Hey there! Counting down to my trip to the UK ??. Lots of appointments, seeing friends before I leave, writing reminders for things that need to happen while I'm gone. I won't be back until Thanksgiving ? in November and that feels like a long way away.
A newsy newsletter this week . . .
The Case of the Something Something
Did you know?
? Did you know that I belong to a Cops and Writers group? A group of retired and serving US & UK police officers answer questions from writers like me on anything we might need to know to better write our books. They are a fabulous group of people and a huge help to authors like me. I love being able to ask the questions I've always wanted the answer to.
These are some of the questions I've asked them over the years:
- Do police officers need to be able to swim?
- What time off are members of murder squad teams allowed during inquiries?
- Would officers travel to interview witnesses on the mainland or would they get local officers to do it?
- Does a criminal record in the family prevent the recruitment of a police officer even if they had nothing to do with it?
- How many killings constitute a serial killer?
- Who removes a body from a scene and how is it done?
While I don't go into detail in my books, I do endeavour to be as accurate as possible while not getting bogged down in the police procedural weeds.
The answers to the above don't always make it directly into the books, but they often inform scenarios that I develop as I am writing. Other answers may directly swing an entire plot or subplot. ?
Right, I'm off back to writing. A few weeks ago, I asked you to submit questions that you would like to ask the Graham characters. One of them will be replying to a reader's question next week so check in on Thursday for their answer. ?
Happy reading!
