I’m sure most of you have heard of Writers’ Police Academy, the four day conference offering an exciting and heart-pounding interactive and educational hands-on experience designed to enhance a writers understanding of all aspects of law enforcement, firefighting, EMS, and forensics. If you’re writing anything with a cop in it, I highly recommend the experience….
Category: Blog
The Trap of the Magical Negro and why it needs to be Avoided
The Magical Negro is a trope as old as American literature. Originally, the Magical Negro was there to show white readers that African-Americans could be wise, intelligent, and loyal, just like all Americans. It served its purpose for many years and now it needs to be retired. In this article, I will try to explain…
The Beat Sheet
As I thought about this series, I realized in retrospect that I wanted a plan. And I wanted something for you readers to be able to follow along. And I wanted it to be totally available. AHA – a Beat Sheet. If you don’t know what beat sheets are, here’s the short description: The “beat…
12 Elements of Crime Fiction
Fresh, unique ideas sell books, right? Not necessarily. Even the freshest idea must follow specific ‘rules’ or elements of the genre. Don’t believe me? Then why in almost every romance novel the main character has one or more dead parents and the poor orphan was often raised by a kindly/odd/distant aunt or uncle? Or better…
What to Expect at 2017 Colorado Gold
The fun never ends at Conference HQ! Colorado Gold is only a month away! We’re at the Denver Renaissance Hotel in Stapleton again this year, which will be familiar to some attendees and new to many. We have over 150 first-timers attending this year, and there are always little changes taking place, so I’ve put…