I don’t know about others, but I have been in school learning about one thing or another since I entered kindergarten as a five-years-old. I keep learning because I love to, and I think as a writer it’s imperative to broaden your experiences and taste every area of life. How else can one keep coming up with new, fresh ideas to write about? As Julia Cameron says in her excellent book, “The Artist Way,” we have to fill up the well. In the past I’ve taken classes, just for fun, and wound up writing and publishing pieces. Took a class in video presentations - sold an article about it. Took a class in vegetarian cooking and wrote an article about two vegetarian caterers I met in the class. Volunteered at the Sheriff’s Department (hey, that’s learning!) and got a book out of it. Another great aspect of taking classes is the new people you meet. And who doesn’t want to make new friends?

Today is August 3rd and I have a whole month before I can take out my new notebooks, sharpen my pencils and head for class. I can’t wait!

I’ve been a bit lax in writing here mainly because I have three manuscripts in varying stages of completion and have been working on them. Hey, I’ve got hungry dogs to feed you know! I’m also chef cook and bottle washer, cleaning lady, dog walker and have to give some time to my precious husband, Dennis.

We had a minor trauma a couple weeks ago. Duke the rescue dog had to have a tooth pulled! Poor guy fractured his front tooth somehow, so off to the vet’s we went. Now, we COULD have had a root canal and crown put on, but…we had the vet pull that sucker. Duke didn’t care. He was back to his bouncy, loving self within a day. We were delighted to find he gained 10 pounds in the two months hes’ been with us. He’s still pretty skinny at 87 pounds, so you can imagine what he looked like when we rescued him!

Till next time….

The book is divided into five sections, with a list of each question and its page number in the front of the book so it’s easy to flip to something of particular interest. This will also help in future if you want to go back and re-read a certain question, perhaps to think up one of your own.

Dr. Lyle answers each question completely in language anyone can understand. The questions and answers in "Forensics and Fiction" are sure to trigger a bunch of ‘what-if" questions for your mysteries. If you want to find out more about Dr. Lyle or his books, visit his website at:  www.dplylemd.com

So after I finished the last of my 78,000 words this morning, I closed my computer, read a book for a while, walked the dog, read some more and took a nap. I was tempted to turn on the television but…it’s Sunday, do I really want to watch a golf tournament? I’m lost and have nothing to do until I have to start making dinner.

Oh, I know I can write short pieces while I wait for the manuscript to stew in my computer and I will. I have several in mind. But not today. I have other books to write too, but I don’t want to take on another big project until this one is finished. I have notes for book 11 and ideas for two others. No, for now I will try to put this book out of my mind, stop thinking of cleaver lines for the characters to say, quit writing down plot twists at midnight on the pad of paper next to my bed, push the whole thing to the back of my mind. Tomorrow I’ll start a new piece of writing to fill that month while I wait. I have to because after all, I’m a writer and that’s what I do, I write.

Lyle writes in a style that is easy for anyone to understand and not too technical. Who else but a mystery writer or reader would enjoy reading the steps in doing an autopsy? You can in this book, Chapter 3, The Autopsy: A look Inside the Body. Want information on trace evidence? Chapter 15: Trace Evidence: Sweating the Small Stuff. I especially liked the blue-back grounded side bars citing real cases and telling how forensics helped solve the crime and convict the bad guys.

Lyle writes in a style that is easy to read and not too technical  Besides being a working doctor, he has published mysteries, and worked as a consultant to several television crime shows including Law & Order, CSI:Miami, Women’s Murder Club and Homicide,

If you write mysteries this is the one reference tool you must have on your shelf.

Buchanan has two series going: The Britt Montero series and the newer Cold Case Squad series. In "Love Kills," she brings the two together in alternating chapters. Britt is the unifying catalyst. There is one scene in the Cold Case section that had me howling with laughter.

There are two huge twists in "Love Kills" and I didn’t see either of them coming. With the second one, near the end of the book I had to stop reading I was so surprised. Buchanan puts her protagonist, Britt Montero in dangers and just when you think things can’t get worse - they do, again and again until the climactic end.

Buchanan, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist has written 16 books. I’ve read them all, AND they’re all good. She worked as a crime reporter for the Miami Herald before retiring to write full time. Her books are sharp, fast-paced and great fun to read. She brings great authenticity to her writing because of her background as a journalist working with the police in Miami. Buchanan’s non-fiction book, "The Corpse had a Familiar Face" is fabulous.

If you’re looking for a new author to read, I urge you to try Edna Buchanan. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

If I want to write some action scenes, I’ll put on some hard rock. That seems to get my heart pumping and my fingers moving - fast! Writing comedy? Happy music of course, something light and tinkly. If I’m writing general stuff, I often put on nice background music, maybe jazz or classical. It soothes my brain and keeps my fingers moving. One thing I can’t do is put on a vocal. If someone is singing on my CD, I gotta sing along! When I’m singing, I’m not writing and I really hate all those complaints from the neighbors!

So, are you a silent writer or one who is musically inspired? Let me know - I curious.

I’m a writer, so I record how I feel in weather like this. I’m working on a book that takes place in Oklahoma, so this weather is perfect for using my senses. I woke in the night to a burning sensation in my throat. If felt like I’d swallowed sand. My skin is dry and tight from too many showers and not enough moisture in the air. Then my skin becomes sticky from slathering lotion on my body and I jump in the shower and start the process all over again. My eyes burn, blur and water. The hot dry air blows junk my orbs irritating them. My nose runs constantly. I look like a coke addict. It’s kind of hard to write notes in my little book when I can’t see, but I try.

Did you go to the beach this weekend? How does that blazing hot sand feel on your winter-soft feet? Is the ocean warm yet? Or does it snatch the breath out of your chest when you dive in because it’s so frigid. Is your hair a tangled mess caked with salt from the ocean? Can you feel it bleaching while your ends split? Can you feel the burn of the blistering sun on your poor proboscis? Write it all down. You may never use any of these feelings, but if you need them some day you’ll have them recorded.

How about a swimming pool? Are you lucky enough to have one in the back yard? I lust after a pool when the weather is this hot. Then I sober up and remember what a huge pain in the butt a pool can be. Yes, it’s a lot of work and … I have two labs. If I had a pool, my house would always smell of Eau de dog - not nice.

It’s 10:00 A.M. and 97 degrees outside so I turned on the air-conditioner. That’s how I beat the summer heat. I just hope I won’t faint when the electric bill arrives.

But I digress. I was talking about poeple watching. Today the hubby and I went to the fair! We go about every four years and that’s enough. I slathered my body in sunscreen, wore a hat and took as little to carry as possible, but made sure I had some 3×5 cards and a pen. Hey, I’m a writer, I go armed with the tools of my trade. Today I came back with a few character studies. There was the little old lady wearing a red T-shirt, red gauzy skirt down to her ankles, a huge multi-colored tote, silver tennies with a big purple hat. She was…interesting. I have no idea if she’ll ever turn up in one of my books, but I have a full description - right down to her fuzzy orange hair - in case she does.

As usual I was amazed at the number of people, men and women who wore flip-flops to the fair. Can you imagine a more uncomfortable footwear for miles of walking? And heels. I saw several women in high heels prompting me to say, HUH? Babies in strollers, people in wheelchairs, with canes and oxygen tanks. You see pretty much everything at the fair. We bought some junk, we ate some crap, I got some good character studies and had a wonderful time. That will hold us for another four years.

One I see a lot that amazes me is, A.M. in the morning., or P.M. at night. I can’t help but say, duh! How about cold ice or hot fire or dark night. I’ll bet we’re all guilty of these. If you write or read mysteries I’m sure you’ve seen - cease and desist. Means the same thing and it’s redundant. How about aid and abet? Yup, a pleonasm. I’m reading a book now were a man was referred to as a new recruit! Oh, and I love this one and hear it all the time. New baby. Ah, have you ever heard of or seen an OLD baby?

When you’re on your final re-write you’ll want to remove as many pleonasms as you can. Cut them and the meaning of the sentence doesn’t change at all. Be sure to watch out for these frequently used pleonasms: ‘just’, ‘that’ and ‘actually’. For instance, "I actually just know that he’s the killer." Can be trimmed to: "I know he’s the killer." Remember, good writing is tight writing, so hunt down those pleonasms and kill them!