Pictures from my booksigning

My first booksigning.
April 14th, Barnes & Noble, Orlando, Florida

Catherine Kean, Dara Edmondson, Terry Odell

Roxanne St. Claire, Louise Gouge

photos by Daniel Odell

My characters are taking over

What I'm reading: The Woods by Harlan Coben

What I'm writing: Chapter 22

Yes, I did move far enough forward with the writing to open my Mystery Guild box. I have the newest releases by Harlan Coben and Jonathan Kellerman. I definitely was motivated to get back to my routine at the Y. Thanks to Mr. Coben, I would have been happy to pedal a lot longer, although in deference to my back, I took it a little easier than usual.

My What's in a Name? characters have usurped my turn at the Cerridwen Press author's blogsite. If you'd like to meet them, pop on over here. And here

on Reaching Turning Points

What I'm reading: Kill a Painted Pony by Kelsy George

What I'm writing: Chapter 32

First -- Check out my May contest. I'm giving away one of my Wild Rose Press short stories (winner's choice). To enter, email me something you learned in my interview at The Romance Studio. More details on my website.

A very writing oriented day. First, our RWA chapter meeting hosted mystery writer Nancy Cohen (Bad Hair Day series) who addressed the business aspects of writing -- and we all lamented that writers are expected to be responsible for promotion, which eats up much of our precious time. The discussion carried over into lunch, after which I met with my critique partners. It was a brainstorming day, and they reassured me that they saw no problems with my hero and heroine being apart, and that my hero didn't need to be larger than life and I could have one of his partners save his life without making him appear weak. Until I started writing, things like that never bothered me--it seemed right for the story, but then doubts started to creep in.

Once we hashed out this turning point scene, everything slid neatly into place, and I'm ready to rock and roll at the keyboard.

I also got two books from The Mystery Guild, but I'm not opening the box until I get the next scenes written. I'm going to shoot for double my word minimum until I finish the book. Since I've had a pretty good idea of how the book will end, I think I can get there before I go on vacation in June.

Civilian Police Academy - Class 10. 4-legged deputies

Last night we went out to the horse barn and met some majestic members of the Orlando Sheriff's Office. The horses are used in community relations, crowd control, crime prevention and ceremonies. Our speaker pointed out that deputies on horseback are eight feet tall at the very least, which makes them an imposing presence, not to mention most people will back off when over a ton of horseflesh with teeth and hooves is coming at them. Most of the horses are donated, and there's no specific breed requirement, although they do have to be able to handle the weight of a deputy plus all his equipment.

Both horses and riders go through rigorous training. These horses have to be able to remain calm during shoot-outs, when helicopters hover overhead, when sirens blare, and through smoke and other inclement conditions. As our deputy pointed out, they carry the same equipment as any other patrol officers, except their radios are waterproof. We got a peek at some of the different personality traits of the horses. Some ignored us, others wanted to see what was going on as we toured the barn. And pity the poor deputy who gets thrown. Their pictures are displayed on the wall in the tack room -- inside a toilet seat frame.

After horses, we got to meet Major, one of the new K-9s. His handler filled us in on the basics. Major is still young and in training. Dogs live with their handlers, and when a dog retires, the handler has the option to keep it. All the patrol dogs are German shepherds, most bred in Europe for the bloodlines. Research has shown these animals are 'cheaper' in the long run, because they come with a warranty as well as a proven pedigree. Unfortunately, the American bred dogs had a high 'unusable' rate, which made them costlier in the long run. There are also a couple of bloodhounds in the unit. All the German shepherds are trained first in obedience (and many arrive with this basic training already covered, although handlers have to learn to give commands in German. The dogs quickly become bilingual.). After that, they're trained in patrol duty, and they LOVE to chase bad guys. Catching them is their reward. After basic training, they can pick up one of four specialties: bombs, narcotics, search, or cadaver. Major will be a narcotics dog according to his handler.

Deputies who make it into the K-9 unit usually spend the rest of their careers there. They love it, and it's a coveted assignment. And, just as people will get out of the way of a horse, the threat of a 110 pound German shepherd with very large, sharp teeth is a great incentive to surrender. Even without the teeth, the sheer momentum will knock a grown man down.

Any questions?

Shameless Self-Promotion

Hop on over to The Romance Studio. I'm one of their featured authors for May. Holly asked some great questions (meaning it was tough to answer them!).

I especially like that she let me talk about the work I do for the Adult Literacy League. After all, if people can't read, then they're not enjoying my books, are they?

Civilian Police Academy class tonight -- a road trip to the horse barn! Keep watching this space.

First Review for What's in a Name?

I was Googling and found my first review for What's in a Name? A nice surprise.

Romance Reader at Heart.

WHAT?S IN A NAME? by Terry Odell is a well-written, intriguing novel filled with plot twists and turns that kept me riveted from beginning to end. It is all that a romantic mystery should be, and then some. ....

WHAT?S IN A NAME? by Terry Odell is a suspense-filled tale that unites strangers, uncovers deceptions and shows that love, regardless of the names of its participants, knows no bounds. I enjoyed every word, and if romance with a hearty helping of suspense appeals to you, you'll love it, too.
.....Kay James

Civilian Police Academy - Class 9, Part 2: The bottom line

Still dealing with that pesky back muscle.

Our next speaker was with the Fleet/Facilities Management. I, for one, was very impressed with the way he makes sure the county gets the most bang for its buck in everything they purchase. The Sheriff's Office has 1897 vehicles, and they rotate them out by auctioning them off and using the funds to help buy new ones. They have to be 'certified' police cars, so they can't go to any manufacturer.

Before they decide on what kind of car to buy, they meet with the engineers, they check with the Michigan State Police Report that tests all vehicles, and they'll take a car, have drivers test it for 3 days in the local SO driving school, then bring it to the shop for a complete evaluation. If it passes, it'll go out for bid. Right now, they're buying Chevy Impalas. The classic Crown Vics were going up in price and down in resale value.

Interesting to learn was that although they have a complete auto shop, the S.O. sends the cars out to Jiffy Lube for every other oil change -- it's cheaper. But in between, they have their own mechanics do a complete check.

And all I did when I wanted a new car was read the Consumer Report evaluation and go on line to find a price and dealer!

We also found out what happens when a deputy is in a crash. In addition to the requisite paperwork, they go before a 20 person review board to find out if they should be charged. On the basis of trends, the S.O. may also change its training. For example, they were getting a lot of crashes in intersections where cruisers were running with lights and sirens. However, the public wasn't stopping. So, now cruisers have to stop at intersections.

In addition to all the vehicles, the department is also responsible for every piece of equipment a deputy drives, shoots, wears, flies, or rides on. They have to determine what to buy. Anything over $750 must go out for bids. Annual inventories (almost 20,000 pieces) must be done visually. They're working on a bar code system that will computerize the process. If an officer loses something, there's another review board process.

A tidbit I gleaned for my writing is that the building areas are secured via electronic locks, which are opened via a "proximity card" each deputy carries. No keys. The plan is to get these chips imbeded into their ID cards and to have the computer system able to update who's allowed to go where, without having to physically update the card. I can see some interesting plot developments brewing.

I think our department is doing a great job with our tax dollars.

Civilian Police Academy - Class 9, Part 1: Drugs

A rather mixed bag at class Tuesday -- and sorry I'm so late reporting, but I yanked a back muscle and computer time is limited. I'm also getting submissions ready for the agent and editor from SleuthFest

We started with a report from the head of the SID - Special Investigations, which handles about 98% of the undercover operations. It's divided into 2 groups. One's main focus is narcotics, and the other is the fugitive squad, which deals with the likes of 60,000 active warrants. They don't have a specifically designated Vice squad -- everyone works vice, and it's linked closely with the drug trade.

As with everything else, manpower is limited. This department does a lot of cooperative task force work; they consider task forces the most efficient way to get things done.

The next speaker was an undercover narcotics deputy, and he was, like everyone else, enthusiastic about his job. One major job quality--being able to talk your way out of anything. He also reported that violent crimes are almost always linked in some way to narcotics. Our fair county has the dubious distinction of having, overall, a much higher quality of drugs. When they get here, they haven't been cut as much and there are a lot of overdoses. Aren't we special. We're also a great place for money laundering.

And we learned that about 70% of all drugs coming from South America are consumed in the U.S. Oh, yes -- Orlando was also one of the first cities where Ecstasy hit the scene.

He went through all the categories of drugs, with examples, pictures (powerpoint, though -- no 8x10 color glossies with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one), as well as the amount needed to charge the suspect with trafficking. Intersetingly enough, there are times when the amount is higher at the state level than the federal, and in those cases, they're delighted to have the cases handled by the feds, which has much stricter penalties. Just like with everything else, catching the bad guys is not the same as getting them off the streets.

More later -- can't sit at the computer too long or my back stiffens up.

More SleuthFest

A few more bits and pieces from SleuthFest --

The session, "Knives, Guns & Other Fun Things" wasn't what I expected. Instead of seeing (and maybe playing with) weapons, our speaker told us about identifying weapons used in crimes. Basically, they look at two kinds of toolmarks: striated, when a tool moves across an object, and impressed, when it leaves an impression. "Tools" aren't just hammers and screwdrivers, but this is the term they use for everything used in committing the crime, from guns to baseball bats.

He was a stickler for correct terminology. What most of us call a "bullet" isn't. Only the bit that comes out the front is the projectile. There's the powder and the casing. He didn't like the use of the term "clip" either. It's a magazine. And "ballistics" is technically the study of a projectile in motion, not the analysis of whether or not a specific gun fired a specific projectile. "Slug" was another term he didn't like (even showing us a picture of the garden-variety to demonstrate, although there are shotguns that shoot slugs.)

More terms:
Assault rifles: these are "select fire" weapons, which means they can be switched from semi-automatic to automatic.
Machine guns fire 30, 50 or larger caliber ammunition, and it's belt fed, and these are BIG weapons, needing some kind of tripod-like support.
Submachine guns shoot pistol ammunition.

He divides handguns into pistols and revolvers, although I've seen dictionary definitions that say any handgun is a pistol.

As a writer, the challenge becomes keeping the terminology accurate while maintaining what the reader understands.

Ultimately, as the other experts said, all identification is done by eye. He uses a comparison microscope. Computers don't do the final matching, people do. And while there are extensive databases, most of the time he'll use the local one because most of the matches come from there. People commit crimes close to home. However, there are state and national databases, and every now and then you'll find a gun used in a crime here that doesn't show in the local database, but can be tied to a crime committed in another state.

Back from SleuthFest ...

... and still not caught up. I might have to start doing quick bits and pieces posts. Excuse the ramblings.

Lots of mystery authors at all levels. Luncheon speakers were Rene Balcer of Law & Order fame, and Linda Fairstein. But each day was filled with panels made up of a variety of authors and other experts. I started with the "Scene of the Crime" track, and the first speaker was the Deputy Chief ME of Miami-Dade. She explained how to 'read' a body to determine when and where it might have died. She showed us what her job is (and how it's NOT CSI Miami). There were some who didn't take well to her graphic visual presentation, but having spent 38 years with a biologist, the bloated and maggot-covered corpses didn't bother me much. Her job is to determine manner and cause of death, and much of the time, she determines this by autopsy. She will go to the scene of the crime if she needs to, but most of her time is spent in the lab.

She filled us with interesting tidbits -- like maggot holes can look like bullet holes. She showed us pictures and had us try to determine how someone died.

Manner and Cause of Death are not the same. There are only 5 manners of death: Natural, Suicide, Accidental, Homicide, and Undetermined. Causes of death are not always cut and dried.

The next speaker was a 'real' Miami Criminalist who debunked a lot of the CSI Miami myths. We learned a lot about DNA and how they find suspects. Everything is based on comparing (and matching) an unknown sample (gathered at the scene) to a standard (where the origins are known). No fancy computers spitting out pictures of "the perp" The fastest anyone can get a DNA test done, which means the techs work round the clock and don't do anything else, is 2 days. She showed us the 'real time' for all the steps in the process. And the bottom line is that it's the interpretation of the piece of paper the last machine spits out that makes the determination, and it's always done by a human, and in fact, by two humans working independently. If they don't agree, they take the conservative interpretation.

She said that about 40% of the technology used on the TV show doesn't exist, or doesn't exist the way we see it. (none of those pretty computer shots of the suspect). The tests are expensive, and the backlog is immense.

At this time, only 44 states require DNA samples from felons.

Have to go now. More bits and pieces as I find time. One of the things I did was meet with an agent and an editor, who requested some of my work, so I have to get that ready to go!