How would you feel if a jealous friend, disgruntled coworker/boss/employee, or malicious acquaintance accused you of having and/or selling illegal drugs, and the police, without proof, seized your car, home, and savings because you were suspected of breaking the law? No, this nightmare scenario is not a plot for a novel. Unfortunately, this is an…
Ten years ago, when I began writing Busted, I supported the war on drugs, believed all drugs were bad, and agreed with locking up drug users. After much research, I came to the conclusion the war on drugs is a colossal waste of money because prohibition doesn’t work, not all drugs are bad—i.e., medicinal marijuana; and drug…
Recently I read a writer’s blog written by an agent who identified nine ways NOT to begin your book. I read the list and when I reached the ninth example, I said, “OH NO!” Not only have I been struggling to write my second novel, now I need to rewrite the first chapter. This past…
What if you’re married to a cop and he beats you? Where do you go for help? The following is from Abuse of Power by Diane Wetendorf: Call the police—He is the police. Go to a shelter—He knows where the shelters are located. Have him arrested—Responding officers may invoke the code of silence. Take him to court—It’s your…
–In the U.S., 52,404 people have died from opioid-related deaths; more than from car accidents or gun-related deaths. —Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton –“Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans under 50.” —Sam Quiones, NYT, June 16, 2017 –“Middle-of-the-road” white Americans without a college degree are the most impacted.—Jared Keller, Pacific Standard…
I don’t like drugs and I don’t use drugs. However, I do support keeping medicinal marijuana legal and available to those who need it. Recently I received an e-mail from the Drug Policy Alliance (action@em.drugpolicy.org) alerting me to a letter sent by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Congress demanding that members not renew the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which protects…
“Some dogs just like to eat grass,” Dr. Whitaker, our veterinarian, said. “Some dogs eat grass because of a vitamin deficiency, and sometimes dogs will eat grass to help them vomit whatever is upsetting their stomach.” This had been my experience, too. However, last Tuesday evening, June 6th, our 6 1/2 year-old, fourteen-pound male dog,…
As I researched drug trafficking for my first novel, Busted, my opinion about illegal drugs changed. Previously I’d supported the war on drugs; after all, drugs are bad. Over time, I came to the conclusion that prohibition doesn’t work, and in fact, creates a black market where illegal and illicit substances thrive without regulations. My new philosophy…
Every 9 seconds in the U.S. a woman is beaten. That’s what was displayed on the video presentation at the Human Options annual fund raiser on May 20, 2017. (Human Options, located in Orange County, California, is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and abuse.) While staring at that number, waves of disbelief washed over me. I…
