Author Jennifer Chase

7 X 7 Link Award

Posted on October 28, 2011 by jchasenovelist

I was so surprised when I received this blog award. I’m not shy in saying how excited I am! Woohoo!

My blog award was presented to me by Mary Kate Leahy. Thank you so much! She’s very cool and has a great blog. Her brief bio: law student, shower singer, aspiring novelist, coffee cake enthusiast and thinker of great thoughts. I keep forgetting to ask her about her favorite kind of coffee cake!

Okay, now for the tough part to fill out all SEVEN categories in reference to my blog. So here goes…

1. Most Beautiful Post: This is easy for me because one of the things I love to do is take photos and I’m thankful for the beautiful place I live. Photography Sunday — Beauty in Black & White

2. Most Popular Post: I have to say that I wasn’t too surprised because it seems that everyone is curious about serial killers. Interesting Serial Killer Facts – Part Two

3. Most Controversial Post: This was a tougher decision, but this post made many people think and others uncomfortable. Should Some Children be Diagnosed a Psychopath?

4. Most Helpful Post: I love being able to pass on some writing tips that I’ve learned. How Much Research is Essential for a Crime Thriller?

5. Most Surprisingly Successful Post: I knew people were curious about criminal profiling, but I was surprised to see that this has been one of my top blog posts. Criminal Profiling – An Important Investigative Tool

6. Most Underrated Post: I was surprised that this post received the least amount of reads because I think we need more people like him. New Mexico Offers Compelling Story of One Man Who Decided to Get Involved

7. Most Pride Worthy Post: This was a difficult choice because I try to write interesting and helpful articles so I picked something interesting. Back to Forensic Basics with the Body Farm

Now, for the fun part with my SEVEN picks for 7 X 7 Link Award. It was difficult because there are so many great blogs out there.

Lisa Rae Rosenberg – as her blog states “because family is funny”. I love her whimsy and intelligence through the eyes of her son Bob. She’s a very talented writer. Her blog has helped me to stop and enjoy the view along the way in life.

Carolyn Arnold – I feel a sisterhood with Carolyn because she writes thrillers with a strong female heroine. I enjoy her articles about the craft of writing because I learn more about my own writing with her posts.

Art Smukler MD – I love to read this blog! It’s refreshing to read about the lighter side of life through the eyes of a psychiatrist.

Jason McKinney – During the past six months I’ve met some wonderful writers and friends. I share a kinship with Jason with his twist and zest for zombies and werewolves. Basically, he makes me laugh and want to write about zombies!

Kim the Bookworm – This is a fabulous book blog with wonderful book reviews. I love to read her take on all types of books AND she’s an absolutely lovely person. Someone you would love to have a cup of coffee with and talk books.

Maureen Hovermale – Part book review blog and part lifestyle blog. I’m reminded of not taking things SO serious and laugh more. Her enthusiasm and support is infectious through her blog.

Rebecca Forster – She’s a kick ass thriller author! Her blog and books are inspiring to me. Besides, we share a fascination of zombies too.

Congratulations to my seven 7 X 7 Link Award winners! And don’t forget to Pay it Forward 🙂

Posted in Writing | Tagged 7x7 link award, author jennifer chase, blogs, crime fiction, most helpful, most popular, thrillers | 6 Comments

Looking for a Good Overview of Forensic Psychology?

Posted on October 26, 2011 by jchasenovelist

It’s fun when I encounter an article and as I’m reading it, I think, “Yes! This explains perfectly why I have such a passion for my chosen field!” I never cease to be fascinated by the world of forensic psychology. While the article I read this weekend was written ten years ago, it is still relevant for those who want an overview of what it means to delve into the minds of those who commit the crimes we fear the most.

Matthew T. Huss is the author of a piece entitled, “What is Forensic Psychology? It’s Not Silence of the Lambs!” He indicated the need to clarify what constitutes work in this field, as its popularity seemed to be driven largely by sensational portrayals in the media. Television shows like CSI and movies like Silence of the Lambs give the impression that every day will put you in contact with serial killers and interstate man hunts. While that does happen, the real life of a forensic psychologist runs so much deeper.

As the article states:

So what can a forensic psychologist do besides track down the bad guys and hang out with “crazy” people who eat their relatives? Forensic psychologists can be employed in a variety of settings including jails, prisons, state hospitals, federal and local law enforcement agencies, community mental health centers, juvenile detention facilities, private practice, or colleges and universities. Forensic psychologists are likely to perform a myriad of roles in these settings that are only limited by time and imagination.

Huss also gives some great, user-friendly information about how forensic psychology is defined by various organizations and what kind of training you can expect to complete before getting started in your career. I recommend it as a quick read and a nice counter to Law and Order and Criminal Minds . . . both of which I watch and love, but also know their limitations!

I have combined my love for the study of criminal behavior with my love for writing in all of my novels—Compulsion, Dead Game, and Silent Partner. If you haven’t checked out any of my novels yet, I hope that you will. I would love to know your thoughts!

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Blog: www.authorjenniferchase.com/
Website: www.jenniferchase.vpweb.com/
Crime Watch Blog: www.emilystonecrimewatch.wordpress.com/
Book & Crime Talk: www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-chase/
Books: Compulsion = Dead Game = Silent Partner = Screenwriting

Posted in Compulsion, Criminology, Dead Game | Tagged author jennifer chase, crime fiction, criminology, emily stone series, forensic psychology, thrillers | 3 Comments

Inspiration for the Opening Fog Sequence of Dead Game

Posted on October 24, 2011 by jchasenovelist

One of my favorite ways to take a break from writing is to go the beach. It doesn’t matter the time of the year because the subtle seasonal changes make the coastline almost a magical place for me. I actually prefer the off season because it makes you feel like it’s your own private beach.

I have a couple of tucked away beach spots that I frequent at least once a week. It’s amazing for me to feel the cool sea air in my lungs. I immediately begin to feel more relaxed and centered. Any problems or stress that I had seem to disappear, and suddenly they don’t seem as urgent anymore.

If I close my eyes, it’s incredible with all of the sounds, smells, and feelings you can experience with the waves crashing and then softly lapping against the sand, seagulls soaring overhead, the breeze on my face, the slight ringing of the buoys further out in the water, and the unmistakable sea air. I can’t imagine my life without being able to breathe the sea air on a regular basis.

I take my dogs to the beach even if the weather is cold, lightly raining, or foggy. One particular Sunday afternoon, it was extremely cool and really foggy. In fact, the fog was getting thicker by the minute. Visibility was significantly less from the time I had arrived and it was difficult to make out the boats in the small harbor or to see the beach coastline.

My mind began to wander, like what sometimes happens to writers, especially if you’re right in the middle of a novel or an outline. I began thinking about what it would be like to be all alone and what might be waiting out there in the fog.

Was it sinister?

Who would be hiding out on a boat? And why?

What would happen if I were to walk along the boat dock and stumble onto something that I shouldn’t see?

Am I really alone?

I had a million questions that I tried to answer from a writer’s perspective.

I typically have my camera with me when I venture out and I took several shots of the harbor so that I would remember that eerie, solitary feeling I had in the fog that day.

I finished my walk with my dogs and I suddenly realized how I wanted to begin Dead Game with Emily searching for a child abductor hiding out on a boat in the fog. I referred to this foggy harbor photo when I began writing the beginning scenes in the award winning thriller Dead Game.

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Posted in Dead Game, Writing | Tagged author jennifer chase, award winning dead game, emily stone series, inspiration, novels, writing | 2 Comments

Photography Sunday — An Afternoon at the Beach

Posted on October 23, 2011 by jchasenovelist

I’ve just finished my recent thriller novel Dark Mind and one of the ways I like to celebrate is by going to the beach. I combine two of my favorite things, photography and walking along the beach, you never know what you’re going to see.

Above: Sarge (my 18 month old Labrador) jumping into the waves.

Be sure to get out and enjoy your weekend!

Posted in Photography | Tagged author jennifer chase, beach, crime fiction, emily stone series, photography sunday | 5 Comments

Key Evidence Can Make or Break a Case

Posted on October 21, 2011 by jchasenovelist

Fingerprint evidence is absolutely key in a crime scene investigation. The science of fingerprint identification is also referred to as dactylography. It’s the most fragile piece of evidence. Environmental conditions and improper handling can contaminate it easily. After collecting the evidence, then the difficult task of identifying and comparing begins.

The fingerprints must be grouped into one of the three main pattern categories of arch, loop, and whorl for eight different pattern types. Each category has subcategories that interpret the established rules for the Henry classification system.

The arch is the simplest type of fingerprint pattern with two subcategories: plain arch and tented arch. The plain arch is characterized by a side-to-side flow of ridges with less than a 45-degree angle and the tented arch flows with a sharper upward thrust of ridges at an angle of 45 degrees or more. This pattern encompasses approximately 5% of all pattern types.

The loop, which is the most common, includes approximately 65% of all pattern types, which is then divided into radial patterns of the left slope loop and right slope loop. A loop must have a recurve, a cross looping ridge, and a delta or the point that is the nearest to the ridge, in order to fall into this category. Most crime scenes with developed or visible prints will fall into this main category.

The last and most complex pattern is the whorl, a definite circular pattern that includes approximately 30% of all pattern types, which divides into four specific categories: plain whorl, central pocket loop, double loop, and accidental whorl. In addition, the whorl can be further divided into an inner or outer tracing.

Fingerprints can be located and collected from three main groups: plastic fingerprints caused by a negative three-dimensional impression such as clay or wet paint, fingerprints contaminated with foreign matter such as blood or dust, and latent prints that is generally not visible to the naked eye and must be developed by one of various developing techniques.

Latent prints are most commonly developed with various powders in several colors and lifted with adhesive tape. The appropriate powder is charged as the excess powder is tapped from the bristles and gently dusted in the designated area with the tips of the brush. The point of processing of the print becomes optimum when the development isn’t over processed.

Think about everywhere our fingerprints are transferred throughout the day. Take a look at your own fingerprints and see which category it fits into.

Remember, fingerprints are amazing and individual; no two are alike just like snowflakes.

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Posted in crime, Forensic | Tagged author jennifer chase, award winning silent partner, crime scene, fingerprint identification, forensics, henry classification system | 2 Comments

Would You Help or Keep Walking?

Posted on October 19, 2011 by jchasenovelist

Emily Stone, a character who is featured in my first two published novels, Compulsion and Dead Game, is a woman who takes it upon herself to get involved and bring criminals to justice. She risks her own safety and, for the most part, any close relationships as she dedicates her life to tracking down the pedophiles and murderers who plague our neighborhoods.

Even though we may not have the talents or the courage to shadow criminals day and night as Emily does, I know that most of us hope that we would get involved, in some way, if we saw someone being threatened or hurt right in front of us.

This terrible hypothetical was brought to reality recently in China when a two-year-old girl was run over by a truck not once but twice and dozens of people walked by before one woman reached out to rescue the toddler. While she survived the event, doctors are saying that the girl is in a vegetative state.

Why didn’t someone step in right away to help pull this child to safety? There is mention of the “volunteer’s dilemma.” Multiple studies have shown that the people who are witness to a crime or suffering, the less likely they are to get involved individually. They assume that another bystander will help or that, if they tried to help, they would just get in the way of others more qualified. Another article mentioned that some people are afraid to get involved because they do not want to be blamed if something further was to go wrong.

Or, perhaps the simple truth is that we have become more callous and the sight of a little girl bleeding on a street isn’t affecting us the way it should. That’s the scariest possibility of them all, I think.

Have you ever witnessed an accident or a crime and noticed that people hesitated to get involved? Are there instances in which it is acceptable not to jump in and do what you can to help?

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Posted in crime, Criminology | Tagged award winning author and criminologist jennifer chase, bystander, compulsion, dead game, emily stone series, helping innocent, witness to crime | 7 Comments

Trudging Through the Gauntlet to Finish a Novel

Posted on October 17, 2011 by jchasenovelist

I’m surviving the novel gauntlet! Falling down every once in a while!

Patience, hard work, and a lot of humor helps me to get through the writing and editing part of my current Emily Stone novel Dark Mind. Writing entails long days, mild setbacks, and often a little more research. There’s blood, sweat, and tears involved in every phase of a novel project.

Even further back on the project was the original idea, extensive outline, and research. I can honestly say that writing a novel is not for wimps. The best way I can describe how I feel as I’m going through the process is that I’m running the gauntlet, sometimes against the clock.

You would think that after writing one novel that it would get easier. After writing three novels it would still be even easier. I’m here to tell you that isn’t the case. However, when you finish a novel you definitely feel more confident and ready to take on the next book project no matter what the situation throws at you. Every project has its own obstacles and varied research to get through, no matter how you take the journey. It’s not really how to get there, but that you’ve finished it with satisfaction.

A few things to have that helps:

Vision
Drive
Perseverance
Motivation
Humor

With all that being said, I wouldn’t change a thing about the process of finally getting through the editing portion and finishing a novel, even if I have to trudge through some murky waters. I love writing and telling a thrilling story in hopes of entertaining others. I can’t imagine not having writing in my life.

I wonder what Freud would have said about that?

He would have labeled me an obsessive/compulsive or perhaps a delusional storyteller, or better yet borderline personality thriller writer.

I’ve been asked how I edit my manuscripts and approach my rewrites. The best advice that I can give is if you think your edits are completed, and then edit some more. This is a true test of your patience and perseverance by working through rewrites and edits.

A great book to help you get your novel outlined and on schedule is First Draft in 30 Days by Karen S. Wiesner.

For now, my glass is held high to all you writers out there who have made it to the other side and finished your final edits. It’s a great feeling to know that I’m not alone.

Cheers! On to the next project!

Check out my Emily Stone Series to find out how she hunts serial killers.

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