Miss Snark unsnarky . . .
Yesterday, Miss Snark (my guilty pleasure) posted this sad story, beginning:
A good guy was gunned down in the streets of Brooklyn two nights ago. He was a cop doing his job, chasing a guy who turned out to be armed, dangerous, and really stupid. The stupid guy lived. Officer Stewart, father of two, husband, brother, son, didn’t.
Read more about this senseless tragedy here and here and here.
Which leads me to why I write suspense. It’s exactly what Miss Snark says . . . “Crime novels make sense of the carnage. There’s always a reason. There’s always a motivation. And there’s always a sense of justice.”
My cops are the good guys. They get the bad guys. Justice is served. The end. It’s fiction, which Officer Stewart’s murder sadly reminds us.
Under the heading We Can’t Make This Stuff Up . . .
Yesterday, a judge ruled that a man was not guilty of rape because he’d been sleeping.
A sleep expert testified at his trial that the man suffered from sexomnia, a sort of sleep walking that includes sexual acts, likely brought on by alcohol, sleep deprivation and genetics.
Apparently, he’s done this with his girlfriends in the past so this is now okay behavior? What’s next . . . “I’m sorry officer, I didn’t mean to stab my girlfriend to death, I was sleeping?”
However, I bet next season we see this on CSI . . .
26 days and counting . . .
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, that’s okay. You’ll hear more later. 
And then she was done . . .
I have 21 more pages to review on my copyedits of The Kill and then the 480-some page manuscript will be overnighted back to NYC. It’s sitting here in front of me reminding me that I need to finish up. So I’ll sign off for now.
I read Miss Snark’s post about the cop. It’s very sad. I was going to email Karin, but I know she reads Miss Snark, so I didn’t.
Miss Snark is my guilty pleasure too. I read her when I should be writing.
Will THE PREY be in bookstores in 21 days?
26 days, but who’s counting?
LOL, I can hardly wait to read it, Allison. In it’s finished form, that is.
I read the post too, Allison. The heartless acts seem to increase around the holidays.
Good luck with the copy edits. And the countdown! I’ll be contacting soon, just did this month’s web updates. So much to do!
Don’t you love that we still have count down days? Remember as kids, we’d count down to Christmas, birthdays, but that excitement wanes or gets lost over the years. I’m glad we have release dates to count down.
I read about the police officer in my Southern CA newspaper. Very sad, and so damned pointless.
Sleep rape? Chalk that one up there with the Twinkie Defense.
26 more days! I’m counting with you Allison!
Have you ever noticed that sleep experts haven’t been raped by their clients? I wonder if their bs would be altered by that act? Not that I would wish rape to be visited upon ANYONE, not even in retribution. But today it seems to be anything / anyway to relieve the guilty of their sins – oh, and in the name of the almighty dollar.
Now I can think of two good 26 day countdowns.
I always get choked up when I read about an officer down. I am *so* glad hubby is retired. Allbeit a bit beat up, he gets out of bed alive every morning, and I thank God every day that he does.
Number one son seems to be hell bent on following in his father’s footsteps. Sigh, and so the worrying begins anew.
Allison writing suspense does give a reason, and as important, closure, the good guy triumphes over the bad guy and we know why the bad guy done it.
Sigh, too much crap going on in the world right now.
I wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday.
Yikes, I’m getting soft, somebody slap me!
Thanks everyone for counting down with me, LOL.
Karin, I’m glad Gary made it out alive, too. You two raised some good kids, and I’m sure your #1 son will watch his back. I’ll be there with you, worrying.
Does anyone watch CSI? The two-part episode about the chase and cop shooting was very powerful. We all might hem and haw over some of the things some cops do, but when you come right down to it, the job is dangerous and rights seem to favor the criminals in so many ways. I thought the episode and subsequent analysis and pressure from all the different angles really did a good job of putting us in their shoes.
And the copyedits are on their way to NY and I’m having a drink! Waaaa hooo!
I forgot, I’m in on your countdwon as well. Can’t wait!
Sexomania, huh? Let me guess…the sleep “expert” was a man? And the judge? How, exactly, does one prove one is asleep while doing the deed?
Countdown’s on!
I’m asking for Borders GCs so I can go buy yours and Karin’s books for Xmas (or a little after….)
I’m very interested in what you think, Amy, especially since it’s different from what you read! Some subtle, some not-so-subtle.
I believe the sleepwalking defense is not “next” but already been proved.
An aquital, or lesser charge, if I remember correctly.
Thanks Bernita . . . I’ve actually heard about “the sleepwalking” defense for some minor things, but never murder.
I guess my problem with this guy is that he KNOWS he has this “problem” . . . shouldn’t he at least be required to tell his “dates” that he might rape them in his sleep? If he knew he had AIDS and knowingly slept with someone without disclosing this, I think there’s precedent for a conviction of some sort. Our friend above did this four times before (I don’t know what those ex-girlfriends did, if anything) so he knows he has this compulsion.
But it makes a fascinating story idea . . . not that I need anymore ideas!
Allison, I can’t wait for The Prey, either, and don’t forget about my sticker
. I read a story a while back in the paper about a woman who had the same problem of sexomnia. Her husband thought she was having an affair, and followed her one night, and discovered she was having sex with strange men she just met in the street. A psychologist diagnosed her as a sexomniac, but she didn’t rape anyone (I’m assuming the guys she met in the street were only to happy to oblige).