What I'm reading: Dead Run, by P.J. TracyOriginally, I was scheduled for Jury Duty today. However, our system has all potential jurors check in the night before to see if their randomly assigned number will have to report. Mine wasn't on the list. I'm disappointed. Unlike most, who will do whatever it takes to avoid jury duty, including not registering to vote (although now they use drivers' licenses for the initial selection) I look upon it as terrific writing fodder, and just plain interesting. (And, who knows -- a place to pick up a few more readers!)
Although I avoid carrying any of my stories beyond solving he crime, I find bits and pieces I can use, although I'd be hesitant to set an entire novel in the courtroom, or even attempt a legal mystery. There are enough authors who know the in and outs from personal experience. Bur my detective consults always explain their process in terms of what they have to do so their cases will stand up in court. As writers, everything is research.I've served on several juries, including one drug trial in Miami, where they left us with a kilo of cocaine in the jury room. Believe me, what goes on in the courtroom is nothing like what we see on television. Another trial here in Orlando was a very simple "did the defendant know the item he was pawning for a friend was stolen property?' We turned in our verdict, and when the judge set the date for sentencing (which happens later), the prosecutor stood and said that date was unacceptable because the defendant was going to be on trial for murder on that day. No wonder there were some television reporters in the courtroom.
What I'm reading: Minor in Possession by J.A. Jance; Worth Every Risk, by Dianna Love SnellWednesday's Civilian Police Academy speaker provided some real-time looks at what the cops see on their computers in their patrol cars. (Kind of scary to see how many Code 3 calls were in progress). The system is virtually paperless; everything is done via computer. I also picked up a phrase that will have to show up in my writing -- someone asked the deputy what his most harrowing patrol call had been, and as he described the situation where there were armed suspects but nobody was sure exactly who they were or where they were, he said it was a real "pucker power" event. I'd hoped to have an information-packed post about my experiences on jury duty. I don't mind getting the summons. It's one of the last places where a true democracy is in place--where citizens can do their part. I also figure if I ever had cause to be on the other side of the jury box, I'd like someone like me on the jury. And, as always, I figured I could come away with some good writing fodder.Didn't turn out that way. Judges estimate the number of jurors they'll need based on their dockets the night before and turn that number in to the clerks, who then decide which folks from all the summons sent for that particular court date will have to report in. My number was within their range, so I got up early, dealt with the construction traffic on I-4 and did the lemming bit, finding the shuttle service from parking garage to the courthouse, the right entrance, and the security screening. There were 135 of us assembled as potential jurors. After a swearing in and stand-up routine from one of the clerks, we settled in to wait to be called. I'd hooked up with a high school media center specialist and a theme park employee, and we got acquainted as we waited. Well, they called exactly ONE panel yesterday, of 22 potential jurors. That was it. There must have been a lot of plea-bargaining going on. They even gave us nearly two hours for lunch. So, I had some pleasant conversation, got a bunch of reading done, but was more than glad when they released us all at about 3 pm.
