The Devil in the Details
by: Barbara Nickless
“If you want to get shot,” the SWAT leader said, “go ahead and reach for that gun.”
I froze, my hand inches from the pistol lying on the counter. Minutes earlier, I’d been full of bravado. Talking smack with my fellow drug dealers and preparing to relax on the sofa and count the day’s take. Now, looking into a pair of the coldest eyes I’d ever seen, I was suddenly unsure. Should I throw up my hands in surrender? Or go down in a blaze of glory?
My fingers twitched as my hand hovered over the gun.
“Go on,” the cop said. “I dare you.”
What I’m talking about here is not my life of crime, but the research I did in order to play the part. I had my run-in with that team of heavily armed and armored-up men while I was working on my first mystery/thriller.
Arranging the meet was pretty simple. I wanted to know more about the dangerous aspects of police work. They needed a guinea pig.
Research has moved beyond the dusty stacks of the library shelves of my youth (although I miss those shelves!). These days, we can run Google searches, join chat groups, watch YouTube videos, and gain access to information on a huge number of organizations—all from the comfort of our desks.
But first-hand experience can garner us telling details that makes our stories ring true.
When I set out to write my first thriller, a novel about a former Marine turned railroad cop, I had to convincingly depict guns, murder investigations, trains, railroad cops, the CIA, the Iraq War and Mortuary Affairs, the Marines, military working dogs, K9s, hobos, railroad gangs, and white supremacists.
Clearly, I couldn’t gain first-hand knowledge in all those areas. But I did what I could, and dove headfirst into every hands-on experience I could find.
Call me crazy.
While I’ve stopped short of trying to hop on a moving train, I have gone on a ride-along with a coroner (not for the queasy), watched K9s take down criminals while I scrambled to get out of the way, crouched in a corner when the husband of a domestic violence victim came home with a gun, and been inadvertently locked in the back of a cruiser during a murder investigation.
One of the most emotionally difficult experiences has been taking out possible bad guys during interactive video simulations. Each time, I’ve revisited the scenario in my mind. When I fired my gun and “took” a human life, did I do the right thing? Was the suspect guilty? And was there any way I could have de-escalated the situation without firing a shot?
Gaining first-hand experience takes time. And all of us are busy. We have kids and jobs and books to write. But a lot of research activities can be done on weeknights or weekends. Sheriff and police citizens’ academies, for example, are typically one weeknight for six weeks, plus an optional ride-along.
And it only takes a small taste to give you a larger perspective.
Back to that drug den and the gun lying on the counter. When the door burst open and twelve SWAT officers poured in—swathed head to toe in black body armor, assault rifles at the ready and aimed at me—I lost my courage. All I could see of them were their eyes, and the look in those eyes meant business. My hands went up in surrender, the gun stayed on the counter, and I missed my chance to get shot.
With a paintball gun.
Barbara has always been interested in things that might get her killed, or at least maimed. She’s rehabilitated wild birds of prey, explored little-known caves, handled rattlesnakes, and raised two children through their teenage years. Her bestselling mystery/thriller series featuring Special Agent Sydney Parnell is how she imagines life would be for Harry Bosch—if he were a railroad cop with a death wish. The third book in the series, Ambush, will come out March 2019.
Get the latest news on her website. Also check out the first two award winning books in her Sydney Parnell series, Blood on the Tracks and Dead Stop.
Pikes Peak Writers is pleased to announce Catherine Dilts’ short story, “Do-Over”, is included in 
Catherine Dilts is the author of the 
Author Ronnie Lee Graham’s first book was And Then, The Train Wrecked, a nonfiction narrative on grief and life. He now writes Christian fiction, and his novels Inventor and Nfin8Echo are available on Amazon. A retired military officer, he lives in Colorado. where he runs, writes, and does
Hello Pikes Peak Writers! My name is Kathie Scrimgeour (writing under the name K.J. Scrim) and I have taken the reins of Managing Editor 
for PPW’s blog. I have been the Sweet Success coordinator since 2013 and last year started the column, Meet the Members. When Gabrielle asked if I would be interested in taking over for her, it only seemed to be a natural transition.
F. P. (Frank) Dorchak writes gritty, realistic speculative fiction. Frank is published in the U.S., Canada, and the Czech Republic with short stories, non-fiction articles, and his five novels, 
PPWSweetSuccess@gmail.com
Her Life is in danger … but so is her heart.
From childhood, Terry Odell wanted to “fix” stories so the characters would behave properly. She found this wasn’t always possible, as evidenced when the mystery she intended to write turned into a romance, despite the fact that she’d never read one. Odell thinks of her books as “Mysteries With Relationships.” Her series include Blackthorne, Inc., Pine Hills Police, Triple-D Ranch, and Mapleton Mysteries. Her short story collection, “Seeing Red” is a Silver Falchion winner. You can find her high (that’s altitude—she lives at 9100 feet!) in the Colorado Rockies—or at 
Time traveling thieves. A stolen kiss. A wormhole to the heist of the century.