Searching For Secrets Through The FOAI

In 2012 author Nicholson Baker sent a letter to the National Archives, requesting – under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act – copies of 21 still-classified Air Force memos from the early 1950s. Seven years later the Air Force was still stonewalling his research, presumably because the documents deal with the possibility that the U.S. used biological weapons against China and Korea. All twenty-one of these memos, numbered and cross-referenced, still exist, stored at the National Archives’ big building in College Park, Maryland—but they remain inaccessible to the general public. In this excerpt from his upcoming book Baseless, Baker recounts his “search for secrets in the ruins of the Freedom of Information Act.”

“Avoid All Adverbs,” He Said Earnestly

Stephen King is known (and well-regarded) in the writing community to have great disdain for adverbs. As he wrote in his book On Writing: A Memoir on The Craft, “The road to hell is paved with adverbs . . . Use [them] in dialogue attribution only in the rarest and most special of occasions . . . and not even then, if you can avoid it.” Elmore Leonard was even more succinct in his Ten Rules For Good Writing, saying, "Never use an adverb to modify the verb ‘said’." And who hasn’t chuckled at the old adverb-rich “Tom Swifty”? [“Get into the refrigerator,” Tom said coldly.] Still, with all this negativity, is there a place for adverbs when writing dialogue? Author Elizabeth Zelvin says "yes," in specialized cases. [Source: Sleuth Sayers]

The Best Books About True Crime

And Unsolved Mysteries

When I was 17 I had a summer job with the police department in my small coastal hometown in Maine. It was there that I solved my first crime and, while I didn’t want to become a cop, I was hooked on what made the criminal mind tick. So are millions of other mystery fans who are reeled in by true crime books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. In this article from Novel Suspects, Eileen Gonzalez takes a look at what makes us want to delve deep into the lives of criminals and their victims – and offers a list of some of the best true crime stories to keep you up at night.

How Many Of These Heist

Movies Have You Seen?

We all love a good heist movie. But what separates a heist from a caper, or a con? As critic Olivia Rutigliano writes in CrimeReads, a heist is a story whose plot and theme centers around a large heist (or a series of heists), while a caper is best defined [think Merriam-Webster] as “an amusing movie or story about an illegal or questionable act or escapade.” And a con is just that: a con, whether it’s just about a swindler (Paper Moon) or a long con (The Sting, which is another “perfect movie”). In any event, here’s her list of The 50 Most Iconic Heist Movies. I’ve seen 20 of them; how ‘bout you?

Remarkable Editing Defines New Nike Ad

This amazing new commercial from Nike – produced by Wieden + Kennedy Portland – is a stunning example of how a simple message can cross the line from advertising to incredible content. As noted by Tim Nudd, editor in chief of the Clio Awards, the W+K team and a bunch of other creatives researched 4,000 sports action sequences, eventually selecting 72 of them to combine into 36 split-screen moments, where the action on both sides appears to meld into one. “The astonishing editing work is a great way to deliver the message about the unifying power of sport, at a time when the specter of Covid still hangs heavily over all professional sports leagues' best-laid plans,” he says. Well worth watching.

18 Shakespearean Insults

To Use Right Away

If you’ve spent any time on social media lately you may have noticed a noticeable uptick in venom and vulgarity. While discourtesy is part of the overall Facebook or Twitter experience, the constant use of such taunts as “libtards” and “rethuglican” is getting tiresome and, well, so passe. Instead, let’s harken back to the time of Shakespeare, when folks really knew how to hurl an insult. Next time you want to truly sling a put-down, be innovative and creative. To wit: “Thou art a Castilian King urinal! Away, you cutpurse rascal. You filthy bung, away!” Here’s a list of 18 Shakespearean insults that you can use immediately (and totally flummox that Facebook troll).

Writing Real-Life Events Into Fiction

Someone asked me the other day how often I incorporate real events into my crime novels. The answer is “whenever it fits,” and I pointed to my second Jack Connor mystery titled Carolina Heat, which was just reissued last year by Epicenter/Coffeetown Press in Seattle. The main plot of this book actually is a thinly veiled recounting of the very real “suicide” of a colleague many years ago, and a lingering doubt of whether he actually took his own life, or staged his death. I spent some time researching the case and spoke with the municipal police where it happened, and the answer was inconclusive. I do still wake up sometimes wondering if he’s still out there, reading it page. By. Page.