After the attacks of 9-11, the Department of Defense gathered top novelists and screenwriters and asked them to put their heads together to come up with worst-case scenarios, trying to stay one step ahead of what terrorists might be planning. I think that speaks volumes for the value of imagination. A few years ago I took the coursework to become a private investigator in the state of Georgia, strictly for research. I was the thorn in all the instructors’ sides because they would explain how something was done and I would raise my hand and ask, “How could a person get around that?” or “How could that go wrong?” I was always trying to figure out how a criminal might try to get away with something or how a situation could be made worse by a loophole in the law. When one of my instructors found out I was a novelist, he remarked that, like writers, the best private investigators and detectives have a fertile imagination. That got me thinking about how many skills overlap the two occupations. Now, you’ve got to find out how they overlap, so click here to finish! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and…

Not very many people know (and the handful of people who did once know, have no reason to remember) that my first writing credit was in the December 1979 issue of ‘Teen’ magazine. The cover featured a pretty brunette model with blue eyes, her hair pulled up into a loose bun that looks Gibson-girlish, wearing a red shiny shirt with tiny black polka dots buttoned all the way to the top button. My, how fashions and hairstyles have changed! The theme for the magazine that month was “DAZZLE! Looks that sparkle!” The cover articles are “Party Pretties With Zip,” “Packages That Reflect You (easy gifts to make),” “Your Body (facts and fallacies),” Knockout Nail Care (complete hand book),” “Why You’re Shy (how to change),” and “Embarrassing Moments (celebrity blush up).” The entertainment section featured Dirk Benedict (Lieutenant Starbuck in Battlestar Gallactica), The Bee Gees, Charlene Tilton, and Michael Jackson (looking very different than today)! The regular columns in the magazine were Horoscope, Dear Doctor, Dear Jack, Dear Jill, Meet the Supersports, Flea Market, and Reader Write-On. In the Reader Write-On column, readers could submit original poems. I did, and my poem was chosen for the above issue. And now, I…