The winner of an autographed copy of IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE TIED is, drum roll please…
Sharon/Maya! Yay, throwing confetti!! Congrats!

You can thank number one son for picking your name.

Next week, a copy if Jami Aden’s DELICIOUS!!

Dear Officer Friendly,
Can you tell us about your first arrest? Also, I recently was given a speeding ticket (I was not speeding!), and I want to fight it. Can you tell me how to get out of a traffic ticket in the courtroom? I’m going to assume flashing the judge is not prudent, especially if it’s a female. But are there any little tricks, you know loopholes that work?

I’d have to see the flasher first, in the act, to know with any certainty if there was a chance of it working… But seriously, first and foremost, the court will assume that the Police Officer was in the right to cite you. Why? Because there are so many violators out there, why would the officer need to make it up? You must take it to court because there is a 50/50 chance the officer won’t show up. If he fails to appear, the case is usually dismissed. If however, he should show up you better have a pat defense to establish doubt in the mind of the court. I can’t tell you how to do that because only you know the particulars of your citation.

Things to consider: Did he get you on radar? If so, you’re pretty much cooked. However, when was the last time the radar unit was calibrated? How was it calibrated. How long since it has been serviced? If he paced you, from how far back was he? How many car lengths and over how long a distance. Were there other vehicles between you two? Was he pacing from the same lane or one or two over? Time and distance, did he have enough of both to establish a reliable pace? If he was parked and only made a visible estimate, over how far a stretch of road did he observe you? Did he see you passing other vehicles? How long had he been sitting there to get a read on the flow and general speed of other vehicles on the road? If you are found guilty and have not been to traffic school in the last two year’s, your best bet is to ask for school so as to keep it off of your record. Best of luck!

My first arrest was a transient named, Victor Simon Perez. I observed Victor breaking into a newspaper dispenser box for it’s change. I pulled up almost directly behind him while he was still pulling out the change. My training officer and I exited our vehicle and between the patrol car and each of us approaching from his sides, Victor was caught like the proverbial rat that was he. Ahh the memories. Good times, good times.

Thank you Officer Friendly, we’re all sooo happy you’re feeling better!
Remember, if you have a question, email it to Karin@KarinTabke.com

While I admit that since I sold I have become more of plotter, I still pants it, a lot. I mostly pants my character’s GMC’s. No wait a minute, I take that back. I have rough GMC’s sketched out, but not fully. I allow that to happen in my writing process. Usually it happens but sometimes, as with SKIN, it took 3 times before I finally had a handle on it, and finally the hand of my editor to breathe real life into my heroine. I just kept trying to push her one way, and my editor is like, “Frankie would never do this this or this, why do you have her doing it?” I’m like, “Well, coz, I dunno.” Meanwhile I’m thinking, isn’t that part of the rules for heroines? Never mind my CP’s told me the same thing about my heroine. I thought I had fixed it. I knew when I turned that book in something wasn’t right. That inner nag in my gut. It’s called instinct and I need to listen to it more. It took the fresh eye of my editor to point out I hadn’t. So, that is what revisions are for. Once I started writing the real Frankie, the story fell into place and I could sleep at night.

I had the same feeling, the feeling of some thing wasn’t quite clicking when I began JADED. This book is darker, more twisted, deeper in many ways then GOOD GIRL and SKIN. And because it is technically an erotic suspense, I realized when I sketched out my heroine it was going to take some serious effort to get her in bed with darkly Mc Charming Jase. But last night as I was kind of free writing while sticking to the plot, my characters lead me to their inner most thoughts, and it came to me, just how sexy this story was going to be. These two have some serious chemistry, and she, Jade, my heroine has some very dark issues she needs to work through. Free spirited lady’s man Jase Vaughn steps up to the plate and delivers. I’m really excited.

When I can’t write or avoid writing it’s not because I don’t want to write, it’s because I know something isn’t meshing with my characters. My process is to ponder a bit, not overly much, I don’t have the time to be The Thinker. I have to write it out. I don’t have a choice. If I don’t write, I don’t, well, write, and no writing equals no stories and that is bad for Karin. So, for me, I become the bull in the china shop and wreak havoc until the story begins to take on truth.

What is your process from the beginning? And what do you do when the cursor continues to flash and you get that glazed look in your eye and think of all the things you’d rather do then hang out with your characters?

K*

oh and ps, I heard from Officer Friendly who surprisignly is still alive (I also heard from Mrs.Friendly, and let’s just say OF is lucky to have such a doting, understanding and loving spouse), anyhoo, he is up to taking questions, so if you have one, email it asasp to Karin@KarinTabke.com and he’ll answer it tomorrow.

Oh and don’t forget this week’s prize, a signed copy of IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE TIED by Josie Brown to the commenter who gets their name pulled from the hat, or in reality the envelope.

Next week I’ll have Jami Alden’s DELICIOUS up for grabs (oh and check out the Quickie link, Jami has a fab recipe for curry pumpkin soup for this month’s quickie) and the following week Jen Skully’s lastest release to the commenter who gets picked.

Win an autographed copy of Josie Brown’s latest release IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE TIED!
All you have to do is comment this week. The more times you comment the more chances you have of winning. I’ll pick the winner noon Thursday, then have Josie inscribe the book I buy from her at our singing Thursday night, and pop it in the mail to the winner Friday!

Now just so there arent random comments, I have a question for you. During the chaotic holiday time, what do you look forward to most?

K*

I feel like I weigh twice my normal weight, and just can’t seem to shake the yearning for a nap. Ah, tryptophane!

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday. I did. No strife, no stress, no drama, just warm comfy family time, with a couple of close friends to join the food orgy. Since the family is so large these days, my mother-in-law who is usually saddled with preparing Thanksgiving dinner was looking for takers next year. And while I enjoy most of the family, and don’t mind spending a week in the kitchen, the family has grown so much that well, for me Thanksgiving has lost much of its intimacy. I mean one year there were so many people we ate in a freakin’ garage!! How fun is that? No thank you.

I suggested we all go to the local homeless helter and serve. I have brought it up every year for several years now and my husband looks at me as if I’ve grown a second head. My kids have no problem with it, in fact my youngest son and youngest daughter ask every year if we’re are going to do it. Every year I say, “Daddy doesn’t want to.”
For hubby it isn’t that he doesn’t want to help out, he would–gladly, what he doesn’t want, is his tradition disrupted. He loves the day, the food, and the family. While I do too, I can do without it. Why not spend the day helping those less fortunate, then come home to an intimate family meal, and be thankful for what you have?

There is so much that can be done if serving at the shelter is out. There are many elderly people who are home, why not take them dinner? Or help the local church with meals? This year is the first year we didn’t donate several turkeys. Why? I forgot. With hubby’s surgery, my trips, my writing, and my mind being elsewhere I completely forgot. Lousy excuse. But I will make it up at Christmas.

As I write this my resolve is calcifying. I just yelled down to hubby, “We’re spending part of Thanksgiving next year with the homeless.” LSU took that opportunity to score, so my words were absorbed in his zealous cheering. That’s ok, I’ll get him later.

What special things do you do during the holidays that make you feel good?

A little birdie told me Officer Friendly isn’t feeling well, so pray for his wife ‘er for him to get better soon.

So, I’m going to take his spot today.
I spoke a couple of months ago over at Murdershewrites about what my message was. In that, what would I talk about if I were to given the chance to speak on television or radio? Because quite frankly, those venues are not interested in your book, they are interested in your message. So for me, it was easy. Boiled down, my message is empowering women.
My heroines are ladies who do not need rescuing. They are the rescuers. My heroes are along for the ride.

So this past weekend, as you all know my dear friend Josie Brown and I hit the greater LA area—hard—they are still reeling. The impetus was an invitation I received from a wonderful lady who heads up a readers group at the Burbank BN to come down and speak to her group. Their topic for the November meeting was strong heroines. How could I say no? I asked Josie if she’d drive down with me, she said, hell yes, and then I thought, hmm, maybe the readers group would like to hear Josie chat as well. And so they graciously extended an invitation to her.

So off we go and without going into detail about the stock signings and the wonderful booksellers we met along the way, the true reason for this trip presented itself after the reader’s group meeting.

During the Q&A part of the presentation, I asked one of the gals who had asked me a question regarding crit partners if she also wrote. She said she did. After the Q&A she came up to the table for me to sign a book. We began to chat about crit partners, what line she was targeting and just the state of her writing in general. I could tell something was bothering her. She did open up a little and tell me that the group of writers who had looked at her work all had different things to say, and some of them were less than nice about it. I explained that taking criticism was hard for some, but she needed to grow a thick skin. Not to take it personally, that to grow, one had to be honest about their work, and take crits with a grain of salt. Still I felt something deeper was going on beneath this wonderful lady’s smile. Our conversation ended while I signed another book and chatted with that reader. A former exotic dancer no less!

After an enlightening conversation with the former exotic dancer, my conversation resumed with the other gal, and she shared a few heartfelt thoughts with me. I listened. Then it dawned on me. This writer was trying to force herself into a hole she didn’t fit into. A square peg if you will into a tiny circle. It wasn’t working. She was frustrated and the ladies critting her story continued to try to bend her work into something it wasn’t, in essence forcing her to fit their tight little circle, some doing it quite nastily.
When I asked, “Why are your trying to fit where you don’t belong?” She teared up, and said, “I don’t know.” She truly did not know, but as she said the words, it dawned on her she didn’t have to fit with them or the line she was killing herself writing. Well, I got a bit emotional too. I could see how hurt she was, how frustrated and how much she loved to write but felt inadequate because of what these ladies had put her through. I told her she needed to immediately separate herself from all of that negative energy. That it sounded like some of these ladies were insecure and had their own issues, and that negative energy bred more negative energy. I also told her she needed to cast her writing net further, to write what came naturally to not pigeon hole herself because someone else told her to. I told her she must be true to herself first.

While this may not sound like a big deal to most, it was an epiphany for her, and for me.

I realized at that moment my purpose on this earth wasn’t to write books. My books are only the instrument to get me in touch with people. And to being touched by them. We hugged, and she promised to keep in touch. I felt euphoric. I felt like I made a difference in a person’s life.

It also got me to thinking about all the nasty bitches out there in the real world as well as the cyber world. It made me think of this bullshit with OJ Simpson. Why do people swarm then feed off other people’s pain? What gives? Are so many people so miserable themselves they feel the need to hurt others? And how many do it under the guise of, I’m only telling the truth. Funny, while the truth can and does hurt, it doesn’t have to send a person to the hospital.

Has our society become so mean, so insecure, so vicious we hurt others for the sheer joy of drawing an audience? Shame on all of you who instigate it, and those of you who fan the flames.

Perhaps there is hope. I believe humanity took a giant step forward when News Corp. decided against publishing and airing the If I Did It interview and book.
Thank you!

I feel my purpose is to in the form of workshops and speeches open the eyes of those who have for whatever reason been the brunt of negative entities, who have stalled because of it, show them how to clear it, then guide them to a cleaner more positive life. Kind of like emotional fung shui.

Just thinking of how and what will go into a workshop is daunting, especially with my writing schedule, but I will persevere.

So, as most of us have at one time in our lives been the target of some undeserving nasty arrows, how do you manage your way through it? Or do you? I find that many people tend to hold on tightly to it, to believe it. Why?

Josie and I are guest speakers of the Cheers for Writers reading group that meets at the Burbank BN. We’ll be there this Saturday at 1 o’clock. Come on by if you’re in the area, we’d love to meet you!

We’ll also be dropping in on lots of BN’s and Borders book stores in the greater LA area to sign stock. This is my first time doing stock signings, but the managers have been very receptive to it, so I’m excited to meet the people who sell my books!

Next week, I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of Josie Brown’s new release, IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE TIED. I’ll have more details on how to snag that puppy when I get back.

In the meantime, everyone have a fab weekend, and I’ll tell you all about my great adventure Monday.

Ciao,

K*

Dear Officer Friendly, do you need a college degree to move up the ranks in a police department? How young could a lieutenant be? How fast can you move up the ranks? Thanks.

Most departments these days are requiring at least an AA degree in order to apply for work. I always advise young people thinking of a career in law enforcement to obtain a BA in business. First, you can’t get hired in most states unless you are at least 20 1/2 years old. That way you are 21 upon graduation from the academy. Second, law enforcement is no different than any other business when it comes to supervisory positions which are everything above the rank of patrolman. Therefore, if you plan to promote, get some managing skills through a degree.

Okay, let’s say you get hired at 21, do your two years of probation and at least two more of patrol and now you are 25. Next would be a special assignment of no less than two years and now you are 27. You test for Sergeant but because it’s your first time, you don’t score high enough to be considered. Back to patrol for one to two more years when they test again or you pick up another special assignment. At any rate, you are now 29 and very, very good and score high on your written and oral board. Now you need to be a Sergeant for a few of years and run a shift. A special assignment as a Sergeant for a couple of years is also in order and then the testing routing again. Probably get passed over the first go around and have to wait a couple of more years. Let’s see, add the nine and three, carry the one, ummm. Okay, about 36 in most average size departments I would think would be the earliest possible age, and that is for a very fast tracker who’s kept his nose clean and kissed some serious ass.

Yup, I threw my name in the hat to run for prez for the San Francisco RWA chapter. It’s now official. I can’t wait! I have a great board. Those ladies are way smarter than me, and I’ll get all of the credit for their brain cells on high alert. How cool is that? Win win in my book. Seriously. We have a great chapter that needs a shot of adrenaline. I’m hoping our PAN, PRO and brand new members can collectively achieve that. We have seen interest wane over the years. I know we all get busy. Hell, I have 4 books and one novella to write in the next 12 months. But for a chapter to make a difference, to mean something, we all must act as one. So, we will be looking for dynamic speakers who will appeal to published, unpublished , thinking about being published, and I just like to hang around with cool writers, members.

How many of you belong to an RWA chapter? And tell, me what draws you to the meetings? If you don’t belong to an RWA chapter how about any writer’s group? And I pose the same question. What draws you? What would you like to see? Workshops, speeches, interactive presentations? Panels? What kind of panels? Big name authors? Celebrities? Or do you want craft? I would love to hear any and all suggestions.

All suggestions are welcome!!!

and while you’re pondering, write on!

K*

Amanda!!!! Come on down! Let me know which scent you would like and I’ll get it out to you asap!
Congrats!!!!!

Next week I have a little giveaway, the prize, an autographed copy of THE HARD STUFF.

Have a great weeked everyone. Mine is going to be crazy busy. Hubby is having some unexpected expected surgery next week, so the christmas tree and lights have to go up, NOW! Argh. Y’all know how I feel about that!

ciao for now,

K*