Since I didn’t go to RWA this year, I’ve still got funds set aside, and I’m wondering about going to some of the smaller conferences in the upcoming months. A number of years ago, I attended one inaugural small conference of an RWA chapter. The conference was outstanding, but I don’t remember if there were agent/editor appointments or not…I wasn’t at that place in my writing <g>. I do remember it was a more intimate conference and most people knew each other because most of us belonged to the same RWA chapter.

I’ve heard about some chapters ‘mini-conferences’, and fleetingly considered going. But I only have so much time and so much money and I have to ask myself if it’s worth it to spend about a third of what I would normally spend for the national conference which, for me, lasts about a week, and to take that money and spend it for a weekend?

I suspect many writers are in the same boat. With the economy the way it is, for many people, there probably isn’t a lot of extra cash for a weeklong conference. Perhaps for some of them, it makes more sense to go to a closer and cheaper convention. The key is, does a smaller conference offer a ‘same but smaller’ experience for the attendees? Does it offer a BETTER experience by the fact it is smaller and people can mix and mingle? Do those smaller conferences attract big-name speakers? Are agent/editor appointments available for those wanting to pitch?…I’m at that place in my writing now <g>.

What do you think? What do you know? What do you want to share?

Until next time,

KMA367

One time, when I worked at the Police Academy, I was walking to my office and passing by a fountain in the courtyard. A woman came up to me with her adult son in tow. He may have known what was coming, because he looked like he wished the ground would open up and swallow him. She hesitated and asked if she could talk to me. “Sure,” I said, “I don’t bite.” The woman said she was visiting from out of state and just wanted me to know how refreshing it was to see a feminine police officer that wore nail polish and lipstick. She made some comment about most female officers looking like big bruisers from a football team. She further added she couldn’t imagine me being out on the street arresting ‘big guys’. Frankly, it was a big boost to my self-esteem for the day - everyone likes to think they look nice, but so often, no one tells us when we do. On the other hand, she’d also sort of insulted me. I’ve arrested men, women, and children of all sizes.

Let me give you another reason why I’m asking you the question, What is a Cop? Several years ago, I’d entered one of my manuscripts in a contest and got negative comment from one of the judges because they didn’t think my female officer was drinking a ‘cop-like’ drink. I had my detective drinking (off-duty) a White Russian. The contest judge felt the White Russian was too froo-froo, and a cop would drink Scotch. I’m not sure if I got marked down for that, but as someone who has an occasional White Russian, I can tell you, cops do drink them.

So for years, comments similar to these have made me wonder what the general public thinks a cop is. Do you see us ticket-writing machines? Do you see us as someone to fear? Do you see us as never around when you need one - or always around when you want to talk on your cellphone while driving? Do you see us as problem-solvers? Do you see us as rescuers? Do you see us as heroes?

I want to know. What does a cop look like? How do cops act? I’d also like to know how you formed your opinion.

Until next time,

KMA367

When I was a little girl, my mom use to tell me stories. Some of the stories your mother probably told you too. Tales like, The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Tortoise and The Hare. When she’d get to the end of the story she would say: And the moral of the story is… and then impart great words of wisdom…words that stick with me even today.

Somewhere, between the time I was a little girl and today, our society has forgotten many of its morals. We’ve become a society of, ‘It’s too dangerous to get involved and it’s not affecting me, so I’m minding my own business.’

This is where ABC programming comes into play. Have you seen the television show What Would You Do? I’ve seen a number of episodes. Briefly, ABC hires a bunch of actors to depict everyday situations, then has hidden cameras to catch the results. One of the scenarios involved a woman driving a car (actress), and her two little girls (actresses). The ‘mother’ would get so frazzled by the kid’s behavior, she’d pull up to the curb in town and while screaming and yelling at her ‘children’, she would order the girls out of the car and then leave them alone on the sidewalk while she drove away. The question was, would any bystanders who weren’t in the scenario either stop the woman or try to help the girls.

Another skit involved airline pilots (actors) who were consuming lots alcoholic beverages and not hiding the fact they were planning to fly a plane. Remember - this is all an act. The idea was to see what fellow diners would do…or not do.

In all the skits, there is at least one person who comes forward to do the right thing. But often, there are many more who clearly see what is going on who walk away, avert their eyes, or watch in fascination and yet, do nothing.

At the end of the scenario, film crews come out and the show’s host talks to the people who did the right thing, and those who did nothing. The people who stepped up and took a stand often state they ‘…had to do something. I just couldn’t watch it continue.’

In many cases it’s obvious the ‘do nothing’ folks are embarrassed by their lack of action and might reconsider should they find themselves in a similar position another time. And then there are the folks who don’t think twice about not getting involved. Their position is that you never know who you’re going to be confronting and you could wind up dead. It is a valid point.

I’m going to branch off for a second because ABC actually has another show that deals with moral dilemma. Now, don’t laugh. The show is True Beauty. In that show, physically beautiful contestants (male and female) are competing for a prize, but what the contestants don’t know is that they are being judged on their inner beauty as well as their outward appearance. They are placed in scenarios that demand they make a moral decision. Some contestants go through the scenario with flying colors, and others…well…not so much. This show appeals (I would think) to younger viewers.

But what strikes me is, these shows are not only entertaining, they are teaching morals to society. I personally think it’s a sad commentary we have to be taught morals, but I’m glad to see some television shows are doing just that.

And here is where the tie-in to crime comes in (finally!). If more people were concerned that other members of society, who were nearby, might intervene or even object to their actions or bad behavior, maybe they wouldn’t do those things. Maybe they’d think twice before they broke into a home. Maybe they’d think twice before they got intoxicated and then got behind the wheel of their car. Maybe they’d leave their home before turning their spouse into a punching bag.

You see, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard a mother telling her kids a story, much less ending the story with: And the moral of the story is… Society is paying the price for the lack of those stories.

Finally, about those people who don’t want to get involved in distressing situations because it’s often dangerous…and it is. There’s an easy solution. Dial 9-1-1. We will come and we will help.

Your fingers are in frenzy, finishing off the final report of a pesky project at work, or maybe it’s the final draft of your latest novel. You go to save the file - and it won’t save. Your computer screen is frozen. Your heart begins to accelerate as you try to save, print, or even close your file. Nothing is working. You then resort to the old standby - control, alt, delete. Nothing happens. So, with resignation in your heart and heat radiating off your face, you shut down your computer.

As the screen goes black, you pray the auto-save did its job and you’re not missing too many of the words you typed. At this point, your mood is as black as the computer screen.

When you re-boot your machine, your mouth is dry. You click open the file you’d been working on. And there it is…an ugly box telling you your file has been corrupted. The little box asks you if you’d like to revert to the saved copy. You get a little giddy. Maybe the auto-save worked after all, and you’ve lost very little of your words and your precious time. Wrong! You open the corrupted file and see symbols, squares and squiggles. All of your work is gone.

We all know we should back-up our work. But I also know not all of us do. I’ve heard of cyber-companies where you can automatically back-up your work. There are a number of ways to back-up your work yourself. I know how I’m doing it - and frankly, it’s not efficient nor fool-proof. So, how do you back-up your work and why do you think it’s the best way of doing it?

Until next time,

KMA367

Since I’ve been home with a duty-related injury, I’ve had the opportunity to re-discover my love for reading.  I have no shortage of material to read.  My ‘to-be-read’ pile is overflowing on my shelf.  But often, what happens is that I forego my current stash of books and get books from my favorite authors.  But every once in a while, I pick up a book from a new (to me) author.   If the book is really good, I inwardly moan because now I have another favorite to try to fit into my reading schedule.

Sometimes, when I’m online and looking at books, I will read the reviews that go with that book - and yes, those reviews do impact some of my decisions.

Not too long ago, my daughter introduced me to Goodreads.com, a book review site.  I’ve critiqued some novels there and will probably do more.  Of course, I’ve left a few reviews on Amazon.com, and I’ve heard of Shelfari but haven’t gotten too involved with that site.  As someone who started out writing romance novels; I’ve read reviews in Romantic Times Magazine.

My question to you - especially if you are a writer/author:  Do you visit book review sites?  If so, do those sites influence your buying decisions?  Which sites do you utilize? If you’re published, have you looked up reviews on your own books?  How did you react to negative feedback (if there was any)?  If you received negative feedback on your work, did you continue to return to see what other readers had to say?

Until next time,

KMA 367 

I don’t care if someone else liked a book; I care about if I will like the book.  And to figure that out, I usually pick a page about half way through the book and start reading.  If your writing is so captivating that I want to continue reading - even if I don’t know what’s going on, you’ve probably made a sale.  Oh, and even author’s I love have to go through this process…no free rides with me <g>.

But because author ‘cover blurbs’ are on so many books I figure someone must benefit from them.  Is it the author of the book by receiving more sales?  Or is it the commenting author who has their name exposed to more readers who benefits?  And do those commenting authors actually read the books they ‘cover blurb’?

Have you ever bought a book because of a cover blurb from another author?

These are the burning questions on my mind today.  I hope you’ll comment.

Until next time,

KMA367

This subject became reality for me when, at a doctor’s appointment with my eighty-seven year old mother, the doctor asked me if Mom was driving okay.  The truth was, I hadn’t actually been a passenger while Mom was driving for a very long time.  I had no idea.

By law, the doctor was required to request a Re-examination of Driver due to a condition for which my mother had been diagnosed.  What that meant was that the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) wanted my mother to take the written examination and if she passed, they’d have her take the driving portion of the test.

Mom was not happy, and she certainly had a good argument.  “In all the years I’ve been driving, I’ve never been in an accident, and I’ve never had a ticket.  Why are they bothering me?”

As a daughter, I agreed with her.  As a police officer, not so much.  Every day, I witness unsafe driving.  Most of the bad driving I see is when I’m in my personal vehicle.  When a black and white police car is in the vicinity, people have a tendency to be on their best driving behavior.  It’s not so much that I worried about my Mom’s driving; I was more worried about the drivers around her.

I knew that while on the road, Mom wasn’t intentionally speeding or making unsafe lane changes.  But I also knew that her reaction time was considerably slower than most other drivers on the road.   Because it had been so long since my mother had driven me anywhere, I asked her to drive while we ran a couple of errands. 

There were a few things that caused me concern.  She liked to do a ‘California stop’ at posted stop signs.  A California stop is when the driver slows considerably at the stop sign, but fails to come to a complete stop.  (And for the record, your wheels must come to a complete stop at a stop sign.)  When driving on residential streets, Mom liked to hug the right curb - to the point it made me nervous she might weave a little and take off a parked car’s side mirror.  When I mentioned these things to her, she didn’t think they were that big of a deal.

Mom was determined to take the re-examination tests and prove the doctor, the DMV, and me wrong.  So she took her written test and passed.  Then came the time for the driving test.  The examiner was very nice, and things looked like they started well when Mom was able to demonstrate she knew how to operate her turn signals, windshield wipers, and horn.  Then the man got in the passenger seat, and they were off! 

When they returned, Mom appeared to be happy with her performance, and the examiner didn’t look traumatized.  The daughter in me was cheering for my Mom.  The cop in me was thinking to myself: How long will the state let Mom drive?

The question was answered when I learned my Mom had failed her driving test.    Once we got home, we reviewed the examiner’s notes.  The ‘fatal’ mistake had been pulling away from a curb without looking for on-coming traffic.  The notes said an on-coming car had to brake in order to avoid a collision.

“That didn’t happen,” my mother said.  “I didn’t see any car when I pulled away from that curb.”  I gently told her, that was the point.

My sister and I had already decided between the two of us, we’d be able to take Mom anywhere she needed to go.  Convincing Mom this was a good idea was a whole other matter.

 Now, months later, I think Mom accepts being chauffeured around.  But every now and then, she’ll say to me, “You know, I can still drive.  I’m a good driver.  I’ve never been in an accident, and I’ve never had a ticket.”

And you know what?  When I see the crazy driver’s on the road and their antics, I can’t disagree.  But my sister and I still sold Mom’s car.

Until next time…

KMA367

I had to cancel my plans to go to the Romance Writers of America’s national conference in Orlando, Florida that takes place later this month.  No, I didn’t change my mind, and it’s not because I can’t afford to go.  It’s because of my stupid back. 

In April, I was in an on-duty traffic collision.  While no one else was injured, I suffered a back injury that’s been quite tenacious in its refusal to heal.  I’m not in any shape to travel; hence, the cancellation of the trip.

I did try to trick my mind by telling myself that not going to the conference was a good thing…that I’d be able to stay at home and write more.  But the truth of the matter is, I didn’t feel any better, and I wasn’t convinced I’d do anymore writing than I normally do.

All week I thought about the conference and how much I enjoy going.  I thought about the friends I wouldn’t see, the different events I’d miss, and yes, the money I was forfeiting for changing my plans so late.  This is only the second conference I’ve missed since 1996!

I tried to get psyched up to plug away on my current work in progress, Deadly Blessing.  But the general sadness of not being able to attend the conference was much like my back pain - not a debilitating blow, but a problematic constant ache.  Instead of throbbing radiating from my back down my left leg, this ‘conference’ discomfort emanated from my mind and into my heart.  I was feeling sorry for myself about the way my back felt and how that problem caused me to cancel a trip I look forward to every year.  So, overall, my week kind of sucked. 

But…yesterday, I opened my e-mail and I saw a subject line that stated:  Orange Rose Contest - Congratulations.  I paused, because to tell you the truth, I’d forgotten I’d entered the contest.  I’d entered the same work in another contest about the same time as I entered the Orange Rose, and in that other contest I did so poorly, I mentally wrote off my Orange Rose entry as well. 

But guess what?  I’d sold myself short.  I am a finalist in the Orange Rose contest and that one positive event, in an otherwise downhearted week, changed everything.  Suddenly, I was once again excited about my writing.  Ideas of how to fix troublesome scenes bombarded me.  Lines of dialogue filled my mind.  I was excited and I was energized. 

So the moral of the story is:  There are times when things aren’t going your way.  You feel picked on, unappreciated or cursed.  There will be well-meaning, cheerful people not in the same mental place as you are, telling you, ‘don’t worry, things will get better’.  You want to believe them, but you really don’t.  Then, something good will happen.  It may something small, something that starts a trend of pleasant experiences.  Or, like me, it could be something quite dramatic and affirming.  But know that when you get way down low, the only option is to go up.  And know there is always an up.  It may not be the ‘up’ you were thinking of or planning on, but there will be an up.  Trust me - I’ve been there and I know.

Until next time,

KMA 367

I was fortunate have such a partnership with another female officer whose name also happens to be Kathy.  We were “regular patrol cops,” also known as P-2 dogs…because regular patrol cops work like dogs.  We were known to other officers as, “The “K” car”, “Cagney and Lacey”, and “The Kathy Car”.   A  suspect once told us we were known on the street as Batman and Robin because we were “seen everywhere arresting everybody.”  The two of us laughed about that for quite some time.  Kathy and I did arrest a lot of people.  We were known to other cops as “magnets” because weird, complicated, stuff just dropped in our laps and usually turned into good arrests - or at the least, very good stories.

Eventually, the sergeants started splitting us up to work with rookie officers who were without training officers for a few days.  We weren’t getting paid to be training officers…we were still P-2 dogs, but decided if we were going to do the work, we were going to promote and earn the money to go with it.  So we did.

While we both moved on with our careers, I think we both recognized those five+ years we spent together in the wee hours of the morning arresting burglars, car thieves, narco suspects, and yes, even murderers, were the best of our careers.  We were so dedicated to each other we would go to work sick, just so the other wouldn’t have to work with someone else.  We had SO much fun together.

I’m sure we got on each other’s nerves from time to time, but the only time I can remember us really having a fight was the time I volunteered for a radio call that involved a dog.  It’s been a long time, and I don’t remember what the call was, (probably something like ’vicious animal attacking people’) but Kathy doesn’t really like dogs, and I knew it, but the call was in our area and I felt obligated to handle the incident.  She was so mad at me!  I don’t think she talked to me for a couple of days.  The call turned out okay, but I should have let the call go to another unit rather than have her mad at me.

Eventually, our paths split and we went our seperate ways.  She now has six kids and I have my family and my writing.  But when I pick up the phone and call her, or send her an e-mail, we’re right on track as if we’d never left that black and white patrol car.  In fact, with just the smallest communication we’re once again partners…and always friends.