Sugar Crime Scene

E - Evidence

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 07:31:00 +0000

Letter E Stands for Evidence:

How To Get Away With Murder:

My apologies for falling behind. and to make matters even worse, my phone and computer are not permitting me to comment on blogger blogs -- say what? I have a blogger blog. This is frustrating.

I have nothing to do on Tuesday so I intend to catch up and hopefully visit many blogs, like 100 or more. Okay lets not get too crazy

The police can think you've committed a crime ... hell they can flat out know you did it, but unless the prosecutor can prove the case Beyond a Reasonable Doubt to a jury with admissible evidence, the person gets a away with it.

Here are a few murders/violent crimes that were solved because the bad guy was sloppy and left evidence behind.

From my home state of Louisiana, the Lafayette Police department was investigating a string of aggravated rapes during the 1980's when an anonymous tip led them to one of their own, Randall Comeaux. DNA from the cigarette butts he left at the crime scene matched DNA from the semen and both were a match to Detective Comeaux.

25 years after brutally murdering Jeanie Childs genealogy test led police to a normal looking hockey dad. They trailed him to a hockey game and watched him eat a hot dog.

They collected his discarded napkin which turned out to be a perfect match to a plethora of DNA left at the bloody crime scene over two decades earlier. They now had their killer. All from a dirty hot dog napkin.

In 1984, Eight year old Vicki Hoskinson disappeared while mailing a birthday card to her aunt. It was the first time her mom allowed her to ride her bicycle alone. A witness reported seeing a suspicious looking man in a car and the witness memorized the license plate. The plate traced to a man name Frank Jarvis Atwood. A background check showed that Atwood had a history of kidnapping and child sexual molestation. Police went to his home, but discovered he was in Texas. When they finally caught up with him, he admitted being in area of the little girl's disappearance but denied the kidnapping.

The police had little evidence to go on. Accident reconstruction experts were able to match the pink paint color on the front bumper of Atwood's car to the exact color pink of Vicki's bike and traced damage to one of the car's gravel pan to one of the bike's pedals.

Atwood was tried and convicted of kidnapping. Sadly, Vicki's decomposed body was discovered less than a year later.

What's the strangest piece of evidence you've heard of in a criminal case?

Hope you're enjoying the 10th anniversary of @AprilA2Z

A to Z Challenge -- Letter D: Your "Do Not" List

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 06:49:00 +0000

How To Get Away With Murder: Letter D

Today's Crime Fiction letter, (The Letter D) is brought to you by @AprilA2Z #AtoZChallenge

Your Common Sense Don't List:

1. We all know that DNA is your downfall. DNA is the most

irrefutable way for the prosecutor to prove you committed the crime. She will use your DNA to put you at the crime scene and likewise she will use the victim's DNA, if found at your home to place you in proximity of the victim at the time of his death. The best way to avoid this problem is to be absolutely certain you don't leave any of your DNA behind. But, because this is almost, if not impossible (your DNA is in your blood, fingerprints, tears, saliva, sweat, etc.) chances are you will leave a piece of yourself behind.

C'mon, unless your a sociopath, you gonna sweat a little when you commit a murder ... don't cha think? Hell, those of us with real feelings might even cry, or tear up ... and then ...

Oops ... that tiny, minuscule teardrop forms in the corner of your eye. It either slides from your eye and onto the body or it lands on a nearby armrest or door handle and that's all she wrote.You're doing hard labor for the rest of your natural life at some horrible prison and Big Bertha's your new wife. Your wife for life. And you never even had to say "I do." Nope. No champagne. No wedding cake. Hell no honeymoon. Well that's not the truth exactly. There ain't gonna be a two week trip to Belize, but Big Bertha's gonna consummate the marriage ... that you can count on.

2. So, commit your crime in a wide open public forum. One of those places that's bound to have lots of DNA from strangers. DNA from a variety of people ... men, women, black, white, Hispanic, bi-racial, Oriental, Greek, young, elderly, brown hair, blond hair, gray hair, blue eyes, brown, hazel, amber, green, tall, short, plump, thin, you get the idea. Where do you find such a place? It depends on where you live and what you have to choose from. Obviously you'll have many more venues in NYC, than in Kilgore Texas. Regardless of where you live, (you'll want to pick a neighboring city or town anyway), you will select a place that is open to the public.

A Few Choice Ideas for your Venue:

The State Fair

A large city park

Outdoor concert arena

Outdoor Festival Plaza

A Concert Stadium

Football Stadium

A Mall

Pick a place where throngs of people tend to gather and do what? They all leave their DNA. And there's no possible way every one's DNA is removed even if the city sends in cleaning crews from time to time. You need to make it so that finding your DNA will be like finding a pearl in an oyster and even if they find your DNA it will just be 1 among the masses. The forensics team will not be able to qualify when exactly you shed your DNA at the mall or the park. It could have been last week or a month ago.

3. Don't take your purse, wallet, cellphone or anything personal or identifiable with you to the crime scene

4. Don't leave any body hair at the crime scene. Slick it back Al Pacino - The Godfather Style If you have long or curly hair slick it back with grease and slide it into a pony tail holder (scrunchie) and pin all lose ends then put on a baseball cap.

5. Do not wear any of your own clothes or shoes. Shoe prints are almost as deadly at trial as DNA.

6. Buy cheap, off brand shoes and clothes far in advance of the day of your selected crime. Do not buy everything from the same store or on the same day. This should go without saying, but make all purchases in cash. Make purchases in a neighboring town. If you plan ahead, buy your clothing or gear while on family vacation (in another state) the summer before your crime. Do not keep your receipts. Buy common, generic brands that many people wear from a store like Walmart. Keep your head down and face away from all surveillance cameras. Do not draw attention to yourself while making the purchase. Do absolutely nothing that would encourage the cashier or other shoppers to remember you.

7. Use the exact same instructions as above for purchasing your murder kit.

8. Wear thick leather gloves or super thick plastic gloves.

9. Burn all above items after you complete the crime

10 Timing is everything. Timing is discussed on a later date.

11. Do not speak to the police. If you do everything the right way, you probably won't even be approached by the police, but depending on your relationship to the victim, there may be no getting around a visit from the police. ***** Never talk to the police without your lawyer's permission and presence.

If you don't remember anything else, remember this. The police will trick you The will lie to you. The police are allowed to lie to you to obtain a confession. You will think it is better to go ahead and talk to the police. You will be wrong. You will think that you look guilty if you don't talk to them.

Here's the thing. The police don't trust or believe anyone during a murder investigation so it doesn't matter what they think you look like.

Repeat after me: It does not matter if the police think you look guilty. But, if you talk to them, you will say something incriminating and then they will know you're guilty and guess what?

Then you're going to prison!

You will think you are smarter than the police. You're not. Prisons are full of people who were talked or tricked into giving a statement. Don't fall for it.

Who is your favorite character on the hit show How to Get Away With Murder? Which character do you think is the smartest? Which one makes the worst choices/mistakes?

How To Get Away With Murder -- Leave Your Cell Phone at Home

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 06:28:00 +0000

2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge: Letter C

Today's Tip to Get Away With Murder is brought to you by the letter C from the A to Z Blogging Challenge

Do not bring your cell phone (especially a smart phone) with you to commit the crime. Likewise, be smart (like the name of your phone suggests) and leave your phone at home or somewhere that it could be providing you an alibi, during any pre-crime prep work. If you must dispose of the body at a different time or date than you actually do the deed, don't make the rookie mistake of bringing your phone with you to the burial site. Sounds like an Asher move to me.

via GIFER

Today's cell phone's are used for more than making telephone calls. The majority of mobile phone owners claim that a temporary loss of their phone would pose a significant disruption to their everyday life. I can vouch for that. It would create chaos. Now for my kids and for millennials and people who grew up without knowledge of any other world than the digital world, it could be catastrophic.

We use our phones for text messaging, GPS, email, credit card and banking records, Internet searches and for note taking. It't not just a phone ... it is a map, bank, a camera, and diary. It's how kids do homework and adults work. What about the privacy issues for doctors and lawyers who store patients and clients files, records and notes on our phones? They contain almost every aspect of our lives.

Technology is wonderful. I feel like we're close to living like the Jetsons.

But with the advances in technology there must come a price.

Privacy?

Much of what we do on our phones is being monitored ... and not just by NSA and the CIA anymore. Local police have the ability to monitor our phone activity through various means beginning with cell phone tower dumps and going all the way to super spying with Stingrays (I'll discuss with another letter this month, not S,) but if you're curious about how powerful and intrusive the Stingray is, go ahead and glance at the article referenced above.

The U.S Supreme Court recently settled a good portion of this in Carpenter Vs United States in which they held that using cell phone towers to track a persons location is the equivalent of GPS tracking, thus it is a search protected by the 4th amendment and requires a warrant. The court went on to say this was a narrow holding which means it did not address issues not before the court such as conventional surveillance techniques and tool or security cameras among a plethora of other techniques not discussed or addressed

But we all no that the police can and do get warrants. So, if you want to get away with your murder ... or your character in your novel wants to get away with her murder. Leave the damn cell phone at home. It's a record of your every movement. It has a microphone that can pick up your voice and record you without you even being aware. You think that sounds like something some conspiracy nut would say. How the hell do you think Siri knows to answer you when you ask a question. IT has to be on at all times ... okay maybe in sleep mode awaiting your magical wake up word.

"Hey Siri."

Suppose you poison your wife and she's almost dead and she's moaning and you scream "Stay Still," or "Fear" or "Oh Shit Sherry." or any of like a trillion words or phrases that could lead to an inopportune activation. Do you want your vic's last few agonizing minutes of life recorded on your phone that the police will obtain?

Your phone is a GPS and it collects and stores data and just saves it to give to the police to let them know everywhere you have been.

Your browser will fantastic evidence at your trial:

Google: How to dispose of a body

Hope your enjoying the challenge. I cannot make my comments work. I'm on it. I have the super duper professional IT dude looking at it tomorrow. Who's that you ask? My teenage kid, but of course.

This is not intended as legal advice. This is not intended to suggest that readers actually kill a person or try and get away with murder. This is for entertainment for the A to Z Challenge.

What to do with the dead body? Letter B #AtoZChallenge

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 05:59:00 +0000

How to Get Away With Murder

Letter B is Dead Body? What do you do with the body

Not an easy task -- Just ask any of the characters on the hit show How To Get Away With murder

So, you've done it, huh? Sill standing ... your still alive and I'm laying odds you're nervous as hell. So anxious you're about to pee yourself. Yup. Not as easy as you'd thought. You did the deed ... killed the bad dude (or maybe he wasn't such a bad dude). And now you have a human corpse in need of quick and preferably permanent demolition, disappearance,

Now what? What the hell do I do with this bloating, smelly, decomposing body?

Turns out the longer the perp stays in/on or around the crime scene, combined with the more time she spends with the dead body -- she's increasing her odds of unintentionally leaving minute amounts of DNA behind, hair, fibers, and a shot of other trace evidence that the police may be able to use against her at a later date.

Keep it Simple, Stupid Criminal ~~~ Let that become your meditation mantra. Get some Mantra beads. Chant. Repeat. Count off your mantra on your beads until it becomes peaceful second nature

In order to have a crime to prosecute you must establish the Corpus Delicti: The Latin Term Meaning "{The Body of the Crime}" that refers to the idea that the requisite elements of a crime must be proven before an individual can be tried for the crime.

The victim died as a result of

1. a homicide

2 not natural causes or

3 not suicide or

4 not an accidental death

Looks can be deceiving. An eager diver could have been pushed to her death or maybe she knew how shallow the water was and committed suicide? If you find an overdosed body with a bottle of pills what do you assume? Junkie accidental OD? Maybe it was accidental? Suicide? Or ... maybe her husband wanted her out of the way so he killed her and staged the scene. Easy to do if she's a known druggie.

So … if … the victim is even dead — and — and this is a big and

The defendant (The accused) is the person who caused the homicidal death of the victim

Then the state meets the first hurdle of showing the Corpus Delicti . A homicide occurred (which they have to prove though circumstantial evidence because they don't have a dead body and a coroner testifying that "Yes, Valerie Victim is in fact dead. Yes, her cause of death was a homicide. The manner of death was a single gunshot wound to the head ... or blunt force trauma ... or multiple stab wounds." You get the drift

When there is no body.

All of that really important stuff has to be proven by circumstantial evidence. Okay, I'll bite.

It may not be too difficult to establish via circumstantial evidence that a vic is dead. Let's say she's a school teacher who's never missed a day of work in ten years -- until now. And she's a mother of three young kids and she failed to pick them up from gymnastics two weeks ago and hasn't been seen or heard from since. There has been zero activity on her credit. No cell phone activity. Finally her car was discovered parked in the long term parking at JFK, her phone lodged between the seats. Ms. Anal retinal, overly organized most definitely hadn't planned a trip, not a vacation without a suitcase, carry on bag, good book, and most importantly her travel itinerary

Oops, wrong victim in the case, doushebag. I'd say you should've properly vetted and more exhaustively surveilled your prey.. Most criminals really aren't known for their IQ or aptitude Nope, or their nickname wouldn't be "Doing Time Tim." A simple forensics search revels Traces of blood and hair inside the trunk which are later determined to be a perfect match to the vic's DNA. A partial palm print (butt of the palm) is found just inside the trunk. Police run it through AFIS, unfortunately no hit.

We can assume the vic met with foul play. We might even assume she's dead. We might even assume she's the victim of a homicide. Suppose the police get lucky and arrest a suspect. How hard will it be to convict slimy suspect when the prosecutor doesn't even have a body. The medical examiner cannot testify beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim died as a result of a homicide. Can she? How can she without a body to back up her forensics

Most of the Soprano, Corleone, Costellos, and now even the Cody boys who we love to hate or more likely many of us love to love have taught us different criminal rules to live by

1. Leave the body

2. Use a .22 up close and drop the gun (but grab the cannoli) Leave the gun only if your 100% certain it cannot/ will not ever be traced to you or your family or any person you know

3. Casually walk away, avoiding all cameras

4. Don’t cover entire face

5. Don’t draw attention to self

6. Leave gun or dispose of it in lake or river or ocean

7. Do not touch the body or anything at crime scene

8. If you cannot leave the gun, you must police your brass

9. Wear thick pair of leather gloves

The other group errs on the side of getting rid of the decomposing, stinky ass body and anything that ties the killer to the body ASAP. I mean, c’mon you’ve got a dead body on your hands. Hopefully you're alone or don’t have a group (Best friends till the end drunk frat bros with you) b/c they’re gonna sing —Singing Soprano to the cops faster than your basement rats race for yesterdays cheese.

Remember the rule of one (1) Don’t trust anyone.

So, now what? You’ve got a dead body on your bloody hands? Mama can’t fix this one. What da ya do?

Dispose of the smelly body before it decomposes? Good idea.

How?

Be sure to check back later during the challenge under a different letter for three perfectly acceptable ways:

Hope you're enjoying the 2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge

*This is not legal advice. This is offered for entertainment only -- for the A to Z Challenge.

Letter A - Alibi 2019 #AtoZChallenge

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 07:52:00 +0000

How To Get Away With Murder:

Letter A — Alibi

2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge

What is an alibi? An affirmative defense

Lat. In Criminal law. Elsewhere, in another place. A term used to express that mode of defense to a criminal prosecution, where the party accused, in order to prove that he could not have committed the crime with which he is charged, offers evidence to show that he was in another place at the time; Which is termed setting up an alibi

When the police begin investigating a murder, their fist stop is always the spouse. They have to rule him/her out as the killer before moving onto other possible leads. Often Police get tunnel vision and assume it must be the husband or the wife and don't look much further.They attempt to make the evidence fit their theory instead of working the case.

Next on their list is normally an ex-spouse or ex girlfriend/boyfriend (especially if they discover that one or both were involved in an illicit affair. Then the police move on to other family members who may have had a motive. Who stands to gain the most financially from the vic's death?

Bottom line … you better have yourself an airtight, believable alibi. And I don’t mean “I was home alone working on my novel. I write my first draft with pen and paper. Nope, didn’t make any phone calls or order any food and I always turn the phones and televisions off so I can concentrate.”

Not helpful if you uber rich hubby just died and rumor had it he had one foot inside his divorce attorney's office which would have left you with basically goose egg … oh he’d throw in all your fancy Moleskin notebooks and maybe even your laptop that he bought you.

But of course, you’re no dummy. You set up your alibi in advance:

Rule number 1: {But no one ever listens to this rule and it is probably the number one reason people get convicted of murder} Tell no one … Trust no one

You were away attending a seminar related to your work at the time your husband was killed — yes, you actually signed up for it and you’ve been talking about it non stop for months.
The seminar is in Memphis Tennessee, which is a five hour drive from where you live, but since your office pays the expenses, your secretary booked the trip months ago, she booked your flight, hotel and rental car
You check in early every morning of the 5 day seminar. You are seen daily by numerous people. You attend most of the classes. You go to most of the functions, happy hours, dinners, stay out late. You make yourself extremely noticeable.
The one night you turn in early (tired from all the partying), you make sure you order room service, are on your laptop, cell phone and do other various things to confirm and verify you are in your room
Your room key will show you leaving your room once to get ice at 6:00 and retuning straight away
You will ask for an extra blanket to be delivered at 8:00 and your room key will show you opening your door to get the blanket. You will use a spoof card to cancel the blanket order, but phone records will not show that you cancelled it, so you open your door to see if someone knocked ... bringing you a blanket — this is your exit strategy
You leave your cell phone in you room. You have pre-recorded yourself playing Xbox and interacting with fake viewers days in advance and now you live stream it
Have your Twitter and IG account set up on your phone to send auto tweets and posts to Instagram and facebook.
Time to leave the hotel: Pray for rain. Wear oversized clothing. At least 2 or 3 sizes too large for you and stuff them so you appear larger. Wear shoes that make you appear 4 inches taller and 2 sizes larger. Wear a wig. Wear a hoodie. Disguise
yourself as much as possible. You will have already made a practice run to the hotel so you know where the hotel cameras are and how to avoid them
** You must avoid all public traffic cams, ATM cams and any other potential cameras
Plan and practice your entry and exit routes well and often in advance so you know exactly how much time is needed.
Have a Plan B and then a fallback Plan C for any unforeseeable fuckups.
As Preplanned walk to the old truck you borrowed from a retired family worker. It’s reliable and runs, but it is pre-GPS, there are no tracking devices on it and no one has ever seen you drive it. It is from the good ole analog days
Drive the five hour trip in 4.5 hours (you won’t get pulled over, going 5 over the speed limit) Do what you came for.
Allow an extra hour just in case.
Be seated on the second or third row of the 9:00 class the following morning with a big smile.

Did you Know that companies really do exist for the purpose of Covering your ass and providing pricey but reliable alibis

And check out this one: You can create any kind of Receipt you may need for your alibi at Make Receipts. Just for kicks I tried the gasoline receipt and hot damn if it didn't work.

Enjoy the Challenge. Please remember this information in not intended or offered in any way as legal advice. I am not practicing law. I am certainly not suggesting anyone try to get away with murder. This is for entertainment purposes only for the A-Z Blogging Challenge.

A to Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal -- 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 10:01:00 +0000

A to Z Blogging Challenge is Celebrating its 10th Anniversary

Wow! What an amazing accomplishment. Most failed marriages don't make it to the big 10.

Most marriages, new businesses, partnerships etc., that are going to fail ... do so in the first ten years. But not when put into the ingenious. accomplished hands of the shining star, super hero, my friend, Lee Bird, over at Tossing it out

How To Get Away With Murder?

I'm sure if you've ever been on the Internet or read a blog that you've heard of the A to Z Blogging Challenge which began as a little experiment a decade ago and has grown into the biggest blogging challenge on the web. Each year the numbers increase and the number of participants is now well over 2000.

Unfortunately, after suffering another death in my family (we've had back-to-back deaths once over again and again, I had to drop out of the challenge last year. It was the first time I ever dropped out and it was a difficult decision for me. I have skipped a year, but never dropped out mid month, but I had no other option. I noticed when I finally decided to sign up this year that its been a year since I've blogged. I have written, but I sort of sunk deeper into depression again in September when my mom was killed in a car accident. I was like "Hey God ... are you kidding me?" Can you please go pick on someone else for a while."

They say that God never gives you more than you can handle. Who are these people we always hear about? The ones who know everything. You know, you've heard them referenced as a reliable source ... "They."

"They"

They said.

Well I hope to hell they are right.

Because I am tired of being tired. Tired of being sad.

I know I have to pull myself up and return to the land of the living.

My dad and everyone I've lost in the last two years are shouting at me, "What's wrong with you? Where did your spunk go? Where's your fight? Your zest for life?"

I read something today that not only encouraged me to join the challenge, but I know it was a sign that I need to join and get back into my writing routine. My blog writing routine and novel writing routine. And I have to do it for me.

It should come as no shock to anyone who knows me (but I'm guessing not many of you know me since I've been on a a year long blogging/writing hiatus) that my theme for 2019 is .... drumroll ...

Crime Fiction

But I'm changing things up a little bit. This year I'm not offering crime fiction resources for writers, per se.

I've put a spin on my usual theme.

My Theme Has a Twist

How To Get Away With Murder (or not)

No. 1 Rookie Amateur Mistake: Never ever shop at the same store on the same day for necessary items that belong in your murder kit. You especially don't want to do this impulse shopping at your local Home Depot where you will be recognized by others, you will be on security cameras and on a date so close to your chosen target date for execution of plan.

Better idea: Drive to a store in a neighboring town ... preferably across state line. Pay in cash. Wear a disguise. Do not buy all items at one store during one shopping excursion.

Each letter will discuss how a person can attempt to get away with a crime (let's just say Murder) to be dramatic. I'll discuss hypothetical scenarios, real life crimes, and what some of our favorite characters on the television show of the same name How To Get Away With Murder have managed to successfully pull off and the plethora of rookie criminal mistakes they've made that would have already landed most of them in the slammer doing hard time.

I'll be discussing some interesting true crime cases. Some that are haunting and remain unsolved and others that have been solved with strange, unique, and bizarre evidence.

See you around in April. I'll be visiting blogs through the Master List and

Twitter AprilAt2Z

Facebook A to Z Challenge

How To Handle Obstacles & Major Setbacks

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 04:39:00 +0000

How Do You Handle Major Setbacks

You can see from my previous post that I failed to complete this years A to Z Blogging Challenge.

I won't bore you with the details, but I have a redemption plan and I'm working my way back to some resemblance of my former self.

Have any of you ever wanted something so badly that it occupied you every waking moment? Duh ... of course you have, many, if not most of you are writers. You're well acquainted with the feeling of rejection. My latest sense of failure, while not exactly related to writing, hurts just as much and has knocked me down with a jolted impact I didn't expect. I've worked several years toward something that I can't go into right now, but I intend to write about it as that's the outlet I know.

I've experienced an unusual share of disappointments, tragedies, and let downs, but I never let go of my goal. I never gave up because I knew I was doing the right thing and working the plan toward the goal. Then wham, I felt the wind knocked out of me. A hockey stick sliced into my kneecaps as I sprinted toward the finish line. My arms pumping ... my heart racing even faster than I could run, I hurled my leg into the air about to finally cross the finish line I've been eyeing for years, but someone ... something whacks me and I tumble face first to the ground. The skin ripped from my face as my body drags across the asphalt. There will be no finish line for me. Not this time.

How do I pick myself up and begin again. How do we, any of us start over, with seemingly all obstacles stacked against us? It's difficult enough when you or your protagonist is your own worst enemy, but when someone yielding all the power over you, is dead set on holding you back, refuses to believe you, refuses to ever give you any benefit of any doubt, seems to have an enormous personal dislike and mission to stop you, what do you do?

How do you handle obstacles and major setbacks?

That's the question I pose to writers and bloggers: How do you handle major setbacks? Obstacles? How do you handle the real life antagonists?

A to Z blogging - Letter J: Jury Nullification

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 06:38:00 +0000

Letter J - Jury Nullification:

This post is for entertainment purposes only for the A to Z Blogging Challenging. It is in no way intended as legal advice or my legal opinion.

Is Jury Nullification Legal?

Is it morally or ethically right?

During closing argument, a good prosecutor will always remind the jury that they "Must follow the law, whether they like the law or not. They can hate the law, disapprove of the law ... but this ain't the time to quarrel with the law or try and change the law."

If they feel strongly enough about changing the law, then after the trial, get busy writing their congressmen and do something about it. Be proactive. But there's a time and place for everything. Now is the time to listen to the judge read the jury instructions and apply them to the facts of THIS case and if the state proved this case Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, "You must Remember the Oath you Swore when you became a juror ... your oath to follow the law. Follow the law. Not only if you agree with the law, or if you like the law ... you didn't take an oath to follow the law, only if you agree that the sentence won't be too harsh. You cannot sit there and know the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but say, hmm, I sure do hate for him to have a criminal record ... and ... that law doesn't seem fair. I'm voting not guilty. Because if you do ... guess what? You've violated your oath." If every jury did that, we would never have law and order. We wouldn't have a need for juries." That's what a good prosecutor would hammer into the minds of every juror during her closing argument.

And when the judge reads the jury instructions to the jury in a hushed courtroom. He reminds them that it is their sole duty to determine whether or not the government has met their burden? Proven their case? He tells them they must weigh the credibility of the witnesses. They have an awesome responsibility. They should not be influenced or swayed by emotions, prejudice or bias for or against anyone. They must base their decision solely on the evidence or lack thereof, presented at trial and are not permitted to consider any outside evidence or any outside knowledge of the case.

Jury Nullification ... is the power to nullify a verdict? Is the power to nullify a verdict the same as the right to?

Jury Nullification: When a jury returns a verdict of "Not Guilty" despite being convinced the defendant is guilty of the crime charged. The jury in effect, nullifies a law that it believes is wrong, immoral or has been wrongfully applied to the defendant whose fate they have been charged with deciding.

I remember two specific cases of jury nullification. In the first a jury acquitted a woman charged with murdering her abusive husband. The evidence clearly showed a pattern of horrific injuries sustained over the years her robust husband who lifted weights, boxed and had recently taken up martial arts. In addition to the physical abuse, sexual abuse, he tormented her verbally, and got off putting her down in front of others. He terrorized her with his new martial arts hobby. He had no criminal record and just days before his death he purchased two pistols and and several rifles, he claimed he needed for hunting.

Regrettably, self defense did not apply because the woman was not technically in fear for her life at the exact moment she chose to kill him. Her fear and panic intensified over the years and she could no longer live with the horror and dread that any day might be her last. She armed herself with two handguns and waited until he was passed out drunk until she shot him. The photos offered into evidence combined with her mutilating injuries, medical records, doctors' testimony and throngs of witnesses who came forward on her behalf from the apartment complex and both her place of work and the decedent's had the jury in tears. There was no way that jury was going to send that petite, fragile girl to prison for the rest of her life. She'd already lived through nine years of hell. Her once quite attractive face was permanently scarred and disfigured and she walked with a limp. She was twenty-six years old, and no longer able to have children because of the abuse. The law required the jury to convict her of murder, but they found her not guilty.

The second case was an elder woman in her sixties, charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. The only reason she caught the intent charge was the massive quantity she had in her home and her refusal to name the person she bought it from. Tragically, she was suffering -- dying from cancer and the pot eased her pain and nausea from the chemo. We live in a state that hasn't legalized weed even for medicinal purposes. The jury found her not guilty in less than half an hour

Do juries have the right to nullify?

There is no question that juries clearly have the power to nullify, but do they have the right to nullify?

Jury nullification occurs when a jury concludes the defendant is technically guilty, but fails to convict on the grounds that the law in question is unjust. While jury nullification is technically legal, most judges refrain from informing the jury of their inherent super power. Some judges go a step further and deny defense counsel the right to share this information with the jury

Check out this First Punitive Response to Jury Nullification, That's taking things a bit far.

Some judges flat out prohibit defense attorneys from mentioning or making reference to jury nullification.

But check out this jury instruction, it appears to encourage jury nullification ... without actually saying the words.

This is probably a proposed jury instruction from a defense attorney, but from my reading, three or more states are close to adding it to standard jury instructions and individual judges have already permitted it on a case by case basis.

Compare & Contrast to the Florida Jury Instructions:

Once a jury returns a verdict of "not guilty"that verdict cannot be disturbed or questioned by anyone and double jeopardy prohibits them from ever being re-tried. A not guilty verdict is the end of the case. So it is easy to see that any jury can exercise their "power" of jury nullification without any recourse.

If juries have the "power" to nullify, shouldn't they be told? Not only are they not told, some courts go so far as to tell a jury that they may not exercise jury nullification.

Jurors must learn of this power from outside sources such as the television or from lawyers or other jurors.

So what do you think? Should jurors be told of their "power" of jury nullification? Does the power of jury nullification make it a right? Can you think of any circumstance that may cause you to render a verdict of not guilty despite knowing that the government proved the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

Do you support or oppose jury nullification?

Can you foresee a situation that you might return a not guilty verdict even if the government proved the defendant's guilt and you were convinced of the defendant's guilt? Please share in the comments a situation you would exercise jury nullification.

This is not offered as legal advice or my legal opinion. I'm not currently practicing law and this post is strictly for the A to Z Challenge ... entertainment purposes.

A to Z Blogging - Internet Connection Delay

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 18:56:00 +0000

Ugh - Another Problem

Sorry everyone! I finally catch up and a serious car accident yesterday (Car struck a telephone pole (I thought it was the weather) knocked our Internet Service out for most of the evening, all night and it’s still not back on. No electricity either. I’m told we should have it back up by tonight . So I’ll post more letters tonight and announce the mini mystery amazon gift card winner. I’m posting this short update from my phone.

Thanks for your patience and understanding . Hope you’re all enjoying the challenge.

There’s still not a definitive winner for the letter I $25 Amazon Gift Card mini mystery challenge. There’s one person who may take the prize sort of by default, but hey it’s an easy win. Try it out before my next letters got up this evening or tonight.

Letters H & I -- Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 22:15:00 +0000

Letters H & I

In the spirit of catching up so I can begin visiting more blogs, I'm combining two letters today.

Letter H - Holly Lisle

Holly offers so many terrific courses, there are too many for me to cover. I first learned about her when another blogger bragged about her How To Revise a Novel (HTRAN) Course. Which is a lengthy, in depth, intense course, but by the end you'll have a damned good revised novel. Holly does things very differently than any other writing coach or writing teacher I've come across. She really encourages you to tap into your imagination and creativity. If you aren't ready for one of her intense courses, check out her blog and she also offers extremely inexpensive books on Amazon.

My two favorite things that I learned and now use when writing every scene is her Sentence for Revision and the sentence for creating a scene when drafting. I used to do this on real note cards, but not I do it on Scrivener.

Remember the sentence by (PACTS) PACTS = Protagonist with a need vs Antagonist with a need in a unique setting with a twits.

Conflict = your Protagonist need vs Antagonist need.

You should this sentence for every scene when writing your draft. If you don't have these elements, your scene is lacking something. You should always use the SFR sentence for revision during your revisions.

Letter I - I Have a Mystery for you -- Guess the Culprit for an Amazon Gift Card

Detective Denver was called to a theft or fraud scene. Seems one of those strip clubs or video poker clubs that pull in boatloads of cash got robbed. Apparently the driver was robbed on his way to make the nightly drop. Detective Denver interviewed the man who normally makes the drop.
"Evening sir, I'm Detective Denver and you are --"
"Um, name's Wayne. Wayne Brook." He started to get up from the chair, but Denver motioned for him to remain sitting.
"How long have you worked at the club?"
"Seven years?"
"And it's your job to make the nightly deposit?"
"Yes sir." Wayne stood and paced, scraping his fingers through his greasy hair. "I know I should'a dun it myself. I ain't never supposed to let no one else do it. Damn. I can't lose my job. My little girl's sick. She's in the hospital."
"So what happened, tonight."
"I loaded all the cash. Was ready to go, but my damn car wouldn't start. Tried it a few times."
"Uh huh. The other fellow that works with you ... said he suggested you call Uber or a cab. Is that right?"
He didn't look up or answer, like in another world. Rubbing the back of his neck with such force, Detective Denver figured his skin was raw, Wayne closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, opened and exhaled loudly.
"Well." The detective gave him nudge.
"Oh, Yes. Think he did. Yes he did. But we aren't allowed to put the money in anyone else's car. Against company policy. If it got stolen or something Mr. Gus ... the boss man wouldn't be insured for it. He wouldn't get his money back."
"I see. But it was okay to put it in the other guy's car -- even though he's not allowed to take it to the bank?"
Wayne fell back into his seat and stared up at the detective. "Uh yea, cuz Reid works for Gus, so his car would be covered under the insurance policy." He swiped his palm down his jeans again.
"Why didn't you just borrow Reid's car?"
"I'm the manager. Have to lock up." He fished his phone from his pocket and checked the time again.
"But earlier you said, you had to be home to take care of your sick child."
"Yea ... yea. I got confused. Look. How much longer's this gonna be. My wife needs me home to help with my daughter."
"What's wrong with your little girl?"
"Oh she has diabetes and we're on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. Gotta get one. This dialysis isn't gonna work forever and it cost a fortune."
"Sorry to hear that. Won't be much longer. Do you know of anyone who knew that your boss made large cash deposits when he did?"
"Just his wife -- I mean ex wife. Well technically they're still married. They're getting divorced. She's got a new boyfriend. Some mechanic dude. The boss's trying to hide how much money the poker machines bring in, Says he ain't about to finance a new bike shop and garage for that guy. Some ex con, just got out. Did a dime upstate. Not sure what for."
"Thank you, I'm going over to speak to Reid."

“Have a seat please Reid. I need you to run through the sequence of events for me … one more time.”

Reid slumped into an outdoor lounge chair and began patting his jean pockets then his shirt pocket as if searching for something — a pack of cigarettes maybe. “Look I’ve told you guys everything two times already. I’m exhausted. How’s repeating the story a third time gonna change anything?”

“You seem upset. Surely you want to help.”

“I do. Of course I do. But, I already told the other police everything I know. I don’t know anything about guns or cars."
"Let's just give it a go, what'd ya say?"
He exhaled a deep sigh

“So what were you doing tonight?”

“The police brought me here — after the — the — um robbery. I got held up. I got robbed.” He twisted his wrist with the palm of the opposite hand.

“I understand how you feel, Reid. Thing is. I’ve been a police officer for a long time. In this line of business I’ve found that the more often a witness repeats a story, they sometimes remember little things they’d forgotten or little things that may not have seemed important before.”

“I don’t know. I don’t see how.”

“You might have seen something that you don’t even realize that you saw. But when we go back over it, its’s called a cognitive interview. It similar to watching a movie. Memories will jump out that you had hidden or repressed.

He propped his cheek into his fist and gave a half hearted up and down nod.

“Start from the beginning. Were do you work?”

“I’m a bartender at Jose Mexican Cantina.”

“And Dr. Gus Neil is the owner?”

Reid shook his head. “But he never comes in. He stops by the ... the uh, the gentleman's club in the back, but never comes up front. If you know what I mean."

“Do you normally make the bank deposits. How does that work?”

“No. I’ve never done it before. That’s why the manager had to tell me how to do it. I’ve told you guys this already. We’d just closed up. We cashed out all three video poker machines so we had a pretty good loot. Wayne… he’s my boss, had all the from bags loaded in his car. Told me to lock up. He comes running back inside. Said something’s wrong. His car won’t start. He made a few calls. I couldn’t tell what he was saying. All’s I know is he’s in this big custody battle with his wife and if he’s even one minute late she take him to court and he won’t get to see his kid.”

“Who’s idea was it for you to make the deposit?”

“I dunno. He was pacing back and forth. Making calls. Freaking out.”
"I thought he and his wife had a sick child."
"Yea, that's his kid with his second wife. She's nice. His first wife's always giving him a hard time about being late on his child support so he has to go to court to see his kid."

“Why didn’t he call a cab?”

“That’s one of our main rules. Never make a cash drop in a cab. Or Uber. But we don’t have Uber. We have Lyft. Same thing. We can’t ever make a cash deposit even if someone we know like even a wife of sister gives us a ride. We’d lose our job.” His eyebrows raised and Detective Tanner noticed how animated the witness became when demonstrating how versed he was in the rules.

Detective Denver took a swig of water from his bottle and handed an unopened one to the witness. “Could you hear any of the conversations your boss had?”

“No, Never standing close enough to make out the exact words.”

“Ok. So then what?”

“He told me how to make the deposit. Lucky for me it was my same bank so I knew how to get there. I left right away and he waited for a cab to go get his kid.”

“And you were robbed at the bank”? He pressed his lips into a a fine line.

“Yea … I mean no. Not exactly at the bank.” Reid made a Hmm sound as he cleared his throat. Pinching his bottom lip he lowered his eyes away from the detective. “I pulled over to take a piss.” He mumbled almost inaudibly.

“Where?”

“The empty building across the street from the bank. I had to go real bad.”

“You didn’t think that was maybe a dangerous idea?” The detective said, baring his teeth.

“I didn’t think anyone was gonna rob me. How’s I supposed to know that. I couldn’t have known.”

“So you got out of the car to … relieve yourself. I take it you left the money bags in the car?”

“Uh huh”

“I’s bout to get back in and I hear this car pulling up. I didn’t see no lights. Then the car pulls up on the other side of what used to be the place you order food in a drive through window. I turn and all I can see is the barrel of a gun in my face. The man, I say man because he just seemed like a man, but the person had on a ski mask and the voice was manly. He said ‘Don’t be stupid. Give me that video poker money.” I just froze”. The witness raked his hand through his hair and with an exaggerated puff blew his stringy bags from face. “How much longer’s this gonna take. I wanna help. But I’m tired, man.

“Not much longer. How far from the bar to the bank?”

“Maybe three miles. Like I said, I’m not good at judging distance.”

“Did you notice anyone following you from the bar to the bank?”

“No, but I don’t really pay attention to other cars. I’m in my own world when I drive. Listening to my tunes.”

“Is it one straight road or do you turn left and right a few times?”

“One road and one turn. Why does that matter?”

“Easier to spot a tail, if you they follow you through lots of turns.”

“Did you stop at any red lights or stop signs?

“Yea. A couple.”

“Anything unusual happen. Did you notice anyone paying attention to you?”

“No, man. I don’t really pay attention at red lights. I’m not real observant.” Denver opened his mouth to criticize, but thought better of it. He’d never get anything out of the witness that way.

‘What kind of gun?”

“Oh, I don’t really know guns?”

“Really. Well do you know the difference between a shotgun and a handgun?”

“Yes. Definitely a handgun. He told me to hurry and I got nervous. I kept wondering how he knew I had the poker money. He said something like get the bags now and throw ‘em in the backseat. That’s when I realized the window was open. I was thinking maybe I could throw a bag and hit him in the face and grab the gun. Then he said, ‘Don’t even think about it’. He told me something else I didn’t think of earlier. ‘Hey boy, don’t miss because a Glock never misses.’”

“See, its working. You’re remembering details you didn’t earlier.”

“That’s good, huh.” His eyes widened. “I’m helping the investigation.” He licked his lips into a smile.

“That you are. Anything else?

“No. Can’t think of anything. I was just so dang scared you know. After he told he how accurate his Glock was, I was shaking. Heard him disengage that safety and I thought I was a goner. That he was gonna kill me, ya know.

“Here we go. That’s something else you didn’t tell us in your earlier statements.”

“I guess this special interview technique is good. They do it on my favorite show, Criminal Minds. I’m just so happy I’m part of the investigation. I’m really helping.” He drummed his feet along concrete and inched closer to the detective. Their knees now almost touching.

“You’re a big help.”

“Yea. You know that clacking sound when he released the safety. That was do or die for me. I knew I might die and I had a choice to make. My life or the money — and ain’t no amount of money worth a man’s life. Know what I mean?”

Detective Denver nodded, pat him on the knee . “Now what kind of car was it again?”

The question squeezed the earlier excitement out of Reid as if his belly’d been pricked with a pin. “Dang. I told you. I don’t know cars. Can’t tell a sports car from a — whatever car.”

“Let’s narrow it down a little. Color? Size?"

“I already said this. Medium. Sedan … that’s what they call a four door right? Black … hmm … or maybe dark navy blue. Just a car shaped like a box.”

“But you didn’t see the license plate?”

“No. None of it. Soon as I tossed the bags in the car, he backed up and peeled out.”

“Do you think your manager told anyone about you taking the money to the bank?"

“I dunno. Suppose he could’ve. Anything’s possible. But he’s a nice guy.”

"Oh, Yea ... I just remembered something else."

"Really. You did, did you? Let's hear it?

"Well I also remember hearing the rumble of a motorcycle.But it was kind of in the distance when I was throwing the bags in the car. What made me think of that was because there was a motorcycle on the side of the building when I left, but no one on it."

"You ever see it before?"

"No."

"Do you know Dr. Gus Neil's wife?"

"Uh, No sir. I know he's married, but I've never met her."

"Heard anything about her?"

"Like what?"

"Anything?"
"No sir?" He said rubbing his chin

Detective Denver wondered if Detective Tanner had any luck locating any more witnesses

Tanner hadn't been able to locate the wife or the alleged boyfriend.
We don't even have the boyfriend's name and the wife left on a two week cruise.

Who do you think stole the video Poker drop money?

Letter G - Gideon Vs. Wainwright -- Landmark U.S Supreme Court Case

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 02:57:00 +0000

A to Z Blogging Challenge - Letter G

Gideon vs. Wainwright (1963)
Right to Counsel, Due Process

"If an obscure Florida convict named Clarence Earl Gideon had not sat down in his prison cell ... to write a letter to the Supreme Court ... the vast machinery of American law would have gone on functioning undisturbed. But Gideon did write that letter, the Court did look into his case ... and the whole course of American legal history has been changed." -- Robert F. Kennedy

Face of the Case:

Gideon was arrested for stealing from a pool room in Florida, in 1961. When his case was called for trial he told the judge he was not ready to proceed and asked that a public defender be appointed to represent him. He stated that he lacked the funds to hire an attorney on his own. The judge denied his request on the grounds that only people charged with capital offenses were entitled to court appointed attorneys. Gideon was forced to trial without an attorney and he represented himself. After being found guilty the judge sentenced him to five years in prison.

While in prison Gideon filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus with the Florida Supreme Court. He challenged the validity of his conviction. He also filed a handwritten petition with the U.S. Supreme Court. The court agreed to hear his case because of the pressing question:

Q: Was his right to counsel violated under the 6th Amendment to the Constitution as it applies to defendants in state court via the 14th Amendment?

Holding:

In a unanimous decision (unanimous decisions are rare) the court held that Gideon's 6th amendment had been violated. The 6th amendment's guarantee of counsel is a fundamental right, essential to a fair trial. His case was reversed and remanded.

This was the beginning of what many referred to as the Warren Court Rulings

I realize we're all short on time this month, but if you're interested, there's a cool trial scripted re-enactment of Gideon Vs Wainwright. If you have some time, you may want to take a look

Letters H & I tomorrow

Letter I is the first chance to win an amazon gift card.

First person to solve the mystery wins.

A to Z Blogging Challenge: Letter F -- Favorite Writing Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 14:22:00 +0000

Update: Letter F

Originally scheduled to offer readers the first opportunity to solve a Mini Mystery for chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

B/C I'm two letters behind I'm working my butt off to catch up and I will be caught up by the end of the day Tuesday or hopefully no later than Tuesday. Unfortunately, I'm just now publishing my post for Letter F ... two days late and if you live on the other side of the world, it's already Tuesday, so my Letter F, is coming to you, four days late. I don't like the idea of offering a prize on a post that I failed to timely publish and therefore readers weren't given ample opportunity to read. I'll still offer the same number of gift cards and all of the other letters will remain the same in the give-a-way, but I'll select another letter as I catch up and add another chance to win. Sorry for the confusion and inconvenience.

Today you get Letter F:

Tonight Letter G

Tomorrow Morning Letter H

Tuesday Afternoon or Evening Letter I

Then I'm back on schedule

And the next chance to win a gift card is for the Letter K.

I will make up the missed opportunity for the letter F. I would like the post to be up longer and timely. Thanks for your understanding.

Some of my Favorite Writing Websites, Writing Tools, & Resources for Fiction Writers:

I truly don't know how I ever lived or assembled anything remotely organized enough that anyone in their right mind could put it all back together again (like after Humpty Dumpty and his great fall) and managed to refer to my upside down, flying chaotic paper trial as the rough draft of a future manuscript ... that is ... until ... some genius invented the greatest gift mankind. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a tad little bit, but Scrivener is the real deal. Now that I use it, I cannot imagine how ever wrote anything without it. Scrivener 3.0 just came out & I've already upgraded. The first two years I barely used any features. Overwhelmed and afraid, I simple stuck with a few minor areas where I felt proficient. Little by little I began exploring and each day I discovered more amazing features and portals. I was like the Alice in Wonderland, traveling down a new hole each day and discovering a wealth of magic. After using each feature, now multiple times, I have to say the color coded index cards, the status labels and meta data remain my favorites.
I feel certain most of you have heard of Kim Weiland and if you've been living in an underground bunker waiting for the 2016 Presidential election to skip ahead 8 years and perhaps you actually haven't heard of this brilliant author, blogger, writing coach ... make a point of getting to know her -- the sooner the better. She offers a wealth of information on her website/blog for both the novice and experienced author.
Check her out at Helping Writers Become Authors thank me later. Kim's a fighter, a writer, and a child of god, and a good friend to have in your corner. She's the author many fiction bestsellers, but I'm plugging her non-fiction ... her writing craft books and software today. She's the award winning author of Outlining Your Novel and the accompanying Workbook (I also have the audio version), but what I like best is her newest release. Weiland has released software, available at Amazon Outlining your Novel Workbook Software. available for a $40 fee can be downloaded on to Mac or PC and you will be guided to create an outline, premise, general sketches, a plan to get to know your characters, plus and follow the character arcs and a way to keep track of your settings.
This is a secondary site set up by two of the most intelligent, informative, most helpful ladies I've had the pleasure of getting to know since I started blogging. Man, they've come a long way. At One Stop For Writers Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi allow you entry into their private, magical writer's kingdom. Writer's must contribute a nominal monthly fee, but it's definitely worth the surplus of quality information for members only. Access to a multitude of worksheets, all of the thesauruses that put the girls on the writer's map: including but not limited to:The Emotional Thesaurus, The Setting Thesauruses (my fave), Positive and negative character traits +more. And don't forget to visit their daily blog ... they still post writing advice on a routine basis and share many Writing Tools over @ Writers Helping Writers (Formerly The Bookshelf Muse)
750 Words
Susan Dennard Resources for Writers
Creative Writing Solutions
Auto Crit
When you're ready to Publish ... if you don't go the traditional publishing route Fast Pencil
For fun and for brainstorming ... Random Plot Generator
Joanna Penn
100 Story Ideas ... How to Write a Novel ... Free Novel Outline & More @ Eva Deverell (You don't want to miss this one)
Writer's Knowledge Base

Again, my apologies for the delay. Letter F's mini mystery has been postponed until another day to be announced. The remaining days are still as they were.

The first (next) letter for readers to win a gift card is for the letter K -- help spread the word. The minimum prize is a $25 gift card to AMAZON, but depending on how many players we have the amount of the gift card may go up.

This evening I Will post letter G, Tomorrow H and then I be caught up tomorrow,

What is your go to website resource for writing? You know the one you can't do without? The one you always go back to every time you get stuck writing? Do you have a favorite?

Letter E - Elizabeth S. Craig

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Sat, 07 Apr 2018 07:38:00 +0000

Letter E

Today's Letter is Easy & a quick read for you. A quick read because you'll want a lot of time to read the links I'm sending you to ... after the blogging challenge of course.

Letter E is for a Website/Blog that as a writer/reader I can't live without. This amazing mystery author compiles a weekly list of the best blog posts for writers/authors and she covers everything. By everything I mean

The Creativity of Writing

The Business of Writing

Publishing

Indie Publishing

How to Query

How to pre-write/draft

Character Arcs

Drafts

Revisions

How to get an Agent

She covers all the different genres

I look forward every Sunday to this List

Click on the little Tweety Bird and You'll be there

If you haven't guessed who my Letter E is

It the one and only Elizabeth Spann Craig's Twitterifc Links

Letter D - Minimize Your Risk Of Becoming a Date Rate Victim

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 21:32:00 +0000

Letter D - Date Rape Drugs

During Casey Anthony's Trial Trial we discussed how difficult it is for the government to prove a case Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. Remember? And that case had witnesses & evidence. The jury had to choose whether or not they believed Casey's mom was really the person looking up chloroform on the computer even after the prosecutor presented evidence that grandma's work time card showed she was at work at the time of the chloroform search.

But hey -- how do you prove someone raped you when there's NO evidence?

And

The victim has no real memory of the crime occurring?

Are Date Rape Drugs Still used on unsuspecting Victims? Absolutely. On College Campuses. Frat Parties, Raves, Nightclubs, home parties, bars. Anywhere you find male and females mingling combined with alcoholic beverages you run the risk of someone slipping a "Mickey" into someone else's drink.

Date Rape Drugs You Might Know:

The three main date rape drugs most of us are familiar with:

1. Rohypnol (roofies, date rape drug, Mexican Valium, R2) is a strong benzodiazepine (10 X stronger than Valium) prescribed in many countries (not legal in the United States) for severe insomnia and is used during the pre-op period of certain medical procedures requiring anesthesia. The effects begin about 15- 30 minutes after injection and last four to eight hours. This heinous crime is exacerbated because the drug is an amnesic.

Manufactures of Rohypnol have instituted a recent change to the pill. The previous white tablet, without color or taste made it a weapon of choice for opprobrious rapist. It's now available as a caplet that when dissolved in a clear drink will turn the liquid a blue color

2. Gamma Hydroxybutyrate "GHB" (Cherry Meth, Everclear, G, Griffic, Candy Raver, Fantasy, Georgia Home Boy, Goop, Liquid E, Liquid X) Can be used in liquid or powder form and causes enhanced libido, euphoria, and disinhibition.

3. Ketamine (Special K, K, Cat Valium, Green) Ketamine is a "Dissociative Anesthetic." It can be used in either powder or liquid form for humans or animals. In addition to snorting, it can be added to cigarettes or sprinkled on top of marijuana making it a choice date rape drug.

If the victim is drugged with Ketamine she/he is highly unlikely to realize they've been drugged until after the crime. Ketamine is an anesthetic so the victim will not feel drunk. It is like being placed under anesthesia for surgery ... sole purpose for the patient not to experience any pain or discomfort and hopefully not remember experiencing anything unpleasant. It's unlikely a person drugged with ketamine can move on their own. A dissociative drug makes a person feel disassociated from their surroundings and self.

Date Drugs Your Might Not Know:

Some date drugs now as common as the top three listed above:

Ambien -- A sleeping pill

Alprazolam -- Another benzodiazepine

lesser known benzodiazepines, like temazapam or midazolam (versed) -- used in hospitals pre-op

How Can You Protect Yourself?

The Buddy System -- one of the oldest yet still most effective ways to stay safe. Go out in pairs. Always have someone watch your back, while you watch theirs. Your friend can eyeball your beverage if you must leave it unattended. Of course your friend must be someone your trust 100%

Never leave your drink (even a non alcoholic beverage) unattended in a public place -- even a party where you know the host, but couldn't possibly know all 150 guest.

Don't hand your drink to someone in the ladies room while you enter the stall

Keep your hand over the top of your drink

If you notice that your drink appears to have changed colors, looks cloudy, darker, don't chance it. toss it and get a new drink. I don't care if you're drinking a $25 Cosmo, you're worth it! Never risk it.

Don't let strangers buy you a beverage unless it comes in a can or you personally witness the drink being made, mixed or poured.

Many merchants, like Amazon now make testing strips and other devices so you can easily, quickly, and discreetly test for substances like GHB, Ketamine and Rohypnol. Have peace of mind. Know if someone tampered with your drink. Click on the photo of the book on your left and it will take you the a website that sells Date Rape Drug Detectors.

Remember Letter F will be your first chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift card with a mini mystery.

This post is for entertainment purposes only for the A to Z Challenge. It does not contain any legal or medical advice.

Casey Anthony Trial - Letter C

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 04:15:00 +0000

State of Florida vs Casey Anthony

Letters F, K, O, S, X, Y will offer mini mysteries and an opportunity to win prizes, First prize will be during the letter F ... a $25 Amazon e-gift card

Casey Anthony was charged with 1^st degree murder for killing her daughter in 2008
Little Kaylee’s body was found in a trash bag within a mile of the family home
The M.E., couldn’t provide a true and accurate cause of death
They found no weapon, No DNA tied Casey to the crime and she never confessed
I believe the state seriously underestimated Jose Bias, the defense attorney and his ability to connect with the jury.
The new scientific evidence introduced in the Casey Anthony Trial was the“Death Smell Test.”
What is the Death Smell Test? Many witnesses — even Casey’s mom, claimed they smelled “death” in the trunk of Casey’s car. How many of you have smelled a dead body? Well, I have. If you’ve ever smelled a dead, decomposing or decomposed body, I assure you, it’s an odor you’ll never … ever forget.
Can you scoop air from the trunk of a car into special vacuum sealed container and send that apparatus via mail to a specialist and have said specialist test the “trapped air,” for the “odor of death?’ Or the odor of “The presence of a decomposed or decomposing body?” I don’t know. That’s what the state and defense experts argued about in the Casey Anthony Trial. And how long would the Death Smell remain in a car after the body was removed? A day? Week? Month? Year?
The Verdict — how many of you were truly shocked? I knew in my heart the jury would find her not guilty of first degree murder. If the jury did their job and followed the law, they would not convict her. I prosecuted too many cases and had my heart broken too many times. Of course, juries have voted guilty despite the evidence, even when the state failed to prove the case — when it was a close call — and that was still likely here. I mean, Casey Anthony was the most hated woman in America. But, the judge was fair & he went out of his way to clearly explain everything to the jury. I had faith that this particular jury would do the the right thing. Sadly this time, I didn’t like the right choice.

Problems — As I saw Them:

The State failed to Prove the case Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. Without being able to prove cause of death, there was just no possible way the jury was going to find that girl guilty of first degree murder
The state over charged the case. They went for the death penalty. I don’t blame them. A precious little girl was dead. A mom didn’t even report her missing. She is finally reported missing 31 days later — then only by the grandmother. While that sweet girl is supposedly missing, her mom is out partying — doing body shots of liquor. Hell, she knew her kid was dead and she’s partying like it’s 1999 (that’s just a little throw in for old folks), stealing, booze and cigarettes and cashing hot & stolen checks at Target (on video).
Watch any of those jail house interviews with Casey and it’s all “Me … Me … Me.” Never a word about her daughter.
She made up a fake kidnapper.
Then how dare she throw her own family under the bus at trial. (Her defense attorney’s strategy is my guess, but she fed it to him)
But did she intentionally murder her daughter — I don’t think so — I could be wrong.
Did she drug her with chloroform so she could go out and party? I believe so. Was it the first time? Probably not.
But this time she probably gave her too much. She returned from partying & found her ole standby babysitter (chloroform wasn’t all that reliable). Maybe she gave her a double dose so she could stay out a little longer … who the hell knows. But she found her baby girl dead or not breathing and panicked.
If the DA hadn’t jumped the gun and demanded the death penalty and just gone for second degree murder, manslaughter being an automatic lesser included offense, I truly believe the jury would have convicted Casey. It’s only my opinion, but I believe the jury was so focused on having to choose whether or not Casey would live or die that they only focused on whether the state had proven the elements of first degree murder.

The state had not.

As much as it pained me and as much as I wanted Casey Anthony to rot in prison, I cannot fault the jury for following the law.

◆ If the District Attorney had slowed down and spent more time educating the jury on second degree murder and manslaughter — instructing them that even if … Casey didn’t intend to kill her daughter … but, she had given her chloroform or any other medication with the intent to cause her to go to sleep — so she could leave her unattended and instead it caused her death then she, Casey Anthony was guilty of aggravated child abuse and that was an underlying felony offense that would bump her charge up to guilty of 2^nd degree murder.

What do you think? Did the jury get it right? Do you agree with their verdict? Do you think Casey Anthony was guilty or not guilty of murdering her daughter Kaylee? Do you think she murdered her in cold blood? Did something else happen? Do you agree with letting the system work? Because if the system doesn’t work for the guilty it won’t work for the innocent either. Think about that. It’s important to understand that. Yes, people who commit crimes will be found not guilty when the state fails to prove each and every element beyond a reasonable doubt. But would you want it any other way?

What happens when it’s you or you loved one being falsely accused? Don’t you want the state to have the same tough burden? Don’t you want the prosecutor to prove the case Beyond a Reasonable Doubt? This is where many people get confused and think it’s innocent vs guilty. It’s not. It is guilty or not guilty.

No legal advice or opinions offered in this post.

Letter B ... Just Beat it "Beat Sheet" & What's the difference between Bribery & Blackmail

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 16:50:00 +0000

Letter B:

Sorry folks, I'm already playing catch up. I was thrown off with day 1 beginning on Sunday, but add to that Easter Sunday ... my daughter in town from college ... plus family members in town who I only see once a year, plus the kids grandparents (this being their first Easter without their son) and I really needed to dedicate my time all weekend and yesterday and even today to family. So, I'm basically a day behind. I'll make it up in a day or two.

Can I Bribe or Blackmail Larry Brooks into Creating a BeatSheet for my Story?

Key Difference – Bribery vs Blackmail

Bribery and blackmail are two legal offenses that involve an exchange of money.

]Bribery involves exchanging money or other valuables in order to get one’s work done. Blackmail involves extortion of money or something of value by the threat of exposing discreditable information.

How many of you use a beat sheet. There are numerous beat sheets and they all help in the pre-drafting stage, by my favorite was created by Larry Brooks @ StoryFix.com

Brooks uses his Beat Sheet to sequence his story with bullets instead of whole sentences. It's equally helpful for plotters and pantsers. If you don't plot or if you write by the seat of your pants, a beat sheet is a kick ass way to kick off your revisions.

Open a document in word, pen and paper or Scrivener.

Title your 1st Beat: Opening

2nd Beat: Hook

Scene 12 - First Plot Point (PP1)

Scene 20, 21, or 22 First Pinch Point

Scene 30 MidPoint

Scene 36 or 36 Second Pinch Point

Scene 44 Lull

Scene 45 Plot Point 2 (PP2)

Larry Brooks Beat Sheet Examples

Generic

1.         Prologue – preview of forthcoming problem.
2.         Intro character and his life prior to facing problem.
3.         Show character’s life, what his stakes are.
4.         Off-stage flash of approaching antagonism.
5.         Hero’s first hint of darkness.
6.         Hero timidly enters the darkness.
7.         Hero is warned to stay away.
8.         Hero confronts the jeopardy.
9.         Hero falsely reassured.
10.       Hero doesn’t buy in, goes stealth to see for himself.
11.       Major darkness thrust upon him, everything changes.
12.       He finds himself unjustly accused (this is Plot Point One).

It’s interesting to note that this generic Part 1 beat sheet could be applied to any number of stories.

Story-Specific

1. Man and woman in hotel room, wildly making love; we see her wedding ring on the counter next to the man’s wallet. This is a prologue, we aren’t sure who is who.

2. We meet our hero, who runs a successful retail boutique founded and owned by his wife. She’s the face of the business, he does all the hard work.

3. We see that she gets all the glory and money, while he gets little credit or appreciation. But the employees know. There’s trouble afoot.

4. Wife says she’s got a meeting downtown. Kisses him, leaves, but goes to hotel rendezvous with lover. One of the other employees sees her there.

5. That employee tries to tell hero what’s up, but without betraying the wife, who is the Big Boss. She has a crush on hero herself. (Foreshadowing here).

6. Hero now follows his wife a few days later, but finds nothing wrong.

7. Hero confronts his wife with his suspicions, she denies. They argue.

8. Hero goes to hotel, shows bellman his wife’s picture, he recognizes.

9. Confronts wife, she says this was where her meeting was. More anger.

10. Employee assures him she’s lying. She saw her with a lover. There are seeds of an attraction between them.

11. Days later, he follows wife to different hotel on a tip from the employee, breaks into room… finds his dead wife inside. Touches things, incriminates himself carelessly. Calls the police, then…

12. Employee finds him waiting in lobby, whisks him away… says police are already looking for him, they think he did it, he’s been framed by his wife’s lover, and she’ll help him until he can prove his innocence. She’ll explain how she knows all this later

Think of the Beat Sheet as your Story Skeleton and think of Larry Brooks as your Story Guru. I kid you not. I was lost until I read his books and signed up for his Story Concept Analysis and later his Professional Story Coaching. What an eye opener! I realized how much I did not know. He didn't make me feel stupid, but he banged it into my head and let me know that I didn't even have a grasp of some of the simple concepts ... like the difference between the story concept, premise and theme. Once he broke through or forced me to look at story in a different way so that I had that magical breakthrough, I never read a book or watched a movie the same way again. The man's a genius, a master storyteller and a brilliant teacher. If you only read one writing craft book, I highly recommend Larry Brooks Story Engineering

Another author/blogger I hold in awe, has a Writer's Worksheet page on her website where she shares a plethora of valuable worksheets. Among those worksheets, The Magnificent Author and Blogger Jami Gold has prepared story and emotional arc beat sheets which include a Save the Cat and a Larry Brooks Beat Sheet that you can download. She even has a Scrivener Template. I'm telling you this girl has super powers. If you're old enough to be from my era, I think she's the Bionic woman ... gone into hiding, except she's too young, so I'm still trying to figure out who she is.

Are you new to Beat Sheets? Never Fear Jami's got ya covered with this intro post showing you how to use a beat sheet and explaining all the benefits. Jami Gold's Beat Sheet 101 Post

So, I'm fairly certain we can't bribe or blackmail our way into writing the next creepy, bestselling thriller fully equipped with multi dimensional characters that you love or love to hate and numerous plot twist that you never saw coming which keep you guessing until the very end. Nope. We're going to need help. I strongly recommend a writing coach like Larry Brooks and reading books he authored such as Story Engineering, Story Physics or my favorite Story Fix.

If we want to write a disturbing psychological thriller, like B.A. Paris's Behinds Closed Doors, I suggest using Beat Sheets during the pre-draft stage and doing revisions. And wow, Behind Closed Doors was her debut novel

If you haven't read this book, you'll want to grab a copy now and read it. I couldn't put it down, but occasionally I forced myself to set it aside to catch my breath. I ordered the book without knowing much about the plot and I''m glad I did. The surprise made it all the more terrifying. I don't want to give anything away, but on the outside Jack, a lawyer and champion for women's rights and his lovely bride Jane appear to have the perfect marriage. Jane has a sister with down syndrome and Jack even takes special care of Jane's sister. I had to go back and read several parts of the book a second time (so I gave in a just re-read the entire book) to see what I had missed ... why had I not suspected this or that sooner? If you are a fan of domestic noir, domestic suspense, psychological thrillers, this is one of the best ones I've ever read.

I'm trying to decide on a weapon for the killer to use in my book. What do you think about a female using a bow and arrow? Too masculine?

How many blogs have you visited?

Don't forget to visit Twitter AprilA2Z

A to A Blogging Challenge Letter A -- Alibi, Antagonist & Arsenic

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 03:50:00 +0000

Letter A

Arsenic will kill your Antagonist and the you'll need an Alibi for the Murder.

A in the legal arena is for Alibi: n. an excuse used by a person accused or suspected of crime. In the original Latin it means "in another place" which has to be the ultimate alibi.

The accused may try to offer an alibi (a person to testify) that the accused was somewhere, other than the scene of the crime, at the time crime was committed. This is an alibi witness. The First National Bank on Main St., Tampa, Florida, was robbed on October 1, 2017 at 4:45 P.M and the defendant is accused of the crime. In his defense, the accused offers testimony from a witness who will testify that the accused was with alibi witness, in Denver, Co., therefore he could not have committed the crime.

Antagonist in crime fiction:

One of my favorite antagonist and a stand out character is Anton Chigurh, the creepy villain portrayed by Javier Bardem in the film No Country for Old Men. The novel was written by Cormac McCarthy.

The character's known not only for his bad haircut, but for his lack of conscience and killing people with a a bolt pistol. He showed no emotion as he flipped the death coin ... the toss of a coin. Each victim, per instruction, chose heads or tails and unknowingly decided their own fate. Correct choice big bad dude spares your life. Wrong call and Anton executes you with a bang. Fair enough ... huh? I mean at least he keeps his word. Pretty nice for a cold blooded killer, don't cha think.

A weapon (method) used for murder: Arsenic --

Arsenic is tasteless, odorless, so your killer can put the poison in just about anything for the victim to swallow and she'll not be the wiser. It mimics the symptoms a natural illness and if no one is suspicious or request the ME to specifically look for it, it's hard to find in the body. Arsenic in known to cause cancer. Yikes ... that scary's enough, but what if your villain used arsenic to cause the victim's cancer. When a person dies of cancer, the only thing going on that death certificate is Natural Causes.

After watching a loved one battle and suffer through months or years of cancer, often their death feels like a relief. A relief because there's finally an ending to the never ending pain and suffering. Many people, family and friends have just witnesses his/her demise, literally watched the person they love dwindle away before their eyes until there's nothing left inside of them. They hold on until they know we will be okay.

How cruel it would appear if one insisted upon an autopsy after their loved one's suffering finally ended? They've finally left this world for a better place. We're left behind to mourn. Why on earth would we delay our grieving. It's time to move on. But, if the loved one is unusually young for the kind /type of cancer they are stricken with, listen to your instincts. You are always your best judge of wrongdoing. That niggling inside your gut or your MC's belly ... usually means something. It's the brain sending a message that somethings wrong and needs further exploration.

Years ago arsenic was the perfect poison. Arsenic is not used as often today, but it still works and it's still hard to detect, tasteless and odorless. But, your story requires a cruel victim because death by arsenic poisoning is painful and inhumane.

Arsenic is a natural element so it's in rocks, soil, water, plants and air.

Where would your Antagonist bad guy come across arsenic in todays' world without drawing attention to himself?

Lumber Yards
Pesticides
Batteries
Glass Manufacturing
Horticulture/Nursery business
Farming Business

A favorite book for the letter A:

Fiction: The Associate by Phillip Margolin

Non Fiction: Advanced Brilliant Writing by Susan May Warren at My Book Therapy ... Academy offers many Writing Classes & Workshops, such as Learn How to Write a Novel.

Be sure to visit her affiliate/Sister site Novel Rocket and view the Private Coaching Services.

You''ll also want to check out Novel Academy and of course Susan May Warrens's other books & workbooks, which are incredibly helpful for creating multi dimensional characters with backstory, a wound or ghost from the past that causes them to believe a lie. The workbooks are fantastic aides for walking you through your character's flaw and how the flaw manifest itself throughout the story. You'll learn what the protagonist must overcome in order to achieve her outer goal. If you're anything like me and you had a difficult time understanding how your character's flaw and the internal and external goals and needs affect the plot, this workbook is an eye opener.

It's one of those duh ... uh ... moments when the light bulb goes off and you knock yourself in the head and wonder what took so long.

How was your first day of the 2018 Blogging Challenge?

This is our first year with a Master Sign up List and a daily list. What do you think?

Follow the Challenge on Twitter and I love to Connect on Twitter. Here's some important Twitter Tags
A to Z Blogging on Twitter - Direct Link @APRILA2Z
Hashtag #aprilatoz
@msugar13

A to Z on FaceBook

AtoZ Google+

A to Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 08:54:00 +0000

A to Z Theme Reveal

My Main Overall Theme = Crime & Punishment

Keeping close to the theme of my Crime Fiction Blog, I decided not to venture out and try anything too different this year. I've vacillated between the theme I choose every year and the poignant memoirs I intended to write last year. For those of you who don't know me or who may not remember, my childrens' father's colon cancer metastasized to his liver several months before last years challenge began.

I wanted to write short memoirs of how we met and and how we lived before they were born so they would always have something to read. I had to drop out of the challenge before it even began as Steve took a turn for the worse and had to get a liver stent. Sadly he didn't live much longer. He died toward the end of May, and my kids are having the most difficult time dealing with his death. Losing a father is hard for teenagers and a girl headed off to college for her first year, under any circumstance, but disastrously, my kids have been dealt and additional, exceptionally cruel hand. I won't go into any detail, but my kids are suffering terribly. They're still so miserable. My poor sweet son, he seems like a shell of his former happy self. I'm praying that the grief counseling will begin helping. We'd be honored to have any of you add our family to your prayers. Easter is around the corner, and holidays are especially rough.

So I decided against the memoirs. I can't do my kids justice with short posts and still honor the brevity readers deserve for the challenge. The kids want the memoirs and they'll get them. Just not now.

For Each Letter I'll Write Crime Fiction & the Real World ... All the World's a Stage:

I'll write 2 or more (depending on the difficulty of the letter) & not creating too long of a post because I know we're all aiming for brevity

A legal theory, crime or area of criminal or police procedure that's often used in crime fiction books ... sometimes erroneously, e.g. "A"is for Alibi

Writing topics I've studied, learned about, am still learning since I decided to become a writer, e.g. "A" is for Antagonist

Weapon - Something used to kill the victim (method or manner), e.g. "A" is for Arsenic or Arson

My favorite crime fiction book or movie -- either the title or author's name begins with corresponding letter, e.g. Any Agatha Christie Book, Argo

A favorite writing craft book, Writing Tool, Writing Resource, Author, Blogger, Blog, Website, Software or other Crime Fiction Resource I find immensely helpful

Definition

I won't ever write about all six & on the days I include three or more, I will likely write a review of a couple and provide links to the others to keep my post from exceeding 1000 words.

My goal is 500 words. Some will be less. A few will be more. Only a couple exceed 750 words. I want to visit as many blogs as possible and those of us interested in making new friends breathe a sigh of relief when we click on a blog and find a relatively short post (during the challenge). C'mon, you know you do. And the really bad thing is:

I know I do, but I'm so damn wordy, and I'm the guilty culprit writing the long winded posts that make you cringe.

Not this year. My Theme Reveal is my longest post. Letter A is my second longest. Then I'm 500 and under.

Oh and spread through my post/theme you will occasionally be given the chance to solve a daily, stand alone mystery. You don't have to read any other post to solve the daily mystery. Prizes will awarded, To Be Announced. Not sure if it will be small daily prizes or daily and a larger prize for the person who solves the most. The mysteries are not everyday.

Happy 2018 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Don't forget to tip your bartenders or stop by and thank you host and co-host. This challenge requires a lot of planning and then a lot of work, I don't know how many people realize how much time the host and co-host put into the challenge each year. Just ask them, ballpark how many hours per week? You'll be shocked. So send hugs, treats and thanks.

Arlee Bird (Founder) @ Tossing it Out

J. Lenni Dorner (Captain) @ The Blog of Author J. Lenni Dorner

Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multi Colored Diary

Jayden R. Vincentte @ J. R. Vincente

Jeremy Hawkins (Graphics) @ Hollywood Nuts

John Holton @ The Sound of One Hand Typing

Insecure Writer's Support Group

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 05:46:00 +0000

November's Insecure Writer's Support Group

Happy Thanksgiving to all. The month of November is always a short and busy month. When I'm sad and my kids are still mourning the loss of their dad I'm trying to find additional ways to remind them to be thankful for what we have, so if any of you have ideas, tips or suggestions -- I'm open and I welcome your advice.

My kids are still grappling. If any of you suffered the same tragedy and don't mind sharing how you survived it, please feel free to pass along how you got through. I feel dangerously close to losing my son. My all American, distinguished scholar, Student Council, App creator, website builder, super athlete is slipping down the rabbit hole and I need to yank him back before it's too late.

He made the varsity soccer team as a freshman (and his high school is large and big into sports 5A) and as a freshman he was number one on the varsity cross country team. He and his dad shared a special bond at cross country meets. His dad also ran cross country in high school and his dad went to college on a cross country scholarship. The coach at Florida State invited my son to the cross country camp last summer to watch him run. He was Steve's coach at Florida, but has moved to Fl. State. I feel certain he will offer Bennett a scholarship if he continues in the direction he was headed when his dad was alive. His dad attended every meet. He planned the runs with Bennett. Met him at certain corners and told him when to pull back and when to pump it up. Toward the end of really long races, those in the lead thought they had the race in the bag -- they were nano seconds from the winners circle, then they lost energy and puttered out.

That's when Bennett's legs levitated and he soared past the group in front of him ... then the next ... and next. The crowd in the stands strained their necks, where did this kid come from? He didn't run with any of the packs? Where did he get all that late energy? He was on fire? His dad taught him everything he knew.

Steve never missed a meet.

Even when the chemo made him so sick he could barely move. Even when the cancer was eating him alive, and his weight dropped to less than his own kids and it took everything he had to attend. He was there for his kid. Right before his dad died, Bennett broke his leg. So he's been doing physical therapy and basically just healing this year. No running or soccer. Running has always been his outlet ... his way to get away and blow off steam, let it all out ... let things go. He's been trapped inside his own body and mind.

I wish he would write, but he won't take advice from me. I'm not dad. But, I've got to reach him before he spirals down the wrong path. I'm scared for the first time in a really long time. He idolized his dad.

The kids worshiped their dad and Steve adored them.

I finally started writing again. Not much, but anything is better that nothing. I plan on winning NaNo. But we all know how time consuming NaNoWriMo is.

But, hey it was my kid who told me how much happier I am when I write. Now I'm afraid if I take my eye off him too long, he'll start rolling with wild kids. Maybe that's every mom's fear. Not just single moms whose kids just lost their dad. Oh and now he drives and he has a new car. So well, yeah ... that scares the hell out of me too. Thanks Grandma!

I'm insecure because I still haven't managed to put my family back together and while I'm making some headway with my writing, I'm not back to where I should be. I am writing. And I have discovered that writing through grief is wonderful. It allows authentic, raw emotions to spill onto the page. The downfall, is not having as much time as I would like to finish the emotional scenes.

It's physically, emotionally and mentally depleting working yourself up to write a personal insufferable and impassioned scene ... being prematurely ripped away from the computer ... before letting it all out, is disturbing. Being forced to stop prior to completing ... is almost as tormenting as conjuring up the images and memories necessary for writing the scene. You can try and bring yourself back to that moment again, but you will never replicate the same heavy-hearted, poignant awareness or memory. Once the fleeting trance is gone, it's lost. I hope that made sense.

This Month's Question:

November 1 Question: Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?

Hmm ... I've participated four or five times. I've completed it (won) twice, and none of my books have been published. Now, when I say I've completed it, I have to admit, the mess I've written has taken me a year to revise. But, that's probably because I never prepared for NaNo in the past. I always thought it was cheating and clearly it's not.

Be sure to visit the official Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) site.

And Give Alex Cavanaugh, the Founder and creator a great big thank you.

And don't forget to stop by and visit, and thank this month's co-hosts. Alex wouldn't be able to keep this going without his wonderful co-hosts (actually, he probably would, he's just too nice). But, this is a lot of work, so stop by and spread your gratitude.

Stay connected on Twitter @TheIWSG and hashtag #IWSG

Are you participating in Nano this year?

If you're doing NaNo you can find me Melissa Sugar on NaNo - Let's Be Buddies

I can always use an accountability partner. Do you need one? Or Motivation? Inspiration?

Tulane Law School In Greece (A Special Memory)

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 04:50:00 +0000

Letter A - Appendectomy

In Memory of Steven D. Carby

July 30, 1966- May 26, 2017

Getting Sick on the Greek Island Spetses: A Tiny Island With No Cars. Steve and I Didn't Speak Greek and No One at the Hospital Spoke English

Steve, my boyfriend at the time, later became my husband ... not just once, but a couple of times. My mom loved to tease him. Every time he did something she didn't like or whenever they argued, (I need to preface this with Steve's personality. He avoided conflict like an STD), and everyone, including and especially Steve avoided conflict with Barbara Sugar. She messed with him ... teased him, and she would say something like ...

"Well, you're the idiot who keeps marrying her." "You must like misery, Both of you. Can't get enough of each other. Did Ya'll even make it all the way down the courthouse steps after the last divorce before you ran back up and got the judge to waive the three day requirement and marry you again on the same day?" It's a sickness you two have."

But she meant it all in good fun. She truly loved and adored her son-in-law. She loved him while we were married, separated and divorced. She loved him when he moved to another state. She sent him care packages during our first divorce, it was only a couple years. She and my sisters traveled to visit him. My entire family loved him. He remained family throughout the divorces.

I mentioned to many of you last April that I was planning on writing short memoir essays for my A -Z Theme for Lee's Annual A to Z Challenge.

Quite a deviation from my usual Crime Fiction Theme - A to Z, but knowing that my children's father was extremely ill with cancer I wanted to share some funny and poignant stories so they would always have them. Maybe not in April, but one day. But ... it didn't work out. Steve's health declined much quicker than we anticipated. We spent the next month and a half getting the one kid ready to graduate and off to college and basically preparing our kids for their dad's death. It came in May.

I'll shut up and just share my stories.

"My stomach is killing me. I need a doctor."

"How the hell do I get a doctor?" Steve answered. "We're on a remote island, in Greece. No cars." He flung his hands into mid air. They stopped next to his ears with a pronounced chop "Shall I ring for a horse and buggy?" His face fell with heaviness into his tense hands and he massaged the pressure with his middle and index finger pads. "Toughen up."

He ruffled my hair. A feeble, but meaningful attempt. He didn't know how to comfort me.
Stretching my cheeks into a smile for him tightened my stomach muscles and I doubled over grabbing the bed side table for balance. Please god don't make me cry in front of this boy. But how much longer could I hold it in. This wasn't like my period pain or any other pain or cramps I'd suffered. Every intuition and every spark of my brain told me I needed urgent and critical help. But, I really liked this guy.

We'd only been dating for one semester of law school when we embarked on this surreal trip. It started out as far- fetched as all of our other dreams and fantasies A group of ten or so law students sitting in one of our apartments talking 'bout traveling to Ireland or Australia or well yea ... who knows. So we had this giant cork board and we planned and we mapped and we started with ten in our group. Ireland, Scotland, Paris,all the good catholic boys voted for Ireland. Ya'll remember that, Marty, Matty?

Me ... I didn't care. I just wanted to go. And I wanted to go where he was going. He ... being Steve. The amazingly good looking kid in my living room, with way too long hair. The guy I pretended I didn't like. The dude I tried to convince my sister, who was so in love with him, oh gawd she had the hots for him, and I pretended that I hadn't even noticed him.

I said, "Who him?" As I casually glanced around Ricks Tavern in East Lansing Michigan.
"Yea." Ash repeated. "The really hot one that can't take his eyes off you."
"Oh, I don't know. I don't even think he's good looking. Do you?"

Who are you kidding girl? Me, I guess, because the boy who pretended not to notice me and the dude I pretended wasn't cute ... well ... we just happen to end up walking out of the bar at the exact same time that night and we literally fell into each other and began kissing.
Not just kissing. I mean going at it. You remember making out?

Now for those of you unfamiliar with E.Lansing, it's very freezing cold. We landed in the bushes, rolled around a little. Every time we stood back up, we kissed some more and fell back over. Still not exactly sure how we ever made it safely home to the fireplace that night.

Oh my ... the fireplace. Thats' another story. But ... It was in the living room of my rental home on Beech St. in E. Lansing. The front door had a square window at the top of the door. If a curious person/peeping tom/voyeur/snoop were so inclined they'd probably grab some of the bricks from the patio, stack them up and stand on top of them and see inside the little square pane. Perfect view of anyone who might have chosen to take advantage of the romantic fire on a bitter, bone chilling cold Michigan night.

But I digress...

My weak legs wobbled against the table. My balled fists clenched into my stomach. Damn I hope that Flying Dolphin or air ambulance or whatever the hell they call it gets here. I may not make it much longer.

"It's probably the water you've been drinking, like you're a native. I warned you. You're still a tourist, you know. You'll be fine in the morning." He added with a sigh.

His face belied his words.

An hour later, Steve summoned a doctor with the the help of his hands, the universal language. Neither he nor I spoke any Greek and over seventy-five percent of our law school class, studying abroad from Tulane, left earlier that day for a weekend excursion to Turkey.

The injection ... of what -- is anyone's guess, failed to subside the pain. The female doctor reminded me of a gypsy. The gypsy witch doctor failed to ask me any of those pertinent medical questions that have become so standard in the US, I can recite them. You know ... the basics:

Are you allergic to any medications?
When is the last time you had anything to eat?
Have you consumed any alcohol
What medications are you currently taking

Here's the kicker:

The doctor that the hotel sent for didn't even inquire about my medical history. I could probably play her role. She mashed the palm of her hand on my stomach and I cried out, She repeated the same on the opposite side and I hollered and my back came off the bed. If I hadn't been so weak, I would've bolted from the room. Not a single question to access my pain or symptoms.

I suppose that was an impossible task considering our language barrier. So, she gave me an injection of something for an unknown/undiagnosed illness. I prayed it was strong enough to knock me out so I didn't feel the pain. I wanted to wake in the morning and the whole incident be behind us.

Two grueling hours later, the pain increased. Bent over, my head and shoulders tucked into my waist, gasping for each breath, my legs teetering and trembling unable to hold me up for longer than a few minutes at a time, I pinned Steve's cobalt blue eyes with my own, I said in an unrecognizable voice that sounded like I'd gargled with razorblades, "Steve, please. Help me. I'm serious."

By now the pain had crawled and wormed its way all the way up my chest. I knew the situation called for extreme measures, but I didn't know how to get Steve, easy going, minimizing Steve into panic mode. This is definitely the guy you want around facing most emergencies. No one wants a person who can't handle a crisis. On the other end of that spectrum is the guy who never has a sense of urgency.Something is terribly wrong now. I know it, I''m straining -- gulping for each breath. The pain that originated in my lower belly has snaked its way higher and higher and is rising into my lungs. Why is it getting hard to breathe? I must calm myself down or I'll have a panic attack and then I'm totally screwed. But, I know this is more than just a panic attack. I need medical attention. Now, This is a critical mater.

"Steve, I'm having hard tine catching my breath. We need to get to the mainland ... to a hospital. Please. Quickly." I snagged his elbow and lead him toward the boat dock. Shit I cannot do this all by myself. The pain keeps climbing. This higher the pain gets the more I hunch over just to walk. My head and neck are down toward my pelvis. Why the hell didn't we take off with everyone to Turkey? Oh god I'm scared. I don't want to die. I want my mom. I really want my mom and I can't even call her.

"This better not turn out to be gas or constipation," Steve whispered into my ear, loud enough for the transport team to hear.

"Shut up. It's not."

With one arm he reached underneath and scooped me into his arms, carrying me the last few feet of the dock to the flying dolphin "Sea Ambulance."
He shook his head back and forth once he slid me into the patient's seat and the EMT people took over strapping me in. He's embarrassed. That SOB. I can't believe, I could be dying here and he's worried about what these assholes might think. These people he'll never see again.
I cut my eyes at him. He got the message.

"What?"

"I could be dying and ..."

"Sorry, it just seems a little much don't you think?"

I closed my eyes for the forty five minute ferry over choppy breakers. Each wave sent a jolt of sharp electricity through my body. When we had to cut in or out of the wake I felt a serrated knife gutting me like a fish. The pain pulsating in my eardrum.

The first hospital couldn't help and sent us on our way in another ambulance. Now we were traveling in the backseat of a Mercedes,which had been deputized an "ambulance." I didn't know anything about the driver and I certainly didn't know if he had medical training. And we didn't have any other people with us (no aides or staff, etc) Driver in the front seat, Steve and me in the back seat. We drive for 4.5 to 5 hours at accelerated speed through winding mountains of Greece. I'd stopped complaining hours ago. I wanted to live and if this man could get me to a hospital then I stood a chance. The curves at such a high rate of speed were painful.

Losing hope and becoming weaker each minute, we locked eyes and I spotted the fear in Steve for the first time.

"I'm dying. I'm not gonna make it, am I?"
He couldn't look me in the eye. He buried my face into his chest and we both cried. He swore to me that he was going to get me to the hospital.
I held onto to my grasp of his wrist.
We made it to the hospital, I was far too weak to share his enthusiasm. I don't remember much, but I begged Steve not to let them operate on me and I'll never forget him telling me that they operated on people back in the cowboy days and I'd be fine.

I was told later that the Doctor, who Steve talked to only once, actually trained at the University of Chicago, ran from the one operating room, holding my appendix, telling Steve that he saved me from the hands of St. Peter. It wasn't my time to go that day. Steve watched another man die of a heart attack as they parked his ambulance in the shade (no air in the hospital) and the hospital only had one operating room (they call them something else over there), but anyway, they take the most critical patients first. I will forever be haunted by that. A man died of a heart attack while I was being operated on, because there was only one room.

I remained in the ICU for 11 days and I have lots of stories, some are quite funny, some will turn your stomach. I actually received excellent medical care and when I checked out, my bill was only $7 American Dollars. Wow, imagine what that would have been in America. Steve wasn't happy about his bed pan duty for everyone in the ICU -- apparently no one empties the damn things, so he did it for everyone, followed by lots of Lysol.

Luckily this was during the world cup, so he made friends and they went out for beer and Gyros at night.You don't need to speak the same language for that. I remained in ICU. This story has much much more so I'll revisit it during another letter.

I wanted to point out that the man I married and the father of my kids had a chance to run, we had only been dating a short time when we traveled around the world together for a semester of law school in Greece. He was a stand up guy, then. May he rest in peace. I hope my kids are fortunate enough to get all of his good qualities.

Stay tuned and come back for letter "B"

Insecure Writer's Support Group

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 04:46:00 +0000

The Insecure Writer's Support Group:

Holy shit on a stick ... with mustard and onions. Now I know I'm getting old. I can no longer blame the lighting in my bathroom or the "fun house" mirrors in my bedroom for my wrinkled forehead. I guess the doc telling me I didn't need Botox anymore (nope he wasn't paying me any compliments ... he flat out said my "thick" forehead skin no longer reaped the benefits of Botox injections.) He wasn't lying. It sure wasn't lasting the six months it was supposed to. Admittedly, there's no one to blame but myself. Growing up in the 80's and taking my first grown up trips without parents in there 90's, I visited every beach we could afford to pack 15 people into one Holiday inn and live on beer and peanut butter. We spent the rest of our money on olive oil and aluminum foil. No sunscreen for this wild girl. Uh-huh. Olive oil got me darker and the tin foil accelerated my tan. What in the hell was I thinking? My skin is paying for it now.

Six years! Thank you Alex. If I didn't feel insecure before I began writing this ... I do now, Lol

Six years of writing and I'm not yet published.

Six years. But I have-not been consistent with my writing and that's on me ... just like the wrinkles from earlier bad choices.

I've had some starts and stops. The first few years I just wrote organically, (stream of conscious, I suppose some call it). Like I said, I didn't know much about the craft.

Then I got serious about my desire to write a novel. And I began studying the craft. I think I read every book written on the subject. Some were extremely helpful and remain on my bookshelf and in my Kindle for easy reference and some ... well not that great, but this isn't a review. I took online courses and attended writing conferences and learned how much I didn't know and needed to learn.

I met so many fabulous, gifted, talented and helpful bloggers/authors along the way so I don't regret any of the the lost time. I don't consider it lost time.

My family just seemed to suffer through several subsequent tragedies and I lost that oomph I had in me-- that spark -- that driving urge to write. The intense need to write diminished a little more with each tragedy. This past year, preparing my kids for their dad's death, I couldn't even force myself to write a blog post much less a scene for my WIP.

One day, a few weeks after the funeral, My youngest son asked me (out go the blue), "Hey mom whatever happened to the books you were writing?"

Say what?

Color me shocked.

I whipped my head around.

"What?"

"Why don't you write anymore? You were the happiest I've ever seen you when you were writing.?"

"Really?" I managed another one word answer, unaware he even knew mom's dream of the best seller list.

"Yea. You used to sit in the car for hours waiting for my friends and me at soccer practice or the skating rink or anywhere really. Just a writing. Every time you walked in my room late at night you had that notebook in your hand, but you had a giant grin on your face. You loved it. You seemed so ..."

He hesitated, pondering. I dared not interrupt because that's what we argue most about now. So I waited ... and waited.

"Content. Yea, that's the word. Happy for sure. but man, mom you were so content. And I bet dad wants you to publish your book and quit moping around."

I needed a good cry, like belting out wet sobbing boo hoo tears, but I held them in.

I already had my son, cheering me on, giving me "the pep talk," My son, the kid talking me out of my funky mood with a story so he didn't have to come right out and say, "Hey mom, get your shit together. I don't have a dad. My sister left for college.

No more lifetime movies and bonbons on the couch. Let's pull through this."

What a wake up call. That and realizing the IWSG is on its 6th year. So a great big shout out to Alex Cavanaugh my blogging hero/ninja for giving me the courage to keep coming back.

The Next Contest Sounds Amazing. How many of you are Entering

But the one I'm really excited about is the Show Us Your Writer's Insecurity Contest

It's been so long since I posted, I know I'm no longer on the IWSG list. Maybe I can add my name again

Oh, and I almost forget my good news ... well sort of good news. Nothing is good news when it pertains to death and losing someone you care for. But, I started writing again and it has blown me away how I've been able to channel my grief into my WIP. I write for hours and don't even realize half the day is over. I had my first ever 11K word day. And my scenes (rough draft) but the visceral, raw emotion is real, spell binding. I'm often in a trance. This is the best way to work through my grief. Good thing I'm writing a suspenseful , domestic thriller and not romance or comedy.

Valuable Tips For College Moms & Kids: Surviving the First Year

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 00:14:00 +0000

I'm Proud! So Why am I so Damn Sad?

First of all, I'm back from a lengthy hiatus. For those of you who know me or may have heard on Twitter or IG, my kids dad died this summer. He was only 50. He died from colon cancer. He had it a few years ago and we thought they had removed everything and that the chemo got the rest. He did well for a few years. We got the sad and tragic news last October. It was back and had metastasized to his liver and lungs. Anyone familiar with cancer and the stages knows what that means. However he was still doing remarkably well. He took the kids skiing over Christmas and never appeared sick ... even while skiing the black diamonds. Most of his friends, colleagues, clients and family didn't even know he was ill. Steve worked up until close to the end. Some of you may remember that I was going to change my A to Z theme this year and write short memoir essays so my kids would have pieces of their dad, their dad and me, and the entire family in writing to always read. They didn't know how sick he was in March, when I wrote my pieces. Unfortunately, I had to back out of this year's A to Z, as Steve became terminally ill in April. He had an operation to place a stent into his liver. The first was unsuccessful, they replaced the metal with plastic, but he never got any real relief and things went downhill from there. I just wanted to let you know why I dropped out and where I've been. My kids needed me. I waited until I was fully committed to writing before returning to my blog. I intend to share those A -Z stories here, just as regular posts. I hope you will read them. They're special to me.

Whoever said when you reach down into your own raw emotion, the visceral emotion flows onto the page -- nailed it.
Painful to write, but the first time I've ever felt emotions oozing from every pore. It taught me how to tap into my own emotion for fictional scenes, but that's another post.

We Didn't Teach Her Enough About the Value of a Dollar

I'm Worried ... Afraid

So ...

I'm Sharing 1-5 Unparalleled, Innovative, Survival, Weekly Tips For College Students & Parents. (Beginning Next Week)

This is what we've been working our butts off for so long ... college. Kids out of the house. Kids earning advanced degrees with all their integral super-tech iPads, iPods, iPad Mini, MacBook Pro -- "Oh Parental Figures we must have the foremost, indispensable super, uber cool tech devices on the planet, less some other geek pass us by, leaving us in the dust ( FYI , that means living at home after we graduate from junior college).

Oh hell no. We'll take out another mortgage on the house if need be. What's the difference if we're on number 6 or 7 anyway? I mean, it's too late for us. We screwed up our lives. We filled out all those credit card pamphlets during college registration (just for kicks really), I mean, c'mon ... who in the hell, or in their right mind, or with any financial sense what - so - ever - would ever approve either your dad or me for a major credit card?

Let's see. Here is a breakdown of our application.: FOR REAL! No joke

Name -----

Address: Dorm - University

Age: Dad 17 Mom (Almost 17)

Current place of employment: Student
Are you a full time student: Why yes I am
Apparently back in the good ole days - the pre "my credit sucks days" The title full time student carried clout and exempted the applicant from the ordinary requirement of needing a job. Said job which provided income. Income which enabled said student to make at least the monthly minimum card payments ... while still digging him/herself into a giant financial hole that this student's parent neglected to explain. All that compounded interested and crap.
A simple, "Money is not free, you idiot." Would have sufficed
But I suppose my parents assumed since I graduated top of my high school class, scored in the top percentage on both the ACT and the SAT, that I'd figured that one out ... on my own.
It's rather self explanatory ... isn't is?

Wrong! Wrong! Oh how very wrong!

No on ever claimed that book sense = COMMON SENSE.

Nope. They are two mutually exclusive animals. I speak from personal experience.

Back to the application. A few more minor questions which assured the lender I had never worked before ... did not own any stocks or bonds ... didn't have a savings account, then I signed my name and dropped the pre-stamped envelope in the mailbox.

Yup kids, this was during that prehistoric time before the laptop💻 and other mind altering📡 electronics. You may have seen one before. They're blue and the window opens like a giant 📪 mouth and it swallows your letter. And get this ... once it eats your mail, you cannot get it back. That would be a crime.

What's really cool about the process is that as soon as Visa approves your application and gives you some ridiculously low line of credit like $1500, your student P.O. Box becomes inundated with credit card applications.

Don't balk at the fifteen hundred. Some were even less. Some were a grand. Some credit lenders took a risk and extended a heftier line of credit to broke college students. Anyway, for a college freshman, that's like winning 100K in Vegas, especially when your measly monthly allowance is $500 bucks. How many of you remember a life of beer and Ramen noodles?

Wow, Now you can order Ramen Noodles from Amazon. But Why?Click on the Amazon button on the photo for your very own package. They sure ain't 10 cents anymore, but still dirt cheap. I'm thinking of sending some to my daughter at Ole Miss in a care package as a joke. I wonder if she'll like them?I think they're an acquired taste, plus I'm not sending any beer to wash them down.

My biggest challenge wasn't preparing for an Algebra exam that wouldn't occur for another three weeks. Heck no. I had to study the local pubs and bars to find out who had the best happy hour prices so my friends and I could eat and drink without spending a dime all week by hitting the free happy hour buffets.

More Visas, Master Cards, American Express ... hint (no freaking limit) Discover, and that's just the main cards. Every department store in America and a few I'm pretty certain don't exists begin filling up your mailbox. If you're even remotely stupid like we were, what do you do? Your eyes glaze over and you think of all the "FREE" flat screen, smart television sets, apple computers, iPods and other gadgets you can't live without. Then when that Newman Marcus 💳 comes in, you update the hell out of your wardrobe. Now you're styling .

Why have all those cards if you aren't going to travel? "I've never been to Europe you tell your then boyfriend - later husband, father of this fantastic, bright kid headed off to college. You know the one you're both praying doesn't make 1%of the mistakes y'all did or do any of the reckless and dangerous things you two did. Ding Dong ... but then you remember, she's the genetic make up of one half of you (oh poor kid, no chance of ever having any street smarts) + one half of her dad. And warning flags and light bulbs

go off until your head spins like the kid from the Exorcist.

She's smart. Bright. But, also the same daughter, when you told her you didn't have any money ... just last year ... she actually said "That's okay mom, just write a check."

You inquired if they had taught her about insufficient funds or "hot checks" in school?

She said, Nope."

Cut from the curriculum along with cursive handwriting, so teachers could teach the more important matters. She said ... and I quote:

"Mom, Ms. ------ (I left that teacher's name blank intentionally. First, because, I can't be responsible for what I may say about her and secondly because I don't think it's fair to hold her up to ridicule. It's not the teachers fault that that the school system decided to cut some fundamentally important classes from the curriculum).

So, Ms. ___said, "There's only so much teachers can do with students during the few hours we have them. It's about time parents joined the parenting party. From now on, parents will be responsible for teaching Adulting 101 to their own kids. It's about time parents stepped up to the plate"

I nearly ran the car off the road, I laughed so hard. I mean, I get it. It's true. Teachers can't do it all. It's hard enough in some public schools to ensure the kids get two hot meals per day. But the way my kid spoke and how she used her exaggerated hand expressions. It was spot on.

Someone needs to teach our kids about money. Why shouldn't it be us ... their parents? I don't mean to turn into one of those wacky helicopter moms who makes your college aged kid call or text you five times on his drive home (a three hour drive) and BTW asking your kid to do that or expecting him to ALWAYS ANSWER YOUR CALL OR TEXT ... immediately, or within like 2 minutes is actually dangerous. Kids get in accidents trying to stay out of trouble for not returning mom or dad's texts quickly enough. I've seen some kids shake with anxiety when they get a text from their mom.

Oh, and please don't ask your high school SENIOR (who's never even broken a rule) or done anything to make you not trust her/him or your college aged student to send you a "proof photo" when they tell you they are at a movie or at dinner or at Target. It's humiliating, shameful, degrading and I PROMISE YOU ... ALL THE OTHER KIDS ARE MAKING FUN OF HER. No wonder she has anxiety and depression issues. No wonder her boyfriend breaks up after the 4th PROOF PHOTO -- I mean 4th date.

OK I started this about the damn credit card applications that seemed to be a rite of passage back in my college days. We even got Diners Club? Say what? Who knew? Well, we maxed that baby out all right.

Do credit card companies still bombard new students with a plethora of card applications that a one legged, lying dog, in the middle of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy could qualify for?

I hope not. Like I said, we want our kids to benefit from our mistakes ... by not making them. Do we need to have extremely serious talks with our grads who just started college about turning down all the credit being thrown their way?

Or is credit much harder to come by these days so our kids are safe from the credit hounds who could potentially ruin the future credit of a teen with their first set of plastic. We all know what that feels like. Monopoly money. If you don't have to actually pay for it right then, for some reason it doesn't seem to cost you (especially your much younger self, money).

Until the bills start taking over your student union mailbox. And the calls home begin.

"Dad help. I don't know what happened. These people said something about free for 60 months and now they want my money. Help me daddy. They are threatening me." You cry.

Dad says, " And you graduated with a 4.0? A perfect score on the math part of your SAT? What part don't you understand?"

Of course today the kids just text and the words don't make sense anyway.

5 Common Credit Card Mistakes College Students Make

How many of you have kids in college? Any college freshman who just started? Are you scared? Worried Happy? Sad? Mixed emotions? Have you had the big financial talks?

I'm going to share one to five (1-5) tips each week that will help parents, students or both.

Not your average, run of the mill tips you can get anywhere. I'm offering selected, emerging tips based on lifestyles that kids lead today. Powerful, proven tips to keeps your kids safe and allow parents to worry less.

Let's survive college together (again)

Have you ever noticed that when we grow up we tend to forget what it was like in high school? College? To have dated? Had our first crush? Sneak boys in the house? Sneak booze in the house? Sneak out of the house? I run into so many old friends and meet so many new friends who act like they have no idea what their kids are doing. I know that I'm not the only parent who remembers what high school and college were like. I told my kids a long time ago that they'd have a really hard time ever trying to pull a fast one over on me or their dad ... because anything they ever tried to pull ... believe me ... we'd either done it ... or tried to pull it off. I told them to forgot about coming home with any nonsense like "Oh my breath smells like beer because I kissed my date goodnight and he had a beer."

They knew better than to try and fool us. We tried every trick in the absurd book when we were young and remarkably we didn't forget a single stupid thing we did wrong or a single stupid lie we tried to tell our parents. So, I don't know if some parents choose to bury their heads in the sand or maybe they have forgotten what they did as adolescents. Not me. And I will use my knowledge, stupidity and memory to ensure my kids don't make the same mistakes I did. I want them to have fun, but I also know it's a different world today. I have rules, not that many and they know my rules and so far ... so good.

I'm working close with my daughter, not as a helicopter mom, but with her dad's death this summer, we've been forced to make some major adjustments. I'm also going to walk some students through the Rush/Recruitment Process, if you're interested. I realize this is a much bigger deal in the south, but you're all welcome to visit. I've missed so many of you.

My kids and their dad

A To Z Blogging Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:41:00 +0000

The 2017 A to Z Blogging Challenge is Knocking on the Door

Can you believe another year has flown by?

It is time for the annual A to Z Blogging Challenge once again.

Most of you know that there are some major changes to the challenge this year. The challenge has grown to such an outrageous number ... which is a good thing, but, it's become nearly impossible for the co-hosts to keep track of all the participants on the linky list each night. I had no idea how long it took each group leader to go through their portion of the list looking for spammers, and for those who simply had to drop out for legitimate reasons. Many of us have been there. It's one hell of a challenge. Not for the weak. I mean for those of us who've been doing it for years, we know what we're getting into. Even then, if we don't write our posts a month in advance, all it takes is a bad week at work or a sick kid and the walls start closing in. Now just imagine what it must be like for the newbies signing up for the first time.

Suppose they don't have a theme. They didn't pre-write any of their post. They wait until April and off to the races they go. They write and publish that first post. They're feeling good. They click over to the sign up list to visit the five blogs below them as they were instructed to. But, while skimming the sign up list they come across several other blogs that attract their attention way more than the blogs they're supposed to read. So, they hop around for a couple of hours reading and commenting.

They look at their watch. Damn. It's nearly midnight and they haven't read the blogs they were supposed to read. They haven't written tomorrow's letter B post either Oh, they think, I'll write it in the morning and publish in the afternoon. They check their own blog and see that they have ten comments. Wow, this is cool. So, they feel compelled to visit those blogs. But, I have to sleep they think. In the morning they visit the new blogs instead of writing their post, It doesn't get written until the next evening. Each day they fall further and further behind until one or two days of having to work late and that's all it takes to drop out. Or one week with a kid home with the flu. It happens. I promise.

And the co-hosts have to monitor the linky list like they're the linky police.

Every single time one of the 2000 + people drop off for a legitimate reason or a spammer gets us, they have to remove their name, their blog and the link to it. Then we all get renumbered. Just thinking about it makes me tired.

In the past when I visited a blogger who used a different platform than blogger, you know like Wordpress or Tumblr or some other, and they couldn't just click on my name or photo and be directed to my blog, I would tell them in my comment: Hey I'm number 655 on the sign up list. Now I feel like such a fool because I didn't realize once the challenge was underway that number wasn't constant. It was always changing.

I missed the Theme Reveal this year. My theme is always Crime Fiction, but I'm considering something very different. I will post about my theme change prior to April 1.

In case you are not aware, there is a linky list over at Blog Chatter and Lee, the brain child ... creator of this challenge, Arlee Bird over at his blog, Tossing it Out, has another. You may want to check those out. Blog Chatter is also on Twitter@BlogChatter

Be sure to read this post on the A to Z Site If The List Doesn't Exist - A to Z Challenge

So what are you doing to keep track of your blogger buds (new & old) during the challenge, without the list?

NaNoWriMo Check in: Day 17

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 20:35:00 +0000

Hey All You NaNo Writers:

Day 17 of NaNoWriMo:

For those of you participating in NaNoWriMo 2016 I just wanted to check in & see how everyone is doing.

Me: Well we're past the half way mark and I'm on schedule. I'm at 39, 070 words. Fortunately, I took advantage of the first week and managed several high word count days. I still haven't had a Rachel Aaron 10K Day, but thanks to Rachel's website and her amazing book 2000 to 10,000: How to write faster, write better, and write more of what you love. I had a few 5K days. This really helped out, because this past week it's been hard to find writing time. If I hadn't jumped so far ahead the first week, I'd be behind now.

I also attribute my writing fast success to author Lisa Cron and her amazing book Story Genius. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. Cron changed the way I pre-plot and my writing has benefited. Knowing so much about my characters and their backstory enabled me to write faster and better. I haven't suffered writer's block ... not once since implementing Cron's technique. Visit her at Lisa Cron: Wired for Story

I'm psyched about her Story Genius 10 Week Course. I'd hoped to sign up for her course after NaNo, but I'll have to wait until the next course is available. I might look into her Story Coaching and Consulting if I finish my psychological thriller/domestic noir NaNo story: The Next Wife.

So, those of you participating in NaNo, how's it going.

Have you participated in any of the Twitter #NaNoWordSprints?

See you all in December. Happy NaNo'ing

NaNoWriMo 2016: Are You Writing a Novel This November

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Sugar) — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 03:46:00 +0000

It's Time for NaNoWriMo Again:

NaNoWriMo 2016 Begins November 1, 2016

NaNo began in 1999 with few writers and it rapidly spread to over 431,000 writers tapping away on their keyboard last November 2015 - (almost a half a million) with one thought in their heads:

Get across the finish line. Complete a novel. Write 50,000 words. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Do we write 50,000 words of crap? Can those words be revised and edited into something that resembles a halfway decent manuscript. Ask the plethora of people who've landed agents and publishing contracts from their NaNo manuscripts and they'll tell you, "Hell Yea!"

Many others have a dim view and less favorable opinion of the work they produce while cramming words together in one month. I suppose the outcome of your novel has much to do with the amount of planning you put into your novel prior to November 1st. But wait, you say ... isn't that cheating? I thought you weren't allowed to begin writing until the first day of November.

True dat!

Very true. And in the past, I did zilch, that's right, nada ... nothing ... until day one. Then I opened my notebook (I'm still a pen and paper girl who gets her creative spark when the pen touches the paper) so I have to write my manuscript by longhand and then transcribe it onto my laptop. Double work. I'm getting better. I brainstorm my scenes in longhand and now I'm able to type the first draft.

But, there's nothing in the rule book that prevents us from doing a whole lotta prep work prior to November 1st. I wish I had culled this or practiced this during my first few attempts at NaNo. You can work on your character charts, character backstories, your premise, concept, plot points, pinch points, plants, set ups, reveals etc. If you're writing a mystery or thriller you can try out a a few different villains and potential endings. I don't just do work ups on my protagonist, I also do an extensive work up on my detective and my villain. I gleaned this from the book I just finished reading, which by the way is one of the best books on the writing craft I've ever read and I've read them all.

I just completed Story Genius by Lisa Cron and I can only say I wish I had read this amazing book at least two months prior to NaNo. Lisa Cron has changed the way I think about writing character arcs and how to tie the character's past into the story so that readers will truly care about your story. Plot is nothing if readers don't resonate with your characters. If your readers don't know why your character is doing something or what the impact or consequence is for the character, then readers won't care about your book. That is as simple as I can state what she so brilliantly lays out in her book.

If you buy only one writer's craft book this year, buy this book. If you only have time to read one chapter before you begin your NaNo project, you must read and learn how to apply chapter 7.

Read more about Lisa Cron Here. She is also the author of Wired For Story.

Angela Ackerman highly recommend Lisa Cron's Story Genius Author Accelerator Course

Pros & Cons of NaNo:

Pros:

You learn discipline, whether you finish your manuscript or not. You learn the BISHOK ...butt in seat, hands on keyboard, mentality. Writing close to 2000 words per day is bound to teach you discipline. It's like participating in the A to Z challenge. Anything that requires writing every singe day, is a good thing, in my opinion. You don't have the option or luxury of procrastinating. For me, this is benefit numero uno.
It feels good to get your novel out of your head and onto paper or on the computer.
It's rewarding to know you can accomplish such a challenge
Once you complete NaNo, all of your ideas that were stored in your head, on sticky notes, your iPhone, tablet, scattered notebooks, torn off pieces of scratch paper, and god knows where else ... now they are all organized in one place.
You give yourself permission to write quickly and write badly which allows the creative, right side of your brain to overpower your inner editor and when you read back through what you/ve penned you will be amazed and some of the juicy tidbits and nuggets that you've written. You will write in such a frenzy that you won't even recognize some of the raw, powerful, visceral work you produced.
You will become a better writer, regardless of whether your book becomes published
You will have a complete book, ready to revise, come December 1st.
Once you complete NaNo, all other writing contests, will seem so much easier. Writing your next book will be much easier.
You writing craft will improve
Once you've completed NaNo, you know you can meet a deadline
You have permission to shut the rest of the world off. Your spouse and kids get to take care of the housework, cooking, cleaning, dog walking and more for just one month. When that sign is up that says "Do not disturb." They know better and chances are they will bring you dinner, coffee, wine, chocolate or whatever it is they know you love.

Cons:

Technically, the rules require that you begin a new novel. You are not permitted to work on a manuscript that you've already started. So, if you're knee deep into a novel and you're really hitting your stride, making damned good progress ... do you want to stop that forward movement and lose your motivation to begin a novel that you don't know anything about? It can be a distraction. You have to choose what's best for you. I made the wrong choice two years ago. I couldn't stop thinking about the novel I'd been working on. It occupied my mind the entire time I tried to concentrate on my newer work. At the end of November, I attempted to revise the mess I made in November. January came and went and I never really felt the same strong pull toward that original novel. It's now shelved.
For those of your who work during the day, and have a family and other obligations, 2000 words per day can be a difficult task. It's frustrating when you get further and further behind.
If you're a regular blogger, you'll need to decide whether to skip the month of November altogether or prepare your posts in advance. You won't have time to visit many blogs for leisurely reading and commenting.
If you travel for the week of Thanksgiving or have house guest for that entire week, it can add enormous stress to your life.
Because you are working against the clock to put numbers (words) on the board ... your finished product will be crap. But, all first drafts are crap.

In my opinion the pros far outweigh the cons. You'll never know if you don't try.

If you need some help or tips getting started. The best place to turn is Writers Helping Writers

Check out their NaNo Triage Center

Raimey Gallent is hosting a NaNoWriMo2016 Blog & Social Media Hop

If you're not already a member of One Stop For Writers Now would be an excellent time to join.

Jami Gold has a boat load of advice to help you with NaNo

Don't do NaNo without Roz Morris' Doing NaNo? Nail it With this Resource Kit

Kristen Lamb's NaNo Success Kit

And probably the most comprehensive list of tips I've come across, don't miss Kelsie Engen's 23 Tips & Resources for NaNoWriMo - She's broken it down into 23 relatively short post. You can skip around and find the posts that are most helpful to you. But, do read this blog. You won't be disappointed.

So, what's the verdict? With only 4 days left? Are you in or out?

Do you have any tips to share? Pros or cons?

If you're participating, how much prep work do you do in advance? What's are you writing?

I'm writing a psychological thriller/domestic noir.

Title: The Next Wife

Something different than my usual legal thriller. I have a great idea in my head, but I'm still working on the pitch. Hopefully I'll have it narrowed down to one line, under 30 words by Monday so I can try it out on you. I'll need some feedback. No need to be kind. Agents won't. So let me have it.

Sugar Crime Scene

E - Evidence

Letter E Stands for Evidence:

How To Get Away With Murder:

Here are a few murders/violent crimes that were solved because the bad guy was sloppy and left evidence behind.

A to Z Challenge -- Letter D: Your "Do Not" List

How To Get Away With Murder: Letter D

Your Common Sense Don't List:

A Few Choice Ideas for your Venue:

Then you're going to prison!

How To Get Away With Murder -- Leave Your Cell Phone at Home

2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge: Letter C

Today's Tip to Get Away With Murder is brought to you by the letter C from the A to Z Blogging Challenge

Privacy?

"Hey Siri."

Google: How to dispose of a body

What to do with the dead body? Letter B #AtoZChallenge

How to Get Away With Murder

Letter B is Dead Body? What do you do with the body

Now what? What the hell do I do with this bloating, smelly, decomposing body?

When there is no body.

Letter A - Alibi 2019 #AtoZChallenge

How To Get Away With Murder:

Letter A — Alibi

2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge

A to Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal -- 2019

A to Z Blogging Challenge is Celebrating its 10th Anniversary

Wow! What an amazing accomplishment. Most failed marriages don't make it to the big 10.

How To Get Away With Murder?

"They"

They said.

Well I hope to hell they are right.

Crime Fiction

I've put a spin on my usual theme.

My Theme Has a Twist

How To Get Away With Murder (or not)

How To Handle Obstacles & Major Setbacks

How Do You Handle Major Setbacks

You can see from my previous post that I failed to complete this years A to Z Blogging Challenge.

A to Z blogging - Letter J: Jury Nullification

Letter J - Jury Nullification:

Is Jury Nullification Legal?

Is it morally or ethically right?

During closing argument, a good prosecutor will always remind the jury that they "Must follow the law, whether they like the law or not. They can hate the law, disapprove of the law ... but this ain't the time to quarrel with the law or try and change the law."

Jury Nullification ... is the power to nullify a verdict? Is the power to nullify a verdict the same as the right to?

Do juries have the right to nullify?

There is no question that juries clearly have the power to nullify, but do they have the right to nullify?

Compare & Contrast to the Florida Jury Instructions:

Jurors must learn of this power from outside sources such as the television or from lawyers or other jurors.

Do you support or oppose jury nullification?

A to Z Blogging - Internet Connection Delay

Ugh - Another Problem

Letters H & I -- Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

Letters H & I

Letter H - Holly Lisle

Remember the sentence by (PACTS) PACTS = Protagonist with a need vs Antagonist with a need in a unique setting with a twits.

Letter I - I Have a Mystery for you -- Guess the Culprit for an Amazon Gift Card

Who do you think stole the video Poker drop money?

Letter G - Gideon Vs. Wainwright -- Landmark U.S Supreme Court Case

A to Z Blogging Challenge - Letter G

Gideon vs. Wainwright (1963)Right to Counsel, Due Process

Face of the Case:

Holding:

This was the beginning of what many referred to as the Warren Court Rulings

Letters H & I tomorrow

Letter I is the first chance to win an amazon gift card.

A to Z Blogging Challenge: Letter F -- Favorite Writing Resources

Update: Letter F

Originally scheduled to offer readers the first opportunity to solve a Mini Mystery for chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Today you get Letter F:

Tonight Letter G

Tomorrow Morning Letter H

Tuesday Afternoon or Evening Letter I

And the next chance to win a gift card is for the Letter K.

Some of my Favorite Writing Websites, Writing Tools, & Resources for Fiction Writers:

Letter E - Elizabeth S. Craig

Letter E

Today's Letter is Easy & a quick read for you. A quick read because you'll want a lot of time to read the links I'm sending you to ... after the blogging challenge of course.

Letter E is for a Website/Blog that as a writer/reader I can't live without. This amazing mystery author compiles a weekly list of the best blog posts for writers/authors and she covers everything. By everything I mean

Letter D - Minimize Your Risk Of Becoming a Date Rate Victim

Gideon vs. Wainwright (1963)
Right to Counsel, Due Process