Momma's Got a Gun...and tear gas too. Temporarily

This post will be a little different than my usual and feel free not to read it if the topic is not your thing. However, I hope you learn something. I did. I hope I don't get flagged for this post!

If I made mistakes, I will try to fix them. Be patient.

If you know me, you know I am not much of a gun toting person. I have been surrounded by them for years-guns and gun-toters too, but weapons are just not my thing. I don't watch shoot 'em up movies and I sometimes make fun of "macho" guys. But I got the opportunity to meet some real gun-toting guys this weekend and they truly impressed me with their knowledge and skills. I would want them on my side if I ever needed them.



My writing group Heartland Romance Authors spent over three hours with two member of the Blue Springs Police Depart Special Tactical Assistance Team or their version of a SWAT team. Basically they go in and get the people nobody else wants to go after or they are a quick response for people who really need help quickly. They are a part-time team and have other police or detective jobs too.

We learned about the communication systems for their own agency, local KC agencies, Missouri, and the Nation, as well as, a privately owned system detectives use. They then shared information about the training they receive and certifications necessary. These include quarterly training on five different weapons systems, hostage rescue, armed barricade, active shooters, suicidal subjects, and dignity protection. Blue Springs is one of the first responders for the Lake City Munitions Plant and they must train for that area too. Most recently they have added and trained medics who now go into crime areas with them. This procedure change was brought about by the nation's responders studying the shootings at Columbine.

We learned a Vanilla Barricade is someone who is alone without hostages or bystanders with them. Chatter refers to communication that can indicate an increased national threat depending on the amount. Fatal funnels are doorways. I even know what a picatinny rail is for now. Knock warrants mean they must first announce themselves and No Knock Warrants mean the people the are going after must be taken into custody quickly because of their danger potential. These No Knock Warrants are rare. We learned police cannot talk to each other to debrief immediately after a shooting because they may be called to testify. They sometimes find out that things were actually different from their own perspective later when the information can be shared.


Their gear includes a Kevlar helmet and a tactical vest with pockets and ceramic or composite shields within. The vest holds cuffs, shotgun rounds, rope to tie off doors and other things, wooden wedges to hold open or closed doors, slugs and extra magazines, and an attached weapon sling. They use a drop leg holster usually with a 9mm with an attached light on it. They also have a gas mask with interchangeable filters. And some versions of no fire tear gas.

They were quite knowledgeable on the varieties of things they use besides actual guns. We saw a well-used battering ram that is operated by one individual alone. We learned about and witnessed them dumping a Flash Bang Canister that is deployed as a diversionary tactic with bright light and a loud boom after the pin has been pulled and spoon released. We saw Smoke canisters that allow officers to move without being seen, traditional tear gas (which is actually not gas, but particles), the bean bags that look like little squids, some pellets that looked like they would be painful, and a couple types of bean bag rounds. TKO rounds will take out the hinges or lock on a door but not penetrate through the door protecting those who need it on the other side. Training exercises now use air soft weapons for some of their training. I now understand why it is so hard to differentiate between a 9mm weapon and a toy gun.

The actual guns used by the team include their 9mm handguns, a Heckler Koch MP-Sub Machine Gun, an HK 416 225, which is an expensive gun, but runs cooler than most of the their others, with an eotech holigraphic site, and a shotgun M1 Super 90 Semi-Automatic by Benelli. This gun can shoot so fast that if you can pull the trigger fast enough, you can shoot five times before the first round has time to drop. It runs hot in more way than one. All of these guns have a light attached.

The sniper rifle was a Remington 700 PSS, single click, with a polished trigger mechanism. It has a concave muzzle, a fluted barrel which is floated off the rest of the gun and held by the receiver to allow for the gun to have the least amount of change in the barrel due to temperature changes. Snipers work in teams with one person spotting and the other prepared to shoot.

We were also allowed to go into their vehicle they used to go to crime areas and learned that stacking truck meant having each person sit in the order of their position into the situation. They also shared the saying, "The first casualty in is always the plan." I am still happy though they get out of their van with one in place even they have to adapt it quickly.

I am glad I got this opportunity to see how competent, knowledgeable, and well-trained these law enforcement professionals were. Many people are quick to point out if mistakes are made, but I came to realize last Saturday just what is involved in being a member of a tactical team. Again, I want people like this who are willing and able to take the needed risks to help people who need it. I am glad they are willing to be our shield.

Naked, Indoors, Outdoors, In Bed, Out...It's all GOOD!

What I like best about the career of being a professional writer or an almost one is that you can write anywhere in any state of dress or undress. All of the options listed in the title of this blog entry are possible if you wish.

People don't often ask me why I want to write. I am complimented by the many people who don't seem surprised when I tell them I am working on having writing become a full time career. It is encouraging that nobody shrieks, "You!" Most seem think it is a good idea and then get excited for me. So I have studied what makes a great writer. And there are many important craft and business aspects to know about.

I love the many aspects of being a writer. My favorite is the actual writing portion of the career where the ideas are coming so fast your fingers fly on the keyboard and you have to stop and make yourself notes for something you want to add, but don't have time to address right then. I cannot tell you how many times I stop what I am doing in public and in class to jot down notes, because someone said something I want to use. I must not concentrate on cleaning and cooking too much either, because I often have to leave those activities too to run in and write down ideas.

But after twenty-six years of having dress up and be at work at a certain time, having some control when I write is one of my favorite things about the job. In a few minutes I am going outside to sit on my porch and listen to the birds and the neighbor's lawn mower (and hide from the huge squirrels) and edit my book. The ability to just sit anywhere and work dressed as I like is just awesome. I always joke that my goal is to be able to work in my pajamas all day. Wait, that is true and not a joke or an April Fool's prank.

FYI- If you happen to drive by, I thought you would want to know I won't be taking advantage of the naked writing option at this time.

Interesting Readers

I really need to pick up my blogging. I looked at my stats and I am a world wide resource. How cool.

Pageviews by Countries
United States 635
Russia 39
Germany 30
Brazil 23
United Kingdom 21
Ukraine 20
Iraq 17
Turkey 17
Vietnam 13
Hungary 11

Thank you world!

Changes in the air!

Blog and blog readers you have been missed!

I have been busy working on planning my future as I decided what to do with regard to ending my teacher career and seriously applying myself to my writing and editing one.

Tons of information has been gathered and evaluated in all areas and my plan is in place. I am trying to maintain steady progress toward my goals, but excitement always makes me want to jump ahead.

Here are some of the things I have been doing.

Went to retirement office in Jeff City to check out when I will check out of teaching. (A career I still love! But I want to try something else soon.)


Learned about the actual money involved in publishing books. What goes out and what comes in. I think I can make this career work for me afford to eat.

Sat some actual writing goals with time involved.

Applied to do an unpaid internship with an editing house. I plan to do more of this in the future.

Met with some writing friends, critiqued some work, went to writing group meetings, read a good book on writing, and am working on judging some RWA contests.

Next, it is focus, focus, focus on getting some writing polished and out to readers.

Uh..., I gotta go. I have a career to make happen.

What's up in Writer Land?

Let's start with 2011. I wrote two YA novels. One suspense and one romance. I attended two Missouri writing conferences. I got my first request and official rejection for a full. I spoke about writing for a school. I participated in and completed Nanowrimo for myself and ran a program of it for my students. I helped run an RWA contest. I judged numerous contest entries. I made connections with numerous YA writers. I upped my writing presence with twitter. I attended several critiques. I worked for my writing group at a literature festival.

Now 2012. I joined another writing group and am looking forward to those meetings and retreat. I organized my office and can now use two monitors at once for editing. I wrote some more. I took an online class. I have been asked to speak at a couple of local events.

But here is what I plan to do in 2012.

I am going to finish edits on two books and truly get them out to others to be critiqued. I am going to enter two contests to get some outside eyes on my work. And then I am going to query a lot. This summer I will write another book with my eye on doing a YA series. I will attend more writing group meetings and critiques and maybe even a conference or two. I will also work on my other goals of being a speaker.

And I will enjoy working on my new career. (Not quite done with the old one yet, but preparing.)

These are good things.

The Power of Words

Long time no write, at least in this forum. But writing I have been doing. Not necessarily the kind I enjoy.

In the past couple of months, I wrote a yearly Christmas letter. You didn't get one, no wonder. It was depressing. Last year wasn't the best.

Work has lead me to write lots of things and some where people undoubtedly wish I would not have such skill and verbosity.

I have composed many new lessons for work too.

Writing on my novels, I have done little, but I have done some editing and updated my office with paint and computer set-up for ease in my actual writing process.

I have started a love affair with my Kindle. I have gotten caught up on reading some of my writer friends' books that I was behind on. And I enjoyed them. I also read books given to me from a substitute teacher, the guy who sacks my groceries, and my mother.

Currently I am taking a short online class about incorporating humor in my writing. Something I believe I do well, but have learned new ideas anyway. The class has helped me name what it is that I do.

Oh, and I taught a lesson that was descriptive and vivid on the use of brain surgery that I caused a thirteen year old boy to pass out. I am glad he is okay. Really glad.

Now, I am going to work some more.

I have missed you blog-o-mine. Try not to be jealous of my Kindle!

Late night word count-upping session...

Forgive the ramblings and less than stellar grammar and punctuation. It was really late!
The late night musings of one who needs some words to meet her writing goals and beat everyone in her writing group for a daily total. Is that nice? No. Am I trying anyway? Oh yeah.
Some of my literary influences.
Not saying that I am under the influence-totally different thing-but I have had some clear influences on my life as a writer.
From the beginning.
I do remember Dick and Jane and Sally in first grade. They always had such great adventures and one day I would have a granddaughter who looked a lot like little Sally.
My next recollection of a book was, Gus, the Friendly Ghost. It was the tale of Gus, a ghost who just couldn’t be the scary entity he was destined to be because he got lonely when the family who worked for being a haunter went home for the winter. He befriends a rather hateful mouse whom he later has to put the word on after the mouse is nasty to the woman of the house. One of my favorite parts was the listing of cheese recipes Gus made for his friend. It sounded like the list Bubba used in the classic Forrest Gump movie. We still have this book and I spent many an hour reading it first to myself and then to my brother Bill and later to Rachel and Drew and Veronica. I think Rach must have it at her house now. I miss it.
Next came the Boxcar Children. Those poor lost children who finally found their grandfather and lived such cool adventures afterwards. My love of “great” mysteries began with poor little Benny and Violet.
And Heidi was such a good story too. I named my goats Heidi and Peter. And then my dad sold them…the bitterness remains.
Now we go into some prime reading when I really kicked off the voraciousness. Trixie Beldon and some twins whose names I have forgotten could be purchased at the rate of one a week at the Ben Franklin store on the Clinton Square. And the library had a whole shelf of my beloved George, Beth, and Nancy of the Nancy Drew series. And never let us not forget her friends the Hardy Boys.
Now we come to one of my favorite writers. Lois Duncan. She wrote such spooky teen books as “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Another, “Ransom” was about students who accidently kill their English teacher in a prank gone wrong. Duncan later went on to fame with the Hotel for Dogs series, but it was her early, “Down a Dark Hall” that made me hooked. Ghostly piano playing, still a favorite device. I enjoyed her books so much I wrote her a fan letter last year. And she responded.
At this point in my reading career (around fourth and fifth grades) I read everything I could get my hands on. My father used to tell me reading at the table would give me an ulcer. I found out later he might have exaggerated the consequences.
It was around this time I started my habit of just going down the stacks and randomly picking out books. I still do this; especially during the summers. I have gotten to read some unusual and great books I would not have if I hadn’t embraced this method of selection.
Mom joined the Harlequin Romance Book Club at some point and that’s where I got started on a lifetime of reading romance books. We used to race to see who could get to the books first with Mom picking out the titles she liked first. She also had some racier books which seem pretty tame now compared to those I see sold. But at the time they seemed much more educational than the regular Harlequins.
In high school I remember liking the Diary of Anne Frank which I now teach. I also liked the Shakespeare and have continued reading those plays at various times in my life. It is one thing that I miss from teaching high school. Shakespearian theatre begins a student’s freshman year in my schoo. However, I do cheat and put a little Shakespeare in my lessons.
I remember reading a fair amount of histories about British queens. I still like those stories today, even if the current Queen of England turned me down for a visit when I was in her country.
In Senior English I really only remember two novels that we read. The Great Gatsby that I liked mostly and Heart of Darkness that I did not. It was tragic, but the symbolism appealed to me.
The other book, Heart of Darkness, did not appeal to me. My teacher Mr. Webb said that maybe I didn’t have enough life experience to appreciate it and that I might when I got older. For some reason I ended up with the school’s copy and tried to read it later in life. I still didn’t like the book and told Mr. Webb so, when I returned the original copy many, many years later when I had the opportunity to do some observations at my old school.
One thing I picked up at the library during the summers was the bathroom readers’ series of books. Oh, the things I could learn. And I learned a lot about literature. I also learned that you really don’t have to read all of great literature for people to think you are well read. Get the bathroom readers, read the plot line synopsis, and memorize a couple of key lines. Easy-peasy!
From my children I learned about the joys of Bunnicula and Harold and my favorite Chester. I even loved the “kid’, Howie.
I also discovered Hank, the Cowdog. A true classic.
Then I get to some of the books that have influenced me as an adult. There have been some great literary works of note in here, but I am a little ashamed to say that Stephen King and Oprah both made a big difference in my life in the area.
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb, a former Oprah book, was really an eye opener and made me root for the main character. I also enjoyed his book about twins, This Much I Know is True. I think it even helped me a little with my own to come later.
But I am still angry with Oprah when it comes to how she treated the author of A Million Little Pieces. Watch the interview. SHE is the one who said it was all true. He just agreed. Heck, I would have agreed. He was on her show and she was Oprah! And she later proved how God like she thought she was when she brought down her wrath for the author daring….Daring to lie to the all powerful one that is Oprah. Get over yourself, woman.
I loved being scared by Stephen King when he went the true horror route and not SciFi. (Sorry geeks, just not my genre of choice.) Pet Semetary…which encouraged me to spell cemetery as cemet a ry (Only all together as one word. Dang auto correct) until auto correct forced me to learn the correct spelling, remains one of the scariest things I have ever read. Forget all of you zombie lovers now, King did it long and ago, and oh so much better. Scary zombie pets and kids…a dream…er…nightmare. And I loved Misery the book, not the movie. The book’s ending was so much better. But the Green Mile’s movie simply rocked.
From my grandson in the last few years I learned the joys of The Hungry Caterpillar, Smiley the Shark, and a reminder of one his sister’s favorites too, Goodnight Gorilla. There truly is nothing better in this world that a children’s book with beat up and worn covers with ragged pages. People often ask what I think will make their kids do better in school. Simple Answer-Start early. Reading books over and over is the one true thing that makes a child better in school. That, and saying nursery rhymes together.
I have owned more than one trashy novel featuring Fabio as a cowboy and a Viking and other characters too. I have read all of the biggies in Romance at some point in my life. Norah Roberts as Nora Roberts…no J.D. Robb for me. And I have even had Nora fall on my leg when she tripped on her dress on her way up to the podium to receive another RITA award at RWA’s National Convention. Yes, I tell everyone that story and no, none of her writing abilities magically wore off on my thigh. It has taken me sitting down and committing.
I also have a huge love affair that stops short of complete weirdo psycho fan-sometimes maybe just short (witness willingness to dress up as one of her characters and try to be in website pictures of her tours…and I am on there twice)is with author Janet Evanovich. I have loved and laughed gut-bustingly out loud at her stories. Granted some books were better than others, but the best ones absolutely rocked and made me rock with laughter.
Author Joan Hess came to me even before Janet Evanovich and her humorous stories of crazy small town life inspired me to try my own…which I never finished, but maybe I will come back to it someday.
And I have read the books of the women who have been helping me learn to become writers. C. J. Winters or Connie taught me that brevity and humor are important. Betty Winslow taught me even a person from Holden, MO can publish a book. Jim Butcher taught me the most in a lecture he did where I learned about Scene and Sequel and more of what it takes to be a real writer. His wife Shannon allowed me to be a reader of her books as she began the journey of writing and I have been able to see the progress as she has come along. My friend Cindy has shocked me just a little with the genre she has ended up being published in, but what skilled writing. I have rejoiced with Dyann Love Barr over her first publication and been in awe of the prolific Val who has fought her way to success in several genres. And other real writers have helped me so much along the way. Jan, Amy, Carla, Brenda, Alicia, and now I am getting to see a new writer, Denise Grover Swank, become a published writer on her terms. And I can’t wait to see what all of these people do next.
And I cannot end a piece on writing that has influenced me without mentioning my favorite book, Of Mice and Men. Others see it differently, but to me it is a perfect story of love and commitment between people during times that are hard. And that is the kind of love I strive to see in my own life…without the killing, obviously.
And I am done for today. I have reached my goal of being a Nanowrimo winner with words to spare and now I am going to go on and do whatever challenges being a writer brings me next.
And I get to wear the winner’s shirt.