Blood Line is the first in a three book series,. I hope you enjoy this sample.
CHAPTER 9
When Charlie walked into her office the next morning Nick Devon was sitting in her chair with his feet on her desk. ”So,” he said, “ How was your meeting?”
“Great, thanks. May I ask why you’re sitting at my desk? Is yours under construction? If that’s the case, they’re doing a marvelous job of keeping the mess out of the hall.”
He chuckled, “Still quick as ever. No, my office is fine. Thanks for asking. I’m here to find out if you’ve made any progress on your new story. I was surprised to read the outline. Very interesting, Morgan. So, as it turns out your first story is looking meaty.”
Devon stood up, his boots hitting the floor with a loud crack that snapped Charlie out of her state of shock. She had been sure he would be furious that things hadn’t gone his way. Instead he looked calm. He even looked happy. This was not at all what she had expected.
Charlie snapped her mouth shut and watched with trepidation as he came closer.
He was wearing cowboy boots and jeans and walked with incredible assurance. It poured from him, from his almost too broad shoulders to his narrow waist and long legs. She couldn’t believe he still looked this good. She knew she was staring but couldn’t seem to stop. His white shirt stretched across his chest and gloriously flat stomach. Her eyes kept moving down and she was vaguely aware that this was a very bad way to be looking at your boss.
“See anything you like?” he asked.
Her eyes snapped up to his. There was laughter there. She wanted to laugh too, at herself, for being so juvenile. Her hormones hadn’t run amuck this badly since...well; it was the last time she had seen HIM!
It angered her that he could rile her so easily. “Yes,” she said, “I find you beautiful. You’ve kept in great shape over the years and your coloring is still as striking as always, although I do like the way you wear your hair now. Shorter suits you better.” She gave him the biggest most innocent smile she could conjure up.
He threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep contagious belly laugh. “Have a seat and let’s talk.”
“Sure." She walked around her desk and sat down. He took the other chair and leaned back, looking relieved.
“I’ve been going over your report and it looks good. I wasn’t expecting a big story.”
“I know, Devon but...”
He cut her off, “Stop expecting the worst, Morgan.” He stood up and started for the door, “I like what you’re doing. Keep it up. If you need anything, let me know. Okay?”
She was floored, very happily floored. “Okay Sir.”
He stopped and turned around, facing her, “Wow. Sir? Did I just earn a little of your respect?”
“Maybe just a little. But don’t let it go to your head.”
“Oh, you have nothing to worry about there. You have years of ego crushing to make up for. I want that copy on my desk in five days.” He paused before walking out the door, “Hey, Morgan?”
“Yes?” she asked with trepidation.
“If you ever feel the need to have me tie you up, all you have to do is ask.” The last of his words ended on a chuckle.
Charlie moaned and threw a pen at his head. He quickly ducked as the pen slammed against the closing door and fell to the floor, never completing its mission. Charlie laid her head down on the desk and took three deep breaths. She was mortified, the night before suddenly a visual memory.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Domestic Violence and the Law
In your writings you may find the need to utilize situations that exist in domestic cases. Here are a few of my thoughts about the laws as they exist today. In realistic situations the shades of gray are always evident.
Initially a major goal in mandatory arrest laws, was to take away some of the discretion that police officers had, upon arrival at a domestic violence scene. In some cases, the situation was unclear and the first officer on scene was required to make an educated guess as to the circumstances. Lets face reality; there are only two people that know the entire story: the victim and the offender. The question is: is it a responsible action to take? Or is mandatory arrest really a way to give the police less discretion or the government more power.
The very nature of warrantless arrest sounds unconstitutional. Although each state that exists under the Constitution has a different variation of discretion, all use warrantless arrests when dealing with domestic violence. What if the domestic violence call is based on information from a neighbor? The assumption is, evidence must exist of a violent encounter for the arrest to take place. This is and always will be, a gray area. What if one person lies? What if the house is a wreck, because the accuser trashed the place in a fit of rage and blames the other party? How can a police officer be expected to know the truth? It seems a large jump from an argument, to a view from behind the bars of a jail cell. This may seem like an extreme assumption, yet experiences have shown; many people spent the night in jail for an altercation that may have been instigated by the other party involved. The idea that these laws are successful and create less domestic violence is not supported. In fact, there is no concrete proof that this is true. There is a tendency to report less, saving the abuser the inconvenience of arrest. Many fear repercussions from their abuser and remain silent. There are also cases where the abuser is not the one taken to jail. In the case where the victim is emotional and has struck back, that individual may end up with the arrest on their record.
The research on this subject is contradictory. It seems that, if a researcher wants this to be a positive situation, then the results reflect that outcome. The same can be said for the opposite affect. I found very little research that supported either view exclusively. When arrests increase, the researchers assume it is because the problem is being solved. When arrests decrease the researchers assume it is because of deterrence. This does not take into account human error. For that reason above all others, discretion is rarely a preferable alternative to structured laws. On the other hand, all situations are not equal and extenuating circumstances, such as fearful victims refusing to report, should always be accounted for.
Initially, there was a frustration when mandatory arrest came about. Police enforcers didn’t know what to arrest for. As the statutes became clearer, it was possible for violent offenders to be arrested for crimes that were not nessacerally assault, but fit into the domestic violence category. This made it less frustrating for officers that could not arrest unless a violent act had occurred.
Many arguments could be sited for the effectiveness of these laws, just as many arguments site the opposite case. It is this writer’s view that, mandatory arrest laws violate the position that extenuating circumstances may exist.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Initially a major goal in mandatory arrest laws, was to take away some of the discretion that police officers had, upon arrival at a domestic violence scene. In some cases, the situation was unclear and the first officer on scene was required to make an educated guess as to the circumstances. Lets face reality; there are only two people that know the entire story: the victim and the offender. The question is: is it a responsible action to take? Or is mandatory arrest really a way to give the police less discretion or the government more power.
The very nature of warrantless arrest sounds unconstitutional. Although each state that exists under the Constitution has a different variation of discretion, all use warrantless arrests when dealing with domestic violence. What if the domestic violence call is based on information from a neighbor? The assumption is, evidence must exist of a violent encounter for the arrest to take place. This is and always will be, a gray area. What if one person lies? What if the house is a wreck, because the accuser trashed the place in a fit of rage and blames the other party? How can a police officer be expected to know the truth? It seems a large jump from an argument, to a view from behind the bars of a jail cell. This may seem like an extreme assumption, yet experiences have shown; many people spent the night in jail for an altercation that may have been instigated by the other party involved. The idea that these laws are successful and create less domestic violence is not supported. In fact, there is no concrete proof that this is true. There is a tendency to report less, saving the abuser the inconvenience of arrest. Many fear repercussions from their abuser and remain silent. There are also cases where the abuser is not the one taken to jail. In the case where the victim is emotional and has struck back, that individual may end up with the arrest on their record.
The research on this subject is contradictory. It seems that, if a researcher wants this to be a positive situation, then the results reflect that outcome. The same can be said for the opposite affect. I found very little research that supported either view exclusively. When arrests increase, the researchers assume it is because the problem is being solved. When arrests decrease the researchers assume it is because of deterrence. This does not take into account human error. For that reason above all others, discretion is rarely a preferable alternative to structured laws. On the other hand, all situations are not equal and extenuating circumstances, such as fearful victims refusing to report, should always be accounted for.
Initially, there was a frustration when mandatory arrest came about. Police enforcers didn’t know what to arrest for. As the statutes became clearer, it was possible for violent offenders to be arrested for crimes that were not nessacerally assault, but fit into the domestic violence category. This made it less frustrating for officers that could not arrest unless a violent act had occurred.
Many arguments could be sited for the effectiveness of these laws, just as many arguments site the opposite case. It is this writer’s view that, mandatory arrest laws violate the position that extenuating circumstances may exist.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Crash
When I write I develop my characters from peices and parts of real people. The idea that you should write what you know plays a large role in my work. I recently found myself exposed to a film I had previously seen, this time it had a far greater impact do to my current focus. I recommend that anyone smack dab in the character development stage, see this film
Today’s Blog is a Character analysis from a film that exemplifies the pitfalls of prejudice in our culture. I chose a character that I felt had the most dynamic attitude during this courageous and fascinating look into our multicultural society.
We all have our prejudices, regardless of the face we show to the public. Generally we are all aware of the pitfalls of reacting from prejudice. However, this does not stop the typical human from making assumptions. First, let us define what the word prejudice means. The literal meaning is to pre judge. This fact alone would imply that if acting from previous knowledge, then we are simply judging and are not prejudice in the least. This is the rational that most of us apply when responding to a culture in a negative manner. But let us face facts, the only way to explain away a prejudice is to react to a single individual, one whom we have associated with in the past. Otherwise we are pre judging an entire race or culture, based on some individuals of the same. What is abundantly clear in the movie (Crash. 2004, Directed by Paul Haggis) is that, these highly evocative narratives and major themes are stereotypes and racism, issues that haunts us all.
The character I felt had an interesting shift in perspectives is Jean. Jean, introduced early on as a politician’s wife, is attractive, white and in her mid thirties. Her story opens innocently enough when we see her walking with her husband Rick. They are arm in arm, discussing how nice it would be to ignore any cell phone calls that could possibly interrupt their evening. The conversation is light and Rick quickly turns off his phone in response to the discussion. Only a few seconds pass before Jean sees two young, black men walking in their direction. She grips her husband’s arm tighter and presses close to him as the walk past. We find out later, she wanted to say or do more to protect herself, but she felt as if that would be derogatory, so she refrained from addressing her feelings and continued to her car without taking any precautions. Moments later, the two black men accost the couple with guns, pulling them from their black, sports utility vehicle, quickly steeling it.
From that moment on, Jean no longer hides her prejudice. She blatantly stereotypes the locksmith, accusing him of nefarious plots against her and she becomes irrationally angry at her Hispanic housekeeper. These scenes depict a woman in the throes of post traumatic shock. She sees the world through the eyes of a victim and has placed all of her anguish at the feet of anyone that does not share her race and status. This is especially poignant, because we are allowed to see the true integrity of the characters she diminishes and they are astonishingly, multilayered humans.
Soon Jean finds herself in need of help when she slips on her stairs and falls, landing with a resounding thud. She is obviously unable to move, crumpled on the floor in pain. In a subsequent scene, we see Jean in the hospital, she is contrite and vulnerable. Once again her perspective on the world has been challenged. Jean was rescued by her hispanic housekeeper, a fact that surprises and seems to embarrass her. She states, although she has several friends, not one was willing to come to her aid in a true time of need. As this scene comes to a close, Jean hugs the kind woman that saved her and mumbles in a strained voice “you are my best friend.” It is apparent that Jean has been forever changed by her experiences and like many of us; they will color her future choices. Jean discovered that situations and individuals carry more weight than ideas about race and stature, it is a lesson we could all grow from.
Resources:
Discover video
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Today’s Blog is a Character analysis from a film that exemplifies the pitfalls of prejudice in our culture. I chose a character that I felt had the most dynamic attitude during this courageous and fascinating look into our multicultural society.
We all have our prejudices, regardless of the face we show to the public. Generally we are all aware of the pitfalls of reacting from prejudice. However, this does not stop the typical human from making assumptions. First, let us define what the word prejudice means. The literal meaning is to pre judge. This fact alone would imply that if acting from previous knowledge, then we are simply judging and are not prejudice in the least. This is the rational that most of us apply when responding to a culture in a negative manner. But let us face facts, the only way to explain away a prejudice is to react to a single individual, one whom we have associated with in the past. Otherwise we are pre judging an entire race or culture, based on some individuals of the same. What is abundantly clear in the movie (Crash. 2004, Directed by Paul Haggis) is that, these highly evocative narratives and major themes are stereotypes and racism, issues that haunts us all.
The character I felt had an interesting shift in perspectives is Jean. Jean, introduced early on as a politician’s wife, is attractive, white and in her mid thirties. Her story opens innocently enough when we see her walking with her husband Rick. They are arm in arm, discussing how nice it would be to ignore any cell phone calls that could possibly interrupt their evening. The conversation is light and Rick quickly turns off his phone in response to the discussion. Only a few seconds pass before Jean sees two young, black men walking in their direction. She grips her husband’s arm tighter and presses close to him as the walk past. We find out later, she wanted to say or do more to protect herself, but she felt as if that would be derogatory, so she refrained from addressing her feelings and continued to her car without taking any precautions. Moments later, the two black men accost the couple with guns, pulling them from their black, sports utility vehicle, quickly steeling it.
From that moment on, Jean no longer hides her prejudice. She blatantly stereotypes the locksmith, accusing him of nefarious plots against her and she becomes irrationally angry at her Hispanic housekeeper. These scenes depict a woman in the throes of post traumatic shock. She sees the world through the eyes of a victim and has placed all of her anguish at the feet of anyone that does not share her race and status. This is especially poignant, because we are allowed to see the true integrity of the characters she diminishes and they are astonishingly, multilayered humans.
Soon Jean finds herself in need of help when she slips on her stairs and falls, landing with a resounding thud. She is obviously unable to move, crumpled on the floor in pain. In a subsequent scene, we see Jean in the hospital, she is contrite and vulnerable. Once again her perspective on the world has been challenged. Jean was rescued by her hispanic housekeeper, a fact that surprises and seems to embarrass her. She states, although she has several friends, not one was willing to come to her aid in a true time of need. As this scene comes to a close, Jean hugs the kind woman that saved her and mumbles in a strained voice “you are my best friend.” It is apparent that Jean has been forever changed by her experiences and like many of us; they will color her future choices. Jean discovered that situations and individuals carry more weight than ideas about race and stature, it is a lesson we could all grow from.
Resources:
Discover video
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Bloodthirsty
Chapter One
Timber Byrne shook her head in dismay. You guys are the stupidest motherfuckers in the gene pool, she thought.
Taking in the sight before her, she wondered how these guys ever solved a crime. There had to be twenty uniformed officers traipsing around screwing up the scene. A few plainclothes detectives stood talking at the corner of the dark alley. Several crime techs were kneeling beside the body taking pictures, slipping evidence into baggies, spraying chemicals on fluids to ascertain their type; blood, semen, water, and whatever else might be there. She knew these guys could find that proverbial needle in a haystack even if it was made of human hair. What she didn’t understand and never would was the need for so many damn cops standing around chatting about what could have happened. As she moved closer she groaned as she recognized the detective standing and casually sipping his coffee. Robin Blake, that’s all she needed. Why am I even here? She thought.
Her division wasn’t needed for a simple dead body. Even if it was murder, there was no reason she should be pulled out of bed and called to a scene. As she approached and Blake looked up she saw no surprise in his eyes. She knew immediately who was to blame.
She stomped up to him and said, “You’re an asshole, Blake”
“Good morning to you too, agent Byrne” He was grinning and she wanted to punch him in his stupid perfect mouth.
“It’s not even close to morning!” she snapped “Why am I here? It’s obvious you had me called in. Are you sleeping with someone at the agency now? Is that how you pulled this off?” She knew she was out of line and yet she didn’t care.
Blake grabbed Timber by the upper arm and yanked her a few steps away from the other detective. “ Hey!” he said in a low growl, “That’s bull shit! You’re about to make a fool of yourself over some ancient crap between us?”
Timber looked at his hand on her arm. She was so shocked by his actions she almost couldn’t bring herself to speak. When she did, her voice was calm and controlled.
“You better remove your hand from my person right now or I swear to God, Detective, I will bust your ass for sexual harassment and before I do I’ll shoot you in your dick for assaulting me. Are we clear?”
Blake’s eyes hardened and he took a step back, dropped his hand and said. “I won’t touch you again.”
He turned his back on her and began walking toward the body “Take a look at this. Tell me you don’t want to be involved and I’ll let you go back to bed.”
As Timber followed she realized she was shaking. This was the only man that could elicit those explosive emotions from her. She was wired a little tight. She knew that, yet she had always attributed that to the fact that she was a woman in a field where men reigned. There was the matter concerning her stature.
Timber was a small woman. Not just compared to a man but compared to anyone. She was a five foot-one, one-hundred and ten pound “firecracker”. According to her four brothers she’d never failed to live up to the nickname. The part of Timber that gave her the most trouble was the fact that she was ethereally beautiful. She had done things to tone it down, like cutting her naturally golden hair so short that she could jump from the shower, rub it with a towel and be done. He blue eyes were almost too large for her face and whenever possible she kept them covered with sunglasses. She wore clothing that deliberately made her look anything but sexual. Jeans and baggy sweaters were her casual wear. For work she kept to black slacks and white button-down blouses. No frills, no heels.
What she didn’t realize, and what none of her co-workers had cared to share for obvious reasons, was that, all of the things she did to make herself less sexy only made her more adorable. The guys at work had started calling her “pixie girl”. If she knew that, her cute little pixie head would have shot from her body in a fabulous, exploding fireworks extravaganza.
Living in her delusion that she was a tough non-sexual being that could rival any man on or off the job, she angrily strutted after Blake, mumbling under her breath.
A tech looked up as they approached. Blake nodded his head. The tech pulled down a small white cloth that had been covering the dead man’s face.
This was the job, dead bodies, blood, it’s all part of the deal; but there are still times that you want to turn and empty the contents of your stomach on the dirty pavement. Timber swallowed the bile rising in her throat and knelt down for a closer look.
One eye was swollen shut and yellow with a black ring around it as if he had been hit with something perfectly cylindrical. His other eye was missing. The hole was hollowed out like it had been cleaned. His lips were pulled back from his mouth and something was shoved inside. Timber took a pen from her shirt pocket, grabbed a baggie and wrapped it over the end of the pen. She slipped it inside the mouth and moved the object just enough to see its origin. “Oh” she said and looked at Blake
He nodded and knelt beside her. “There’s more” he said and took her pen from her hand and used it to slide the shirt open. The breast tissue had been completely excised from the body.
“Did you find it?” she asked referring to the missing tissue.
“Not yet, but I’m guessing by what’s in his mouth, we’re going to find it.”
“In autopsy?” she asked
“That would be my guess”
“Yeah, unfortunately mine too” She looked closer and noticed that the slices on the chest were clean and sharp, no hesitation marks. She shivered and said, “I need to make a call”
“So you in?” he asked, a smirk starting at the corner of his mouth
“Oh shut up” she said and pressed a button on her phone. The line began to ring and she turned away from Blake as he laughed and said, “I’m just asking,”
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Timber Byrne shook her head in dismay. You guys are the stupidest motherfuckers in the gene pool, she thought.
Taking in the sight before her, she wondered how these guys ever solved a crime. There had to be twenty uniformed officers traipsing around screwing up the scene. A few plainclothes detectives stood talking at the corner of the dark alley. Several crime techs were kneeling beside the body taking pictures, slipping evidence into baggies, spraying chemicals on fluids to ascertain their type; blood, semen, water, and whatever else might be there. She knew these guys could find that proverbial needle in a haystack even if it was made of human hair. What she didn’t understand and never would was the need for so many damn cops standing around chatting about what could have happened. As she moved closer she groaned as she recognized the detective standing and casually sipping his coffee. Robin Blake, that’s all she needed. Why am I even here? She thought.
Her division wasn’t needed for a simple dead body. Even if it was murder, there was no reason she should be pulled out of bed and called to a scene. As she approached and Blake looked up she saw no surprise in his eyes. She knew immediately who was to blame.
She stomped up to him and said, “You’re an asshole, Blake”
“Good morning to you too, agent Byrne” He was grinning and she wanted to punch him in his stupid perfect mouth.
“It’s not even close to morning!” she snapped “Why am I here? It’s obvious you had me called in. Are you sleeping with someone at the agency now? Is that how you pulled this off?” She knew she was out of line and yet she didn’t care.
Blake grabbed Timber by the upper arm and yanked her a few steps away from the other detective. “ Hey!” he said in a low growl, “That’s bull shit! You’re about to make a fool of yourself over some ancient crap between us?”
Timber looked at his hand on her arm. She was so shocked by his actions she almost couldn’t bring herself to speak. When she did, her voice was calm and controlled.
“You better remove your hand from my person right now or I swear to God, Detective, I will bust your ass for sexual harassment and before I do I’ll shoot you in your dick for assaulting me. Are we clear?”
Blake’s eyes hardened and he took a step back, dropped his hand and said. “I won’t touch you again.”
He turned his back on her and began walking toward the body “Take a look at this. Tell me you don’t want to be involved and I’ll let you go back to bed.”
As Timber followed she realized she was shaking. This was the only man that could elicit those explosive emotions from her. She was wired a little tight. She knew that, yet she had always attributed that to the fact that she was a woman in a field where men reigned. There was the matter concerning her stature.
Timber was a small woman. Not just compared to a man but compared to anyone. She was a five foot-one, one-hundred and ten pound “firecracker”. According to her four brothers she’d never failed to live up to the nickname. The part of Timber that gave her the most trouble was the fact that she was ethereally beautiful. She had done things to tone it down, like cutting her naturally golden hair so short that she could jump from the shower, rub it with a towel and be done. He blue eyes were almost too large for her face and whenever possible she kept them covered with sunglasses. She wore clothing that deliberately made her look anything but sexual. Jeans and baggy sweaters were her casual wear. For work she kept to black slacks and white button-down blouses. No frills, no heels.
What she didn’t realize, and what none of her co-workers had cared to share for obvious reasons, was that, all of the things she did to make herself less sexy only made her more adorable. The guys at work had started calling her “pixie girl”. If she knew that, her cute little pixie head would have shot from her body in a fabulous, exploding fireworks extravaganza.
Living in her delusion that she was a tough non-sexual being that could rival any man on or off the job, she angrily strutted after Blake, mumbling under her breath.
A tech looked up as they approached. Blake nodded his head. The tech pulled down a small white cloth that had been covering the dead man’s face.
This was the job, dead bodies, blood, it’s all part of the deal; but there are still times that you want to turn and empty the contents of your stomach on the dirty pavement. Timber swallowed the bile rising in her throat and knelt down for a closer look.
One eye was swollen shut and yellow with a black ring around it as if he had been hit with something perfectly cylindrical. His other eye was missing. The hole was hollowed out like it had been cleaned. His lips were pulled back from his mouth and something was shoved inside. Timber took a pen from her shirt pocket, grabbed a baggie and wrapped it over the end of the pen. She slipped it inside the mouth and moved the object just enough to see its origin. “Oh” she said and looked at Blake
He nodded and knelt beside her. “There’s more” he said and took her pen from her hand and used it to slide the shirt open. The breast tissue had been completely excised from the body.
“Did you find it?” she asked referring to the missing tissue.
“Not yet, but I’m guessing by what’s in his mouth, we’re going to find it.”
“In autopsy?” she asked
“That would be my guess”
“Yeah, unfortunately mine too” She looked closer and noticed that the slices on the chest were clean and sharp, no hesitation marks. She shivered and said, “I need to make a call”
“So you in?” he asked, a smirk starting at the corner of his mouth
“Oh shut up” she said and pressed a button on her phone. The line began to ring and she turned away from Blake as he laughed and said, “I’m just asking,”
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Society is Goal Oriented
Over the last decade, crime has been decreasing, yet the adults convicted of felonies have been increasing. This is an odd trend. In such a nonsensical situation, I would put forth that; perception may play a large part in massive conviction rates.
If an abundance of violent crime has taken place in months surrounding the trial, many times there is a backlash from the general public. The idea formulates that a change needs to be made.People are not going to tolerate crime any longer. It is at those points when we see Juries seeking out stronger convictions, sending messages and making points. When society is relatively calm, sentencing and Jury decisions seem to validate this trend by becoming less extreme.
Society is goal oriented in the criminal justice system, as they are with all things. Protect the family, provide and accumulate. If a criminal is out there in their midst, how can they protect the family? If their security is being stolen, how can they accumulate and provide? Cultural norms seem to always dictate what we view as criminal, how we convict and prosecute those crimes. The prevailing winds of change affect criminals as relentlessly as it affects us all.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
If an abundance of violent crime has taken place in months surrounding the trial, many times there is a backlash from the general public. The idea formulates that a change needs to be made.People are not going to tolerate crime any longer. It is at those points when we see Juries seeking out stronger convictions, sending messages and making points. When society is relatively calm, sentencing and Jury decisions seem to validate this trend by becoming less extreme.
Society is goal oriented in the criminal justice system, as they are with all things. Protect the family, provide and accumulate. If a criminal is out there in their midst, how can they protect the family? If their security is being stolen, how can they accumulate and provide? Cultural norms seem to always dictate what we view as criminal, how we convict and prosecute those crimes. The prevailing winds of change affect criminals as relentlessly as it affects us all.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sex and the Serial Killer
The question of sexuality in relation to a serial killer is a fascinating one. In the cases where a person deteriorates into an animalistic executioner, can they maintain a normal sexual relationship? In many of these instances, I would say without pause, the answer is no. And yet, there have been documented cases where this was not the case. In most of these situations the relationship manifests, eventually into something darker, but occasionally, a very compartmentalized mind, may be able to maintain the two personalities, lover and killer.
Serial Killers are Murderers who take the lives of three or more victims over a period of time. These notorious men and women always have some dark, sexual aspects to their grisly murders. Ted Bundy killed his victims by bludgeoning and strangulation, after which he had sex with their lifeless bodies. Jeffery Dahmer tried to create sex slaves by drilling holes into their heads and pouring acid into the open wounds. This macabre individual, wanted desperately to construct a zombie, a dark sexual fantasy that proved impossible. His bizarre acts led to the cannibalization of his victims. It is widely believed that he was so in love with these men and boys, that he felt the need to consume them.
Henry lee Lucas began molesting a nine year old girl and continued that relationship until her sixteenth birthday. While this behavior was ongoing he believed he was in a relationship. He spoke freely of how he “raised her up from nine years old.” He was also active during this period of time, mercilessly killing women. He maintained that he loved his girlfriend, right up until he stuck a knife in her stomach, killing her in a pitiless act of brutality.
Eileen Warnos killed her victims while approaching the sex act; later claiming all of her victims had tried to rape her. During her highly touted, man hating adventure, Eileen maintained an odd relationship with a young lesbian. She asserted in several interviews, that she sold her body to provide for her young lover. These desperate acts led to the murders that later consumed her life. Even after her girlfriend turned on her, the desperate woman maintained her righteous rational for taking the lives of the men she viciously slaughtered. Her relationship with her girlfriend was an enabling one, both women helping the other to maintain a dysfunction, while blaming the other.
Dennis Rader, the B.T.K killer, used torture as a sexual component in his crimes. Although in several cases he never actually had sex with his victims, especially in the beginning. In Ted Bundy’s case, early childhood, trauma was evident and could be a catalyst to his future behavior. At age ten he discovered in a chaotic turn of events, his sister was actually his mother and his parents were his grandparents. There is some evidence that his grandfather was also his father. Some experts believe, this biological disturbance could attest for his aberrant behavior. Development of Ted Bundy’s brain may have been severely damaged by his incestual ancestry. This is only speculation.
Shyness plagued Ted’s youth until he learned to hide behind a cocky, self-assured facade. Like many serial murderers, Ted’s personal life was riddled with insecurities. He courted his first love using poetry and his infamous charm. Initially, his good looks and intelligence served him well, but soon the object of his affection saw through his veneer and called him on his juvenile behavior. Ted was humiliated. Although he later gained her approval by attaining a better job and a sleeker look, Ted brushed her off in an act of revenge and then moved on. Interestingly, all of Bundy’s later victims looked remarkably like this young woman.
Ted’s next sexual relationship with his college lover was aggressive, though not violent. Whatever deviant needs and desires Ted Bundy had, they were not expressed outwardly with this woman. Later, one of his partners stated that Ted liked her to lie still and sometimes he would pretend to strangle her. In retrospect, she wondered if he secretly wanted to be with a dead woman. This apparently became a problem latter on, as he became unable to perform in normal sexual situations. Again, Ted’s issues seem to stem from his first serious girlfriend belittling him after several misunderstandings. She reportedly called him a boy and told him he wasn’t able to sexually satisfy her. This seemed to be a turning point. Although he seemed to enjoy sex and have real affection for this young woman, his need for dominance eventually overcame his ability to retain an erection during normal sexual activity. Ted was so addicted to this dominate behavior that when given the chance to rekindle his first true love, he chose an act of petty revenge instead. Subsequently, he focused his rage on her likeness. Was Ted punishing her for knowing how insignificant he was, through a series of surrogate victims?
In the case of the B.T. K. Strangler, Dennis Rader operated in the Wichita, Kansas area for more than thirty years. He was a member of the church during that period and was married to Paula Raider, all the while enjoying the debauchery of a diabolical killing spree. During these dark years, Dennis was going home to his wife and behaving quite normally. They lived in a quaint Kansas home. He managed to father and raised two children, even becoming a Boy Scout leader, while continually living out his darkest fantasies.
Dennis implied in many of his writings, that he maintained this relationship to foster a feeling of normalcy. Marrying Paula was another step in what Rader perceived as a normal existence, as was becoming a member of the church and having children. His wife has not spoken at length about Dennis, but it was clear that a possibility exists that she was aware of his actions. (BTK, Unholy Messenger, Stephen Singular. 2006, Simon & Schuster) Paula discovered a poem that was written about one of the earlier victims. When asked about it, Dennis told Paula that it was an assignment for one of his criminal classes. Because he was in school studying criminal justice Paula believed him and let the incident pass. Dennis kept pictures and an abundance of memorabilia from his crimes in the house, easily accessible to any member of the family.
An executioner who crossed borders as well as boundaries, was a man named Jack Unterweger. Jack was a convict. He originally went to prison for a vicious crime in the mid 1970’s. Jack began writing about life in prison and constructing poetry, among other prose, that led to his acclaim as an author. In a peculiar event, he was released in 1990 and soon after became a celebrity of sorts. In the eyes of the criminal justice system he was considered a model of rehabilitation. Around this time woman began to show up dead, brutalized and strangled with their own bras. Many of these women were prostitutes. Later, that fact and that the killers name was Jack, was not completely lost on the public’s fascination with this unusual case. Jack, using his notoriety inserted himself into the investigation. He began hosting a radio show and interviewed the police, discussing the details of these troubling murders. He traveled from Australia to America frequently using his job as a cover to commit horrendous crimes. During the violent escapades of this period, Jack was maintaining a relationship with a beautiful woman he met while in Los Angeles, a trip he took that culminated in several slayings.
The relationship started slowly, with romantic dates and long walks on the beach. They would discuss the cases of the murdered girls and eventually Jack convinced his new love to travel to Australia. Once in his home town, Jack began to display odd behaviors toward his lover. He would dump freezing water on her head and pretend it was funny. Occasionally, he would dunk her when she was taking a bath, from time to time, holding her under, just long enough to scare her. When she cried he would say, “Why are you so upset? It was just a joke.” Sex was normal initially, but slowly he began to choke her during their love making, eventually until she was unconscious. (Entering Hands, John Leake. 2007)
Like many serial murders before him, Jack felt abandoned by his mother and fostered a hate for all women. He was able to hide this behind a facade of over the top behavior and extravagant wardrobes choices. All of Jacks friends describe him as a charismatic gentleman. This is what his girlfriend believed in the beginning. It never occurred to her that she was falling in love with an ex- con who was still a psychopathic serial killer. Jack kept extensive diaries, expounding the daily events of his life. This allowed great insight into his broken mind.
The traits that this group all share seem to be the need to appear normal. This is especially true in the aspect of sexuality. As long as the partner believes they are experiencing a normal range of intimacy, they are able to continue this façade. This seems to change once the significant other catches a glimpse of the aberrant behavior their partner secretly desires. Once those cracks are witnessed, the house of cards begins to fall and what lies beneath is exposed. Few criminals of this magnitude are capable of sustaining a functional relationship during times where they are criminally active. The case of BTK is a rare one and is also suspect. As stated earlier, many doubt that Paula Rader was as unaware as she claimed.
All of the serial killers of the last few decades have maintained some sort of sexual relationship prior to, or during their killing sprees. While all of these killers have several characteristics in common, the need to rape, torture, and sometimes mutilate their victims, did they maintain a normal sex life outside of their insidious acts of violence? Were their relationships with others normal? Or, were they simply playing a game of cat and mouse, far darker than anyone ever realized? The most obvious answer to these questions is this: a murderer can only maintain a sexual relationship in the same distorted way they would maintain any other. It is a manipulation, rocketing down a pathway of inevitability and catastrophe.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Serial Killers are Murderers who take the lives of three or more victims over a period of time. These notorious men and women always have some dark, sexual aspects to their grisly murders. Ted Bundy killed his victims by bludgeoning and strangulation, after which he had sex with their lifeless bodies. Jeffery Dahmer tried to create sex slaves by drilling holes into their heads and pouring acid into the open wounds. This macabre individual, wanted desperately to construct a zombie, a dark sexual fantasy that proved impossible. His bizarre acts led to the cannibalization of his victims. It is widely believed that he was so in love with these men and boys, that he felt the need to consume them.
Henry lee Lucas began molesting a nine year old girl and continued that relationship until her sixteenth birthday. While this behavior was ongoing he believed he was in a relationship. He spoke freely of how he “raised her up from nine years old.” He was also active during this period of time, mercilessly killing women. He maintained that he loved his girlfriend, right up until he stuck a knife in her stomach, killing her in a pitiless act of brutality.
Eileen Warnos killed her victims while approaching the sex act; later claiming all of her victims had tried to rape her. During her highly touted, man hating adventure, Eileen maintained an odd relationship with a young lesbian. She asserted in several interviews, that she sold her body to provide for her young lover. These desperate acts led to the murders that later consumed her life. Even after her girlfriend turned on her, the desperate woman maintained her righteous rational for taking the lives of the men she viciously slaughtered. Her relationship with her girlfriend was an enabling one, both women helping the other to maintain a dysfunction, while blaming the other.
Dennis Rader, the B.T.K killer, used torture as a sexual component in his crimes. Although in several cases he never actually had sex with his victims, especially in the beginning. In Ted Bundy’s case, early childhood, trauma was evident and could be a catalyst to his future behavior. At age ten he discovered in a chaotic turn of events, his sister was actually his mother and his parents were his grandparents. There is some evidence that his grandfather was also his father. Some experts believe, this biological disturbance could attest for his aberrant behavior. Development of Ted Bundy’s brain may have been severely damaged by his incestual ancestry. This is only speculation.
Shyness plagued Ted’s youth until he learned to hide behind a cocky, self-assured facade. Like many serial murderers, Ted’s personal life was riddled with insecurities. He courted his first love using poetry and his infamous charm. Initially, his good looks and intelligence served him well, but soon the object of his affection saw through his veneer and called him on his juvenile behavior. Ted was humiliated. Although he later gained her approval by attaining a better job and a sleeker look, Ted brushed her off in an act of revenge and then moved on. Interestingly, all of Bundy’s later victims looked remarkably like this young woman.
Ted’s next sexual relationship with his college lover was aggressive, though not violent. Whatever deviant needs and desires Ted Bundy had, they were not expressed outwardly with this woman. Later, one of his partners stated that Ted liked her to lie still and sometimes he would pretend to strangle her. In retrospect, she wondered if he secretly wanted to be with a dead woman. This apparently became a problem latter on, as he became unable to perform in normal sexual situations. Again, Ted’s issues seem to stem from his first serious girlfriend belittling him after several misunderstandings. She reportedly called him a boy and told him he wasn’t able to sexually satisfy her. This seemed to be a turning point. Although he seemed to enjoy sex and have real affection for this young woman, his need for dominance eventually overcame his ability to retain an erection during normal sexual activity. Ted was so addicted to this dominate behavior that when given the chance to rekindle his first true love, he chose an act of petty revenge instead. Subsequently, he focused his rage on her likeness. Was Ted punishing her for knowing how insignificant he was, through a series of surrogate victims?
In the case of the B.T. K. Strangler, Dennis Rader operated in the Wichita, Kansas area for more than thirty years. He was a member of the church during that period and was married to Paula Raider, all the while enjoying the debauchery of a diabolical killing spree. During these dark years, Dennis was going home to his wife and behaving quite normally. They lived in a quaint Kansas home. He managed to father and raised two children, even becoming a Boy Scout leader, while continually living out his darkest fantasies.
Dennis implied in many of his writings, that he maintained this relationship to foster a feeling of normalcy. Marrying Paula was another step in what Rader perceived as a normal existence, as was becoming a member of the church and having children. His wife has not spoken at length about Dennis, but it was clear that a possibility exists that she was aware of his actions. (BTK, Unholy Messenger, Stephen Singular. 2006, Simon & Schuster) Paula discovered a poem that was written about one of the earlier victims. When asked about it, Dennis told Paula that it was an assignment for one of his criminal classes. Because he was in school studying criminal justice Paula believed him and let the incident pass. Dennis kept pictures and an abundance of memorabilia from his crimes in the house, easily accessible to any member of the family.
An executioner who crossed borders as well as boundaries, was a man named Jack Unterweger. Jack was a convict. He originally went to prison for a vicious crime in the mid 1970’s. Jack began writing about life in prison and constructing poetry, among other prose, that led to his acclaim as an author. In a peculiar event, he was released in 1990 and soon after became a celebrity of sorts. In the eyes of the criminal justice system he was considered a model of rehabilitation. Around this time woman began to show up dead, brutalized and strangled with their own bras. Many of these women were prostitutes. Later, that fact and that the killers name was Jack, was not completely lost on the public’s fascination with this unusual case. Jack, using his notoriety inserted himself into the investigation. He began hosting a radio show and interviewed the police, discussing the details of these troubling murders. He traveled from Australia to America frequently using his job as a cover to commit horrendous crimes. During the violent escapades of this period, Jack was maintaining a relationship with a beautiful woman he met while in Los Angeles, a trip he took that culminated in several slayings.
The relationship started slowly, with romantic dates and long walks on the beach. They would discuss the cases of the murdered girls and eventually Jack convinced his new love to travel to Australia. Once in his home town, Jack began to display odd behaviors toward his lover. He would dump freezing water on her head and pretend it was funny. Occasionally, he would dunk her when she was taking a bath, from time to time, holding her under, just long enough to scare her. When she cried he would say, “Why are you so upset? It was just a joke.” Sex was normal initially, but slowly he began to choke her during their love making, eventually until she was unconscious. (Entering Hands, John Leake. 2007)
Like many serial murders before him, Jack felt abandoned by his mother and fostered a hate for all women. He was able to hide this behind a facade of over the top behavior and extravagant wardrobes choices. All of Jacks friends describe him as a charismatic gentleman. This is what his girlfriend believed in the beginning. It never occurred to her that she was falling in love with an ex- con who was still a psychopathic serial killer. Jack kept extensive diaries, expounding the daily events of his life. This allowed great insight into his broken mind.
The traits that this group all share seem to be the need to appear normal. This is especially true in the aspect of sexuality. As long as the partner believes they are experiencing a normal range of intimacy, they are able to continue this façade. This seems to change once the significant other catches a glimpse of the aberrant behavior their partner secretly desires. Once those cracks are witnessed, the house of cards begins to fall and what lies beneath is exposed. Few criminals of this magnitude are capable of sustaining a functional relationship during times where they are criminally active. The case of BTK is a rare one and is also suspect. As stated earlier, many doubt that Paula Rader was as unaware as she claimed.
All of the serial killers of the last few decades have maintained some sort of sexual relationship prior to, or during their killing sprees. While all of these killers have several characteristics in common, the need to rape, torture, and sometimes mutilate their victims, did they maintain a normal sex life outside of their insidious acts of violence? Were their relationships with others normal? Or, were they simply playing a game of cat and mouse, far darker than anyone ever realized? The most obvious answer to these questions is this: a murderer can only maintain a sexual relationship in the same distorted way they would maintain any other. It is a manipulation, rocketing down a pathway of inevitability and catastrophe.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Friday, May 21, 2010
Recidivism , what the heck does that mean???
Recidivism is a term very few are familiar with but if you plan on writing any crime drama you need to know this term. It means simply the rate at with a criminal will reoffend.
The most recent Statistics for probation and parole available were completed for year-end 2007. At that time there were much higher numbers in probation than parole. While parolee’s numbers were rising at a much-increased rate over probationers, the overall numbers of the latter far exceed the former.
103,000 people entered the system by the end of 2007. Only 12% were women. The largest numbers of parolees were white men. This was surprising to me initially. My opinion changed when I compared the populous rate for white men, to the ethic diversity. After that, the numbers made quite a bit more sense.
The recidivism rate was expected to be high by the end of the year. The expectations were met. The system saw 16% of prisoners return to prison by years end.
for more information Check out the link below
.
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
The most recent Statistics for probation and parole available were completed for year-end 2007. At that time there were much higher numbers in probation than parole. While parolee’s numbers were rising at a much-increased rate over probationers, the overall numbers of the latter far exceed the former.
103,000 people entered the system by the end of 2007. Only 12% were women. The largest numbers of parolees were white men. This was surprising to me initially. My opinion changed when I compared the populous rate for white men, to the ethic diversity. After that, the numbers made quite a bit more sense.
The recidivism rate was expected to be high by the end of the year. The expectations were met. The system saw 16% of prisoners return to prison by years end.
for more information Check out the link below
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Know the Basics
In order to create believable crime drama one of the first things you need to do is know your way around the elements related to the crime you are focusing on. For example, If you want to write a crime drama with a computer element, know the basic terms.
Here are a few to get you started
Hacker- a person that brakes into another person’s computer or network without permission to alter its contents.
Black hat- a person that violates the computer or network of another with the intent of producing negative results or to acheive personal gain.
White hat- these people provide security for major companies using their hacking abilities. Providing protection from illegal access.
Gray hats- people who gain illegal access to computers then admit to the crime and offer assistance in making sure the problem doesn’t occur again.
Script kiddies- these are people that surf the web in search of programs that they can launch and they don’t know what will happen.
Hactivist- these people break into computer systems make changes for political reasons.
Cyber Terrorist – these people hack into secure systems to cause damage or death the cause loss of services that cause severe negative affects.
Password grabbers and loggers- programs running on a person’s computer without their knowledge. Steeling passwords is their end game.
In any endeavor you undertake research is key. Know your audience and keep a clear idea of the message you want to express. Have fun and good luck!
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
Here are a few to get you started
Hacker- a person that brakes into another person’s computer or network without permission to alter its contents.
Black hat- a person that violates the computer or network of another with the intent of producing negative results or to acheive personal gain.
White hat- these people provide security for major companies using their hacking abilities. Providing protection from illegal access.
Gray hats- people who gain illegal access to computers then admit to the crime and offer assistance in making sure the problem doesn’t occur again.
Script kiddies- these are people that surf the web in search of programs that they can launch and they don’t know what will happen.
Hactivist- these people break into computer systems make changes for political reasons.
Cyber Terrorist – these people hack into secure systems to cause damage or death the cause loss of services that cause severe negative affects.
Password grabbers and loggers- programs running on a person’s computer without their knowledge. Steeling passwords is their end game.
In any endeavor you undertake research is key. Know your audience and keep a clear idea of the message you want to express. Have fun and good luck!
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
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