Mixed Reactions

When I asked in yesterday’s blog if I should continue to post stories from our previous travels when I don’t have something else to write about, the reaction was mixed. Some readers said that they didn’t really care about the travel stories because they had hung up the keys or else they had already been there and done that. But the majority seem to enjoy them and said that even if they have read the stories before or been to those places, they still like seeing them again.

So I guess I will slip one in every now and then when I don’t have anything else to talk about. Or when I’m busy and don’t have time to write a full blog and decide to recycle an old one. Yes, I really am that lazy.

In my last marathon writing session of over 6,300 words, the story went off on a tangent, which sometimes happens. Usually, I can weave wherever it’s going on back into the current story, but not always. Sometimes I go too far off into the ether and lose my way back. That was the case this time around, and before I realized it, I had two chapters that really didn’t fit in the book.

However, I felt like they were pretty good, and they would work well in a future Big Lake project, so yesterday I cut them out and saved them for another time. Then I wrote two more chapters to fill in the gap. I didn’t add any more to the word count in the process, so I’m right back where I started.

Speaking of books, my friend Patrick O’Donnell is a retired cop with over twenty years of experience under his belt with one of the largest police departments in the country. Patrick has been bitten by the writing bug, and last year he released Cops and Writers: From The Academy To The Street. It is an excellent reference for crime writers that explains the steps necessary to become a police officer, the training involved, and what it is like for new recruits when they graduate and begin working under a Field Training Officer.

Now Patrick, who started the excellent Cops and Writers Facebook group, has the second book in the series out, Cops And Writers: Crime Scenes And Investigations. As the title suggests, this book focuses on how police handle crime scenes, from misdemeanor assaults to major felonies, along with insights into the working lives of police officers, information on the weapons and equipment cops use, and personal accounts of some of the things Patrick encountered during his time protecting and serving his community. You can bet my copy of Patrick’s new book is on its way to me, and every mystery or crime writer should get one. But you don’t have to be an author to appreciate these books. They are an excellent way for civilians to get an idea of what the men and women of law enforcement experience every day.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – The fact that my entire body cracks like a glowstick whenever I move and yet refuses to actually glow is very disappointing to me.