me…me.). Happy writing and good luck.

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WAITING FOR ISAAC WHILE REMEMBERING KATRINA

Once again those of us in New Orleans are watching a hurricane, waiting to see if Hurricane Isaac is going to show up at our doorstep or pass us up.  We’ve been here before, watching and waiting.

In 2005, we did the same for Katrina. Only then we really didn’t think it was going to hit. While we evacuated, we brought only enough clothes (and diapers, because I had two little ones) for a long weekend. We left on a Saturday, before a mandatory evacuation had been called.  We planned on returning home Monday or Tuesday, believing deep in our hearts that a hurricane would never hit us.

My mother, my two daughters, and I stayed at the Embassy Suites in Houston. Houston was THE place for New Orleans people to evacuate. Most of us vacationed there frequently, a sort of home away from home.  Our hotel had swans in the lobby, which tickled my children, a clown who made balloon animals, who terrified me, and was something like 40 steps away from the Galleria shopping mall, which thrilled all of us.

By the end of it, we were there for two weeks. Two weeks in a nice hotels sounds like fun, but it really isn’t. Especially when you’ve made your husband join you at the 11th hour and he’s brought along his younger brother, which infuriated your mother (who is a little odd to begin with), and you have no idea if your house is still standing or not.

The hurricane made landfall on Monday. Everything seemed fine until the levees broke. We watched CNN and the Weather Channel in horror as the city filled with water.  My husband went home on Tuesday.  As a deputy constable he was allowed to go back into the city before the general public.  He soon texted us– there was no other viable form of communication at the time–that our house was fine, some roof damage, a few books and toys wet, but otherwise okay.  Same with the rest of the neighborhood.

We went back two weeks later, when the electricity was back up and a few stores had reopened. Two weeks after that my daughter’s school reopened.  A few months later our neighbors started coming back with their families. For months it was mainly only men working on their homes and law enforcement.

Law enforcement was everywhere. Local police, police from other parishes, police from other states, even the National Guard.  It was hard to feel unsafe with so many police personnel everywhere.  You literally could not drive a block without seeing some type of police officer.

While the police weren’t able to protect us from the giant flies that took over for several months, and couldn’t prevent the maggots in our refrigerators when we got home, at least we didn’t have to worry about copper being stolen from our homes when we were inside them, nor of someone breaking into our homes and doing God knows what to us, as had happened to many unfortunate women during the actual hurricane.

So now, seven years later, we are in the position once again to decide should we stay or should we go. Today is Sunday. The storm will hit Tuesday in the middle of the night or early Wednesday morning.  Wednesday will be the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  Scary.

So my thinking, with a now 10-year-old and 13-year-old, and now having an evacuation house in North Alabama, I will probably leave.  The big difference this time is that I’m not dreading leaving, because I’ve faced the most uncertainty a person can face having dealt with Katrina and its aftermath.

I’m looking forward to visiting my vacation house in the hills, and while I will worry about what is happening back home, I will also use the time, and especially the emotion, to write more of my third novel.

 Chocolate City Justice takes place during Hurricane Katrina, bringing my protagonist, Ryan Murphy, into the present days. So everything I learn about that happens, especially if the hurricane hits, will be more fodder for my novel, and jog my memory about the things I learned happened seven years ago.  As I am planning what I will pack, Katrina is not seven years ago for me, but right now, while I am loading my car with the things I want to save should a worst case scenario occur.  And I will use it as much as I can, extracting as much good as I can from a potentially bad situation.

Holli Castillo

www.hollicastillo.com www.gumbojustice.net www.jambalayajustice.com

Holli Castillo is the author of Gumbo Justice and Jambalaya Justice. She is an appellate attorney for the State of Louisiana and a former New Orleans prosecutor. Her third novel, Chocolate City Justice, is scheduled for an end of the year release.

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TRAVELING WITH THE STARS OF THE PSWA

Luckily the road of life has been long. Memories of crawling around on the floor are dim, but they were the first steps in exploring the trail to be traveled. Grade school established lifelong friendships. Ralph became my best friend. We played tag, read comic books, and roamed the empty fields of southwest Detroit. The teenage years were like being a part of a sky rocket. As we soared skyward I became aware of the most beautiful people on the road of life. They were girls and at the end of high school they burst forth in radiant splendor as we exploded on the world with determination and purpose.

My world was full of beautiful individuals as we traveled upward. The sky was filled with the brilliant light of my friends and loved ones as we soared toward the stars. The trip was exhilarating. Life was like riding a train. We picked up new people at every stop. Some were interesting, some were fun , and yes, some were mean and ornery. I was lucky and always tried to keep my mix of friends and loved ones close to my heart.

I fell in love and married my wife Jo. She was one of the brightest glowing embers of the sky rocket. We were bathed in the glittering light of our friends as we hurtled upward. God added children to the mix and I could see each of their exploding sky rockets moving off in different directions. Life was good and full of adventure. As my trip starts to slow down I realize my energy is waning. The sky is starting to darken as the glowing lights of lifelong friendships start to disappear. The road of life is littered with high adventure and the good and bad decisions I have made.

One of my better decisions was to join the Public Safety Writer’s Association. It was like igniting a second stage of my rocket ship of life. I have found a whole new universe of stars and heavenly bodies. As I grow older I have found that time becomes a factor in my choice of things I want to accomplish. Being with the super stars of the PSWA has given me hope and aided in my objectives. I intend to go out in a blaze of glory like an exploding super nova. Along the way I hope to sell a few books.

Bob Haig
The Firewriter www.rjhaig.com

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PITCH PERFECT

by Billie Johnson

Pitch sessions are usually offered at the fabulous PSWA conference in Las Vegas, and this year was no exception. A flattering number of authors signed up for a meeting with me, and I am hopeful that some of this work will show up soon on a ‘forthcoming titles from OTP’ list.

These meetings, among other things, prompted me to think about authors pitching their work, and how vital it can be to a career. It’s one thing to see material in its dead tree format, or as a zillion dots forming email on the monitor, but an eyeball to eyeball, one-on-one session can present your project in vivid terms and give the pitch recipient the opportunity to gauge your commitment and enthusiasm – priceless!

Here are some tips about pitching:

1. Start as early as possible to perfect your ‘elevator pitch’. Work on it often, recite it aloud to your cat, in front of the mirror after brushing your teeth, write it down and memorize it, rewrite and memorize it again and practice it some more. Get organic with it! And remember, if you have to take a breath in the middle, it is probably too long to be an elevator pitch.

2. Develop some follow-up comments so that if the pitch recipient asks, after hearing the pitch, “What happens next?” or “Is there a subplot?” or “What’s the character arc?” …then you have a ready answer, a nice brief ready answer. Avoid launching into a long, detailed exposition of the book.

3. Know your goals for your project, and be prepared to articulate those to the pitch recipient. We DO want to know. If this is part of a proposed series, say so. If it is important to release before Christmas, you gotta share that detail.

4. Be prepared to relate a few thoughts on promotion of the book. Ideally, have a written overview of your plans. Even a one-page outline will be a plus.

5. Have some materials to leave behind. There are dozens of options – a presentation folder with a synopsis, a few marking comments, a short bio and contact information is perfect, and very complete. A business card with a note on back “met at PSWA conf July 2012, discussed Frida’s Treasures” can work too. A complimentary copy of a previously published title with a note on the title page similar to the business card note. In short, a little info to spark the memory of you and your project.

Consider for a moment the ratio of pitchers and pitch recipients…we are quite out-numbered in these settings, and once we are back to our offices, sometimes memory fades a bit, or one finds there is no contact information. Like Jerry Maguire says, “Help us help you!”

Billie Johnson, Publisher ~ Oak Tree Press  http://www.oaktreebooks.com

http://www.otpblog.blogspot.com

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CUTE SAYINGS CAN CREATE REAL WRITING RESULTS

by Keith Bettinger

Sometimes cute things come out of verbal or written mistakes.  Other times it comes out as verbal sarcasm.  Many times we steal it from someone else and use it.  As my writing mentor Bob Cawley has told me many times, “If you’re going to steal, steal from the best”.  In other words, browse the works of Steinbeck or Hemmingway instead of using your brother-in-law’s bright retorts over Thanksgiving dinner.

Recently I sent out a cute one liner that law enforcement can understand and laugh over.  For most of my civilian friends it went right over their heads.  The line was, “When the man at the door yelled, ‘Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms!’ I thought it was a delivery.”

From a high school classmate, who was discussing the size of the babies her daughter had, four children each in the 10 pound range, she said, “My daughter doesn’t have infants, she has toddlers.”  Having been a parent of small children and watching them grow to adulthood, it made me laugh.

A couple years ago, while outside Ventura, CA I found a sign in the Loose Caboose roadside stand where my friend, Nancy Farrar worked.  The sign now hangs in my garage.  It is a great reminder when dealing with people and especially when someone says something you want to include in one of your stories.   The sign reads, “Everyone has a photographic memory.  Some people just don’t have film.”   (I think some of those without film became my bosses on the police department.)  If you don’t write down the cute line for your story – Poof!  It will be gone when you need it.

Maybe at one time or another you’ve seen the commercial on television where the power goes off and the people are “trapped” on the escalator and calling for help to rescue them.  Dave Smith, known in law enforcement training circles as BUCK SAVAGE, writes a monthly column for POLICE Magazine.  He “borrowed” a line about being trapped on an escalator that belongs over every writers work space.  It is; “You can stare at the steps or step on the stairs.”  This means don’t procrastinate.  Get to work.  Fame and fortune await you when you finish your writing project.  The sooner you step on the stairs instead of staring at the steps, the sooner you will have a solution to your writing problem.

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DON’T GET COMFORTABLE

By John Wills

We’re all members of the PSWA, which means we share some connection with public safety. As a result, we write about things we know, things we’re comfortable with, e.g., police work, firefighting, dispatching, etc. I’m not saying it’s easy to write a novel, an article, or short story, but being intimately familiar with the topic about which you are writing is certainly a plus.

There’s an old axiom advising writers to “Write what you know.” Good advice? Maybe. While writing about things you are familiar with makes the task less arduous, it also makes your writing more predictable. I think a better piece of advice to writers might be, “Write what you feel.”

In the past couple of years, I’ve been travelling that path. Having written several thrillers and dozens of training articles, I began to realize my writing was becoming too pre-packaged. It all seemed to reflect the same theme. So, I started to experiment. I discovered a genre called flash fiction. This particular short story template limits the word count to a paltry sum of less than 1,000 words. Some formats, I found, were even more stringent, allowing less than 500 words.

Daunting as it seemed, I nonetheless accepted the challenge. To my surprise, the words flowed quickly and easily on to the page. Being constrained to a word count made my writing much tighter. My prose was crisp; my characters and scenery fresh and vivid. I wrote about love and hate, about loss and renewal. My endings were sometimes happy and other times sad and unpredictable.

In short, if you find yourself in a writing slump and everything begins to look the same, try something different. Write a love story or a piece of science fiction. Tackle a topic you never thought you’d ever write about. This past year I even wrote several technical manuals—boring, but challenging nevertheless, and the exercise took me out of my comfort zone.

Writing is a gift we should never take for granted. This unique craft gives rise to emotion and passion, not only in those who write, but also in those who read. As with any living thing, writing needs nurturing. Don’t ignore your muse. Tend to it; baby it. Don’t ever let the writer in you become apathetic or comfortable. Challenge yourself, you won’t be sorry.

September 11th is the release date of John’s new book, WOMEN WARRIORS. The book’s website is here: http://womenwarriorsbook.com/            
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OFFICER.COM SEEKS NEW CONTRIBUTORS

Frank Borelli, Officer.com editor, is looking for new contributors.

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

by Kathy Cottrell

Having attended a number of writers conferences over the years, I’ve had the privilege to sit in on any number of workshops, the Craft Tract being a personal favorite. One which stood out the loudest came when New York Times Best Selling Author Nora Roberts told the audience, ‘write what you know.’

Coming from one of my writing heroes, the advice made sense―except I wondered how I, as a nurse [then] could ever turn a doctor into a hero. If you don’t know where someone had their hands last, well . . . not an appealing thought as far as I was concerned.

Then came the day when I heard another NYT best seller, Tess Gerritsen, speak at a New Jersey Romance Writers conference. She shared about her roots which dated back to her medical residency days in the ICU and observing what the nurses―whom she spoke of with great respect and affection―were reading: category romances. Wow. A physician who spoke of nurses with respect. I had to read one of her books. Let me tell you, after devouring “The Apprentice”, I was hooked. Tess Gerritsen writes what she knows.

As a teenager, living in an isolated rural area with little to do and no way to get anywhere, I read anything I could get my hands on. I discovered a book by Frank G. Slaughter in my parents’ library, a Civil War story about a female spy and a male battle surgeon. Very bloody, lots of spilled guts, gore and suffering. Right up the alley of a fourteen year old with an over-active imagination and way too much time on her hands. Thoroughly hooked, I proceeded to sign out every one of his books from the school library as well as the library in a neighboring town. It wasn’t until I later that I learned Mister Slaughter was actually a medical doctor. This man had the ability to put me in the moment of a battlefield hospital scene, suffering right along with the physician and his patients.

One of Dr. Slaughter’s contemporary novels, “Daybreak” featured the trials and tribulations of a physician working in the mental health system prior to the advent of effective anti-psychotic medications when pre-frontal lobotomies and electroshock therapy were considered last ditch efforts to treat intractable psychiatric problems. Very chilling stuff for this young woman who was about to head off for three years of nursing school in―you guessed it―a state psychiatric facility. By the end of my schooling, I’d passed more Thorazine and Mellaril than any ten nursing students―and no fresh lobotomies, thank you very much.

As a young wife in Rochester New York, with a graduate student husband and two small kids, money was tight. I lucked out when I discovered a second-hand book store which stocked copies of  Robert K. Tannenbaum’s legal thrillers featuring Assistant District Attorneys Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi. With each book I learned about the steps in the legal process, evidence that can degrade over time or be lost by dumb luck or stupid accident, “eye witnesses” who don’t see everything, and a how-to manual for criminals who want to beat the system. It came as no surprise when I learned attorney Tannenbaum spent many years in the Manhattan DA’s office, prosecuting the worst of the worst. Writing with a sharp wit and biting sarcasm, after more than thirty years, his books continue to hold my interest. Another instance of writing what one knows.

Lastly, I’d like to blow the horn for one of my nursing as well as writer heroes: Eileen Dreyer. After many years in category romance [writing as Kathleen Korbel], Eileen¯an experienced ER nurse¯was called up to the bigs with a series of medical thrillers set in and around St. Louis, Missouri. Invariably her heroines are nurses with advanced training [such as Eileen herself] in forensic evidence collection,  death examinations, and critical incident management. Using gut-busting humor, Eileen makes the everyday come to life and answers the question, “What if?”

In closing, I challenge any author to look at their everyday life and incorporate something they find there into his/her writing. Okay, so maybe you don’t have an exciting job which includes passing bed pans or inserting suppositories, but do you have a volunteer job you really love, something that gives back ten times more than what you put in? I have a friend who volunteers at a soup kitchen, another takes calls on a domestic violence crisis line, a third takes an AA meeting into the county jail every week.

Do you have an Aunt Helen [like me] who retired from the Navy Nurse Corps at the rank of Lieutenant Commander after serving in World War II and Korea? Do you have religious connections you might tap for a secondary character? I know an author who pumped her priest uncle for the scoop on how to get around the priest-penitent privilege and the sanctity of the confessional–and yes, under certain circumstances, it can be done.

Where do you live or go for a vacation? Can that be turned into a setting so vivid readers want to move there? I am currently working with an author who set her story in the Adirondack Mountains of  Northern New York state–and believe me, she nailed it.

What turns you on? How do you fill all those empty hours in your life? Do you attend festivals or state fairs? How about protest marches? I edited a September 2010 release for a Wild Rose Press anthology which featured a protest march that turned into a riot. The author was a veteran of protests from back in the 80′s and 90′s; it was clear she knew what she was talking about. The description spoke to me as an editor as well as a woman.

As an editor and a reader, I have developed a second sense for what rings true and what comes from someone who took the easy way out when it came to doing his or her homework¯and not all were unpublished. Do not depend on legal whodunits on the big screen or mystery illness of the week on TV for accuracy. If you want to know which shows portray accurate situations, ask someone who’s already in The Biz.

As a registered nurse Kathy Cottrell has a varied clinical background from the Operating Room, Labor and Delivery and clinical instruction to nursing administration, investigating allegations of medical malpractice and, most recently, a legal nurse consultant on personal injury and negligence cases.           

For twelve years she was affiliated with the Regional Rape Crisis Service of Rochester, New York, first as a volunteer advocate, then worked her way up the ladder to staff coordinator and eventually director of the four county crisis intervention program which served an average of 1,000 victims of sexual violence and their significant others. Her most recent role with RCS was as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE.         

A published author in her own right, Kathy uses her experience in her books and also in professional workshops with the goal of helping authors to incorporate authenticity into their writing. Particularly, she speaks to the impact of sexual violence on victims, the community and advocates.  

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CHUCK E. CHEESE

Las Vegas is Chuck E. Cheese for adults. I know that now. I knew it from the moment I walked into The Orleans and was immediately disoriented, like in one of those horror movies where the circus is scary and the carnival is loud and the clowns are mean. Except this was fun! Just a LOT of stimulation in one place. Chuck E. Cheese’s slogan is Where a Kid Can Be a Kid, and it stands to reason that Las Vegas could have a slogan Where an Adult Can Be an Adult. I think all the alcohol, which, personally I like, even though I only had two alcoholic beverages the whole time I was in LV, must serve the same function as Ritalin for kids. It tampers the stimulation and helps people focus on whatever task is important, which seemed mostly to be gambling.

Gambling holds no interest for me, but I am not a virgin. I went to Lake Tahoe in my twenties, back when I was a commercial real estate appraiser and way before I had any inkling I would become a psychologist. I was at a two-week training course at the University of San Francisco and during the interim weekend several of us went up to Tahoe. That was my first introduction to one-armed bandits. I liked the scenery better.

Fast forward twenty years, and I’m a prison mental health counselor, pre Ph.D., and working with two-armed bandits. The Deputy Warden of Security took me on a one-day junket to Biloxi for my birthday, to an off-shore casino. Sadly, I was bored all day, and I do mean all day. And there was no scenery. But on the plus side, I won $100 on the flight down to Biloxi, so the day was not a complete loss. Maybe I should have had more alcohol.

Now, as I walked through The Orleans casino, I don’t think I would even know how to gamble. Same as with high tech smart phones and twitter, I am so far behind. It did look like with some of them (what are they? machines?), a person just pushes a button. I think I could do that. Maybe next year I’ll consider branching out. And actually go outside the casino. See what else Chuck E. Cheese has to offer.

by Emily Simerly PhD.

INTRODUCING MEMBER RICK REED

(The most hated man on the Evansville Police Department, now retired.)

Rick is a retired Evansville Police (Indiana) detective.  Not being one to play politics, it took him ten years of testing to be hired by the police department. During those ten years he worked as a special investigator for a “hanging judge” for Circuit Court, as a Veterans Employment Specialist, and as a Deputy Sheriff of Vanderburgh County.  During his time as a Deputy Sheriff he worked the jail where he discovered that “you never turn your back on a naked woman.”  The saying came about when he and a matron processed such a woman into the jail, and being a gentleman, he turned his eyes away for a delicate moment and was cold-cocked by the female prisoner in question.

Rick was a detective for the EPD for seventeen years before making Sergeant and being promoted into the Internal Affairs Commander and becoming the most hated man on the department.  Even the Chief of Police, his direct boss, hated him because of his unnatural ability to find problems.  Not to give you the wrong idea, Rick received several awards over the years and one after retirement, for cases he solved.  Including solving a 30-year-old murder that involved the current Assistant Chief of Police as a suspect.

But his big break came in 2000 when he began an investigation of a “fraud on financial institution” case and ended up capturing a serial killer.  In 2005 he was contacted by Kensington Books in Manhattan and asked to write a true crime book about this serial killer.  The book was a hit and he was later requested to write serial killer fiction.  This request resulted in the Detective Jack Murphy series, The Cruelest Cut and The Coldest Fear.

The Cruelest Cut was also sold to German Publishing house, Weltbild, and was translated and released in late 2011.  In 2012 this book was also sold to Poland to be released in 2013.

Rick is proud to be accepted as a member of Public Service Writer’s Association, and hopes to attend future conferences.

Visit Rick’s website at:  www.RickReedBooks.com

Below are his current books and short descriptions:

BLOOD TRAIL (True Crime)

In 2003, sadistic sexual predator Joseph W. Brown claimed to have strangled prostitute, Andrea Hendrix, in 1997 after she stole money from his wallet in a $12 dollar room he rented at a sleazy motel.  Ginger Gasaway, 53, met Brown at a Gambler’s Anonymous meeting. She didn’t know that when she took up with him, she was gambling with her life. On August 30, 2000, Brown murdered Gasaway and scattered her body parts across three Indiana counties. For this grisly crime, he would be sentenced to life in prison without parole. But it wouldn’t be his first time behind bars…In 1977, Brown had been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery. In 1995, he was released despite the fact that he’d beaten a fellow inmate nearly to death. Brown later confessed that during the next five years, he indulged in a seven-state rampage of torture and murder, his victim’s, female hitchhikers and prostitutes. He is now doing time at Michigan City Prison, after strangling his cellmate in the Ft. Wayne prison.  Brown maintains that he murdered no less than thirteen other women from West Virginia to Las Vegas.  

THE CRUELEST CUT (Serial Killer Fiction:  Intro to Jack Murphy Series)

The first victim is attacked in her home. Tied to her bed. Forced to watch every unspeakable act of cruelty – but unable to scream. The second murder is even more twisted. Signed, sealed, and delivered with a message for the police, stuffed in the victim’s throat. A fractured nursery rhyme that ends with a warning: ‘There will be more’. For detective Jack Murphy, it’s more than a threat. It’s a personal invitation to play. And no one plays rougher than Jack. Especially when the killer’s pawns are the people he loves…
 

THE COLDEST FEAR (Serial Killer Fiction: Book 2 in Jack Murphy Series)

The first victim is murdered in a Marriott Airport hotel room on the outskirts of Evansville, Indiana. Her eyes and the left hand are removed from the scene and her tongue has been cut out. Jack Murphy realizes that this is not just another vicious murder when the body of a second victim is discovered only hours later on the floor of her kitchen in the south-side projects. The missing hand from the first victim is propped by the victim’s bloody head, the middle finger prominently displayed to those finding the body. A day later a third victim is found, this time gutted and strung up from the bottom of a bridge, left to bend and sway with the current of the Pigeon Creek. With all of these murders, one newspaper reporter seems to have a direct line to the killer, and a secret of his own.

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MEMBER NEWS

Review in Chesapeake Style Magazine by Feather Foster of John Bray’s, The Confidential.

There are cop stories and then there are New York cop stories. THE CONFIDENTIAL is a 1973-era cop story based in New York by an ex-New York cop, turned lawyer, and every line evokes images of Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino in top form. Jack Bray knows what he’s talking about.

One of the most thankless assignments of any undercover agent is being a part of a sting operation against their own comrades. Dante Falconieri is one of the best undercover guys in the business, but the sting has gone wrong. His career is in limbo. His trophy girlfriend adds to his cynicism. In a rare moment of guy-camaraderie–especially for a loner like Dante–he lets his disillusionment find words and he himself will become the target of a sting operation to test his integrity. Or is it entrapment?
There are stories within stories and author Bray, the former cop and attorney, has the eye and the ear to make it all fit together. It moves fast, and you can visualize it like a movie full of the usual goodfellas and badfellas and a few so-sofellas. There is the cop sting that backfires, the DA’s office full of corruption, the overseas drug cartel that gets so fouled up that it will crumble the entire task force, the stings-on-loan against the judges, lawyers and who knows who else-and don’t forget the gal on the side.

Poor Dante. He’s a man with few friends other than his Italian father–in Italy no less–an ex-cop himself who will come to New York to be “Papa”. No wonder Dante is jaded and in desperate need for some time off–hopefully with the trophy gal.

Cop-story lovers will gravitate to THE CONFIDENTIAL like a duck to water. It has everything you would expect: plenty of rough-em-up, more than a handful of rogue cops and other law enforcement types on the take, two–or is it three–murders, a mysterious-but distinctive hit man who doesn’t understand the concept of “blend in”, a suitcase of marked bills, a complicated foreign drug cartel, drive-by shootings, a clean-up crew of feds, an addict witness who escapes from the Marshals, and the beautiful “cherchez la femme”. There are enough twists and turns to make a reader wonder if a) there is anyone like you and b) more importantly, anyone you can trust. Except maybe Papa.

The old adage is true: it takes one to know one, and the author certainly has his era, his eye and ear right. He is probably a little kinder to the language than most modern cop writers, but then again, forty years ago, perhaps all of us were a little gentler with our speech. But the descriptions are spot-on, and the type of cases and particularly the overlapping cases, seem to ring true. THE CONFIDENTIAL is a book you don’t just read. You can see it and hear it as if it were a movie. THE CONFIDENTIAL by John A Bray available at all online booksellers, both in paper and as an e-book.

http://www.chesapeakebaywriters.org/personal_web_pages/Bray_J.htm

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Bob Doerr is happy to announce that in November or December 2012, his fifth Jim West mystery/thriller, No One Else to Kill, will be released.  In this one, Jim travels to a lodge in the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico to meet a friend and to do some hiking.  His friend stands him up, and before West can return home, a murder occurs in the small lodge. Needless to say, West’s trip is shot, no pun intended.  Sharing the lodge with a handful of dysfuntional characters, only makes matters worse.  When a second murder occurs, things really get dicey.

“ Although this is the fifth book in the series, each book is a stand alone story.  If you’ve read any of the others, I know you’ll enjoy No One Else to Kill.  If you haven’t read any, this one is as good as any to get started.  See you all next year.”

- Bob Doerr  www.bobdoerr.com

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Marilyn Meredith is proud to announce that the latest in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Raging Water, is now available in all formats from all the usual places as well as directly from the publisher.

First review says, “This latest entry in Marilyn Meredith’s long-running Tempe Crabtree series will keep you glued to your seat and turning pages right up to the end.”

–Pat Browning-

Marti Colvin writing under the name of I.C. Enger is announcing the publication of her book, Blue Ice. If is available from Amazon and Oak Tree Press.

A much anticipated new start for Brooke Breckenridge erupts into an explosion of murder and international intrigue when she travels from Seattle to an isolated lake on the Canadian border to find seclusion and healing. Strange and dangerous things begin to happen, soon events at the lake house attract the attention of Homeland Security Special Agent Jack Strickland and she finds herself entangled in suspicion, crime and dangerous attraction. As more agents are brought in and the web unravels, the true plot is revealed and life in the small town of Three Cranes Lake will never be the same..

What the agents discover at Three Cranes Lake will change how you view terrorism…forever.

This is your newsletter, please contribute articles, your news, book reviews, or anything else you think might be of interest. It is also open to the public, so it’s a great place to share your expertise.

CONTENTS::

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HOTEL

BACKING UP-COULD YOU AFFORD TO LOSE ALL YOUR FILES?

GET SMART, GROW YOUR BRAINS AND YOUR BICEPS

SOME INTERESTING AND  HELPFUL ADVICE

SERIAL KILLERS

MEMBER NEWS

* * *

PRESIDENT‘S MESSAGE

PSWA is pleased to announce that since the beginning of the year we’ve welcomed many new members.  Since our membership includes writers from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests, it’s not always possible to know just what accounts for a jump in membership numbers.  It could be that in some cases it’s what all of us who work out at a gym see every January.  People who have been putting off finishing that manuscript or even starting that manuscript have resolved that, by golly, this is the year I’m actually going to do it!

It also may be due to the fact that the association was mentioned in an article in the New York Times about a writing program at the Chicago Police Department.  Good publicity obviously never hurts membership.

In addition to new members, we’ve also seen a rise in renewals.  That tells us that those who are taking advantage of the many benefits of membership have found their opportunity to network with other members a positive and encouraging experience they want to continue.

Certainly some membership gain always occurs as a result of the timing of the writing competition.  Each year participation in the competition grows as entrants realize the value, not only of being able to claim the distinction of award winning writer from a prestigious national organization, but also benefit from the feedback they receive from the contest judges and encouragement from fellow members.

Other new members have told us they’ve heard great things about our annual conference and are eager to attend in July.

Whatever their motive for joining PSWA, we welcome our new members and hope they find the relationship beneficial and rewarding.  If you haven’t yet acted on your resolution that this is the year to really get serious about writing, maybe this is the time.

And, about that exercise program you’ve been putting off…..

Marilyn Olsen
President
Public Safety Writers Association

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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HOTEL
by Keith Bettinger

The Orleans Hotel rate is scheduled for $35 a night weekdays and $80 a night Friday and Saturday. Add to this resort fees and taxes. When registering at the hotel use this code assigned to the PSWA: A2PSC07

We are guaranteed the lowest rate available at the time of our conference, so if room rates go up we get the rates I quoted above. If they go down, we will receive the lower rate. On Thursday, when you check in, I will be at the conference registration desk. If you have any problems with prices contact me ASAP so I can deal with it through the business office.

The hotel has guaranteed these rates for a week prior to the conference as well as a week after the conference. There is more to Las Vegas and Nevada than casinos. Take the opportunity to visit and see the beauty of Red Rock Canyon, The Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Lake Meade, Mt. Charleston, The Pahrump Winery, Grand Canyon, cruises on Lake Mead, etc. etc.

Please let us know who is attending the conference with you. We need to make up a name tag for you as well as your guest. We have a number of reasons for the name tags. The first is name tags are an icebreaker. They are a self introduction. We would like to include on it, your home state. That way, rude former New Yorkers like myself don’t walk around asking, “Who are you and where are you from, and are you a member?” We also need to do this for security purposes. Please work with us. The hotel is a very busy place and filled with guests. We do not want uninvited people dropping into our events and creating any problems for our guests. We believe name tags will eliminate such a problem. We certainly wouldn’t want someone to get up to look at the books for sale or to grab a cup of coffee and come back to find something missing from their table.

The name tags will have colored symbols on them showing what you and your guest are entitled. As an example; a gold star entitles the attendee to the conference, Thursday night reception and luncheons.

A red symbol on the name tag of an attendee’s guest, would entitle them to participate only in the Thursday night reception. Three blue symbols would allow the attendee’s guest to attend all three luncheons. A green tag would show the attendee’s guest has paid the coffee fee and is able to drop in and have a cup of coffee with the registered attendee.

After all, it isn’t fair that conference attendees pay for the conference and non-attendees drink the coffee or eat an attendee’s meal. Meals and coffee are ordered way in advance and changes cannot be made. As the conference continues to grow logistics and security needs increase as does the number of attendees.

What can I tell you about our hotel, THE ORLEANS. If you attended last year you know we had a wonderful room and the food was out of this world. Well this year the meeting rooms have all been refurbished. Lynn and I took a tour and the found the rooms now far surpass what we experienced last year. The guest rooms are spectacular. The food is phenomenal. There are plenty of restaurants to eat in around the clock. The hotel is a short cab ride from the airport. The hotel does not supply shuttle service from the airport, but it does provide shuttle service to the Las Vegas Strip and other resort properties they own in Las Vegas.

This is a free service.

This is a lot to take in but I will provide you with more information in the near future. Until then – hoping to see all of you in July.

 Keith Bettinger is a retired Suffolk County, NY Police Officer.  He’s been writing for law enforcement publications for over 25 years and has received 16 awards for his articles, stories and book.  He has a Master’s Degree in Human Relations with a major in Clinical Counseling.  During his career he received the department’s Bravery Medal, Silver Shield Award, Meritorious Police Service Award, Special Service Award, Professionalization Award, Department Recognition Award, 5 Headquarters commendations and six Precinct commendations.  He also was a field training officer and an instructor on Post Shooting Trauma and Critical Incidents.

Keith has written two books, Fighting Crime With “Some” Day and Lenny, and End of Watch, Charity, True Blue, To Protect and Serve, Dad’s Bow Tie.  He also shares with Jack Miller, the screenplay Master Cheat. Keith lives in Las Vegas, with his wife Lynn

* * *

BACKING UP–COULD YOU AFFORD TO LOSE ALL YOUR FILES
by Tim Dees

Sometime this year, as with all years before it since the advent of personal computers, someone will send me a message or post to the listserv that their computer crashed and they lost all of their files. For a writer who composes electronically, this is a catastrophic event, and one easily prevented.

Contacts and email

Many people think to preserve their manuscripts and such, but don’t give a thought to their email, contact lists, calendars, etc. There is no one strategy for this, because there are so many different ways of filing and retaining this data.

Many people hate it, but I’ve been using Microsoft’s Outlook application for email, contacts and calendar for many years. I don’t think it’s always the best way to manage contacts and communications, but it is one of the few methods where all of your data is in one place, and easy enough to back up.

Outlook maintains its data in a file with an extension of “*.pst.” By default, the file is named “Outlook.pst.” If you don’t change it from its default location, it will be found in one of these four locations:

Windows 7 and Vista:
drive:\Users\user\Documents\Outlook Files\Outlook.pst
drive:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst
Windows XP:
drive:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst
drive:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst

In the above examples, drive represents the drive letter where the files are stored (C: for most users) and user represents the User Name for your account on that computer. When you log on to Windows, the user name appears above the icon you click on.

You don’t have to store these files in the default locations, and there are some good reasons not to. When most people use some backup strategy, they backup their data file folders: My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, etc. If you leave your *.pst files in the default location, the backup will ignore them.

I create a folder under My Documents called “Outlook Files” and place all my *.pst files there. I say “all my *.pst files” because I archive anything older than three months into an archive folder so my Outlook.pst file doesn’t become so large as to be unmanageable. At the start of each year, I export everything from the previous year, including calendar and contacts entries, to a *.pst file named for that year, e.g. “archive 2011.pst.” This makes for some duplication, but that’s what backups are all about.

With that folder a part of the My Documents (or, in Windows 7, the Document Library) structure, backing up the standard My Documents folder catches it and puts a copy away for safekeeping.

Of course, if you move a *.pst file, you have to tell Outlook where you moved it to. There is an article on how to handle that in Outlook 2003 here, and one on Outlook 2007 or 2010 here.
Backup strategies

There are two major categories of backup strategies: on-site and off-site. On-site backups usually require a little more time and diligence on the part of the user, because it’s always easy to say, “Oh, I’ll backup everything tomorrow.” If you believe you can be disciplined enough to back up your files regularly, all you need is an external hard drive. You can find these at places like Costco and Best Buy, and unless you have some absurdly large volume of material or a lot of music and pictures (which take up the most room, file-wise), you don’t need a huge external drive. To get an idea of how much space you might need, open Windows Explorer, look down to “My Computer,” and right-click on the drive letter where your data is stored—C:, for most users. In the context menu that appears, choose the last option, “Properties.”

You can see from the graphic display above that my 1 TB (terabyte) data drive is almost exactly half full. I recommend that any external hard drive you purchase for backup be at least twice as large as the file accumulation you have on hand.

If, God forbid, your house burns down or floods, you’re going to be out of luck unless you thought to beat feet with the external hard drive, or you bought one of these monstrosities:

Pictured here are two ioSafe Solo external drives that, in addition to functioning like any other external hard drive, will also survive most fires and floods. They weigh a ton, require their own power supply, and give me great peace of mind knowing that they will probably prevail if my house doesn’t. You can purchase them at Costco or Amazon.com, among other places.

Your other backup strategy is to subscribe to an offsite backup service. Mozy charges $6.00 per month to back up 50GB of data, $10.00 for 125GB. I use another service you may have heard advertised on the radio: Carbonite. Carbonite charges about $60.00 per year per computer, with some discounts if you sign up multiple computers or subscribe for multiple years. There is no limit to the size of the backup Carbonite will handle for you, although they say that your backup speed will be reduced substantially after the first 200GB.

With both solutions, you install an application on your computer, sign in to your online account, and let the program do the rest. By default, the program will back up everything in your “My Documents” files, not including music or video files. If you specify you want music and video backed up, too, if will do it. Just be prepared for a little lag time initially. My initial backup of 116GB required six weeks to upload, with the computer running 24/7. Now that most of the files are in place, the software looks for any new or changed files every day and loads them onto the Carbonite servers.

Another advantage to Carbonite is that I can retrieve any of my backed up files from anywhere through a web browser or even an iPhone app. I log on with my user name and password, choose the file I want from a folder structure that mirrors the one on my hard drive, and download the file I want.

As in law enforcement, the critical issue here is not to become complacent, thinking nothing will ever happen to your work. Computer drives are human-made devices; they will all fail eventually. When yours does, don’t let it take a lifetime of work with it.

–Tim Dees is a retired police officer and the former editor of two major law enforcement websites who writes and consults on technology applications in criminal justice. He can be reached at tim@timdees.com.

* * *

GET SMART, GROW YOUR BRAINS AND YOUR BICEPS
by John Wills

As we age we sometimes have more difficulty processing information and comprehending things we used to quickly understand. The aging process takes a toll on the entire body, to include our brain. In law enforcement it’s imperative that we are able to immediately assess a situation and make a decision on a course of action. If we lose that ability, or it becomes somewhat diminished, we put ourselves and our partners in jeopardy.

One way to ameliorate the aging process is through exercise. In addition to keeping our bodies strong and healthy, there’s an added advantage: exercise has been proven to enhance memory and cognition at any age. That’s right, according to a recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers found that student athletes were quicker thinkers than their non-athlete fellow students. In our business, that ability to think quickly could mean the difference between life and death.

Many of us exercise regularly, knowing that it’s part of the job. We aren’t desk jockeys, we’re on the street every day and are often called upon to do battle with thugs who have no problem injuring or killing us. I know many of our colleagues, myself included, who have survived traumatic injuries because they kept themselves physically fit. Regular exercise affords many benefits beyond keeping one in shape. Exercise is a proven stress reliever, helps reduce depression, allows us to get a better night’s sleep and makes us better lovers.

Now, exercise has been proven to boost our brain power, too. I’ve often thought this was true before I ever knew about research in the field. I recognized that people who included exercise in test preparation, allowing them to relieve stress, often scored higher than those who burned the midnight oil cramming for exams.

It occurred to me that if people who exercised created large muscles, might it be possible for our brains to grow as well if we worked them out? A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that just might be the case. The study focused on a group of 74-year-olds, breaking them down into two groups—those who had high levels of exercise and those who exercised very little. The study found that the group that exercised vigorously had the lowest percentage of developing any cognitive impairment compared with the group who had limited exercise. If you have aging parents or grandparents who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, you know how devastating it can be when a person has a diminished ability to think and remember things.

But exercise doesn’t just help older folks, young people benefit from regular exercise as well. At the 2011 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, a study was presented which involved grade school children. A group of kids who exercised while studying geography lessons had increased state test scores from 55% to 68.5%. The takeaway: exercising while learning equals better test scores. Next time you see someone on the stepper or treadmill studying a text book you’ll understand the method to their madness.

It may be a result of the baby boomer generation creating a large senior segment of our population, but regardless of the reason there are a multitude of studies being conducted on aging and how it affects the brain. One such study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates exercise increases brain size. The study involved adults ages 55 thru 80 who regularly included aerobic exercise in their lifestyle for a period of one year. The researchers concluded that the study group increased the size of their brains in the area of the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and spatial navigation.

Recently, an article in the Chicago Tribune by Ellen Warren reinforced what the above studies concluded. In the article, a Harvard psychiatrist, Dr. John Ratey, said: “Exercise keeps your brain from eroding. Exercise is the one thing we’ve proven again and again that prevents the ravaging of aging on our brain.” Ratey went on to explain that the Mayo Clinic’s recent review of more than 2,000 scientific papers concluded that exercise is the one thing you can do to prevent the onset of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you are one who exercises, by all means keep doing it. But what about those who don’t exercise, is there any hope for them to boost their brain power and stave off diminished mental capacity? According to Dr. Ratey, yes. In fact, the doctor advises people who are not presently exercising to begin doing so immediately. Ratey said, “You get the most bang for your buck if you haven’t been exercising. The biggest changes are seen there.”

The results from exercise aren’t limited to improved intellectual capacity. Ratey advises that our emotional regulation improves as well—we become happier, less anxious and stressed. And, these improvements can be found in both adults and children. The more intense and the more time spent exercising results in an even bigger payoff. Got kids who are not exercising and getting average grades in school? Start them on an exercise program—today. Are you in a rut, depressed, fed up with your boss?—start exercising.

What better resolution can there possibly be than to improve your life by beginning something as simple and inexpensive as regular exercise? When you consider all the benefits from an activity that young and old people alike can partake in, why wait one day longer?

Links:
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Archives of Internal Medicine
Pediatric Academic Societies
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Chicago Tribune

–John M. Wills

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SOME INTERESTING AND HELPFUL ADVICE
by Jack Miller

If you are like me, I like cheap especially in the marketing of my books. Actually I prefer free.

I have self published all five of mine and of course they are all trade paper book because E-Books had not been invented until recent. So I decided that I would increase circulation by offering my books as E-Books. I searched and the best I could find was companies that would prepare my E-Books for $50 each.

Last week I hit upon BookTango.com They offered to put my books into the right format, use my covers and put them on Amazon; Barnes and Nobel; Sony; Google; Scribd; Kobo; Books on Board, and/or Overdrive. FREE!!!

I followed their instruction and they have accepted my books. Now I know I’m a wonderful guy and I deserve this but really I don’t think they are doing this just for me. Actually I’m almost waiting for the other shoe to drop because that are not taking a percentage either. They are really very easy to work with too.

You might want to check them out if you are cheap as I am.

John “Jack” Miller, Special Agent Ret/ AFOSI and NSGCB
Author of Cold War Warrior, Cold War Defector, The Master Cheat, The Medal, Operation Switch, and soon to be released, The Peacekeepers. http://www.retafsa.com

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Pete Klismet is a full-time Professor of Criminal Justice and is retired from the FBI, where he was selected to be one of the original group of Criminal Profilers. He is the founder of Criminal Profiling Associates, on the web at www.criminalprofilingassociates.com.  (He is pictured on the right, not the left!).

SERIAL KILLERS:  “What’choo mean they’re not crazy?”

Virtually every time I’ve done a “Criminal Personality Profiling” school or college class over the past 25 years, I’m often reminded of an old TV series, “Different Strokes.” A star of the show, the late Gary Coleman, gained considerable fame with the phrase, “What’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”  (For the record, I heard him say it hundreds of times, and laughed every time).  In talking about serial killers, I’ve heard similar comments from my college students and police officers in schools I continue to teach. “What do you mean they’re not crazy?”  Usually followed closely by, “Don’t they have to be crazy to kill all those people?”  And then, “But if they’re not crazy, why do they do it?”

If there is anything we can agree on, it would be that the acts of a serial murderer are, to say the least, a great departure from what we think of as normal.  To put it mildly.  Clearly, most normal people don’t wake up one morning, have some coffee, read the paper, check eMails, and then decide, “Hmmm…..what am I going to do today?  Awww, what the heck, I think I’m going to start killing people.”  And off they go to their new adventures.

Two striking pictures of the same man.  Ted Bundy

We are all driven to seek answers and explanations for odd behavior.  We want to understand why a seemingly mild-mannered, quiet man like Gary Ridgway (“The Green River Killer”) could kill at least forty eight women in Seattle.  What creates a monster like law student Ted Bundy, who roamed from Washington State, to Utah, Idaho, Colorado and finally Florida, brutally killing and maiming women along the way, eventually killing thirty three women that we know of.  And how do you explain Jeffrey Dahmer?  What could have caused him to strangle seventeen young men and boys in Milwaukee, eat body parts so they’d be “a part of me,” keep their corpses in his apartment for days, and then dissolve their bodies in acid inside his apartment?  And they all performed sex acts on some of their victims after killing them.  If for no other reason, that would seem to be a huge clue that they simply have to be crazy…but are they?

The face of a serial killer?  While many believe they must have a certain ‘look,’ they actually look no different than any of us, or “Green River Killer” Gary Ridgway who pled guilty to 48 murders in Seattle in 2004.

Jeffrey Dahmer’s attractive appearance lured his victims into his lair.  No one could have predicted he would kill 17 young men in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

There are a lot of questions posed at this juncture, so let’s take a look at some facts, beginning with the commonly-accepted (except in Canada and England) definition of the term “Serial Killer.”  A serial killer was defined by the Behavioral Science Unit (now the Investigative Support Unit) in Quantico, Virginia, and combines three basic factors:

1. A person who kills three or more victims (most often one victim at a time)
2. The killings occurred over a period of time, usually days, weeks, months or years.
3. There is a cooling off period between the killings.

The latter point (cooling off) is what separates a serial killer from a mass killer (Columbine, for example, where all killings occurred in a single event), and a spree killer (where there might be a continuing and sometimes connecting series of killings in different locations over a day or several days, but no cooling off period).  With these killings, there is often a long period of seething anger which eventually boils to a point of deciding to take some form of violent action.  Many people, particularly the media, want to say they simply “snapped.’  It makes it so much easier to understand then.  But nothing could be farther from the truth.  The anger has typically welled-up in them for months or even years, much like a pressure cooker on low heat.  And eventually the pressure builds up to the point where they are seemingly unable to control themselves from doing what they do.  It’s nothing like suddenly and impulsively deciding to go to their workplace or school and kill people who they believe have treated them unfairly.

Yet again, we can pose the question, “Are mass killers crazy?”  And the answer to that is also no.  A more likely explanation is that they finally reached the boiling-over point with anger and frustration and could see no other way out of their dire situation.  What they eventually did was something akin to an irresistible impulse they couldn’t control.  But they certainly aren’t crazy.

If that’s the case, then we should review what the term insanity means.  In medical and psychiatric terms, the word insanity is avoided in favor of specific diagnoses of particular mental disorders.  The presence of delusions or hallucinations is more broadly defined as psychosis.  Most courts in the United States accept a potential insanity defense when experts can identify a major mental illness (psychosis), but will not accept the numerous and less-than-psychotic personality disorders.

Personality Disorders are a separate classification of mental health disorders which include such issues as Borderline Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder (of which, “Psychopath” is a sub classification), Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder, and Histrionic Personality Disorder (this is only a part of a much more exhaustive list).  Commonly-diagnosed mental health disorders such as Bipolar Disorder, Generalized (not chronic) Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, Schizophrenia, and Depression are among the classification of mental health disorders termed “Axis I” disorders.  None of them meet the criteria for psychosis.

While the diagnostic criteria and the multiplicity of possible disorders and psychoses can become a bit confusing to non-trained professionals, the key issue from a legal standpoint becomes relatively simple – did the person charged with the crime have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and did he know the behavior he engaged in was against the law?  This is the difference between someone being legally sane vs. insane.

However, evidence and testimony from mental health professionals as to those issues must be clearly presented to the court or jury to make that decision.  And herein lies the crux of the matter when we’re considering serial murderers.  Conjecture, speculation and comments such as “Well, he just acted crazy all the time,” or “He was odd,” won’t work.  The word “crazy” doesn’t exist in the legal or psychiatric arenas, but the word “sanity” does.

A few specific cases can serve as a reference point. Several years ago, a woman in San
Antonio, Texas, killed her baby and ate parts of the baby including its brain. Most of us would call that crazy.   After lengthy psychological evaluation, this woman was diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. The woman believed the devil made her mutilate and dismember her newborn son.  She was subsequently found not guilty of the crime by reason of insanity, and was committed to a mental institution until deemed to no longer be a danger to herself or others. In a similar case in 2001, Andrea Yates, of Houston, Texas, was shown to have been suffering from postpartum psychosis and, in this psychotic state, drowned each of her five children.  She later explained that Satan was inside her and was trying to save her children from going to hell. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity by a jury, and committed to a mental institution.

In 1982, John Hinkley, Jr., was found to be not guilty by reason of insanity after attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. Hinkley had a long history of psychiatric care when he was younger, and his statements made it clear he did not have his psychological act completely together. Hinkley has been confined to a mental institution in the Washington, D.C. area for nearly 30 years.  While he’s gained some privileges, it is doubtful he’ll ever be completely free and on his own.  Hinkley will probably never become a person who can function in society on his own.

Police and Secret Service agents grapple with John Hinkley who shot President Reagan.  The picture on the right may have given a clue to Hinkley’s dark and foreboding delusions, but only he knew of his true motive – an intense love for actress Jody Foster, who he’d never met.

So, you might ask, how are the two women noted above different from Jeffrey Dahmer?  It certainly seems they did similar things.  Dahmer killed seventeen people, strangling most, drilled holes in their heads to inject acid in the process of making sex zombies (by his own admission).  He dismembered and disemboweled his victims, ate body parts, saved others, collected skulls and dissolved their bodies in a huge vat of acid.  And he’s the one who is NOT psychotic!  Or crazy?  How on earth can that be true?

Here’s the difference, and why Dahmer was found to be sane, despite the manifestly ‘crazy’things he did.  Dahmer showed planning and premeditation in every one of his killings, and the prosecutors skillfully pointed this out.  A psychotic person does not have the cognitive (or mental) organization to create the detailed plots and plans that Dahmer created.  He hunted for his victims in gay bars only, and sought victims who were light-skinned black males, younger and slender.  Very specific criteria and not random victims.

Thus, he wasn’t a killer who would simply murder anyone who got in his way, although some serial killers have and do.  Ted Bundy was similar to Dahmer in his selectivity, as most of his female victims had long dark hair, parted in the middle, and we later learned, looked a lot like a girlfriend who had dumped him several years before.  Bundy also brought items he’d need to gain control of the victims with him, and would commonly use an arm sling or crutches to make his victims feel immediately safe.  All of these things require some thinking and planning, which a psychotic person could not typically accomplish in his delusional state.

Dahmer constantly fantasized about and was obsessed with killing over and over. His obsession developed into a compulsion and then a need, and he eventually became addicted to killing.  Yet he could compartmentalize that secret part of his life and create the image that he was perfectly normal.  He fit well into society. He was attractive, dressed well (some suggested ‘dressed to kill’) and used this to his advantage in luring potential victims.

He hunted only on Friday nights, because if he was successful, he would have the victim for a couple of days, and then would have time to do what he wanted to do with the body.  He never used a car, because he knew he could be identified by the type of car he drove.  He installed extra locks and a security camera on his apartment to thwart anyone from entering.  But he also presented a normal side when talking to his parents, the police on a couple of occasions, and people he worked with.  He was able to hide in plain sight, appear perfectly normal, and no one would have imagined it was him committing the horrible crimes he did.  An insane person couldn’t begin to accomplish all of those things.

On the other side of the coin are several serial killers who were probably insane, yet were adjudged to be sane in court.  Richard Trenton Chase, for example, killed several people in Sacramento, California, eviscerated at least one victim, and sat beside the victim drinking her blood from a cup.  Chase had a long psychiatric history, and told investigators he was drinking blood because space ships from other planets were sending radiation down to earth which was turning his blood into powder.  Like Dahmer, he had body parts in his refrigerator, and had used a blender to chop up other human organs, mixing them with blood.  While all of that doesn’t sound like the acts of a sane person, one never knows what will happen when a case goes to court.  Chase was adjudged to be sane despite considerable evidence to the contrary.  I’ve researched this case, and still am clueless how he was found sane.

Dubbed “The Sacramento Vampire,” Richard Trenton Chase drank the blood of at least one victim, and kept body parts of others.  Despite a prior psychiatric history, and delusions about space ships, Nazi’s, and other equally odd subjects, Chase was found to be sane.

The idyllic beach town of Santa Cruz, California in the early 1970’s seemed to be one of the most unlikely places to become the murder capital of the U.S.A.  Edmund Kemper was a prime contributor to the high murder rate, picking up hitchhikers in the area, killing them, and dismembering their bodies.  But Kemper’s issue was not insanity, it was anger, due in large part to his dominant and verbally abusive mother.  Since he couldn’t violently strike back at his mother, he could against other women, which is exactly what he did.  But investigators and prosecutors were able to show the planning and premeditation Kemper went through to both gain control of his victims and dispose of their bodies.

The 6’ 9”, 325 pound Ed Kemper, on the left, had a university parking sticker on his car, which made coeds and hitchhikers feel at ease.  Herbert Mullin, on the other hand, had no plan  involved in his 13 killings.

While Kemper was terrorizing Santa Cruz and keeping investigators busy, another killer, Herbert Mullin, was on an even worse killing spree.   Mullin had a lengthy psychiatric history, as far back as his early teen years.  His father sought counseling and had him committed, but as it seems to happen, after each period of evaluation, he was then released on the belief that he was no longer a danger to himself or others.  Let’s say that diagnosis wasn’t entirely accurate.  As Mullin’s psychosis deepened, he developed an obsession with earthquakes, and of course California is prone to have them occasionally.  Mullin then added a delusion to the obsession, namely that he could prevent earthquakes from occurring if he killed people.  He randomly selected victims who, in his delusional state, he believed were telepathically telling him to kill them and the problem of earthquakes would stop.  His victims were simply unfortunate people who appeared on his radar screen on any given day, male and female, and even some children.  There was no pattern or logic to what he did or the victims he chose.  This is the antithesis of Dahmer’s and Bundy’s process of victim selection by certain well-established and defined criteria.  Mullin was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and was committed to the state mental hospital after his trial.  Kemper, on the other hand, offered an insanity defense, but was adjudged sane and received a life sentence which he is currently serving.

The cherubic face of what could have been a choir boy belied dark fantasies of murder in the mind of David Berkowitz.  Named “Son of Sam,” he claimed to have gotten his orders and instructions to kill from a dog  named Sam whose body was inhabited by Satan.  He remains in custody at Ossining (Sing Sing) State Prison in New York.

Virtually all serial killers are found to have been sane at the time they committed their crimes.  David Berkowitz, the infamous “Son of Sam” killer who paralyzed New York City for over a year, tried an insanity defense, as many have.  Despite claiming a satanic demon inhabited the body of a dog next door, and that the dog spoke to him with instructions on what to do and how to kill people, Berkowitz was found to be as sane.  Kenneth Bianchi, one of the “Hillside Stranglers” in Los Angeles, claimed a multiple personality, and that the “Bad Ken,” was the one who did the killings.  Confronted by a psychiatrist who told Bianchi that people with Multiple Personality Disorder usually had at least three distinct personalities, Bianchi promptly came up with a third one.  That didn’t work, and Bianchi is currently on a full-ride scholarship in a Washington state prison, having also been convicted of killing two women in Bellingham, Washington after his nefarious murders in Los Angeles.

Kenneth Bianchi (on the left) and Angelo Buono, “The Hillside Stranglers,” in Los Angeles.  A rare pair of ‘team killers,’ they tortured and killed 14 women, most of them at Buono’s upholstery shop in Glendale.  Both are serving life terms.

In conclusion, very few serial killers even come close to meeting the exceedingly strict criteria for insanity.  The challenge to investigators is in discovering those things in their lives they did which displayed their true sanity.  They are not crazy as we’d like to think.  A very small percentage of those we’ve identified over the years qualified.  Every year we identify more of them, and the certainty they face is the death penalty or a life in prison.  The next article in this series will attempt to explain a far more difficult topic, “Why do they do it?”

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MEMBER NEWS

John H Briant’s “Adirondack Detective Series” consisting of seven books and his autobiography, “One Cop’s Story:A Life Remembered” for a total of eight books are now available on NOOK and KINDLE.

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Vincent Casale’s  has a new book out, The Coparazzi, and it will be available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com

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John Bray’s  latest book: CODE NAME: CALEB

Young and penniless Johnny Madigan lied about his age to become a Union Soldier. And after surviving serious injury on the Civil War’s most notorious and blood-soaked killing fields, was recruited to work under cover to infiltrate Confederate spy rings.

In this sequel to the acclaimed Ballad of Johnny Madigan, Johnny – older than his years, but much younger than believed by the army, battle-hardened and a master of espionage – is sent back to New York to penetrate an underground counterfeiting gang supplying forged US currency the enemy South.

His assignment takes him to Canada where a murderous Confederate spy ring is plotting an armed uprising to take over New York City and hold it hostage.

Johnny’s dream is to return to childhood sweetheart, Deidre, who kept him alive as a destitute youth in the city’s slums, but there is more than the daily risk of sudden death keeping him from her as he enters the very heart of the conspiracy. Suspected by some plotters, he is seduced by a beautiful woman – herself a key member of the gang – whose orders are to expose him.

Will the war-toughened, but still romantically naïve, Johnny see through sexy Letitia’s love ploy to complete and survive his vital mission and to be re-united with Deidre, or can the conspirators lower his guard with Letitia’s wily help, make their bold, history-changing plan succeed … and see Johnny dead?

John Bray’s immaculately researched and race-paced ‘Code Name: Caleb’ thrusts the reader into the murky depths of intrigue, plot and counter-plot that became the dark underside of the War Between the States. 

John Bray

CODE NAME: CALEB
Published by BeWrite Books www.bewrite.net Available as an e-book
On Nook, Kindle, I-pad  And ready to download to your laptop or PC

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From Steve Hughes–

Last September I had the pleasure of announcing my historical novel, The Sign of the Eagle, had been accepted for publication by Sunbury Press (www.sunburypress.com). Although the novel is still approximately three months away from release, the novel can now be pre-ordered through the publisher (see the URL below). You can order it as a trade paperback or ebook (Kindle and Nook). If you wish, you can wait until it is available and order it through websites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or at your local brick and mortar bookstore. Once it is available I will be conducting book signings at stores around the Pacific Northwest and the San Francisco Bay Area. Arrangements are pending book release.

For those of you who are not familiar with the story, The Sign of the Eagle, is an historical action/suspense novel set in ancient Rome, 71 A.D. The central character, Macha, is a Celtic woman married to the Roman officer, Titus, who is wrongfully accused of treason. She must almost single-handed prove his innocence. For more details check my website www.jessstevenhughes.com or the below URL. I will send out another notification once the novel is released by the publisher.

 Steve Hughes
http://www.sunburypress.com/9781620060360.html

The End