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BSP for FSW
It’s time for a little blatant self-promotion.
Last week, I learned that Forensic Science for Writers is a silver award winner in the writing/publishing division of the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards contest. That’s right. It’s an IPPY Award Winner.
Getting the Ax
It won’t inspire an episode for a high-tech forensic TV show, but it’s still a good detective story.
On March 15, Michelle Hunter reported a crime on The Times-Picayune website, a burglary of a New Orleans pharmacy. Somebody had chiseled a hole through the store’s cinderblock wall and crawled through. The burglar left with a load of narcotics, but left a pickaxe behind. The pickaxe had a price sticker from a nearby home improvement store.
Detective Darrin Parent brought the tool to the improvement store, where staff scanned the barcode to determine when and where the axe had been purchased. With this information, they checked the store’s video surveillance footage to watch a man purchase the pickaxe.
An owner of a store near the burgled pharmacy contacted Detective Parent. On the night of the crime, his CCTV camera had captured images of the same man around the time of the burglary. The video footage also recorded the license plate number of the vehicle driven by the suspect.
Warrant in hand, Detective Parent visited the suspect’s house, where he found drugs stolen from the pharmacy. An arrest followed for burglary and drug possession.
Forensic Science for Writers (A little BSP)
I have two news items about my book, Forensic Science for Writers.
First, the good folks at The Writers Store decided to offer my book. As most writers know, The Writers Store is not only a brick and mortar store, but also a huge online shop devoted to helping writers.
Second, Moira Allen, editor of Writing-World.com and author of books, such as Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer, kindly offered her view of Forensic Science for Writers:
If you’ve been getting your forensic details from television, try this instead! It’s packed with an amazing amount of detail, and helps the reader sort out not only what can be done, but exactly who does it. Over and over, I found myself exclaiming, “I didn’t know THAT!” Now I do!