Outliers Writing University Podcast Series

GET TO. KNOW Author Jacqueline Bublitz

Jacqueline Bublitz is a writer, feminist and arachnophobe who lives between Melbourne, Australia, and her hometown on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. She is the author of BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME and LEAVE THE GIRLS BEHIND.
 
https://jacquelinebublitz.com/

GET TO KNOW Author, Journalist, and Actor Maxie Dara

Maxie Dara is a writer and actor from Ontario, Canada. She has been a freelance journalist focusing on the local arts and culture scene for more than five years, with bylines in publications such as Hamilton Magazine and Beyond James, among others. She is also a two-time award-winning playwright, taking home the Best of Fringe award at the 2017 Hamilton Fringe Festival for the musical comedy This Is Not a Musical: The Musical! and the 2020 Torpedo Prize for her play Alone Together, a pandemic drama. Maxie knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of seven, when she first fell in love with the written word. She also wanted to be a mermaid but has mostly focused on the writing side of things.
https://maxiedara.wixsite.com/maxiedarawrites

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author John Connolly

John Connolly is a bestselling author of mystery and supernatural fiction.
With over 30 published works, including the popular Charlie Parker series, his books have captivated readers around the world. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Shamus, and Macavity awards in the US, a CWA Dagger in the UK, and an Irish Book Award, as well as numerous international accolades, and has published more UK Sunday Times Top 10 Hardback Bestsellers than any other Irish writer.
 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Night-and-Day/John-Connolly/9781668081679

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Don Bentley

Don Bentley is the New York Times Bestselling author of eight books including the Matt Drake thriller series (Forgotten War, Hostile Intent, The Outside Man, Without Sanction), the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. series (Weapons Grade, Flash Point, Zero Hour, Target Acquired), and the Vince Flynn Mitch Rapp series (beginning in 2024).
Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot during which time he was stationed in South Korea, Germany, and Texas. While deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VI, Don was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with "V" device for valor. Following his time in the military Don worked as an FBI Special Agent and was a member of the Dallas Office Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.
After leaving the FBI, Don worked for companies that developed technology for the U.S. Special Operations Community. He holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University, and an M.F.A in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.
https://donbentleybooks.com

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author with twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel Never Saw it Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.
https://www.linwoodbarclay.com/

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Zoe Sharp

Zoë Sharp was born in the East Midlands, but spent most of her formative years living aboard a catamaran on the northwest coast of England. She opted out of mainstream education at the age of twelve, and wrote her first novel at fifteen. She began her highly acclaimed series featuring no-nonsense ex-Special Forces trainee turned bodyguard heroine, Charlie Fox, after receiving death-threats in the course of her work as a photojournalist. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards, been used in a Danish school text book, inspired an original song and music video, and been optioned for TV and film. When not working on her novels or short stories, Zoë can be found improvising weapons out of everyday objects, renovating houses, or international pet-sitting. She is currently writing a new mystery thriller series for Bookouture, the second of which is The Girl In The Dark, published in March 2024.
https://www.zoesharp.com/

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author David Corbett

For fifteen years, David worked for the San Francisco private investigation firm of Palladino & Sutherland, and played a significant part in a number of high-profile criminal and civil litigations, including the Lincoln Savings & Loan Case, the DeLorean Trial, the Coronado Company marijuana indictments, the Cotton Club Murder Case, the People’s Temple Trial, the first Michael Jackson child molestation case, and a RICO civil litigation brought by the Teamsters against former union leaders associated with organized crime—as well as numerous other drug, murder, and fraud cases. (David has been interviewed by journalist Ronan Farrow concerning his work for Palladino & Sutherland for a New Yorker article and an HBO Max documentary miniseries about the firm, both of which are scheduled to appear in 2023.)
 
In 1995, David eased out of private investigation work to serve as “Man Friday” for his wife, Terri, as she launched her own law practice, specializing in probate litigation, estate planning, and small business law. Sadly, Terri was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September 2000, and in January 2001, passed away at age 46.
Six weeks before Terri’s death, Ballantine purchased David’s first novel, The Devil’s Redhead. Widely praised, it was nominated for both the Anthony and Barry Awards for Best First Novel of 2002.
 
His follow-up, Done for a Dime, was also broadly acclaimed (“the best in contemporary crime fiction … one of the three or four best American crime novels I’ve ever read.”—The Washington Post), was named a New York Times Notable Book, and was nominated for the Macavity Award for Best Novel of 2003.
 
His third novel, 2007’s Blood of Paradise, which George Pelecanos compared to the work of Graham Greene and Robert Stone, was chosen by Admiral James Stavridis, then Commander of the US Southern Command, for the SOUTHCOM reading list. It was also selected one of the Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers of 2007 by The Washington Post and was nominated for an Edgar® Award.
His fourth novel, 2010’s Do They Know I’m Running?, also garnered widespread praise (“a rich, hard-hitting epic” —Publishers Weekly, starred review), was named one of the top ten crime fiction books of 2010 by January Magazine, and was selected as Best Novel—Rising Star Category for the Spinetingler Award.
In 2013 he turned to non-fiction with the acclaimed writing guide The Art of Character, described as a “writer’s bible that will lead to your character’s soul” by bestselling author Elizabeth Brundage, selected by Barnes & Noble as one of the five craft guides every writer must have, and chosen one of the 13 Top Picks for Writing Guides for 2013 by The Writer Magazine.
In 2015 he returned to fiction with both The Mercy of the Night (” Superlative hard-boiled crime fiction with a strong emotional center.” —Booklist, starred review) and the novella The Devil Prayed and Darkness Fell (“As always with Corbett, it’s tough, compassionate, and powerfully written.” —Vince Keenan, Noir City), both featuring Phelan Tierney, “the St. Jude of the justice system.”
 
David’s short fiction has also been widely praised, with stories appearing twice in Best American Mystery Stories, and another, “It Can Happen” from San Francisco Noir, nominated for the Macavity Award for Best Short Story of 2005. Those stories and others have been compiled in the 2016 short story collection Thirteen Confessions.
In 2018, David produced the most ambitious novel of his career, The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday, a tour de force mixture of epistolary novel, historical romance, courtroom drama, and action thriller.
David has also contributed chapters to The Chopin Manuscript and The Copper Bracelet, serial audio thrillers that now have been combined in a single hard cover version titled Watchlist.
He teaches and gives seminars and workshops at conferences throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico; he’s a regular contributor to the writers’ blog Writer Unboxed; and his articles on craft and theory have appeared in the New York Times, Narrative, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Zyzzyva, MovieMaker, Bright Ideas, Crimespree, Mystery Scene, and other outlets.
In October 2014 he remarried, and he and his wife, Mette, currently divide their time between upstate New York and coastal Norway.
https://davidcorbett.com/

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author and Screenwriter Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz
Anthony is one of the most prolific and successful writers working in the UK – and is unique for working across so many media. Anthony is a born polymath; juggling writing books, TV series, films, plays and journalism.  Anthony has written over 50 books including the bestselling teen spy series Alex Rider, which is estimated to have sold 21 million copies worldwide and has been turned into a hugely successful TV series by Amazon Freevee.  A third series has just been filmed and the fourteenth Alex Rider novel, Nightshade: Revenge will be published in 2023.
Anthony is also an acclaimed writer for adults and was commissioned to write two new Sherlock Holmes novels The House of Silk and Moriarty. He was commissioned by the Ian Fleming Estate to write continuation novels for James Bond with Trigger Mortis and Forever and Day, published in 2015 and 2018 respectively.  A third novel in the series With a Mind to Kill was published in May 2022.
Anthony’s award-winning novel Magpie Murders was published in October 2016 to critical acclaim and was serialised on BritBox at the beginning of 2022 with Lesley Manville in the lead role.  It will be televised on the BBC in 2023. The sequel, Moonflower Murders, will begin filming in September 2023. His new series featuring Detective Hawthorne and a sidekick called Anthony Horowitz has four books so far: The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, A Line to Kill and the recently published The Twist of a Knife. Anthony has just started work on a fifth: Close to Death.
Anthony is responsible for creating and writing some of the UK’s most beloved and successful television series, producing the first seven episodes (and the title) of Midsomer Murders. He is the writer and creator of award-winning drama series Foyle’s War, which was the Winner of the Lew Grade Audience award for BAFTA. DCS Foyle was voted the nation’s favorite detective in 2011. Anthony has also written other original complex dramas for ITV, particularly thrillers. Collision, a major five part “state of the nation” piece was transmitted on ITV1 in November 2009 to seven million viewers a night. He followed this with the equally successful legal thriller Injustice, also for ITV 1 - transmitted in June 2011. Foyle’s War returned in March 2013 as a Cold War thriller and was greeted with such critical acclaim and demands for more that he wrote one final series, bringing the show to an end in January 2015. Anthony's series, New Blood, premiered on the BBC in 2016.
In 2019 Anthony became a Patron to Home-Start in Suffolk, a small local family support charity working with families across the Suffolk county, as they navigate through challenging circumstances such as mental health issues, bereavement, long term or terminal illness, isolation, domestic abuse, poverty and so much more. The valuable work the organization does right in the heart of the community – bringing together trained volunteers into families lives to support them both practically and emotionally, helping them to grow in confidence and empowering them with the skills to raise their children to flourish – is why Anthony chose to support this dedicated and hardworking charity.
https://www.anthonyhorowitz.com/

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 57: Humor In Crime Fiction

Crime fiction invariably deals with dark and serious matters. Dead bodies will do that. Though other crimes may enter the picture, even be the focus of the story, murder is by far the most common driving event. Its finality makes it the most heinous crime.
The villain is usually nasty and deadly and only rarely likable
The story a mano a mano joust between good and evil.
How can this be funny?
Humor in crime fiction deepens characters, breaks the constant tension so readers can catch their breath, and adds fun to the story. It can’t be simply adding a joke here and there but must be weaved into the fabric of the story. Be part of the character and the story, and not a distraction.
How to add humor to crime fiction:
1—Create Funny Characters
2—Comedy Is Situational
3—Add Funny/Quirky Side Characters
4—Use A Humorous Narrative Voice
5—Timing and Rhythm Are Everything
6—Don’t Forget Dark/Gallows Humor
Check out Jake Longly, my humorous thriller series:
https://www.dplylemd.com/books/jakelongly
 

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 56: Ancient Egyptian Medicine

What Medical Treatments for Pain and Injury Were Available in Ancient Egypt?
Q: What were the most common medicinal herbs available in Egypt around 80 A.D. I am particularly interested in wound healing/protection and pain relief medications, preferably topically applied and acceptable to both humans and animals.
 
A: As with other ancient civilizations, Egyptian medicine was a combination of spiritual beliefs, social conventions, and empiric observations (learning via trial and error). They also inherited a strong belief in astrology from the Babylonians. Also, as with others, the Egyptians possessed a certain materia medica, literally the materials of medicine. 
These included various potions, oils, salves, and ointments usually derived from plant and animal products. They were often applied and/or taken with great ceremony, which was designed to appease an angry god or attract one with healing powers. Imhotep was the Egyptian god of health and healing and most incantations were addressed to him. He was actually a mortal who served as vizer under King Zoser, who reigned during the Third Dynasty around 2980 BC. Imhotep was a gifted healer and was later deified as the god of medicine.
What we know of Egyptian medical treatment predominantly comes from several papyri that were discovered centuries later. These tend to be named for the person who discovered them. The most important are the Kahun Papyrus (c. 1850 BC), the Edwin Smith Papyrus (c. 1600 BC), the Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BC), and the London Papyrus (c. 1350 BC). Several sections of these documents deal with various medical and surgical issues. For example, the Ebers Papyrus lists 700 to 800 medical formulas.
Myrrh, frankincense, and manna were thought to help heal wounds and other illnesses. Antimony, copper, and other metals were mixed with herbs and believed to aid wound healing when used as a cleaning astringent. Often animal organs such as pig brain and ox spleen were mixed with animal fat and honey and taken orally or smeared over wounds. Sometimes tortoise shells and even crushed lapis lazuli were added. Purgatives came from plant extracts made from senna, colocynth, and castor oil. Garlic, onion, tamarisk, honey, opium, cannabis, hellebore, and even animal excrement (crocodile dung held special power) were mixed and applied as ointments and poultices, or compacted into pills and swallowed, or mixed with liquids for gargling, or given as suppositories, or heated and used as fumigants.
Humans and animals received similar treatments.
 
What other substances did the Ancient Egyptians use:
 
Aloe Vera: They called it the “plant of immortality” and used it in embalming and for wounds.
 
Black Pepper: Used in embalming. Also mixed with various oils and and applied to wounds and to arthritic joints.
 
Cannabis: Used to treat pain, including that from arthritis and gout. It was also felt to help with cataracts. Ingestion after it was added to foods or steeped into a tea was most common, but it was also added to a liquid to make an ointment for topical application.
 
Garlic: Believed to help the unsettled stomach and to make the heart stronger as well as increase strength and endurance.
 
Honey: Applied to wounds to prevent infections and help healing.
Peppermint: To settle the stomach, treat a cough, and help heal wounds and bruises. Usually brewed as a tea or the extract was directly applies to wounds.
Sage: Helped improve fertility and, when applied directly, could stop bleeding.