Eighteenth Annual Public Safety Writers Association’s Conference

This last week was the Eighteenth Annual Public Safety Writers Association’s Conference. Among the many accomplished authors there, I spent time with three friends from afar. It is always great to put real-life faces on our Zoom contacts. All three have been generous with their friendship, not to mention being awesome guests on my blog.

Peg Roche – Vicki Weisfeld – George Cramer – Sally Handley

SALLY HANDLEY – South Carolina

My introduction to PSWA came about when George Cramer contacted me to learn how his book, Robbers and Cops, could be considered for our Upstate SC Sisters in Crime Mystery Book Club. I invited George to be our moderator for the second quarter of 2023. In addition to his book, he chose books by two other PSWA members, Donnell Bell, and Michael  Black. As a result, many PSWA members attended our monthly book club that quarter. When I learned about their conference, I joined PSWA and registered to participate. I’m so glad I did. The panel discussions have been terrific, and I’ve met so many wonderful writers and public safety professionals. The conference was a great experience. – Sally Handley

Where to find Sally:
Website: www.sallyhandley.com
Blog: https://www.sallyhandley.com/blog/

M.E. (Peg) ROCHE – Florida

I really enjoy and learn from George Cramer’s blog, and it wasn’t until I read his glowing report of the last PSWA conference that I learned of the Public Safety Writers Association. I immediately applied to join and registered for this year’s conference. Because my novels involve law enforcement characters, and my own experience is somewhat limited, I was thrilled to learn of this untapped resource. In addition, Mike Black wrote a wonderful welcome email to PSWA and encouraged my participation in the upcoming conference; I felt I’d possibly found my niche. This year’s conference has been a great experience, providing me with a wealth of information and the enjoyable opportunity to meet writers who share my goals. – M. E. Roche 

Where to find Peg: www.meroche.com

 

VICKI WEISFELD – New Jersey

Vicki was a member of the conference panel about The Art of Revision. Here she shares some of the panel’s conclusions.

The discussion, moderated by Frank Zafiro, began with a discussion of “pantser” versus “plotter.” While this often comes across as a divide between two groups of authors, in truth, most of those on the panel seemed to adopt a more hybrid approach. The pantsers, who love the thrill of discovery and the spontaneity of their process, sometimes have to take stock of where they are in a story and proceed with a bit more of a plan. The plotters, no matter how detailed their outline or how many post-its and 3X5′ cards they have created, often are open to ideas and directions they could not initially anticipate. Suffice it to say, whatever the chosen approach, the author must work out a way forward through the thicket of fictional possibilities that best suits them.

Much the same goes for editing and revision. Reading the manuscript multiple times, on the screen or aloud, focusing on different aspects (dialog, flow, language), using a critique group or beta reader—whatever it takes to give a manuscript the attention it needs. My novel, Architect of Courage, had numerous readers of all or a portion, plus a review of the policing aspects by a New York City detective whose specialty was terrorism. All this input is essential to shaping the final product like any other research.

Vicki did not mention that her novel, Architect of Courage, was awarded second place in the stiff competition for the best-published novel.

Where to find Vicki:  www.vweisfeld.com

The PSWA is an association of writers existing to support people involved in creating content about public safety:

People with public safety careers who write stories, poetry, or non-fiction about their incredible experiences.
Mystery, thriller, and other writers who write about public safety characters and situations.
Publishers, editors, and other professionals

If you wish to learn more about the Public Safety Writers Association, follow this link https://policewriter.com/  

 

13 Comments

  1. Peg Roche

    Thanks, George! It was your blog last year that prompted my joining and it was great to finally meet. Everything about the conference was wonderful and I feel I really learned a lot. Everyone was so welcoming. I’m already looking forward to next year! Peg

    Reply
  2. Jim Christ

    Unhappily, I had to miss the late morning sessions on Sunday, including the one on blogging, etc. I wish I had been able to attend that one, for sure. I enjoyed meeting several talented authors, and I learned a great deal from the knowledgeable presenters and panelists. A big shout out to the skillful moderators for “my” two panels–Frank Scalise and Kelli Peacock. I also want to recognize Kelli for putting together an outstanding conference program. This was my first PSWA conference, but I’ve been to dozens of national conferences for administrators and school board members, and the PSWA’s printed program was one of the best I’ve seen.

    Reply
  3. Bob Doerr

    George, Good seeing you again, and I second everyone’s comments on the conference and PSWA.

    Reply
  4. Marie Sutro

    PSA sounds fantastic!!

    Reply
  5. Marilyn Meredith

    George is a gem and good friend. Loved meeting these three authors in person at our wonderful conference.

    Reply
  6. John Schembra

    Was nice to meet you all at the conference. Thanks for joining us in Las Vegas, and I’m glad you had a wonderful experience! Welcome to the PSWA!

    Reply
  7. Barbara Hodges

    Loved seeing all of you. What talented authors.

    Reply
  8. James L’Etoile

    Wonderful to meet all three of your guest bloggers at PSWA. I appreciated their enthusiasm and contributions on the panel sessions. George, it was great to see you recognized for your ongoing efforts and incredible support.

    Reply
  9. Donnell Ann Bell

    I am so sorry I missed it! My goodness, George, are you really that tall? You’re towering over those women. Peg, Sally, and Vicki, congratulations! Hope everyone had a wonderful time and learned lots. Best,

    Reply
  10. Thonie Hevron

    These three authors are indicative of the talent in the PSWA. I’m thrilled that each one of them has joined. They all bring a unique perspective and expertise to our group. Besides, they are nice folks!

    Reply
  11. Jim Guigli

    Thank you, George.

    For Vicki: When is the editing finished? Someone said, “When you stop editing,”

    Reply
  12. Michael A. Black

    My thanks to Peg, Sally, and Vicki for their participation at the conference and the panels. They were all outstanding. And thank you, George, for all that you contributed to the panels and the conference as well. George was awarded a PSWA Appreciation Award this year for his constant and unwavering support of authors on his incredible blog. He was also a big hit on the panel about AI. His participation on that one was done as a favor to me. Thanks, George. Stay strong.

    Reply

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BARRY HAMPSHIRE – England – Arabia – U.S.A.

I was born in London, England, a few years after World War II. I watched London being patched back into a vibrant commercial center. Sights of bombed-out buildings and devastation still linger in my memories.

 

 

At age 26, I moved to Saudi Arabia to work for Aramco (an oil company.) I worked there for four years and traveled widely in the region. I grew to love and be intrigued by the local people and their culture.

Years later, as I neared retirement, my family requested I write down some of the many stories I had told over the years. One theme kept appearing in these pieces, my driving a Chevy Blazer from London to the eastern province of Saudi Arabia – a journey of 5,500 miles in 15 days. That became my first book, a memoir, Journey to Self, published in September 2019 – available on Amazon.

While working on that book, I said I had no idea how to write a novel. It seemed overwhelming. However, after one workshop, I saw I had the basic framework for a fictional story. Having never been one to shy away from a challenge, I started work on it. My story is set around a Syrian family and covers themes such as:

  • most Syrians, most Muslims, like ourselves, want to live in peace – that is not fiction,
  • how to counter a ruthless dictator,
  • the roles of men and women in Syrian society,
  • how to hold grief, love, and fear while fighting for your life,
  • how people, despite their dire circumstances, can imagine a hopeful future.

In the past few weeks, I have received feedback from a group of beta-readers, and so far, there have been no show-stoppers but plenty of words of encouragement. While working through the multiple drafts of this first novel, I started work on the sequel: Syrian Rebirth – Ahmed’s World. This is now a completed initial draft. I have in mind the third and final book in the series, Syrian Rebirth – Fatima’s World.

Syrian Rebirth – Rashid’s World.      Rashid wished his family to be safe. He joined the fight against Syria’s brutal president. How would that affect him, his family, and his country?

What brought me to writing: Writing is a way for me to purge demons that hindered me for too many years. I learned to read as a child, but I truly hated and, in some ways, feared it. I read my first book for pleasure when I was 26 years old. To many people, that may sound horrifying, but it was my world as a youngster. Numbers and logic were my saving graces. I became a computer software engineer for a career. Reading never became a pleasurable activity for me. I missed reading the classics, much to my detriment.

Over the years, I have displayed some competence in various artistic mediums: drawing, painting, woodcraft, story-telling, and cooking. Then I started writing, and it became a passion. I have taken many classes, and some teachers have had a profound impact on my writing.

Tell us about your writing process: I arise early each day and make my wife’s coffee (a survival technique I learned early.) Depending on the priorities of the day, I make time most mornings to review and edit what I worked on the previous day. I try to dedicate an hour or two each day to writing new material or making revisions to pieces that are my focus at that time. If I do not manage to find time, I do not judge myself but try to use my sense of frustration as an impetus for the following day.

Do I kill popular characters? Yes. My novels are thrillers. I think in my first novel, more characters are dead than alive in the end. And several of the dead are good/popular characters. One of my favorite characters in that first novel is among the dead, and I still grieve their loss. Reading that section still causes my eyes to tear up. A few beta-readers admitted they cried when that death happened.

How do you raise the stakes for the protagonist? One of my teachers frequently tells me to keep winding up the tension and never let it go. I understand this and try to do that. But I do find when a sub-plot comes to its termination, then along with that, some of the protagonist’s tension is released. So in my novel, the tension is more like waves with spikes along them. Even though some tension may be released at times, it still adds to the overall tension.

How did I come up with Character Names. Most of my main characters are Arabic. So names like Joan, Paul, Marge, and Randy are inappropriate. Thankfully, lists of Arabic names can be found on the web. I have selected names with which I am comfortable, and I hope readers will not trip over. I have tried to have each name start with a different letter for easier recognition. In the forward to each book, I have listed out the main characters and their relationship so that readers have a quick reference, e.g. Rashid is married to Fatima.

Do I outline, or am I a pantser? At heart, I am a pantser, but I will admit that I have my thoughts reasonably outlined in my head before I tackle a section. What fascinates me is how my mind conjures up a scenario that appears on the page/screen without me consciously thinking about it. Sometimes, as I fathom out how to write a section, I will realize in my wordy/ugly first draft I left a hook or a character that will allow for a smooth continuance of the current storyline.

Sources of Expertise / Advice. I have read posts, articles, and books about the book’s locations, particularly from current day journalists. Also, I found a local Islamic Center and talked with one of the leaders about these novels. He gave me some useful information and encouraged me to continue working on them. He agreed that, basically, Syrian refugees are people who have been forced out of their homeland by violence and intimidation. They are desperate to find a safe environment in which to raise their children. They are no more inherently violent than we are.

Going forward, I have plenty of work integrating the comments that I received from beta readers and improving the readers’ experience of the novel. After that, I will reach out to a few agents and publishers. If those connections raise no interest, I am prepared to self-publish, which I did for my memoir.

A reader of this post may be able to assist me with achieving one of my next steps. Does anyone know a Syrian or a person from the Middle East who may be willing to read the revised beta draft of the novel? I would be appreciative if anybody could suggest a female as the book addresses gender roles in Syrian society. But I am looking for any person from that region who may be willing to review the revised draft.

My website can be found at:   www.BDHWrites.com

My blog can be found at:        www.BDHWrites.com/blog

My email address is:               BDHWrites@gmail.com

12 Comments

  1. Jeannine Stein

    This is a nice interview and I enjoyed learning more about you and your writing process. You are way more disciplined than I. Keep up the good work. I enjoy reading your pieces.

    Reply
    • Barry Hampshire

      I’ll admit I did enjoy the interview. It forced me to sit back and think about who I am and how I want the world to see me. We all wear masks at times. How much of our true self are we willing to share.

      Reply
  2. Cecilia Pugh

    Who doesn’t admire a gutsy person that struggles n succeeds. Bravo!
    I would imagine the experience has made you more compassionate…and…what a gift for a writer who, through personal experience, now has a edge in choosing the right words to touch the hearts of his readers.

    Reply
    • Barry Hampshire

      I’m not sure if I succeed that often. There are many attempts that deserve to reside on the cutting room floor. But once in a while, I strike gold. That is the reason I write. When I say “strike gold,” it is as you say, words to touch the hearts of readers.

      Reply
  3. Marlene Dotterer

    What a powerful story, that you never read for pleasure until well into adulthood, and now you are working on your third novel! It’s wonderful that you finally caught the bug and never looked back. Good luck bringing it all to fruition.

    Reply
    • Barry Hampshire

      A writing coach once told me that one of my greatest strengths was my persistence. It is another way in which a characteristic of mine manifested. As a youth, I climbed mountains and took long wild country hikes. In adulthood, I ran marathons requiring long-term, focused training. In my middle years, I volunteered as a hospital chaplain walking alongside the sick and the dying. They all took persistence and here I am again.

      Reply
  4. BLynn Goodwin

    Before I knew about dyslexia, I had a high school sophomore ask if he could keep his copy of Catcher in the Rye. He returned it six weeks later and told me it was the only book he had ever finished. Maybe some day he will find this page and read your book.

    Reply
    • Barry Hampshire

      Perhaps Catcher in the Rye should be on my reading list, but if I put that on the list then so many others should join it. Where do I begin? That’s the trouble with aging. Who knows how much time and so much still to do. Do I sound jaded? Yes, composing this is an excuse to not read. Got to go……..

      Reply
  5. Barry Hampshire

    I think I recall the name of that boxer, and I will take your comment to heart. Being a writer takes being knocked down and standing up again. Rejection is a constant state of being, but I relish those moments when I am given a compliment that shows my work has impacted another person’s thoughts – that is why I, and I believe most writers, write.

    Reply
  6. Alfred J. Garrotto

    Keep on keeping on, Barry. You have so much tell us about that maligned region of the world. Looking forward to reading your novels.

    Reply
    • Barry Hampshire

      I have been told one of my strengths is to keep on keeping one – persistence. But, you are so correct about this region of the world being maligned. Having lived in the Middle East, I recognized the amazing culture and history that these people share. It should be celebrated, not feared.

      Reply
  7. Michael A, Black

    I remember Mustapha Hamsho, a boxer in the 80’s that they called “The Syrian Buzzsaw.” He never won a championship, but he had a lot of heart. Good luck with your book. I hope it can increase understanding of this area of the world.

    Reply

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