Hey there!

Last week, I attended a very different sort of writers conference. It was called the Writers Police Academy (WPA), and it was held in Appleton, Wisconsin.

As a sci-fi writer, I was one of the odd ducks out — most of the other attendees write crime and mystery.

(Though you may know sci-fi crime writer Heather Texle and urban fantasy writer Elicia Hyder, who were also both there!)

Normally when I go to conferences, my main goal is to network with other authors and be social. I often spend more time hanging out with old friends and making new ones than I do in the actual educational sessions.

But at WPA, there was hardly any time for chitchat! I didn’t want to miss a single minute of the sessions, and while we were in class I was jotting down notes as quickly as I could.

Because wow was this an educational experience.

For two days, we all woke up early to catch a 7am school bus over to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College for a full day of classes. Our instructors were current and retired police officers, homicide detectives, forensic technicians, and other law enforcement personnel.

Each year’s Writers Police Academy is themed around a different subtopic, and this year’s was a deep focus on homicide investigation.

We got to learn about all of the steps of an investigation from the moment the first responding officer shows up on scene to techniques for interviewing and interrogating a suspect. We learned about the detective's role on-scene and afterwards. We learned how to look for and properly collect evidence. We learned how to identify different kinds of blood spatter.

We also got to hear from crime writers like Bruce Robert Coffin, Dr. Katherine Ramsland, and Michael A. Black who also have professional backgrounds in law enforcement.

My brain is filled with new information!

You might be thinking, Jessie, why on earth did you go to that conference? You normally write about space scoundrels and con artists and heists! What do you need to investigate a homicide for?

Well, I’ve admitted this a few times before, but I actually don't read as much science fiction as I'd like anymore.

Partly it's because it can be a little disorienting to have somebody else’s world in my head while I’m working on my own books, but partly I just really, really love thrillers and police procedurals.

So it was extremely fun to get a closer look at writing those kinds of books.

But there's another reason.

Once I finish book six of the Nanshe Chronicles, I intend to switch gears and start a different series set in the Durga System universe.

I've wanted to try my hand at writing mysteries for a long time, but I'm not ready to leave my spaceships behind anytime soon. ;) Right now, the most likely idea is a detective series set in Artemis City.

I’m still formulating exactly what that series will look like — but rest assured, it will feel a lot like my other books, filled with characters you love to root for, competent teams who consider each other family and have each other’s backs, space scoundrels, questionable good guys, and plenty of adventure.

Believe me. You'll be the first to know once I'm ready to share more.

And now for an experiment...

I love it when readers respond to my newsletter! But for a while now, I've been thinking how cool it would be create a space where you all can chat with each other as well as just with me.

I'm going to experiment with taking our conversations a little more public by posting links to each week's newsletter in my Facebook group. If you have something to say, feel free to hit reply as usual, or head over to Facebook to join the conversation and meet other awesome readers like yourself!

For Your TBR

Who says vacation reads need to be light and fluffy! I love the theme of this sci-fi beach reads promo — go stock up your e-reader with free adventures.

P.S. Have something to add to the conversation? Head to the Facebook group to chat! This week's question: What are your favorite sci-fi books with crime elements?