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​This week on The Writer's Detective Bureau, foreign language interviews, long-term undercover investigations, and witness protection. I'm Adam Richardson, and this is The Writer's Detective Bureau.

Welcome to episode 52 of the writer's detective bureau, the podcast dedicated to helping authors and screenwriters write professional quality, crime-related fiction. And this week, I'd like to thank gold shield patrons, Debra Dunbar from debradunbar.com, CCC. Jameson from ccjameson.com, Larry Keeton, Vicki Tharp of vickitharp.com, Dharma Kelleher of dharmakelleher.com, Chrysann, Jimmy Cowe of crimibox.com, and Larry Darter of larrydarter.com for their support.

I'd also like to thank my newest coffee club patrons Ann Bell Feinstein, Zara Altair, Terry Thomas, and Carol Tate, along with all of my other loyal coffee club patrons for their support month after month. You can find links to all of the writers supporting this episode in the show notes at writersdetective.com/52. And to learn about setting up your own Patreon account for your author business, visit writersdetective.com/patreon, P-A-T-R-E-O-N.

​If you're new to the podcast or you haven't subscribed to the APB mailing list yet, it's a once a month email from me that's just a handful of curated links to things I think you will like, or at least will find useful for your crime fiction writing, things like news articles for story inspiration, white papers from think tanks about anything from advances in CSI or technology or best practices or blog posts from writing experts, things like that. So if you're interested in getting an email from me once a month with those things, you can join by going to writersdetective.com/mailinglist.

So when I launched this podcast nearly a year ago, I started out wanting to help as many writers as I could, and I was just a detective with a microphone. Okay, I had a few hundred writers that would read my blog, but they weren't necessarily podcast listeners. One year and over 25,000 downloads later, 25,000 times, writers like you took a few minutes to listen, writers from 62 countries and 49 of the 50 states plus the district of Columbia. And by the way, what's up, South Dakota? Are the Badlands really that bad? Come on, show me some love. I know you've got crime writers in South Dakota.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I am grateful for you, so thank you so much for listening and sending in questions each week for me to answer. When I started my blog in 2015, I started with the same number of readers or listeners or viewers as every other creator out there, and that number was zero. If you're a writer, you started there, too. You may feel like you have zero readers now, but so did every other writer, and not just when they started out. It takes years of work, of honing any craft, to get halfway decent enough to even be noticed. So do not judge your skill or your worth especially by the size of your audience or by the reviews on some marketplace or any other vanity metric.

Create every day and ship out your work. It needs to be going out in the world to get noticed. And even then, being noticed does not matter. Stats do not matter. You can skew stats. Take my stats. 25,000 downloads in a year. What does that really mean? My best estimate is that I have 500 friends like you listening to me right now being one of those friends. I have 500 friends that listen each week. That's not some huge number, especially if we're having some sort of popularity contest. It doesn't make me Internet famous. It doesn't land me advertising deals, but nor does it mean that I'm a failure. It means I have 500 people like you holding me accountable every week to create an episode. It means I have a real reason to improve at whatever I'm creating and where there are five, there are 50 which will become 500, 5,000, and so on.

And it's a pretty good thing that we do most of our learning and our screw ups when we have those five or 50 or 500 fans, rather than making those big beginner mistakes that we all make with five million people taking notice. So enjoy the creation process. That is key to persisting. Creating is what matters. Getting better, moving forward is what matters. Learn your craft and block out your time to create. What you do today creates your tomorrow.

This week's first question comes from Louise Barton who writes, "Dear Adam, I listen to your show on the way to work. Thanks for taking the time to answer so many interesting questions. Your podcast gives me loads of food for thought. I want to set a story in France. My detective needs to interview two witnesses to a death, but they don't speak French, only Arabic or English. My detective also speaks fluent English, so could I conduct the interviews in English, but I'd like to know whether, generally speaking, there are any legal requirements with nationals of other countries to conduct interviews in their native language. Would a detective be allowed to use a foreign language, in this case, English for conducting interviews and then perhaps have the recordings of the interviews transcribed or translated into French at a later point to comply with legal requirements?"

Thank you for the question, Louise. You have two competing issues here. First, you need the witness statement to reflect the actual intention and meaning of the witness to capture the most accurate description of what happened. So naturally that would occur through the statement given in a witness's native tongue. And this also brings up the issue of how effectively the investigator can adequately question the witness. And by that I mean if both are trying to communicate with each other in a secondary or tertiary language, a lot of information or description can be lost along the way.

I don't know of any formal rule that requires an interview to be conducted...                                                                                Continue reading...

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This week on The Writer's Detective Bureau, occult killings, private eyes, and releasing a crime scene. I'm Adam Richardson, and this is The Writer's Detective Bureau.

Welcome to episode 51 of The Writer's Detective Bureau, the podcast dedicated to helping authors and screenwriters write professional quality crime-related fiction. This week, I would like to thank Gold Shield patrons Debra Dunbar from debradunbar.com, C.C. Jameson from ccjameson.com, Larry Keeton, Vicki Tharp of vickitharp.com, Dharma Kelleher of dharmakelleher.com, Chrysann, Jimmy Cowe of crimibox, and Larry Darter for their support. I'd also like to thank my newest Coffee Club patrons, Ann Bell Feinstein, Zara Altair, and Terry Thomas, along with all of my longtime Coffee Club patrons for their support. You can find links to all of the writers supporting this episode in the show notes at writersdetective.com/51. To learn about setting up your own Patreon account for your author business, visit writersdectective.com/patreon. ​

We are about two and a half weeks away from the one year anniversary of this podcast. It's amazing how quickly this year has flown by. So August 6th is the big day, and I will be doing some giveaways as a thank you to you guys for listening. So be sure to listen to episode 53, which will drop on August 2nd, for the details on how to enter for a chance to win a few different gifts just as a thank you for listening to the podcast. You do not have to be in the United States to win. I will send you your stuff wherever you are in the world. I will also announce the entry details in the APB email that will be going out on August 1st.

So if you are new to the podcast or haven't subscribed to the APB mailing list yet, the APB is a once a month email from me that is just a handful of curated links, the things that I think you will find useful for crime fiction writing. It'll be things like news articles for story inspiration or white papers from think tanks about technology or best practices for investigations or just blog posts from writing experts, things like that. So if you're interested in getting an email from me only once a month, you can join by going to writersdetective.com/mailinglist.

This week's first question comes from Mark Salis. Mark writes, "Hello there. I need to know anything and everything about investigations regarding cults. How do the investigators proceed when a crime scene for a murder has evidence of ritualistic and occultist practices? Is it okay to bring in consultants to cases like that, such as people who understand religious and esoteric symbolism? Thank you so much."

Thanks for your question, Mark. Yes, the detectives definitely could reach out to experts in ritualistic or occult practices relating to the murder, but it would not be a primary thing on their to-do list. They're still going to do the typical things that happen in that first 48 hours. Doesn't mean that they won't contact them in the first 48, but the presence of some sort of occult influence, it could very possibly speak to the motive of the murder, but it doesn't severely change the way a murder is investigated.

So these consultants or subject matter experts would not be brought out to the crime scene or anything like that. They may be shown specific articles of interest or articles that were seized as evidence or even potentially some pictures of the crime scene, but they would not be brought in as if they're a new member of the investigative team. But don't let reality get in the way of telling a compelling story by any means.

In any "who done it" murder, the investigative team will hold back the disclosure of some aspect of the case. They use it as a way to vet whether or not a potential suspect actually has firsthand knowledge of the crime...                                                                     Continue reading...

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This week on the Writer's Detective Bureau, therapy, overdose, and veiled threat. I'm Adam Richardson and this is the Writers Detective Bureau.

Welcome to episode number 50, 50? Holy cow. Episode number 50 of the Writer's Detective Bureau. The podcast dedicated to helping authors and screenwriters write professional quality crime-related fiction. This week, I'd like to thank Gold Shield patrons, Debra Dunbar from debradunbar.com, C.C.Jameson from ccjameson.com, Larry Keeton, Vicki Tharp of vickitharp.com, Dharma Kelleher of dharmakelleher.com, Chysann, Jimmy Cowe of crimibox.com and Larry Darter for their support. I'd also like to thank my newest Coffee Club patrons, Ann Bell Feinstein, Zara Altair, and Terry Thomas, along with all of my longtime Coffee Club patrons for their support, month after month. You can find links to all of the writers supporting this episode on the show notes, at writersdetective.com/50. And to learn about setting up your own Patreon account for your author business, visit writersdetective.com/patreon. P-A-T-R-E-O-N.

50 episodes. Man, where has the time gone? These last 50 episodes have flown by and honestly they have been a blast, so thank you so much for listening to the show and sending in your questions week after week. And speaking of sending in questions, I think some of you are reluctant descending questions. You don't have to listen to the entire back list of episodes. I mean, I encourage you to do so, but you don't have to in order to send in a question. If it's been asked before, I may cover it again or I may send you a thank you note with a link to where it's all ready been answered. Either way, you will get an answer. It may take some time, but I will get you that answer eventually. Even if it's a question I've answered before, it may allow me a chance to go on a tangent to cover a topic that we haven't talked about before. And more importantly, it isn't a stupid question. There are no stupid questions. Okay. Actually that's a lie. There are stupid questions, but they usually come from stupid people and stupid people are not my audience. You the smart, well-read, slightly off-kilter, lovers of mystery suspense and the occasional serial killer investigation. You my friend are why I do this podcast week after week. So put your double brim Sherlock hat on and send me a question right now. You can go to writersdetective.com/podcast.

Okay. Well I really wanted to do something big for this 50th episode, but being the time crunched part-time procrastinator that I am, I ended up working two 18-hour days yesterday and today, or I guess by the time I get this podcast published, it will be yesterday and the day before. I promise one of these days I will start batch recording these episodes. Anyway, yesterday and today we're mainly spent driving from one end of the state to the other and back. And on the drive, I started listening to the audio book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb. Without giving you any spoilers, it's a bout a therapist going to therapy. Not only is it like laugh out loud, funny in many parts. It's very poignant, I guess would be the way to put it. It is not a self-help book, it's more of a memoir, but we get to learn from her through the process.

And the people she describes in this book who I assume are amalgamations of real people with names changed to protect the guilty and they're peculiar personality traits. You can't make up the things that are described. I mean, sometimes truth is more amazing than fiction, but some of the personality traits that she describes are so spot-on...                                                                                                  Continue reading...

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This week, on the Writer's Detective Bureau, mass shooting aftermath, partners, and inside a detective office. I'm Adam Richardson, and this is the Writer's Detective Bureau. 
​
Welcome to episode number 49 of the Writers Detective Bureau, the podcast dedicated to helping authors and screenwriters write professional quality, crime-related fiction. This week, I'd like to thank my gold shield patrons, Debra Dunbar from debradunbar.com, C.C. Jameson from ccjameson.com, Larry Keeton, Vicki Tharp of vickitharp.com, Dharma Kelleher of dharmakelleher.com, Chysann, who is @chrysanncreates on Twitter, and Jimmy Cowe of crimibox.com, for their support. I'd also like to thank my newest Coffee Club patron, Larry Darter, for pledging his support, as well as all of my longtime Coffee Club patrons for their support, month after month. And special thanks to Marco Carocari for upping his monthly pledge. You can find links to all of the writers supporting this episode by going to the show notes, at writersdetective.com/49. And to learn about setting up your own Patreon account for your author business, visit writersdetective.com/patreon. P-A-T-R-E-O-N. ​

As I record this, it is July 5th, 2019, and I am stunned at how quickly this year, even the last few weeks, have flown by. We are already in the second half of 2019. Now, this week has been especially busy for me, and I have, admittedly, lagged in getting the June APB email out on time. So, if you are an APB email list subscriber, expect it to hit your inbox on Saturday, July 6th. Speaking of which, sending out a monthly mailing list on the last day of the month was not one of my smarter ideas. So, this upcoming email is actually going to be titled the July APB, rather than June. So, you're not going to be missing one, it's just going to... hence forth, they're going to arrive the first-ish day of the month and be appropriately named for that month. I know this sounds logical now, and I apologize for taking so long to get this sorted out. If you aren't on the APB, you can join by going to writersdetective.com/mailinglist. 

And one of the things that has my head rattling around, right now, is putting the finishing touches on my upcoming book, the Writer's Detective Handbook: Criminal Investigation for Authors and Screenwriters. The e-book version is currently up for presale, but rest assured, yes, there will be a print version. Since this is a reference book, and some of us require longer arms for reading, I'll put it that way, I am working on making it available in a large print format, since most bookstores won't allow me to shrink wrap a free pair of reading glasses to the cover. Ah, the joys of getting older. So, I will let you know when that becomes available for presale, the print version, and those of you that subscribed to the APB and opted in to help with the book, you will be getting a sneak peek from me in the... I want to say early August, the very beginning of August. So, to pre-order the kindle e-book, you can go to writersdetectivebureau.com/book, and I will let you know when the presale for the printed book is up. ​

All right, now, onto this week's questions. I have the best patrons. They show up week after week, with questions for me. And this week's first question comes from Coffee Club Patron Amanda Feyerbend from amandafeyerbend.com. Amanda asks, "What are the policies and procedures for handling the aftermath of a mass shooting event? Who investigates the crime? Is it a team effort between local detectives, FBI, DHS, et Cetera? If it's in Georgia, would the GBI get involved?" Now, GBI stands for Georgia Bureau of Investigation. "In my work in progress, the shooter escapes before police can arrest him. So, there is a concern about more attacks occurring. Thanks for all you do." Thank you, Amanda, and thank you for the question. More often than not, the response and the investigation are the local agency's responsibility. As chaotic and awful as mass shootings are, and I don't say this to be flippant...                                                                                Continue reading...

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​This week on the Writer's Detective Bureau bio-terrorism, state-level investigations, and having your back to the door. I'm Adam Richardson and this is the Writer's Detective Bureau. Welcome to episode 48 of the Writer's Detective Bureau, the podcast dedicated to helping authors and screenwriters write professional quality crime-related fiction. I'd like to thank Gold Shield Patron, Debra Dunbar from debradunbar.com.Gold Shield Patron, C.C. Jameson from ccjameson.com. Gold Shield Patron, Larry Keeton. Gold shield Patron, Vicki Tharp of vickitharp.com. Gold Shield Patron, Dharma Kelleher of dharmakelleher.com. Gold Shield Patron, Chrysann who is chrysanncreates on Twitter, and my latest Gold Shield Patron, Jimmy Cowe of crimibox.com for their support. I'd also like to thank my newest Coffee Club Patrons, Chris Shuler, Kelly Garrett, and Brandon Jones, as well as all of my long-time Coffee Club Patrons for their support month after month. And special thanks to Marco Carocari for upping his monthly pledge. You can find links to all of the writers supporting this episode by going to the show notes at writersdetective.com/48. And to learn about setting up your own Patreon account for your author business. Visit writersdetective.com/patreon, P-A-T-R-E-O-N.

We are fast approaching the end of June, which means the June 2019 APB will be hitting your email box in just a few days. And if you would like to join hundreds of your fellow listeners in receiving crime fiction related writing content like links to articles and videos and white papers that I personally curate for my followers every month, you can join the mailing list too. You can do so at writersdetective.com/mailinglist. I'm a big fan of privacy so I never share your email addresses and it is 100% spam free. And speaking of privacy, encrypt your Internet connection. I know we joke about deleting our Internet search history as crime fiction writers, but you can truly keep those searches private by using a virtual private network to encrypt your Internet traffic and even choose which country you want your Internet connection to appear from. So you can get the VPN that I trust and I use for less than $4 a month by going to writersdetectivebureau.com/VPN.

Elizabeth writes, "Hi, I love your podcast. I discovered you through your interview with Joanna Penn. My question is, what agencies would investigate an attempted bio-terrorism attack? I feel like the FBI and the CDC are given, but with the FAA or TSA be involved if the bio-terrorism attempt involved distribution by a plane, like a modified Cessna? What about Homeland Security? Would any local agencies be involved if the attempt occurred near a major metro area? Thanks for all the excellent help and advice you give the writing community." Thank you very much, Elizabeth. I really appreciate that. Yes, they would all be involved, at the local level, the state-level and the federal level. I'm sure every alphabet soup agency we have in the United States would be involved one way or the other. FBI, DHS, which is Department of Homeland Security. You name it.

In the example, you mentioned TSA and FAA. I should mention real quick that the TSA is one of many agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security. So technically, by having TSA involved, you have DHS involved, but I'm sure many agencies within DHS would get involved. Terrorism in any form is one of the big huge things that would pretty much activate anyone. The FAA certainly would, just like we saw in the immediate aftermath of 911 grounding all aircraft. But as the author of your story, you can pretty much include any agency, federal, state, or local that you want in this. Everybody's going to want to have a hand in it. The FBI would ultimately have the overarching lead on the investigation as any kind of domestic terror attack is their formal jurisdiction. So you can create or craft how other agencies get involved pretty much however you like. I think it would be pretty realistic...                                                                                   Continue reading...