PSWA Newsletter
December 2015
CONTENTS:
- PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
- MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE
- NEWS FROM THE V.P.
- “IS SOMEONE FOLLOWING ME?” NIGHTTIME DRIVING SAFETY
- COLLECTION OF PENS
- ANXIETY AND POLICE 2015—WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
- SAFETY IN NUMBERS
- WRITING SCARY STUFF
- THE CADENCE OF THE WRITTEN WORD
- THE CREATIVE PROCESS
- TIPS WHEN YOU ARE A GUEST ON SOMEONE’S BLOG
- MEMBER NEWS
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
For many of us December seems to be the busiest time of the year with holiday events, finishing up end-of-the-year work-related business or, for some of you, digging the car out of the earlier than expected snow. Although the operators of the ski area about an hour or so from where I live in the Pacific Northwest were delighted by the several feet of snow they got a few days ago, maybe not so much for those of you, like Mike Black who lives in Chicago.
With all that’s going on, it’s always a temptation to put off working on that book, article, poetry or other writing you’ve been, well maybe, putting off since September. Hopefully, however, for most of you this is the time you’ll be the most inspired. Because, January 1, 2016 marks the day PSWA Writing Competition chair Michelle Perin will begin receiving entries. Details about the categories and deadlines will appear on the website soon. As always there will be a wide variety of categories, so no matter what you like to write, there is sure to be something there for you. As we’ve stressed each year, the competition also gives you the opportunity to stretch yourself a bit by entering work that is new for you. If you’ve only written fiction, try some non-fiction this year. If you’ve only written books, try a few short stories or some poetry. Or even some flash fiction. There is no limit to how many entries you submit.
At the end of February, also check the website for all the details about the up-coming July conference. Want to be a speaker? Want to suggest a speaker? Want to serve on a panel? Want to make suggestions for topics to be covered? Better yet, want to help out at the conference? Again, check the website for information on how to do this.
Meanwhile, take that nice cup of holiday eggnog over to the keyboard and settle in for a long winter’s night of writing. Come competition entry deadline time you’ll be glad you did!
–Marilyn Olsen, PSWA President
MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE
It’s never too early to start submitting those ideas for next summer’s PSWA Conference. Our tentative dates are July 14-18, 2016. Once again, the gala affair will be held at the fabulous Orleans Hotel and Casino in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada. For those of you who don’t know, I do the programming for the conference, so I’m always interested in hearing the topics you’d like to see on the agenda. Remember, it’s all about you. The board members and I strive to keep the conference both an informative and a friendly event. I guarantee that it’ll be one of the most enjoyable conferences you’ll ever attend. We keep things devoid of pretension, and it’s made up of some of the nicest people you’ll meet. Although many of our PSWA members have backgrounds in public service, it’s certainly not a requirement. We’ve got a diverse membership, which helps us make the conference better each year.
As I said, the conference is all about the attendees. It takes an enormous amount of planning and work, but believe me, you won’t be disappointed. For those of you who haven’t attended before, you’ll be in for a special treat. As always, we’ll have some great speakers lined up, and the numerous panels are a mixture of sessions on writing and public safety topics. In addition, we also offer our annual writing contest and awards ceremony. The contest offers opportunities to submit both your published and unpublished work in a variety of categories and possibly become an award-winning author. You’ll also have the chance to rub elbows with professionals in the fields of both public safety and writing. It’s a great chance to learn more about topical subjects and research that book you’ve been planning. The networking opportunities are fabulous, and the atmosphere is always cordial and friendly.
We also have publishers with whom you can talk, and they’re usually happy to give you advice on any elevator pitches. We’re also mulling over the possibility of including a pre-conference Writer’s Boot Camp, taught by experienced published professional writers. It not only will include personal instruction on writing techniques, but will also offer you a chance to receive individual feedback on your writing. Last, but not least, you’ll also get some great meals, have a chance to stay in a luxurious hotel for very reasonable rates, and have plenty of time to explore one of the most fascinating and energizing cities in the world: Las Vegas, Nevada. There’s a lot to see and do there, including many unique sights such as Hoover Dam and the Mob Museum (which contains an actual wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre). Many PSWA Conference attendees tack on a couple extra days to explore the town and take in a show.
Every year we plan something unique spin for the conference. In years past we’ve had an interactive crime scene, a game show (CSI Jeopardy), and last year we did an old-time radio show. I’m still in the process of assembling the suggestions and topics, so if you have something you’d like to see addressed, send it to me at DocAtlas108@aol.com. I hope to see you there. I promise, if you attend, you won’t be disappointed. So if you haven’t done so yet, I urge you to register for the conference as soon as the registration form is posted. There are early bird rates coming up, so keep checking the PSWA website. As I’ve said before, the PSWA Conference may not be the biggest one of the year, but it’ll certainly be the best.
I look forward to seeing you at the Orleans in July.
–Mike Black, PSWA Program Chair
NEWS FROM THE V.P.
Hello fellow PSWA members. I’ve seen some wonderful discussions on the listserv. Members are also using their Facebook pages to share their successes. It’s great to see new members welcomed heartily and for long-term members to continue assisting each other with their writing goals. Books are being written and published. Marketing is happening. Money is being made and fame being had. After all, that’s why we’re in this business, right? Even if we’re not becoming legends with the general public, we can be legends with each other. So, what’s on the horizon for the PSWA? In my realm, several things are coming up and I’m seeking assistance from the membership.
First, the PSWA Writing Competition will begin on January 1st, 2016. Rules and entry forms will be posted on the PSWA website prior to that time. Remember there are categories for almost every genre and for published and non-published. Keep in mind that the writing has to somehow apply to publish safety. Have an ambulance drive by in one of your scenes? It’s related. I will be seeking qualified judges to help me out again.
Second, since I’ve taken over the reins of Vice President I have been remiss in continuing the great marketing work A.J. did before me. I would like to make that right and start putting together a plan. I will need people to help me in this endeavor as well. If you are interested in helping with either judging or marketing let me know. Either would be a great way to get involved in the organization. After all, it is YOUR organization. Hope to hear from many of you soon. Until then, keep up the great work.
–Michelle J.G. Perin, MS, Firefighter/EMT
Vice-President, Contest Chair, Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA)
Fundraising Coordinator, Lane Area Ferret Shelter & Rescue
Visit me at www.thewritinghand.net
“IS SOMEONE FOLLOWING ME?” NIGHTTIME DRIVING SAFETY
It’s late at night, and while driving home you suspect that you’re being followed. After a couple left and right turns, you see that the vehicle behind is still following. You slow down, they slow down. You speed up, they speed up. Naturally, to compound matters, you take out your cell phone and see that the battery is low or is not receiving any signal … of course, “Murphy’s Law”. A slight panic begins to take over, causing your heart to race as you stare more at the rear view mirror than the road ahead. What should you do?
With the advent of setting our clocks back to standard time in the autumn of each year, it is not uncommon to find ourselves driving home during the hours of darkness. And this scenario can occur for many of us when coming home from work or shopping, or even from one of the seasonal holiday parties.
For most women travelling alone late at night, this can be a frightening situation and create a sense of anxiety or minor panic. Suspecting that someone may be following you will initially cause a range of conflicting thoughts and emotions; flipping back-and-forth between being overly suspicious to overly cautious…fighting a case of denial, and trying to assure yourself that it’s all in your imagination.
Unlike most women’s fears, however, when this type of incident happens to men they will often put on their “cloak of bravado” and do something stupid…like stop and get out of their car to confront their perceived followers, or even play some road rage games. But men are “stupid,” right ladies?
So what is the best course of action if you find yourself in this situation? First, keep calm. Take some slow, deep breaths. Slowing your breathing down and getting more oxygen into your system makes a person think more clearly and able to make better decisions.
Ensure your car doors are locked and windows up. If you have to stop at a red traffic light signal, watch your side and rear view mirrors to observe if the suspicious person behind you exits his car. Be ready to run the red light if necessary, but by all means, do not cause an accident. Otherwise, honk your horn; flash your bright lights, and activate your four-way emergency flashers. In other words, create a scene of “Notice Me”!
A primary rule is … “Do Not Drive Home.” If someone is following, you do not want to let them know where you live. And don’t think you can possibly park and get into your house before someone can approach you. If you already happen to be on your residential street when all this occurs, continue driving past your house and go back onto a major roadway. And whatever you do, don’t get yourself boxed-in to a cul-de-sac or dead-end street.
So what are some other best options? Continue driving to a place that will provide some degree of increased public attention without the need for you exiting your vehicle.
How about driving to the nearest police station? Sounds good, but even that might not be the best idea, and here’s why. Many police stations are not open to the public except during normal daytime business hours. Believe it or not, even in a “24-hour” large city like Las Vegas, (due to budgeting) the local police stations are only open weekdays during business hours.
Okay then, what about a fire station? Again, not really a good thought since the firefighters and EMTs may be out on a call… another Murphy’s Law. And when you’re in a concerned or anxious state-of-mind like under these circumstances, can you even remember where the nearest police or fire station is located?
The best place to drive to in this incident is the nearest location open 24-hours where there is a lot of activity; where you can achieve immediate attention by honking your horn … places like 7-11s or other convenience stores, gas stations, or a major hotel. Some of the best places here in Las Vegas are hotel/casinos because they have valet parking. Another place for increased safety and immediate attention is the emergency room entrance at a hospital. Frequently these will have an armed security guard posted.
Although it’s illegal in most states to use a “hands-on” cell phone while driving, and dangerous for increasing the risk of a traffic accident, you can consider this a valid emergency. Call the police. Tell the dispatcher what you feel is happening and advise of your “roving” location. Stay on the line and, through the dispatcher, the police will rendezvous with you to check-out your concern.
Some other things to think about to help in this situation. Always keep your vehicle’s fuel tank at least 1/4 filled, and the engine and tires in good condition.
Finally, if you do get to your house before noticing a suspicious person following you and you have an automatic garage door, pull into the garage. Stay in your car with your doors locked until the garage door has been completely closed. Watch your mirrors to ensure nobody attempts to sneak in under the garage door. Most garage doors have a sensor that will cause the door to raise if someone tries to slip underneath. And remember, if you have the right car alarm system, you can use your key fob and activate the car alarm to attract attention from your neighbors.
Until the next time…Stay Alert and Stay Safe!
Ron Corbin
www.rcorbinsecurityauthor.com
COLLECTION OF PENS
I read a book that says writers can—and even should—write just about anywhere and everywhere. We should write in cafes, restaurants, and coffee shops; on buses, boats, trains, and planes; and where beauty surrounds us in museums, art galleries, parks and of course libraries.
What a lovely idea to be able to write anywhere! One can even compose comfortably in a public place in full view and with full view of passersby. We can watch people moving at their own pace giving us impressions and insights for stories and for characters whose voices and personas we want to create.
We can write from the coffee shop down the street or from a café somewhere across the world. Sometimes we just move from idea to idea. Sometimes, in a precious moment, we find a concept that takes hold of us and we cannot let go of it until we have explored it and given it breath of life. Then we must determine whether we should support its development or let it die so we can move on unhampered to the next moment.
When I began to think about this, and then to write about such thoughts, I wondered, “Does it really matter where I write? There might be something special about a person or place that could become the focus of where I might begin, or even end, a story. However, the most important thing was not where I write, but that no matter where, I keep writing.
“I’m a writer,” I repeat aloud to myself when no one is near to wonder whether I might be crazy. I introduce myself as a writer to people I’ve never before met. I need them to believe this. I need to have others believe it so I will also be convinced of its truth. Call it what you may: ego, desire, or wishful thinking.
However, one day, on a vacation, I realized I needed a pen. For some reason, I could not find any of the several pens I had brought with me. So, I went into the office like a pilot on a mission and helped myself to one of their free pens. With it already in my hand, I said to the desk clerk, “I’m taking one of your pens. Writers shouldn’t be without a pen.” She smiled in apathetic agreement.
I had noticed the pens when I walked into the lobby earlier that morning. There they were: Vermont green pens with white stenciling on them that promoted the Inn’s name and phone number. Its web address was clearly imprinted on it as well. It’s a new world.
Yes, I could have used my computer and ultimately I do. But it’s just not the same for me. It’s not the same to someone who feels about pen and paper the way I do. I write on lined pads of beautifully colored paper. I have them in purple and blue and pink. I love the way it feels when my pen touches the paper. I know that when the words appear they are from my voice. Sometimes the words and phrases seem to spread across the colored paper as if by magic!
It was right then and there in the Vermont Inn that I decide to begin “A Collection of Pens.” It would be both a story and a real collection. I would collect pens from everywhere and anywhere that I wrote. Then, I would write about my collection of pens. “After all, I’m a writer.”
I decided I would also buy a “special pen” in each city I visited. My collection of pens would remind me of the dreams of my youth and the belief of that dream becoming reality in my older age. The pens would be my brush as if I was an artist.
Together, we are in this pursuit of words and sentences and paragraphs and pages and chapters that become a book filled with human dignities, and at times, even indignities. In books, we can find ourselves or lose ourselves. We pretend and envision that we could lead that life and occupy a special place in the book.
When people at my book signings tell me about themselves and their dreams, I feel a connection. I understand their hunger. It was my hunger as well to have a dream fulfilled. Too often we writers do not have people who encourage us. Sometimes we have one or two, but it is not always enough. There are those people in our lives who have told us we are foolish or unrealistic. We often give them too much power.
People who should have supported me said: “Who do you think you are?” Although I long ago I shook that voice, beat it, drowned it and buried it beneath layers of hopefulness. I answered by reminding myself of my accomplishments: “I’m a writer. I not only have my collection of pens, I also have books I’ve written and ones I’m writing now to prove it.”
So do many of you!!!
–Marcia G. Rosen
Author, New Mystery Series, “Dying To Be Beautiful”
“Eliminate The MindBlocks A COLLECTION OF PENS©
By M. Glenda and RoadBlocks to Success”
“My Memoir Workbook”
“Living An Illuminated Life”
www.creativebookconcepts.com
marciagrosen@gmail.com
ANXIETY AND POLICE IN 2015—WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
FBI Director James Comey recently painted the police across America as anxious (fearful) in doing their job. He suggested the “Ferguson effect” as the culprit in influencing this anxiety. The result: cops not doing their jobs—rising murder rates and violent crime in cities including Chicago, Milwaukee, and Baltimore.
As veteran public safety professionals who now make up the literary society known as the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA), we have seen plenty of anxiety-producing events. And yet, somehow we always find ways to do our jobs. We know the risks; maybe we’re attracted to the excitement of the job, or we value the risks of helping others above the risk of personal harm. Many have paid dearly. We mourn our losses.
However; these incidents influence stories and novels, articles and books. We store away memories and emotional tangents like anyone else, and when the time is right, we bring them up from the darkness like a phoenix, and they take form and flight in our prose.
Officers always weigh the pros and cons of any situation—this is what we’re trained to do. The advent of smart phones and instant social media simply provide us with new challenges. I don’t think that “fear” is the right word. Perhaps it’s caution or a new level of assessment. Or perhaps it’s just another challenge in the face of a constantly evolving social climate. So be it.
One bittersweet way to cope with this sociopolitical challenge is to write about it. Writing helps us understand things more effectively; it allows us to vent and create a higher level of cognitive reasoning in the face of difficult situations. Writing has long been recognized as an effective intervention in managing grief and loss.
Personally, I look forward to reading more about this so-called “Ferguson effect.” I’d like to encourage young officers to write about what they see and hear … and feel. Put it down on paper, write about it and explain it—and tell us what to think about it. They listen to veterans, like us with the PSWA, lament the good-old-days, maybe it’s time we listen to what they’re going through.
–David Cropp
David Cropp is a 36-year law enforcement veteran—34 of those years spent with the Sacramento Police Department (SPD); retiring as a detective sergeant in 2008 – David continues today as a retired reserve for the Citrus Heights, CA Police Department. David has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in behavioral science, and is a CA POST Master Instructor.
David’s articles have appeared in various publications including the CA Narcotics Officer, the International Journal of Police Science and Management, and Police One: http://www.policeone.com/.
David’s first novel, Valley Heat is due out in June 2016. Visit David at: http://www.themidnitewriter.com/home.html, or at Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Cropp/e/B00EBUL90A
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
When it comes to policing, fire-fighting, EMS work, or any other type of first responder work, there comes safety in numbers. Public safety employees are supposed to implement their knowledge and training into their daily lives to ensure safety for their respective communities. However, we must ask ourselves are our first responders safe? Their safety is equally important since they are the ones who keep us safe.
Lately, the news has been filled with stories of attacks on our police officers. These stories while sad, should give us insight into how people in many communities perceive our officers. It also gives us great insight into how departments can increase the security and safety for their own. One precaution is to ensure that no officer is left alone at a scene. This may seem a bit extreme in some cases, but two is always better than one. If this is an imposition, for some departments, perhaps other first responders can rely on each other. For example, if a lone officer is called to a domestic disturbance scene, perhaps a fireman can be dispatched as well. This would not only ensure safety for the responders, but it would allow a health aid to be on the scene as well if the citizen should need help in that regard.
Officers are always trained on how to handle a variety of situations. This tactical training should be updated and refreshed often so that if faced with such a situation, the officers will know how to handle it.
With all of the negativity that has been surrounding police departments across the nation, it is important to regain strength in numbers within the community. The more a community is educated on the positive side of policing, the more potential of keeping the officers safe as well. Many cities have civilian training programs offered at their police departments. While these give civilians education regarding law enforcement from the source, it also gives law enforcement the chance to partner with the people of their community.
Just as it is important to keep our streets safe, it is equally important to keep law enforcement safe. If everyone does their part, we can make it happen.
–Hilary Romig
WRITING SCARY STUFF
When writing fiction, be it a short story, mystery, suspense, horror, or thriller, you will want to include scary stuff.
How do you figure out what might scare people? How about focusing on the things that scared you?
All of us have had things that frightened us when we were children, things like insects (spiders for me), darkness, imaginary creatures in closets or under beds. How about getting lost in a bad area and not being able to find your way home? Or perhaps the fear of heights or of flying? All of these fears can be the basis for a great Halloween story, since many of our childhood fears follow us into adulthood.
Can you recall a time when you were scared? Maybe when you were out and a stray dog snarled and almost attacked you? How did it make you feel? Frightened, nervous—were you sick to your stomach, pulse increase, did you begin to sweat? All of these responses are the perfect way to involve the reader in your story and have them feel the same way.
Have you ever had a confrontation with someone who wanted to harm you? Perhaps you experienced the “fight or flight syndrome.” You may have been scared to death, but your fear helped you overcome the situation. An instance such as this can be the basis for an excitingly frightful tale.
If you involve a likeable character, one the reader can accept, and then involve him or her in a tension-filled situation that evolves slowly, you will have a killer story for Halloween. Make sure you leave some room for imagination. Sometimes things left unsaid are the scariest, for it leaves the reader to imagine the worst.
Good luck!
John M. Wills
Website: www.johnmwills.com
Blog: http://jwillsbooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnmwills
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnmwills
Member: National Book Critics Circle
Latest novel: HEALER
THE CADENCE OF THE WRITTEN WORD
I debated titling this article “The Cadence of the Written Word and the War on Adverbs.” The versatile modifier has been under fire the past few years due to an onslaught by currently preferred styles, made virtually sacrosanct by certain self-proclaimed experts, who unfortunately are the current heavyweights in the field of writing. Perhaps the most fatuous example was provided by bestselling author, Stephen King, who made the officious pronouncement that “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” While I believe that Mr. King was intentionally being a bit hyperbolic in that statement, it’s certainly true that the hapless adverb has fallen out of favor with current writing stylistic preferences. This is due, in part, to how the written words sound. Nothing can ruin the cadence of a sentence faster than a misplaced or superfluous modifier. This brings us to the topic of this piece.
A lot of beginning writers overlook the fact that the written word is actually “heard” as well as seen. What I’m referring to is the cadence of your prose. How does it sound to your “writer’s ear?” Certainly, a good writer should consider this in his writing. (You’ll notice I used the masculine pronoun, his, as my standard default; I simply deplore the current trend of political correctness that is corrupting the standard reference by claiming “sexism,” and deferring to the dreaded third person plural, their. That, however, a subject for another time, but while I’m in this parenthetical break, I’d also like to point out how much those occasional adverbs in the preceding passages actually enhanced the cadence.)
I know you’re probably thinking, I wish he would get back to the primary topic, and I shall. Perhaps an illustration of the subject matter would be in order here. Let’s take a look at one of the most enduring quotes from master essayist, Henry David Thoreau.
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
Now Thoreau was, among his many attributes, a skilled observer of the cadence of the written word. The aforementioned sentence is a perfect example. He could have easily written it as The majority of men lead lives of quiet desperation, or Most men lead lives of … These two substandard variations illustrate perfectly the importance of choosing the right word. (You’ll note, once again, the enhancement of the previous sentence by the inclusion of still yet another adverb, Mr. King.) By using the monosyllabic mass instead of a multisyllabic word such as majority, Thoreau demonstrated his keen knowledge of the “writer’s ear.” While the two, aforementioned, substandard substitutions, majority and most, still offer the same meaning as well as the alliterative impact of mass, neither has the sibilant smoothness that allows the gliding cadence of the words as they couple with the subsequent, assonant S sounds of lives and desperation. Try reading the original sentence along with the two ersatz variants and you’ll see what I mean.
The late, great Truman Capote was another master of creating sentences that flowed with the easy cadence that was so pleasing to the writer’s ear. Take a look at these examples from his magnificent memoir, “A Christmas Memory.”
Long after the town has gone to sleep and the house is silent except for the chimings of a clock and the sputter of fading fires, she is weeping …
The onomatopoetic chimings of the clock and the sputter of the fading fire enhance the sentence by letting the reader “hear” the imagery, even though chimings is a bit of a backformation, changing the intransitive verb into a noun for the sake of the imagery. He repeats this tendency in the following example, as well, with shrillings, but what’s a backformation here and there when it’s done for the sake of preserving the eloquent cadence?
Here, there, a flash, a flutter, an ecstasy of shrillings remind us that not all the birds have flown south.
Observe how the sentence, which is also from “A Christmas Memory,” mimics the frenetic activity of some startled birds as the narrator and his companion walk in the woods. One can almost ”hear” the frenzied flapping of wings
Thus, in summation, an astute writer should remember that we read not only with our eyes, but with our “ears,” as well. Additionally, please keep in mind that an occasional sprinkling of adverbs, while currently frowned upon by stylists, should be done with appropriate circumspection. After all, even a master chef knows when to toss in a little salt to flavor the soup.
Until next time, I remain basking in my anonymity.
Write well.
–Professor X
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
I joined a creative process group thinking that I didn’t need to dwell on the writing process as much I needed to do it. Yes, of course, I wrote, but I found that documenting the process allowed me to see the amount of time I spent on research, editing, and pondering the next milestone in the plot or character development. I was writing in my head most days, all day long, no matter what activity engaged my body.
I write fiction filtering reality and that tests my patience. It is a useless exercise to wish I could outline and write a scene each day. Basically, I write a paragraph, and then if I am lucky, another paragraph. I make myself sit for an hour, but sometimes in fifteen-minute intervals. I rewrite, check the facts, ponder the right word for the meaning I want, rewrite, try to write the next scene, read it out loud, yuk, horrible, rewrite, let it sit, rewrite, ask myself why, scream, take a walk, an idea bubbles, write some, dream about the work, write a new scene, feel gleeful, get stuck, realize that plot line can’t happen in that year and so on.
On most days I would compare writing a book to childbirth with the gestation periods marked in chapters. Most of the growing goes on inside me without my intervention and seems miraculous or alien–depending on the day. The good days are when my characters speak to me. I lose track of time. I write four hours without looking up at the clock. The protagonist insists on going her own way in the plot, and I gladly follow, because I am lost in fierce wonder. I am at the bottom of the ocean watching the seaweed bend in the current toward the shore and holding my breath while trying to have faith, give in, and float back to dry land.
–Lynn Tharp-Hesse
lynnhesse@aol.com
www.lynnhesse.wordpress.com
TIPS WHEN YOU ARE A GUEST ON SOMEONE’S BLOG
In most cases you probably asked to be a guest. They may have guidelines for you and if so be sure to follow them. In my case, I always ask the guest to put all the information into one WORD file: The title of the post, a brief blurb about the book they are promoting, a short bio, and all links. It can be sent as an attachment, and a .jpg of the cover and a photo of the writers should also come as attachments.
I like the post to be in New Times Roman, 12 point, but some hosts may prefer something else. I also want the post to be set up like this—no indents for paragraphs, single spaced, and a space between paragraphs.
The post should be sent as soon as possible, never wait until the last minute.
On the day the post comes out, make sure it’s there. Leave a comment thanking the host for inviting you. Copy the address and promote the blog on Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter and all the listserves you belong to.
It is up to you to promote you guest post, not the host—though he or she will probably promote some too.
I love having guests on my blog, all you have to do is email me and I’ll set something up:
–Marilyn Meredith, Newsletter Editor
mmeredith24@ocsnet.net
My Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/
http://fictionforyou.com/
MEMBER NEWS
Jamie Davis is a new member this year, and with a new book, Extreme Medical Services
Another new member is Elena Hartwell. She has a new book out, One Dead, Two to Go, published by http://www.camelpress.com
Blurb: Private Investigator Edwina “Eddie Shoes” Schultz’s most recent job has her parked outside a seedy hotel, photographing her quarry as he kisses his mistress goodbye.
The last anyone will see of the woman … alive.
Eddie’s client, Kendra Hallings, disappears soon after. Eddie hates to be stiffed for her fee, but she has to wonder if Kendra could be in trouble too … or is she the killer?
One Dead, Two To Go is smart, page-turning fun, with the most feisty and likable P.I. since Kinsey Millhone. Looking for your next favorite detective series? Look no further.” —Deb Caletti, National Book Award finalist and author of He’s Gone
https://twitter.com/Elena_Hartwell
https://www.facebook.com/ElenaHartwellAuthor
http://www.arcofawriter.com
http://www.elenahartwell.com
Michael Brandt (Ret. LAPD) took first place short story winner for “Tomo Dachi” from the U.S. Section of the International Police Association.
“Tomo Dachi” is a short story about a World War II Marine that must emotionally come to terms over a Japanese War Memorial Shrine on Corregidor Island; honoring the enemy while he suffered physically and mentally at the hands of his captors.
What is your Emergency? The History of Public Safety Dispatching in America by Diana Sprain is now available. I trace the history of dispatchers from the beginnings of radio to today’s specialists (Tactical, Incident Management Teams, and Emergency Medical Dispatchers). I review some major incidents, dispatchers in the media (television and films) and go over hiring & training.
