The Mystery Starts Here

Do you want to find out what kind of guns the local Sheriff’s Deputies carry? What the qualifications are to be a CSI? How you become a death investigator? Where to sign up to do a ride-along with a cop? Call and ask. Most law enforcement agencies have information offices and they are more than happy to answer your questions. They have staff trained as speakers and they love to give talks to groups.

For example, I belong to the San Diego RWA (Romance Writers of America). No, I don’t write romance, but the group is terrific at teaching writing. Hey, it’s their middle name. Anyhow, at the last meeting we had an FBI agent speak. He was funny, interesting and he answered all our questions. How can you not like a guy who named his gun Roscoe? How did we get him? The woman who books programs for our group, Linda, called the local FBI office and asked if they had a speaker who would talk to our group. They were happy to assist and told Linda that 50 percent of the calls they receive are from writers!

I belonged to Sisters in Crime for eight years, a fabulous group, and during that time I heard talks from: the medical examiner, a coroner’s investigator, harbor police, bomb and narcotic sniffing dogs and their handlers, as well as a cadaver dog, a SWAT team member, a man who brought guns and showed us the differences, and…well, I could go on and on. Suffice to say, if you don’t belong to a writing group – join one. None in your area? Start one of your own, then make that call and find some good speakers. It’s easier than you think.

My hubby and I were reading the other day when he slammed his book on the table and said, “Boy, I hope you don’t do this when you’re writing!” Of course I asked him what had upset him and he said that both the good guy and the bad guy in his novel had names that started with M, were both one syllable and had four letters – like Matt and Mark, well, he only reads Sci-Fi so they were probably Moog and Murt or something. “I keep getting them mixed up,” he told me obviously frustrated. I certainly understand and try very hard to come up with different names for my characters because I’ve read books like that too, with Missy and Milly and Mary and Melba or Karen and Carry and Cassey – and who’s who? I usually give up and go on to a new book. So writers, when you start a new book, please vary the names! I heard Barbara Saranela speak once and she bemoaned the fact that her two main characters both had M names, Munch Mancini and Mace St. John. Unfortunately by that time she was into the second or third book in the series and she had to keep the names. So, where do you find good names? I favor obituaries myself, but there are plenty of baby-naming books on the market that are super, too Also, get a small notebook for your purse or pocket keep your ears open and start collecting names.

One of my other pet name peeve is the author’s habit of not sticking to one name for a character. We’ve all read books like that and they drive me bonkers. First we meet Elizabeth Ann Porter, the big eye blond with a .45 in her handbag (or maybe in her cleavage to keep things interesting). In the first scene she’s Liz, the two chapters later, Porter…maybe alone the way Lizzy Ann, then Elizabeth and back to Porter – ACK! If your like me, you keep wondering – who the heck are all these woman and what are they doing in the book – and where’s that gun! I usually give up and … yes, go on to a new book. Names are very important when you’re writing a book so take care, think long and don’t confuse your readers.

If you detect a note of silliness in this post it’s because today was a Ladies Lunch and we all came wearing our favorite wig! We had one in a short blond number, one light brown curly, one dark almost black long and one flaming red. Guess which one I wore! Try it some time – it’s great fun!