SPA Girls Podcast – EP187 – Interview With Forensics Expert Geoff Symon
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Want to figure out how to create the perfect crime for your cozy mystery character to solve?
Or find out how your investigator protagonist would investigate a murder?
Perhaps you just want to discover what investigators look for at a crime scene so you can figure out what to plant at your fictitious scene?
Well, your questions will all be answered during this in-depth chat with Federal Law Enforcement Special Agent, Geoff Symon.
For more than 20 years, Geoff has been using his expertise and experience to put away the bad guys. Now he’s begun lecturing and consulting with authors in genre fiction communities to help bring verisimilitude and meaningful detail to the depiction of crime and investigation.
A forensics expert, Geoff was able to give us his expert guidance on crime scenes for authors, giving us the correct language (it’s spatter not splatter, people) as well as explaining jargon like ‘crime scene integrity’ and ‘crime scene cross-contamination’, and even what an investigator might get wrong when you need them to make mistakes for your story.
He also debunked popular stereotypes, and gave us a behind the scenes glimpse into forensics investigations in the US, all in his charming, hilarious style…
Another fantastic guest for Mystery May, giving you valuable insight into crimes and the people who solve them.
SPA Girls Podcast – EP186 – What Authors Get Wrong About Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Have you ever wondered whether your character would survive holding highly enriched uranium metal in their hand?
What about if they’d handled that green goo from the barrel marked with a radiation symbol?
That’s the kind of knowledge that you’ll get from listening to this hilarious episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. We talk to Natasha Bajema, an expert in national security issues, especially weapons of mass destruction (WMD), nuclear proliferation and emerging technologies.
She’s worked at cool places like the Pentagon and the National Defence University during her career (and yes, you can find out what she says to security every time they insist on searching her at the Pentagon).
Using examples from television shows like Madam Secretary, House of Cards and Jack Ryan, Natasha talks about how WMD like radiation, biological weapons, and chemical bombs really work, and how authors can avoid making terrible WMD faux pas…
Natasha is also a podcaster (authors of mass destruction podcast) and a mystery author and can be found at www.natashabajema.com
SPA Girls Podcast – EP185 – Interview with the Writer’s Detective, Adam Richardson
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It’s the start of Mystery May, and we have a doozy to start you off!
The SPA Girls spent time with Adam Richardson, an American cop who helps authors and screenwriters with their crime-fiction questions through his website and podcast called the Writer’s Detective Bureau. He knows his stuff – Adam spent seventeen years of his 20+ year law enforcement career as a detective – and he was able to answer all our silly/strange/just-plain-dumb questions about being a cop in the US.
We talk about everything from what writers need to know about law enforcement in the US, how the police and sheriff departments’ work, how detectives approach a crime scene and deal with witnesses and suspects, and a myriad of other interesting details.
Whether you write romance with a mystery subplot, or are a fully fledged suspense or mystery writer, this episode is for you.
Learn more from Adam at: https://www.writersdetective.com where you can sign up to his All Points Bulletin for writers.
Don’t miss his facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WRITERSDETECTIVE/
Adam’s podcast Writer’s Detective Bureau: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/writers-detective-bureau/id1418826910?mt=2
SPA Girls Podcast – EP28 – Where Do Ideas Come From?
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This week we thought we’d take a quick detour into ideas-land to answer the most common question that writers get – where do your ideas come from? If you’re feeling lost or lacking in inspiration, just pinch a few of our ideas for gathering new stories and get going!
This week we thought we’d take a quick detour into ideas-land to answer the most common question that writers get – where do your ideas come from? If you’re feeling lost or lacking in inspiration, just pinch a few of our ideas for gathering new stories and get going! Ideas
Trudi believes in the idea fairy, the rest of us are not convinced. So, where do they come from?
Here’s where we find inspiration to find the nugget of an idea to weave a story around:
People watching (not to be confused with stalking)
People around you can be fascinating. Why? Just take a look at a couple in a café/mall/at a party/your family/friends – what are they talking/arguing about. How do they look when they talk, or don’t talk? (body language). What about the airport? Do you feel the raw emotion in the air in the arrivals or departure gates? Imagine if that were you, or even better a character you’ve invented.
What you can hear (not to be confused with eavesdropping)
A phone conversation that you can only hear one side of. Imagine what the other person is saying to garner the reactions you’re witnessing. Listen to the tone or the language used. Are they angry, sad, happy, puzzled or asking questions?
Pay attention to what’s around you
Travel is a great source of ideas. Different cultures often have different gestures and ways of thinking. Seasons change and make the world look different. Each look can have its own story or push a story forward. How does your part of the world look? Or a part that you know something about.
Research your favorite topics
Trudi looks behind the scenes of the circus for her series. Cheryl finds hers in family. Wendy doesn’t need any. (just kidding – she has so many ideas we have to hold her back sometimes!) Shar loves researching and is a quick study of just about anything.
From books you like to read or news stories/magazines. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Movies and television – trends. Vampires, Zombies,
Fan fiction – following plot points or specific characters to lead you into a new realm.
Theatre/Musicals/Music
Mash-up one idea with another from different times and see if they work together.
Push yourself outside your comfort zone, but don’t forget to look after yourself so that the creative muse is fit and healthy
Creativity prompts and reflections: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Make-Your-Creative-Dreams-Real/SARK/9781439103548
Brain FM – for concentration and creativity. https://brain.fm/
Headspace – creativity/sleep. A gym for the mind. https://www.headspace.com/
Remember to eat right and exercise.
