Don't Pet The Peeve, says veteran police investigator Lee Lofland

Lee Lofland

I love reading Lee Lofland's blog, The Graveyard Shift. There, he shares some amazing tips and facts from his experience as a police investigator. Retired now, Lee is helps writers add authenticity to their writing. Case in point...

In this week's installment, Don’t Pet The Peeve: 8 Facts About Police Detectives You’re Probably Not Getting Right, he explores things in fiction writing that are some of his pet peeves. Check it out.

I try very hard not to cross into Stereotypeland or bow to Hollywoodland programs that make their money on the backs of way too much creative license. A little goes a long way, as the saying goes. I don't want my books to be predictable. At the same time, I want them to be believable because the situations are true-to-life...even if they ride really close to the rails.

In my case, my bad for giving Jack a #4 family crisis. But this is what drives him. However, that's where the stereotype ends. Jack has not become a drunk or a drug abuser as a way to cope. He stays focused in his investigations to find the truth...for his clients and for himself. It doesn't mean the loss of his family doesn't haunt him, because it surely does.

#6 gets a little leeway because Jack's former boss wants him back on the job, and he cuts Jack a little slack because he's uncovered some seriously bad people in the city when clues ran dry for department investigators.

Even with crossing the line into two areas for Jack, the reasons are not common and I hope not predictable. I love to throw in curveballs to keep readers thinking. And of course reading.

If you've read the Jack Slaughter Thriller series, I'd love to hear from you. What did you think? Is Jack something new to the game, or is he pitching with used balls? Let me know?

And if you're a writer, check out Lee's book in the Howdunit series: Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers. It comes as an ebook or in paperback. And get in on his newsletters. You'll find tips like these, as well as information for his Writer's Police Academy conferences. 

Thanks for your support, and if you'd like to get in touch with me, just use the little mailer on the right side of your screen. Let me know what you thought of my books or Jack, or both. I promise to reply to every email.

Stay safe out there!