Walking Around Naked at Authors' Combat Academy

-- not for real, but it sure felt that way.

I arrived in Nashville, Tennessee for Authors’ Combat Academy and the whole weekend I felt like I was walking around naked. It was a little bit like that feeling you get when you’re dreaming about your glory days in high school, standing at the blackboard solving a problem for physics class, and you realize that you’re only wearing your underwear -- and it’s the orange and purple granny panties your mom bought you at a 10 for 1 sale at JC Penny’s. Yeah that dream – or maybe your reality. Hey, I’m not here to judge.

The reason for my distress was that I traveled for the first time by plane in fifteen years. I like to drive. I like packing whatever the heck I want to pack, pace my trip at whatever speed I want to pace, and tool around whenever I want to tool around. Okay, I just like control.

Remember this is a non-judgement zone.

Also, by driving, I would have avoided the drunken giant who sat next to me on my last leg, who opened with "Hey, my wife just left me, and I’m messed up – I hope I’m not inappropriate." 

"Dude. . . "(shakes head, takes notes for future novel.)

No car keys. No EDC (save my paracord -- which, by the way, came in handy when an instructor was building a booby trap). . .

Missing those things which I usually have on or about my body was really uncomfortable for me and left me with that "I forgot to pull on my pants" feeling. (And again, I’m noting this feeling for a future novel.) It was slightly discombobulating, a low hum of “something’s wrong”. But believe me, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the weekend that I just spent with the fabulous people at Authors’ Combat. WHAT A BLAST!

You all know that I am a HUGE, VOCAL, possibly even OBNOXIOUS advocate of hands-on experiences for writers. I know many of you, for reasons of health, location, and laws, may not get to try everything you’d like to in your novels, but I truly support and believe that if you can swing it, SWING IT! And Authors' Combat gave us the opportunity to do just that.

There are conferences that will put you in front of readers; they are important. There are conferences that will put you in front of publishers and agents; those are important. But honing your craft will make the agents more interested in your excellent prose and the readers thrilled with the realism that you are only able to capture when you know what the heck you're talking about. 

I was at 

AUTHORS' COMBAT ACADEMY to present. My talks included such topics as understanding the psychology behind violence and trauma. We also talked about how humans approach each other with the possibility that an interaction ends very badly, but also the path to a happily-ever-after at the end of your story.

Chief Scott Silverii, Sgt Derek Pacifico, Liliana Hart

There was a wealth of information available from professionals who did both presentations and one-on-one question and answer sessions with authors like --

Scott Silverii from SWAT ACADEMY and 

Lilliana Hart who has sold a bajillion novels (that translates to “shit-ton of books” here in beautiful Nashville) as an Indie author and their SILVERHART resources for authors. (I'm a member, are you?) 

And too, there’s an enormous amount of camaraderie that’s developed when you're being tossed (with your permission) to the ground and handcuffed by Sgt. Derek Pacifico from WRITERS' HOMICIDE SCHOOL, or learn to throw a knife from world knife throwing hall of famer Jack Dagger (hilarious, by the way. If you can get to his shows please do – and tell him I sent you. And if you can't catch his show  but your hero is throwing a knife to take down your bad  guy, Jack has a DVD on his website so you can try it at home and know how to write that move and make the knife stick). 

Jack Dagger - the importance of distance

Jack Dagger teaching the art of the knife throwing
 so now you know how to write it right!

Imagine, if you will, how edifying it would be not only to experience the hands on opportunities so you know:

the heft of a sword, how it reverberates after you hit a shield.

but you’ve also played with the weapons in the weapons room. You've had ninjas help you choreograph your big fight scene. You've learned how a self protection move can take down your bad guy. And you get to try it yourself!

Imagine that you got a chance to talk to Sgt Pacifico or Police Chief Silverii and you not only heard what an alpha males voice sounds like (it’s a particular timbre), but you've seen how they move about in a public space. You might notice that they choose their seats facing toward the room with their backs to the wall (and how subtly stressful it is for them when someone else takes the alpha seat first.) Talk about fodder for character development!

Or you got to hear Liliana Hart give the keynote that was deeply inspirational and affirming and made me want nothing more than to leave the room immediately and start putting words on the page.

Really good stuff.

Huge kudos to Eli Jackson and AJ Scudiere – what a marvelous, smooth, laid back, fun, interesting (delicious!) event they put on. I am so looking forward to going next year. And seriously, as soon as Authors' Combat Academy announces sign up for next year, mark your calendar (right now it's being planned for March 31- April 2nd) and stake your claim on a space. You definitely want to be here.

Upcoming hands-on conference that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND:

LINK

And as always, a big thank you ThrillWriters and readers for stopping by. Thank you, too, for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

What I Learned Playing a Victim at an Airplane Crash

That's me, the drowned rat, laying on the ground in a hangar at Richmond International Airport as a CERT member (more about that HERE), volunteering as a victim in a plane disaster.

That picture was taken three hours + into the exercise. I was wet to the bone and shaking uncontrollably. Hubby snapped the picture just before I laid down on my place in the triage black zone. 

I was dead. They ticked off the black box on my triage badge, and they gave me a time of death. 

Dead. 

But still incredibly cold.

Let me tell you how I got to that spot on the floor. 



The morning of the event was warm. I knew I'd be outside -- but outside and too warm is just as bad as outside and too cold, so I changed into some lighter pants and layers. As the rain started in earnest, and the temperatures dropped considerably, I grabbed hubby's coat from  the back of the van. Thank goodness. It was my saving grace. 

The clothes you put on your character/soon-to-be-victim are incredibly important to their outcome. 

FROM MY EXPERIENCE:

• Cotton absorbs and wicks fluids. That means even if your shoes have been water proofed, you will have puddles inside your shoes from your cotton socks.
• Wool is so much better - it wicks more slowly and even wet is warm
• Fleece - My coat was lined in fleece. My pants transferred water up my legs to my shirt and everything under my waterproof coat was thoroughly saturated/wringing wet (including my bras, ladies -- just sayin'). BUT Where I was covered with the fleece I was warm enough.
• While waterproof coats don't keep you dry underneath. What they do do is keep the wind off and help keep the fire foam at bay. 
• Leather absorbs water  but seemed (from talking to fellow victims) to be a warmer more comfortable choice than tennis shoes. The fire fighter said tennis shoes would probably have melted in the fire. Erp.
• Along those lines - according to USA Today travel tips - 

Stick to Natural Fabrics. Make sure your travel outfit is composed of natural fibers such as cotton, linen and wool. They are the some of the safest fabrics to have on in case of a fire. High heat melts synthetic fabrics such as nylon and polyester against your body, burning and blistering skin, while natural fibers turn to ash. Natural fabrics also keep you comfortable in normal flight situations, as these fabrics allow your skin to breathe, keeping you cool and comfortable in hot or humid conditions.

         Footwear -  Inappropriate footwear can pose major problems in the event of an evacuation. Open-toed or loose shoes such as flip-flops and other sandals can get caught on debris or wreckage or otherwise trip you up when you try to exit, and high heels can puncture escape slides. If you lose your shoes trying to escape the plane, you then are left with unprotected feet in an area that could be filled with sharp metal and other dangerous wreckage debris. Flat shoes or shoes with a low flat heel are ideal. Also make sure that the shoes you wear on the plane fit well, allowing you to be agile in an escape situation.

After our IDs were checked and we were bussed to the emergency site, we went through the procedures to find out our designated injury and stand in line to get moulaged (more about that HERE). 

This is what my assignment said:

Yup. My leg had been amputated in the accident. I went up for moulage to get in character. They held up the white face paint to make me "very pale" as per my designation and the makeup guy decided I was pale enough, he couldn't get me much paler. Nice.

They handed me my fake wound and sent me outside to the airplane.

Look at the picture just behind my head; there is a black square on the tarmac. That was a propane mat that they lit up as the fire crew raced to the scene. 

The fire fighters hosed the area down with water first. LOTS of water. LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of water. Then came the foam that burst from the ends of the hoses like a blizzard and suddenly the plane and everything around it looked like it was covered knee deep in snow.

A handful of us designated victims waded out to get on the plane. 

HOLY MOLY. 

The plane was extremely small inside - it was only used for practice; it was much narrower than you would think. It was burned out and smelled thickly of smoke. When they shut the door, it was very dark. Imagine if you will, the injured splayed out all over the place, moaning, screaming, begging. You couldn't see and all you could smell was fire.

Yeah, it was a little much. 

I like to think of myself as a brave(ish) woman  - but I just couldn't. This scene lit all of my "flee! run!" hormones up. I had to get out of there. Even though this was a training scenario, my adrenaline spiked, and I was sweating and panicked. It was hard to breathe that air. I can't imagine the horror of just the trapped feeling in a real emergency. 

I did what any smart heroine would do given the chance. I stood up, opened the back door and called for a ladder. The fire fighter chuckled and said, "Yeah, it can feel pretty intense in there." 

Yup. Pretty intense.

Out I went to the tarmac. I lay on the ground with my foot tucked up under my hip and my fake amputation stump Velcro-ed in place. It was raining pretty steadily, and there was already a lake on the tarmac from the water hoses and the foam. I was glad my tag said I was sitting up - others weren't so lucky.

Getting the very last victims processed - photo from CERT FB page

So here's what I learned. 

• There are a lot of people on a plane and so there are a lot of people who need help. You'll be laying there for a while - it's not going to go fast.
• It's chaotic 
• It's a carnival for the senses - the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations.
• People are odd ducks. And personalities seem to be amplified in these scenarios.
• It was 67 degrees - and it was FREEZING freaking cold. I can't imagine what it would be like in the winter in the rain/snow/and lower temperatures. The tarmac is exponentially the temperature of the day. (I did a bomb scenario at the hospital last summer, and we were out on the black surface with the temperatures in the high 80s. People weren't faring well - their skin was getting burned and blistering where they lay against the ground.)
• The foam that they sprayed was odd. Very odd. It didn't go away like soap bubbles in your kitchen sink. It floats on top of the water and sticks to you - but doesn't pop right away. I'm still not sure how to get it out of my hair. I found the picture below on Wikipedia so you could see what I'm talking about.

Firefighters sprayed foam on structures in the Mammoth Hot Springs complex on September 10, 1988. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• The backboards that they use to transfer you from one place to another are pretty narrow, and it feels like you're going to slide off. (I very much appreciated that the firefighters didn't grunt when they hefted me up.)The straps don't feel like they could stop you from falling - but that's a false sense. When I actually needed to sit up, my arms were secured down -- well, securely. Very securely.
• One of my tasks was to only speak French to the rescuers. That was pretty funny. 
• Each of the rescuers did the speaking louder and slower bit. But I stuck to it and only talked about "I can't find my husband; can you help me find my husband? I can't find my leg; can you help me find my leg?" and so forth. 
• One guy tried to mime "lay down", but it came off as one of those Italian gestures for "up yours." Maybe a few more miming classes for the new recruits. . .  
• One guy said in a very southern drawl, "Je ne parle pas francais, he he." (I don't speak French, he he) Then every few seconds, he'd look at me and ask, "Bien? (well?) he he." He was trying and obviously self-conscious - which was pretty sweet and much appreciated.
• They put ribbons on our arms (or ankles) and fill out your triage tag:
  

A system that has been used in mass casualty situations is an example of advanced triage implemented by nurses or other skilled personnel. This advanced triage system involves a color-coding scheme using red, yellow, green, white, and black tags:

• Red tags - (immediate) are used to label those who cannot survive without immediate treatment but who have a chance of survival.

• Yellow tags - (observation) for those who require observation (and possible later re-triage). Their condition is stable for the moment and, they are not in immediate danger of death. These victims will still need hospital care and would be treated immediately under normal circumstances.

• Green tags - (wait) are reserved for the "walking wounded" who will need medical care at some point, after more critical injuries have been treated.

• White tags - (dismiss) are given to those with minor injuries for whom a doctor's care is not required.

• Black tags - (expectant) are used for the deceased and for those whose injuries are so extensive that they will not be able to survive given the care that is available.

• resource
• As they got our colored tags on us, they got the ambulatory folks to walk inside. The rest of us were put on back boards or these carriers that looked like cots on very short legs. The fabric was a black mesh. They looked very comfortable and they kept those victims up out of the water stream. They moved us to stage for the ambulances. The red got the rescue squads first. So moving us was sort of like putting us in the taxi queue to wait our turn for the next rescue squad as they lined up to take their patient to the designated trauma hospitals.
• Blankets didn't show up until the end of the exercise when actors started having ill-effects from the cold and wet. One lady was hypothermic. I imagined that blankets would slow down assessments, but at the same time, shock can be lethal. I suppose how it is handled at an actual emergency would depend on the actual emergency.

• It was incredibly soothing on the scene to have an emergency worker talking to me. Calm friendly faces saying they are going to help really means something. At one point, a firefighter took off his coat and laid it over me to keep me warm. He had to grab it back all to soon when someone else was in worse shape than I was. But that he put himself in the wet weather for my comfort was meaningful to me, and I thanked him later.  That the rescuer attempted to speak French when he obviously couldn't was meaningful. The cop who figured out that I was miming and asking for my husband, and told me they would take good care of him, and we would be together soon, while he squeezed my thigh to keep me from bleeding out? Meaningful. Small gestures made by your heroes will make vivid memories (good or bad is up to you) for your character. And I would say from a psych POV make a big difference in the victim's recovery as well.

 A huge thank you to the professionals who keep us safe!

And as always, a big thank you ThrillWriters and readers for stopping by. Thank you, too, for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Invisibility Cloaks: On Writing Characters with Invisible Illnesses and Disabilities

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, my dear friend Joanna has joined us to talk about her experience with an invisible illness. It is not unusual for people to have illnesses that have a major impact on their lives that no one can see. Often, this kind of illness is discounted. For some, this is a mental health issue (brain chemistry issue); for others it is an autoimmune issue or other chronic and debilitating challenge.

One of my most popular articles here on ThrillWriting was about writing characters with physical disabilities. People like to read about characters with whom they can identify. Also, as always, I want to advocate the position that when we write, we educate. When we write, we normalize. 

We have so much power as writers. Including people from demographics which aren't normally included in stories is empowering, edifying, and interesting. It's a challenge to be sure.

Above, there is a tab called DIVERSITY IN YOUR CHARACTERS where you can explore topics such as economic diversity, nation of origin diversity, and ethnic/racial diversity , among other topics. 

Fiona - 
To start, can you define, for those who have never heard the term before, "invisible disability"?

Joanna
Yes, an invisible disability is a chronic condition that can't been seen readily by others. They may look normal to you for their age, but what you can't see upon first observation is that they have some kind of auto-immune illness or pain condition that can severely limit their abilities to function consistently as a "normal" person.

Fiona - 
Can you please tell us a little bit about your journey and your blog?

Joanna - 
Sure - I'm Joanna, and I live with chronic pain called fibromyalgia. In my, case, my nervous system doesn't work normally. It interprets input about temperature, activity, muscle soreness from exercise, normal joint pain from arthritis, exposure to allergens, sensation of fabrics, pressure, wind and emotional stress in an atypical way. 

For example, when I get too cold, I pass out and when I wake up I hurt all over. Or I have to be very careful when I go to the gym to work out because too many repetitions of weight lifting or too many minutes on the elliptical trainer has a delayed reaction with fully body pain 48 hours later that prevent me from standing for more than a minute at a time. I've been aware that my chronic pain experiences are not normal and have worked with many professionals and done my own studies over the last decade to find ways to manage ­­­­­­and live a normally functioning life despite my atypical nervous system.

My personal Reiki practice has been one of the main ways I've managed on my own - the principles helped me learn to let go of suffering and the relaxation practice helps me cope better with the pain. I found such relief and help from my practice that I spent years teaching others what I learned through a professional Reiki practice. I used to blog on a regular basis, but I am currently on a sabbatical to pursue other studies.

Fiona - 
A personal story - I remember being at the store one day and a woman wanted to know why we were using a service dog. I explained the dog's job was to prevent my daughter from having diabetic seizures. She turned and stared at my daughter and pronounced, "She shouldn't use the dog. she looks perfectly normal." Huh. 

Joanna look perfectly normal - beautiful, in fact. Why does this make your disability so much harder to deal with than someone where it is more obvious to the normal person's perceptions?

Joanna - 
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Well it's those asumptions that people make. They assume that because you look a certain way, you should behave the way they expect you to. It means they decide in advance that you are perhaps a hypochondriac, or you are exaggerating for attention, or they don't want to take you seriously.

And they take it personally when you don't behave like they expect, and get upset and angry at you.

Fiona - 
Scientific findings on  fibromyalgia is coming to light - but back when you were diagnosed much less was known - from your experience, did the doctors etc. support you or did they also diminish your experience?

Joanna - 
Great question. I believe the average length of time from when someone starts experiencing symptoms until they receive a proper diagnosis is something astonishing like 6 years, still. 

While I had an extremely supportive nurse practitioner who believed in my experience and sent me to many, many specialist - it took a very long time before the right diagnosis, medications and management plans were determined. One place we tried was a pain clinic, and I had a terrible experience. I went with my mother, who had been to this clinic previously with both my father and her mother with positive experiences. She was stunned to see how the doctors treated me - in my 30's but looking more like in my 20's - as a drug seeker and complainer - and did not take my complaints or description of my fitness routine seriously. My mom stood up for me, since she lived with me at the time and attested to the truth, but ultimately I decided to go to another pain clinic that could treat me more respectfully despite my age.

Fiona - 
I have never read a book where a chronic, invisible medical issue (outside of psychological issues) has been in the plot line, though it's rampant in our communities. I wonder why - what do you think? And what are the implications of not having those with invisible illnesses a part of literature, TV, and the movies?

Joanna - 
Well my guess is that only someone who experiences it first hand, whether in themselves or a loved one, would have a real perspective on what it's like - and those living with it are probably too busy to write a book or make a show! 

I suspect that mental illnesses are more well known at this point, and our media culture tends to glamorize (even in a negative way) psychological illnesses that lead to violence, murder, mayhem etc... It makes for an interesting story. 

Reading about the courage and willpower someone with an invisible illness has to summon up from her soul for years to get a diagnosis and then to just live with a condition that isn't going away and might get worse - that seems more like a tear jerker sort of story. Harder to write and to read. 

Our daily lives can be painfully tedious in how much we have to pace ourselves and be disciplined and make choices about how much we can do in any given day without costing us too much out of tomorrow. I imagine it doesn't make for an exciting story at all. However, by not portraying this struggle through media (very few celebrities come out with invisible illnesses as well), people stay ignorant and uninformed and prejudiced.

Fiona - 
You developed a Facebook group where writers might be able to connect with folks with invisible challenges so they can inform themselves and write their WIPs right. Would you share the name?

Joanna - 
It's called My Illness is Invisible but I'm Not
Fiona - 
What would you like a writer to know as they plotted a book that included a character with an invisible illness. Are there some global experiences that you've learned about from your group?

Joanna - 
One of the biggest challenges is other's perceptions that we'll feel or get better soon, and it's incredibly frustrating. These illnesses are generally life long, and it's not like having the flu. It's also often not life threatening, so dealing with the inconsiderate comments and advice from outsiders is a running frustration for us. Also having to explain over and over again to people who meet us about how we have to make choices an average healthy person doesn't have to make, and living the spoon theory, that should be in any book.

­­http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

Fiona - 
What are some choices that you have to make that the average person doesn't need to -- can you take us on a short trip through your day and how various things might affect you or someone with your diagnosis?

Joanna - 
I am lucky, in that for the most part, I live a more normal life than many who struggle with my diagnosis. I have a full time job instead of being home on disability. That job is super important to me and my happiness, so I make choices on a daily basis to make sure I have enough "spoons" (see above listed article to understand this concept) to perform well at my job. I wake up early, so I have time to sit up in bed and get through the initial aches and pains that come every morning. I can't move quickly, or it gets worse instead of dissipates. Some days, I just don't have the energy or ease of movement to go through my morning routine, so I skip a shower and making coffee and lunch, and just get myself dressed and out the door. 

Now that it's cold out, I have to figure out how cold it is and which extra layers I need to wear. I drive to the train station and wait in the car until the train is approaching. I sit in a certain seat every day that I know has heat so I stay warm enough during the commute. I spend my time on the train meditating and clearing my mind of the last night's bad dreams and pain so I can be focused at work. I arrive early so I have extra time to pick up the food I couldn't prep ahead of time, and so I can move as slowly as I need to my office. I take off all my layers and try to decide if today is a day I can go to the gym. I work until lunch and then I assess where my body is at - would moving at the gym help me function better this afternoon - or would it make it harder? I either go for a walk if it's warm, find a spot to meditate if I'm struggling or go to the gym on my lunch break, or on occasion have a meal with a friend for some social fulfillment. My choice depends on what will make the afternoon go more smoothly and productive. If I didn't get to the gym at lunch, I check in at 4pm to see if I can handle a workout after work. I can go more slowly after work, so I more often end up going in the evening when there is no time constraint forcing me to move more quickly than is okay for me. 

After my workout, I sit in the locker room for a while resting. Then I get dressed, bundle up, and start my trek home. If I'm not too uncomfortable, I may have plans after work - but usually those are only with people who can handle a last minute cancellation if the pain is too high. Or I may make dinner and prep food for the next day. If pain is high, but not too high, I may climb into a hot bath for an hour of relief. If not, I go straight to bed. I'm in bed laying down to let my body rest by 9pm because the routine starts again the next day at 5:30am. I don't sleep well, so I spend more time in bed "resting" to make sure I have as many spoons as possible for tomorrow.

Fiona - 
Thank you. Is there anything I didn't ask about that you think would be important for a writer to know about writing characters with invisible illnesses/disabilities? 

And here I will mention that despite all of the issues Joanna faces, she is still a highly successful business woman with an MBA, and has a rich social life including close family, friends, and dating. . . so a writer wouldn't have to write a plot that takes place on a couch.

Joanna - 
That's true! I do have an MBA and had my own business for many years. I do socialize on the weekends, but rarely during the week due to my limitations. I spend a lot of my free time taking classes like yoga, meditation etc... they help me manage the pain or in appointments like getting a massage etc.. so that I can feel my best.

Its just that my best is not what a normal almost 40 year old feels like at her best. To be honest, a large part of my social life is long distance - I stay connected with my closest friends online and on the phone. I don't see a whole lot of people during the week unless they live in my house or work with me.

I do try to go off on an adventure at least once a month, whether a road trip or plane trip, but I have to plan ahead for pre-emptive R&R ahead of time and post R&R after to recuperate. I don't stay up or out late because getting a solid 6 hours of sleep is super important to me functioning, and it takes 9+ hour in bed to get 6 good hours.

I have a very rich emotional life and a large circle of friends. I see those who live close by and who are in my inner circle on the weekend, and the rest once in a while or via Skype or phone call. 

Since my body has limitations, that's probably why most of my "fun" is introspective work - taking spiritual classes, reading, learning how people tick, helping others. I also volunteer for a couple of non-profits, mostly work I can do on a computer from home. I am happy and my life is mostly filled with enjoyment, as I learned a while back that while pain is my constant companion, suffering is optional.

Although I might add, also, that this level of challenge for me in getting through a workday is one of the reasons I have let go of the idea of becoming a mom. I can barely get myself to work and to the gym and fed, how can I do that for someone else?

Fiona - 
A huge thank you to Joanna for sharing her personal story in order to help us write it right.

As always, a big thank you ThrillWriters and readers for stopping by. Thank you, too, for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Kidnapped! Fodder for your Fiction with Rock Higgins

Rock Higgins is with us again! A dear friend to ThrillWriting, you can read some of his very informative articles:
Body Guard and Close Protection Details
Home Invasions: Part 1 and Part 2
Hostile Crowds
Multiple Attackers

AMAZON LINK

I use his non-fiction books to inform my characters, their mindsets/thought processes, and their action choices. Rock has been an invaluable friend to me as I've taken down the bad guy, and he's very generous with writers, sharing his expertise.

Rock, can you explain the basic definition difference between a hostage and a kidnapping situation?

Rock -
A kidnapping is 'The unlawful seizing and carrying away of a person by force against their will" so it's the actual act of taking someone.

Lots of different types regarding on what the kidnappers endgame is.

A hostage is 'someone who is held as security for the fulfilment of a condition" again there are different types of hostages / conditions. This is obviously after the act of kidnapping.

Read about Hostage negotiations HERE

Fiona - 
I imagine that understanding the kidnappers' endgame is imperative in understanding how to handle the situation. Do they usually just tell you? Are there clues? What are some common endgames? 

Rock - 
It depends on what the kidnappers want. Here is a short list of why people may be kidnapped. 

• For political reasons - to effect change, to bring attention to a situation. 
• Terrorism - prisoner exchange, ransom, bring attention to a situation. 
• Parental kidnapping - divorced/separated parent may take the child out of country or even just State if in the USA. Over 200,000 kids go missing in the States alone every year, mixture of parental kidnap, stranger kidnap, or running away. 
• Sex trafficking - either direct or indirectly kidnapping them.
• Express kidnap or quick kidnapping - persons are forced to go to an ATM to withdraw money then are released, for example. On one of my last trip to Rio a coach full of American tourists were express kidnapped. The coach was made to drive to an ATM, one by one tourists were taken off to withdraw money, kidnappers left as soon as the last one was done. 
• Tiger kidnapping - A bank or other similar business. Normally, this happens to managers. Their family or family members will be kidnapped until the manager does what the kidnappers want, usually robbery of money, bullion etc. On completion of the robbery, the manager and family will be released. 
• Sex crime kidnapping - victims will be held for indefinite periods, raped, tortured, maybe even killed in the end. 
• Basic kidnapping - your typical ransom scenario The person being kidnapped can end up being a hostage in two ways. Directly and indirectly. 
• Directly because they were the intended target. 
• Indirectly because something went wrong, a robbery, maybe a domestic argument or separated family argument gone wrong. Terrorist attack gone wrong for example. 
• Religion. 

Each kidnapping has different characteristics; they aren't all the same.

As to informing on the outcome or why you are being held. It will depend on why you are kidnapped. Sexual predators may tell you by beating then raping you. The tiger kidnapper will of course inform the family why they were kidnapped and the person who has to help them.

Fiona -
The family in our manuscript just got a phone call; their daughter was kidnapped outside of the country (or even in the country). From family's POV, what should they do? 

Rock - 
Was she kidnapped for ransom?

Are they high net worth people or ordinary Joe public? Kidnappers abroad who take hostages for ransom will not know the background of who they have so ridiculous amounts could be asked for which the ordinary family don't have. If it's high net worth, then they will have been specifically targeted, in home country or abroad.

Let's say an oil tycoon's daughter or President of a large corporations daughter.

Fiona - 
Yes, let's say targeted. Would I hire you to go in and save my beloved?

Rock - 
No, you wouldn't hire me. I'm hired to make sure this doesn't happen.

Have you seen 'Proof of Life' with Russell Crowe? It's true to life even if the end is a bit Hollywoodish. Brilliant film for you to watch hostage negotiation.

The company will have hostage insurance. Most popular is Lloyds of London. This policy will be set not only for travelling executives but also for engineers and other workers who have to be in country, rural, in hostile or possibly hostile countries.

Once a ransom has been received the insurance company would call someone, like in the UK Control Risks, they have properly trained ex security services /special forces hostage negotiators who would then deal with the situation.

A ransom note is received: note, telephone call, text message. video.

Fiona - 
So the insurance company are the ones doing that kind of work in getting folks back?

Rock - 
Well they will hire the right people to get them back.

Most top end security companies will be on the insurance companies books for who to call.

Fiona -
Who knew? That's very interesting. So would you go to the police as well?

Rock - 
Ok, so for a plotline. I've thought about this a lot, with my line of work, the training courses I run, I have to be seen, so my face is all over the net. Not a good thing really but that cannot be helped. So what would I do if my wife was kidnapped or disappears, leave it to the police, not at all, I don't have to be as nice as them.

Fiona - Your wife must feel very safe.

Rock - 
In fact close protection personnel and family members are on the list of possible people to be kidnapped.

Fiona - 
Would they target your family to get to your client?

Rock -
Yes, just as in a Tiger Kidnapping. 

A technique widely used by the IRA in Northern Ireland was called Proxy Bombing. A car would be stolen and filled up with explosives. A family would be kidnapped and the father told to drive the car to a barracks, police station or other critical site. He would drive up to the gate, get out and run off. The vehicle would then be detonated. The family would then be released. Down side is if the car was suspected, driver told to stop or he would be fired on, he would not stop or his family would be killed. He would have to drive into a hail of bullets so the car could be detonated as close to target as possible. Knowing his family would live.

Fiona - 
Yowza!

So, if you were one of the people who was called in by the insurance company what would your team do?

Rock - 
Well they have protocols to follow within the law, as a service provider. 

Let's take your scenario, my Principal has run off, been kidnapped, police have been informed, but I am also going to be pro-active and try to find her also. 

• First I'd talk to the police find out what they know. 
• Talk to the boyfriend, get her last movements, when he last saw her, he may be involved, pressured into helping, bought into helping. May know them. 
• If I've been local to the area for some time I would have built up a rapport with the locals in the area. Shop keepers, bars, clubs, bouncers, security personnel, managers, tramps, everyone. I'd be onto all of them, asking what they saw, asking to see CCTV footage, any people or vehicles new to the area. 
• Description, number plates, confirm on CCTV. The kidnappers will have been doing recces (British military term for reconnaissance), maybe even rehearsals. 
• Where would they stay, would they be in a motel, hotel, slept in the vehicle/s, rented a lock up. 
• Did they rent the vehicles locally or out of town. 
• Has there been reports of abandoned and burnt out vehicles. 
• Circle would start small and then keep working wider. 

Like I said, I do not have to work within the law, it's anti-hero time. Threats, coercion, violence depending on who I was talking to, did I know they knew something, were they hiding something. Maybe their premises was used as a surveillance point to watch the girl. Did she go to school, did anyone see anyone strange at school, parked vehicles, strangers loitering, has any strangers ever approached her. I have P.I friends who I would get on the job to minimize work / time / and to use their professional skills that I don't have.

Fiona -
When you're reading a book about a kidnapping, are there things that make you want to throw the book against the wall?

Rock - 
One set of books I really like are the Shaun Black books about a bodyguard who keeps losing his Principal and then ends up having to find them. Or rescue them and solve the overall crime. Totally infuriating but good fun.

What I often see and read is a plot where the kidnapping is done in busy and crowded streets/places. Guys always masked up. There's always a nervous one of the gang, always a gung-ho one of the gang. It may be better if I tell you how I would do it from my point of view seeing as that is what I'm protecting people from as part of my job. 

If your villain is picking up a high-value victim, plans were laid in advance:

• Target acquisition Recces (reconnaissance) 
• Primary route in / secondary route in / primary route out / Secondary route out / lay up points / drop off of follower-snatcher point / snatch point / recce at same day-time as snatch will take place.  
• Police car lay up points / police station locations / vulnerable points-where could I be blocked in-dead ends-traffic lights-
• Single and busy traffic roads-CCTV location-any dead spots- virtual recce-long range recce-close target recce (once or twice at most) Rehearsal-dry rehearsal- talk through-table top rehearsal- physical rehearsal.

The scenario above is for a high net-worth client who's family may be at risk from an organised enemy. 

For an opportunist, all you need is the predator to be in the right place at the right time, they may have done some surveillance, but maybe not, depending on on their mental state and who they would like to abuse/kill and who they want, boy or girl, a certain age or dress and then how often would the opportunity arise.

AMAZON LINK

Fiona - 

Thank you so much, Rock, for sharing. This is all fascinating and can really structure plotting points. I'm fascinated by the insurance company. I think that might just be showing up in one of my upcoming books. Very cool, indeed.

Writers,

If you want the real deal in your plots, you really need to get Rock's books and frequent his BLOG. 

As always, a big thank you ThrillWriters and readers for stopping by. Thank you, too, for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Hitting It Out of the Park: Writing Sports in Your Story with Monte Dutton

ThrillWriting welcomes author, sports journalist Monte Dutton.

Fiona-
Monte, so great for you to come over and share your expertise with us ThrillWriters. Can you give me a quick glimpse at your background as a sports writer?

Monte - 
I'm one of those kids who starts writing three graphs for the local paper when he's 14. I started writing diaries about football practice as a means of getting better at typing. I planned on being a lawyer when I went to college and got accepted, but, after four years of pre-law, I had developed a dislike of lawyers. I decided to take a year off, got a writing job, loved it, won a bunch of awards, and kept at it, not knowing, of course, that one day the slow death of newspapers would begin. I always wanted to write fiction, though. It was just a matter of honing my skills.

Fiona - 

Amazon Link

And you took your love of sport into your writing. Your Kindle Scout Winning book, CRAZY OF NATURAL CAUSES (which, by the way, I thought was fantastic) centered around the football field BUT it wasn't really about football at all, and this Canadian girl--who understands very little about football--was still intrigued by the story line. Can you tell folks about your book, and then how you were able to write about sports (football) while still not writing about sports? Making it accessible to all kinds of readers?

Monte - 
Crazy started out being even crazier, I wanted to write sort of a farce, but once I invented Chance Benford, the maniacal football coach who loses everything, I had grown to take him a bit more seriously. 

Chance becomes a man buffeted about, reinventing himself on the fly, swept away by a current and coping the best he can. He's a good man, but a flawed one. Not a saint. Not a sinner. Like most of us, somewhere in between. In short, I came to care about Chance. I wrote through him and made some changes based on how this man I created would react in this absurd world in which he, and, to a lesser extent, most of us, is living. It's amusing, but it's not a comedy. It's perilous. He acquires enemies. There are people out to get him. He was a football coach, though. He's resourceful.

Sports is in all my three novels so far, but only the middle one is really a sports novel. The first, The Audacity of Dope, is about a pot-smoking songwriter who reluctantly becomes a national hero. 

Riley Mansfield is an ex-football player. 

The Intangibles is centered around a high school football team, but it's about the South and civil rights and the 1960s. 

Chance starts out as a football coach. What I love about sports writing is that it's all right there in front of you. In other areas of life, people fold under pressure and commit fouls, but most of the time, it's behind closed doors. A ballgame is right out there in the spotlight. To summarize, in writing about other issues, I tend to include sports because it has been a vibrant part of my life and I know a lot about it.

Fiona - 
If a writer is including sports in their writing, what guidelines could you give them so that it doesn't read like a play by play of a Monday night game?

Monte - 
Here's one suggestion that I have come across in sports-themed novels. Sometimes the narrative seems to suggest that the character being voiced is something of a simpleton, even as it is obvious from the narrative that he or she is most definitely not. It's a lot of the reason I've written in third person so far. 

Secondly, remember the writer's obligation to tell the reader something he doesn't already know. Know the game well enough not to botch its details, but, in fiction, dwell more on motivations and emotions. A sporting event is worthwhile for writers of thrillers. Lots of shocking things happen. Lots of clues are left. I dramatic game or auto race could easily be the basis of an allegory.

Fiona - 
Let's talk about characters. In sports there is the dynamic of team and individual. How can you balance those in your character and how do you keep from making the whole thing into one great big cliche?

Monte -
I think I'm more of a myth buster than perpetuator. I'm irreverent by nature, and journalism naturally cultivates cynicism. It's easy to typecast people. I'm a populist as a writer and in general, I like to knock the high and mighty down to size. My characters are resourceful, mischievous, likable, flawed, and more than what appears on the surface. There are few stock characters in my books. I don't know. Some might say they are predictably flawed, mischievous, et al. I just try to conjure up characters that intrigue me, figuring there must be others out there who will feel the same way. It's hard to describe a concrete way to avoid clichés, It's sort of like keeping score at a baseball game. There's only one way, which is the way that works for you.

Fiona - 
You have a new book on Kindle Scout - one that is not sports-centric. Can you give us a peek?

Monte - 

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

by MONTE DUTTON

Good cop vs. bad politician. One must die.

Denny Frawley is a corrupt prosecutor with ambition. Hal Kinley, who has known Frawley all his life, is a good cop who has watched his friend grow into an unscrupulous monster. Among the obstacles in Frawley's path to the governorship are an alcoholic spouse, a scheming mistress, and his drug-dealing twins. The kids are as awash in corruption as their father. Kinley's son has been drawn into their orbit. Kinley is determined to save his son and stop his old friend. The odds do not favor him

Fiona -

If you go to this LINK and give this book a thumbs up - it will be delivered to your Kindle for FREE if Monte earns the contract.

Does this novel have any sports in it?

Monte - 
A little golf and baseball. It's a fable about the corruptive influence of patronage. Good cop vs. evil prosecutor and his conniving, murderous minions (not cartoon variety). Denny Frawley is a mean, bigoted crook who wants to steamroll his way to the governorship. He has an alcoholic wife, a scheming mistress, and a pair of drug-dealing twins, who are chips off the old block. Hal Kinley has known Frawley all his life. Kinley's son has fallen under the spell of the Frawley twins, and Hal's goal is to stop Frawley's rise and win back the respect of his son.

Fiona - 
If I were writing about a sportscaster/ sports journalist, what personality traits would be helpful to have and what characteristics would make them a bad fit for their job?

Monte -
Hardworking, underpaid, all sorts of dysfunctions bred from travel, cynical from years of being manipulated and lied to. Sports writers are often flawed. They are fun-loving, and inevitably they are embittered as their world changes. 

Broadcasters have greater egos, are generally prettier, and grow adept at putting on airs, owing to the dramatizing that comes with the job. Sports writers are more insecure. Broadcasters crave adulation. Then, of course, there are exceptions on both sides. Broadcasters are seldom hard-bitten, though.

Fiona -
Thanks, Monte. And now, we insist that you tell us a sports related, perilous story of near woe.

Monte - 

Sports writers have many weaknesses, but they work long hours. Most show up early, and most work late. The sports palaces are darkened and empty hulks by the time most scribes trudge back to their cars, and from there to the room, the airport, and occasionally even home.

I traveled the country following race cars for twenty years. I still write weekly columns about them. About five hundred times I watched, listened, asked questions, transcribed the answers and tried to assemble a series of stories – typically a race story, notebook, a few facts and quotes for what we called “the rail,” and a column – and ship them electronically back to the home office for dissemination.

Five hundred races create the inevitability of randomness.

Hours after a NASCAR race at the sprawling track in Kansas City, Kansas, as dusk was settling over the mass desertion, three friends and I stacked our papers, filled our briefcases and backpacks, donned our windbreakers and headed out.

Behind the Kansas Speedway suite level – the press box is generally the suite with the worst food and fewest drunks – is sort of a breezeway, a long, open-air hall, with the suites on one side and rails on the other, interspersed at regular intervals by elevator cylinders.

We were all about to get on the elevator when one’s cell phone rang. He answered, and it was obviously a call he had to answer. The office, maybe, or his wife, maybe even a race car driver he had been trying to reach for his day-after column.

The rest of us could have boarded, but, out of collegiality, I suppose, we waited.

It was the best phone call ever, even for those of us who still don’t know who it was.

We got on the elevator, and, apparently, the noise reduction, or whatever elevators have, masked the sound of shots being fired because, at the precise time we were descending, at the bottom of the shaft, an armed robbery was taking place at the track’s box office, or whatever they called the place where people counted lots of money on the evening after a NASCAR race where about eighty thousand people had paid their way in.

An off-duty police officer was shot. If the box office had been on the same side of the cylinder as the elevator, four journalists might, too, have been shot. The timing that saved us was crucial. It was the time one of us had been talking on a cell phone and the other three randomly decided to wait.

We walked out of the elevator. We heard the screeching noise of a black station wagon – they don’t call them station wagons anymore, of course – speeding away. As we walked across this plaza, sirens started going off, and police officers started converging – several careening cruisers, two individuals sprinting wide open, and even a helicopter! – although, thankfully, they didn’t see four sedentary sports writers strolling out in the open as possible perps.

Being the keen observers that we journalists are, we became mildly suspicious that something was amiss. We retreated to the elevator and the press box, made a few calls, and started working on an unexpected story.

And pondering whether, by the fateful accident of a phone’s ring, we had cheated death or injury. Destiny just missed.

Fiona -

Thank you, Monte. 

ThrillWriters, can you take five seconds to throw some support behind Monte? Go to this LINK and give his book a boost.

You can stay in touch with Monte Dutton:

• On his blog - mostly fiction and book reviews and essays on writing: wellpilgrim.wordpress.com
• Mostly non-fiction: montedutton.com
• Twitter @montedutton and, slightly more irreverent and generalized, @wastedpilgrim
• Facebook Monte.Dutton
• Instagram Tug50

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.