Outliers Writing University Podcast Series

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 5: Making Characters Compliant

Coercion and Threat
 
Leverage
 
Trauma:
 
Trauma is time limited
Unconscious vs Pain/Fear of death
 
Drugs:
 
Drugs have variable timelines
Drugs don’t have timers
 
Alcohol and Mickey Finn
 
Narcotics and sedatives
 
Date Rape Drugs
Rohypnol
GHB—Gamma Hydroxybutyrate
E, Ecstasy, MDMA—3.4-Methylenedioxy Methamphetamine
Ketamine
 
Links:
Date Rape Drugs: http://www.dplylemd.com/articles/date-rape-drugs.html
ROHYPNOL: https://www.drugs.com/illicit/rohypnol.html
GHB: https://www.drugs.com/illicit/ghb.html
ECSTASY: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/mdma-ecstasymolly
KETAMINE: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/302663.php
Andrew Luster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Luster
Dr. Grant Robicheaux: http://www.newser.com/story/264806/calif-surgeon-girlfriend-may-have-raped-hundreds.html

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Boyd Morrison

Boyd Morrison is an actor, engineer, Jeopardy! champion, and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fourteen thrillers, including six collaborations with Clive Cussler in the Oregon Files series. His debut novel, THE ARK, was an Indie Next Notable pick and has been translated into over a dozen languages. Before becoming a writer, he worked at Johnson Space Center, RCA/Thomson, and Microsoft’s Xbox group. His latest thriller THE LAST TRUE TEMPLAR is the second book in the Tales of the Lawless Land series of historical adventures co-written with his sister, expert medievalist Beth Morrison.
 https://boydmorrison.com

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Allison Brennan

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Allison Brennan believes that life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and writes three books a year. She lives with her family in Arizona where she enjoys hiking, baseball Spring Training, and (of course) reading. Best known for her long-running Lucy Kincaid FBI series, Allison is currently writing the Quinn & Costa thrillers (Make It Out Alive, Jan 2026) and Angelhart Investigations (Don’t Say a Word, Sept 2025). Her first romantic mystery, Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds, will be out June 17, 2025
https://www.allisonbrennan.com/

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 4: POV in Crime Fiction

POINT OF VIEW IN CRIME FICTION
Who is telling the story?Is he/she also the protagonist or an observer? 
Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird 
Nick in The Great Gatsby Is he/she reliable? 
How many POV characters is too few/too many?Which characters know too little to drive the story/or know too much and might spoil the story? 
TYPES:FIRST PERSON POV: The “I” CharacterAdvantages: Close tie to reader Narrator is the “Star” 
Good for mysteries-reader learns as the I character does
Disadvantages: I character must be present Can lead to
awkward plotting
Can’t supply suspenseful information to reader Not good for
thrillers
SECOND PERSON POV: The “You” character—very tricky to use
THIRD PERSON POV: The “He/She” Character 
SINGLE: Similar to First person except he/she is used Similar Advantages/Disadvantages as First Person 
MULTIPLE: Jumping from head to headAllows reader to get inside several charactersAllows reader to have “Superior Knowledge”--Suspense Great for thrillers 
CLOSE: Camera in character’s headDISTANT: Camera external and watching the actionThese distances aren’t either/or but rather a continuum. The “camera” can shift along a line from far behind or above the character to inside the character’s head. 
OMNISCIENT POV: The AUTHOR as GODJump from head to head at willCan be confusingRequires more writing skill than seems apparent 
MIX & MATCH: Can combine POVs if you are good and careful 

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Jon Land

JON LAND is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 60 books, including his Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong series. Jon has also taken over two of the most iconic legacy brands in mystery-thriller fiction, penning six titles in the Murder, She Wrote and two in the Capital Crimes series. Additionally, Jon has teamed with multiple New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham on a bestselling sci-fi series that includes THE RISING and BLOOD MOON. His next thriller series, written with fellow author Jeff Ayers under the pseudonym A. J. Landau, debuts in February of 2024 with Leave No Trace from Minotaur. The author of numerous, similarly acclaimed nonfiction titles, Jon has more recently turned his talents to ghostwriting with his first effort in that arena, WHITE ROBES AND BROKEN BADGES coming from Harper Collins in August of 2024.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 3: Time Of Death

DETERMINATION OF THE TIME OF DEATH
Determining TOD is criticalBoth an art and a science The sooner after death the more accurate the estimateChanges death variable and unpredictable. 
Physiologic TOD, Estimated TOD, Legal TOD
Always a best guessNone of the methods are very accurateBody temperatureRigor mortisLivor mortis (lividity) Degree of putrefactionStomach contentsInsect activity Scene markers 
 
BODY TEMPERATURE 
Normal body temperature is 98.6FBody loses or gains heat until it equilibrates with that of the surrounding medium. The formula is: Hours since death = 98.6 - corpse core temperature / 1.5Cold/wind/water increase heat loss Obesity, heavy clothing, warm still air, exposure to direct sunlight, and an enclosed environment slow heat loss. 
 
RIGOR MORTIS 
 
Spasm due to chemical reactions within the muscle cells after death. Loss of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) causes the muscles to contract and stiffen.Later loss of rigidity from the putrefaction process. Rigor begins throughout the body at the same timeAppears first in smaller muscles- face, neck, and handsRelaxes in same patternGeneral rule for rigor mortis is 12-12-12Changes due to: activity, body temp, ambient temp,Cadaveric spasm 
 
LIVOR MORTIS (Lividity)
 
Purplish—exceptions for CO (carboxyhemoglobin), Cyanide (cyanohemoglobin), FreezingDependent areas—lying, sitting, hangingPale support areasGravity, then leaking into tissuesShifting vs Fixed—Onset 1/2 to 2 hours/fixed by 8 hoursMismatch of pattern and body position
 
THE RATE OF BODY DECAY
 
Time Since DeathPutrefaction—ambient temp/humidityInternal bacteria—sepsis hastensWater X2/BurialX4Ultimately skeletonizeFloatersMummification Adipocere-from chemical process called saponification-reaction between certain bacteria and the body’s adipose (fatty) tissues.
Stomach Contents
 
Stomach empties in 2-3 hours—protein, fatty mealsIntestine transient @ 24 hours
 
Insect ActivityForensic entomologistInsects help in two basic ways: Predictable developmental stages (blowfly); succession of insect speciesChanged by body location, weather, season, night
 
SCENE MARKERSIncludes information at the scene or from witnesses or family and friends. Missed appointments, uncollected mail or newspapers, and dated sales receiptsVictim’s clothing—dressed for work, or morning jog

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 2: Cause and Manner of Death

CAUSE/MECHANISM OF DEATH:
Cause of death is why the individual diedHeart attack, GSW, traumatic brain injury, diseases
Mechanism-physiological derangement that cause death
One cause—several mechanisms
Example: MI-arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock, rupture 
Example: GSW—heart or brain damage, exsanguination. wound infection
One mechanism—several causes
Example: Exsanguination—GSW, ulcer, meds, disease 
Just as a cause of death can lead to many different mechanisms of death, any cause of death can have several different manners of death. A gunshot wound to the head can’t be a natural death, but it could be deemed homicidal, suicidal, or accidental.
MANNERS OF DEATH: For what purpose and by whose hand
NATURAL: Natural deaths are due to the workings of Mother Nature in that the death results from a natural disease process. Heart attacks, cancers, pneumonias, and strokes are common natural causes of death. This is by far the largest category of death that the ME sees. 
ACCIDENTAL: Accidental deaths result from an unplanned and unforeseeable sequence of events. Falls, automobile accidents, and in-home electrocutions are examples of accidental deaths. 
SUICIDAL: Suicides are deaths that come by the person’s own hand. Intentional self-inflicted gunshots, drug overdoses, or self-hangings are suicidal deaths. 
HOMICIDAL: Homicides are deaths that occur by the hand of another. Note that a homicide is not necessarily a murder. Homicide is a determination of the ME; murder is a legal charge that is determined by the courts. Though each would be ruled a homicide by the ME, the legal jeopardy is much different for a court verdict of negligent homicide as opposed to first- or second-degree murder. 
UNDETERMINED OR UNCLASSIFIED: This extra category is used in situations where the coroner can’t accurately determine the appropriate category. 

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 1: Murder Motives

Motives for Murder:
 
Financial – – insurance, inheritance, business takeovers, avoidance of alimony
Property disputes
Revenge
Political
Cults & Religions
Murder for hire
Empathy and sympathy
Crimes of passion
Domestic
Protect self image or secrets
To protect others
Blackmail
To cover another crime
Social and hate crimes
Sex, jealousy, obsession
Mental illness – – delusions and hallucinations
Drugs and alcohol