Events
The folks at the Jefferson City Public Library were kind enough to invite me to a book signing. Take a look at the poster they made up for the event. Find me at 108 City Center Drive, Jefferson City, TN. Call 865-475-9094 for more information. See you then.
Old west leather gear & a Sicilian recipe that will make your ears wiggle.
When Mike Rivers invited me to his blog for an author spotlight, he also asked me for a guest post article. “Oh, jeez,” I said. “I’m terrible at thinking up topics for guest essays.” But Mike is a great host. He wouldn’t leave his visitor to hang out there floundering. “How about an interesting fact about you most people don’t know—something not in your bio?” Originally, I thought about mentioning that for almost twenty-five years I’ve been creating reproduction pre-1900 old-west leather gear (holsters, gun belts, spur straps, etc.) for...
read moreMy Theory on Suspension of Disbelief
It’s simple. Get the little details right and you can stretch the big issues. Most readers of police mysteries are pretty savvy when it comes to technicalities. Run into an active-duty or retired cop and you have a real critic on your hands. So, on what must we focus our attention? I used the word above: Technicalities—physical and procedural technicalities. And there can be many. Here are a few possibilities to open up the thought process. If you’re writing about an established police department, know a lot about them. When you describe an...
read moreREAL COPS vs HOLLYWOOD
Remember the TV series History versus Hollywood that originally aired between 2001 and 2005 on the History Channel? Narrator Burt Reynolds helped you debunk many of the myths perpetuated by filmmakers. I’d like to produce a show called Real Cops versus Hollywood (and some fiction writers.) I began my police career back on the tail end of the wild and wooly days of law enforcement. Ernesto Miranda wasn’t yet a household word among career felons and Joe Wambaugh (a real cop) had just published his first novel, THE BLUE KNIGHT. I remember the...
read moreWhat’s In a Name?
A simple and common question, but the correct answer can make your story or novel jump from forgettable to memorable. I named my protagonist, Sam Jenkins, after my maternal grandfather. But beyond the familial connection, I thought it sounded right for an ex-New York detective who retired and found himself a job as police chief in a small Tennessee town. Jenkins is a good working-class Scottish or Welsh family name and Sam conjures up thoughts of the famous gumshoe, Sam Spade. Sound is important in writing. Everything verbal needs rhythm. I...
read moreTHOUGHTS ON LIBRARIES
No one can argue this fact. Economic times are tough. An average family with 2.4 children struggles to purchase food, clothing, and other necessities. A new novel costs $26.95. Fifty-page-long children’s books might carry a price of $18.95. Not everyone can afford new books. Everyone should read . . . or be afforded the opportunity to read—especially children. Catch 22? Being familiar with the novel of the same name isn’t necessary. Everyone knows the concept. What can happen to an adult when they don’t exercise their brain by reading? What...
read moreA Yanks Opinion of The Emerald Isle
We had been to Scotland and England thirteen times when I decided living another year without seeing Ireland might be impossible. I don’t like organized tours. In fact, I don’t like anything organized unless I make the rules. So, booking a trip and sharing a coach with a bunch of sixty-year-old Americans looking for their Celtic roots was out of the question. When we travel, I drive and it doesn’t matter on which side of the road I do it. After landing at Shannon Airport and picking up a rental car, we left Limerick and headed toward Cork. An...
read moreWRITING WHAT YOU KNOW and Getting Inspiration From the World Around You
Picture a half-dozen old cops sitting around a table. The waitress just removed the dishes, but each man still holds a drink. The former ranking man of the group takes a sip of single-malt scotch. “We laughed when it was over,” he says, “but for a few minutes, we were all sweating.” “I remember,” another retired detective says. “Came close to soiling my knickers there.” A third man at the table speaks, “They shoulda made a TV movie outta that one.” The six people looked around at their colleagues, nodded, and sampled more of their beverages....
read moreSAM JENKINS INTERVIEWED ON AUTHOR DAVID CLEINMAN’S BLOG.
David, Thanks for the opportunity to become a member of your group and introduce your fans to Sam Jenkins, the main character in my series of police mysteries. Readers meet Sam as the police chief in the small Smoky Mountain city of Prospect, Tennessee. They know he retired as a detective lieutenant in New York, but much of his past is sketchy. There’s a reason for that. If a writer doesn’t know it beforehand, they quickly learn too much back-story can be the death knell with an editor—a one way ticket to the slush pile. But over the last 2 ½...
read moreTHE LENGTH OF WHAT YOU WROTE AND OTHER THINGS THAT WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY
My problem isn’t unique to writers. If your personality demands that you and other people get the facts straight, you might cringe when you hear blatantly incorrect statements. As a cop, I hated to hear crimes mislabeled. Most often, I encountered misuse of the term robbery. People would greet me at the door and say, “My house was robbed.” I got tired of saying, “Sorry, ma’am, only a person can be robbed. You weren’t home when someone broke in. It’s a burglary.” They’d look at me like I just said Santa Claus was a pedophile. Anyone can feel...
read moreAuthor Interview by Ellie Williams
Ellie Williams is an author and blogger who does an interview well enough to give Barbara Walters a run for her money. This is one of my favorite interviews and Ellie is a fine young woman. Please take a look. http://authorelliewilliams.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/author-2-author-welcomes-wz.html?zx=9433a35b427076c1
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