The Mystery Starts Here

We’ve all done it. Read a book or short mystery and found a procedural error. Maybe it was an incorrect caliber of gun or the cops did something they weren’t supposed it. I am always amazed the authors will charge ahead and write a mystery without doing at least a little research. We all love to watch the various CSI’s on television, but you KNOW they aren’t authentic, right? No way would a CSI show up at a crime scene with long flowing hair, wearing tight white slacks! And, no, they do not carry guns, they are scientists, not sworn peace officers. So, how do you get it right?

First of all, take a firearms class. If there isn’t one around, look for a shooting range and go there. Find out the difference between an automatic, semi-automatic or wheel gun – don’t know that that is? It’s another name for a revolver. I’m lucky, I’m married to an NRA instructor and was able to go through one of his classes. We used .22 caliber pistols for target practice, but he also had everyone in the class shoot with a .38. The difference in kick is amazing. Both my husband and I shot pistols in competition and yes, I have the trophies to prove it! Try a rifle or a shotgun. Learn all you can to be as authentic in your writing as possible. Believe me if you goof, you’re readers will know. I once read a book by a very well-known author who had her protagonist putting bullets in the barrel of a .38 caliber pistol! Ah, no. I thought about it and thought about it and finally decided to write a nice letter to the woman in care of her publisher with the correct information. She wrote back and thanked me for the information and told me…she’d never touched a gun in her life, and neither had her editor!

Do you know what all deputies carry on their utility belts? You might never need that information but it couldn’t hurt and might be fun to find out. As I mentioned before, I volunteered at the Sheriff’s Department for two years. I carried a notebook with me everywhere and I asked questions. Not only did I get a lot of information, I made friends and can always call and ask more. If you’re interested in my adventures, check out “An Extra Pair of Eyes.” You can download the first chapter here for FREE! Just click the link under Carlene’s books to the right.

That’s it for today. It’s cool and overcast and my little (little?) 117lb dog is looking for a napping buddy so I volunteered. Till Thursday – happy reading, happy writing.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 1:10 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.