Forensic Case Files: 9/11—Postlude

First of all, for those that might not have seen the news, we’re now officially contracted once again with Five Star. The second full length book in our Abbot and Lowell forensic mystery series—A FLAME IN THE WIND OF DEATH—is scheduled to release in early May, 2014.

And now, onto this week’s blog post…

Over the past three weeks, we’ve covered the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy from a forensics point of view—how to handle a mass fatality, how to identify human remains following such an incident, and the challenges investigators have faced in identifying the dead from that day. We thought the series was complete with those three posts until last Friday when a news story broke, reporting on a piece of a Boeing 767 found three blocks from the World Trade Center. Originally thought to be part of the landing gear assembly, it is, in fact, the trailing edge flap support structure in the wing. The 5’ x 3’ x 17” piece was wedged into the 18” gap between a loft apartment building and a Muslim mosque, behind a gate, out of sight from the sidewalk, ensuring it remained undiscovered.

It was a stark reminder that even though September 11 happened nearly 12 years ago, it remains relevant to this day and the search is far from over.

The part was found purely by chance—a building inspector was on the roof and spotted it between the buildings from above. He called 911 and the NYPD responded, immediately cordoning off the area and later designating it as a crime scene. Police will investigate to ensure the piece wasn’t placed there deliberately, and the Medical Examiner’s office will do a toxicity screen and then determine if any human remains are associated with the site. Despite an identification number stenciled into the metal, Boeing has stated that it cannot trace where the piece originated.

The real question is how did the part get there? Because of the rope wound around one end of the piece, police are investigating whether it could have been lowered down into the gap. But what would be the intent behind such an act? Assuming the part did indeed come from one of the two doomed aircraft (not many people would be able to obtain parts from a 767, after all), it landed in that area eleven and a half years ago. It is possible that someone found the piece on the roof and then attempted to hide it between the buildings, but it would be a futile act considering all the other airplane debris in the area. If it was placed there in hopes of being found more quickly, then the wrong area was picked as it lay unnoticed for over a decade. If a recovery team had attempted to lift if from the roof and accidentally dropped it between the buildings, it would have been reported at the time. Conspiracy theorists may try to come up with alternative ideas, but what makes the most sense is the initial conclusion the inspector and most others came to—the piece landed there following the crash that fateful day.

It’s true that the statistical odds of the piece hitting in the exact orientation to fall between the two buildings and not bounce to an adjacent roof is extremely small. In fact, a piece of the landing gear went through the roof of the building next door to this current site. So while it’s hard to fathom the chances of a piece of that size landing as neatly as it did, it’s not impossible. Based on data included in a 2002 FEMA report (see the illustration to the right), this new evidence was discovered very near the ‘landing gear’ on the lower right of the diagram which came from United Airlines Flight 175 after it hit the south tower. It’s most likely that this piece also came from the same plane, simply from a physics standpoint of mass, velocity and inertia.

More details will be released as they come to light, but families of survivors are now calling for a full search of lower Manhattan to ensure that no other parts or remains stay undiscovered. Each time a new discovery is made, it pulls the families of the lost back into the past, opening old wounds. If there is any hope of moving on, all remains and debris must be recovered. The dead will not be forgotten, but we owe it to them and their families to finally lay them to rest.

Photo credit: New York Police Department and FEMA

Forensic Case Files: 9/11—Part 3: Challenges in Naming the Dead

Over the past two weeks, we’ve discussed the tragedy of the 9/11 terror attacks from a forensic perspective—how recovery teams worked tirelessly to collect the victim remains once all hope of rescue was exhausted, and how victim identification is established. Sadly, a full 40% of victims from the World Trade Center are still unidentified. Hundreds of thousands of man-hours have gone into the effort, so why has the process of naming the dead proved so difficult?

There were many problems associated with victim identification, especially in the years immediately following the tragedy, including:

• The sheer number of samples needing to be identified and the amount of data they produced: It is the duty of the Medical Examiner and his staff to identify the dead and issue death certificates. That duty doesn’t change simply because of an overwhelming death toll; each individual still deserves to be named. But because of the nature of death, many victims’ bodies were fragmented, leading to multiple samples from the same individual. Fragmented remains found in the same location may or may not originate from a single victim, so each had to be sampled and analyzed separately. Additionally, personal effects found loosely associated with human remains might not belong to that person, so DNA samples had to be taken from all items. While mass-casualty disasters are not uncommon, the data processing requirements for managing such a large database stretched the technology available to individual laboratories of the time.

• The size and condition of the samples: Due to the harsh conditions of the site, many samples were so badly degraded that DNA typing wasn’t possible. When samples were found five years after the attack on the roof of the Deutsche Bank Building, most of the bone fragments were less than one sixteenth of an inch in size, minimizing the chances of successful DNA extraction.

• Weathering/scavenging of samples found years after the tragedy: The Deutsche Bank Building fragments, for example, were subject to years of freezing in winter, and heat and direct sun in summer for five years. Remains in the lower levels of the World Trade Center, among the last to be excavated, were subject to water, fire, crushing, and toxic waste. Remains in the pile sent to Fresh Kills were subject to scavenging by carnivores, birds and insects.

• Location of the remains: The final resting place of the remains could not be used towards a definitive identification. It might, however, suggest a potential localization—bodies from upper floors may be likely to be less damaged due to the lighter load above them, and fire damaged bodies are more likely to originate from floors near the original crash sites and the ensuing fuel-amplified fire. Additionally, co-mingled remains might be thought to originate from similar areas of the building, if not the same area.

In the years since 9/11, a definitive ID for each victim has proven to be impossible, no matter how much effort has was applied to the task. In the end, at the request of families, 1,616 death certificates were issued without confirmatory identification.

The ultimate question in mass casualty disasters is: when is the project finished? When every victim is identified or when every sample of remains is tested? Sadly, with only 1,119 of 2,753 victims identified, the task of identifying the victims of 9/11 may never officially be complete.

In memory of those lost on 9/11. We will never forget…

Photo credit: WikimediaCommons – U.S. Navy, Wikimedia Commons - U.S. Air Force and Morgan.Davis

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ARC Giveaway:

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Forensic Case Files: 9/11—Part 2: Identifying Human Remains

Comparison points of ridge characteristics for fingerprint analysis.

Last week, we talked about the challenges of handing a mass fatality disaster such as 9/11, including the collection of human remains. This week, we’ll cover how those remains can lead to victim identification.

The path toward identification starts with the type of sample recovered. When the body is intact, presumptive identification can be made via visual ID or by directly associated personal effects (i.e. a driver’s license with matching photo found in the pocket of the victim). Confirmatory identification can then be made using one of several methods, including DNA matching, odontology or fingerprinting.

Sadly, considering the nature of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center (WTC), the overwhelming majority of remains could not be identified so easily. Officially, the New York Medical Examiner lists all of the deaths at WTC that day as ‘homicide due to blunt force trauma.’ This includes those who died in the collapse of the towers, as well as those that fell or jumped to their deaths after being driven out by flame and smoke (these deaths are not classified as suicides since they were not considered voluntary acts).

Because forensic anthropologists specialize in fragmented, burned, decomposed, and comingled remains, they are at the forefront working on victim identification. Well-known author Dr. Kathy Reichs was one of many forensic anthropologists who took time away from their own professional careers to help identify remains found at Ground Zero following the attacks.

For most victims, since only fragments of their bodies were recovered, identification had to be inferred from one or more of the following attributes:

• Personal surface markers like scars or tattoos.

• Forensic anthropologists’ estimate of age at time of death, race, sex, and stature.

• Description of antemortem (before death) characteristics, including evidence of disease or healed fractures.

• Discovery of prosthetics or surgical hardware (including serial numbers).

• Documentation of perimortem (at the time of death) trauma supporting cause of death.

• Fingerprint examination: Qualified personnel can collect antemortem latent prints from the homes or personal effects of suspected victims for comparison to recovered remains. Once identification is made, a second qualified examiner must confirm the match.

• Odontology: Comparison of recovered dental fragments to antemortem dental x-rays and charts. These matches can be difficult because dental remains may be fragmented; extremely fragile dental remains may require onsite radiography before transportation to morgue.

• Radiology: Comparison of antemortem x-rays to post-mortem (after death) x-rays and skeletal fragments in order to match healed fractures.

• DNA comparisons: DNA remains the best method of identification, especially when other physical traits such as fingerprints, physical stature, distinctive characteristics and dental features have been destroyed. The challenge in DNA matching can lie in finding a reference sample for comparison. More detailed information on the subject can be found in one of our earlier posts: Forensics 101: DNA Profiling for Identification.

In a perfect world, every victim would be identified, finally bringing closure to the families. But the task of identifying the victims at the WTC has proven to be extremely difficult in many cases. Join us next week as we close our series on 9/11 as we explore the challenges investigators have faced in trying to put names to the dead.

Photo credit: Vince Alongi

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ARC Giveaway!

A new Goodreads giveaway for a signed ARC of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT runs until April 19th! Enter here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/49884-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Forensic Case Files: 9/11—Part 1: Mass Fatality Incidents

The events of September 11, 2001 will forever remain a watershed moment in history—life before vesus life after that day. For North Americans, it marked the end of a more relaxed way of life and the beginning of heightened security and wariness of the world around us.  For most of us, it’s an event, like Kennedy’s assassination, that will forever be linked to what we were doing at the moment we heard the news.

In the past, Ann and I have considered looking at the recovery efforts assocated with the disaster because forensic anthropology remains a crucial part of victim identification to this day. But, at the same time, we’re very sensitive to the fact that this incident remains a very painful moment in time not just for Americans, but for the world as a whole since sixty other countries also lost citizens in the attack that day. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be looking at the incident from the perspective of managing a mass casualty and fatality incident of this magnitude, and continuing efforts at individual victim identification.

When the planes struck the two towers, significant damage was initially localized to seven or eight stories adjacent to the point of impact, caused by explosion, fire from the heavy load of airplane fuel, and the large size of the modern Boeing 767. The buildings’ collapse was initiated by the weakening and finally buckling structural systems due to the heat of the fire and the crushing static weight of the floors above. The South tower, the second hit, was actually the first to collapse because the plane struck a lower floor, resulting in greater weight above the site of impact.

The sheer volume of calls overloaded communications systems, making it difficult to contact those inside the buildings, including first responders. As a result, many in the North Tower were never aware that the South Tower had fallen, even though nearly thirty minutes passed before the North Tower itself collapsed. 2,753 people, including the passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, perished in the tragedy.

The initial response was search and rescue in an attempt to recover anyone who might have survived the crushing collapse of either building. The instability of both the immediate scene and the surrounding buildings hampered rescue attempts and teams were called off repeatedly as concerns about the collapse of nearby buildings heightened; 7 World Trade Center collapsed later that afternoon as a result of the fires that started after the building was hit by debris from the North Tower. Only when the scene was stabilized were rescue workers allowed to return. Multiple hazards were also a concern throughout this phase, including an underground tank of diesel fuel, gasoline from several thousand cars buried in the underground parking lots, and 1.2 million rounds of ammunition in the U.S. Customs Service firing range on site. Sadly, in the days following the attack, only 11 survivors were pulled from the rubble. Some victims survived the collapse of the towers but rescue teams were unable to reach them in time.

Recovery teams formed bucket brigades, passing five-gallon buckets down lines to investigators who sifted through each to remove any evidence of human remains. ‘The Pile’ was then transferred to one of several landfill sites, including Fresh Kills on Staten Island. There, the debris was sorted once again, and any additional human remains and personal effects were collected. The majority of remains collected were recovered during the ten months following September 2001.

Salem Fire Department’s 9/11 memorial, including a steel girder from one of the towers.The New York City Office of Emergency Management was in charge of the recovery and cleanup. Keenly aware of the effect on the city of the specter of the wreck of the World Trade Center, they attempted to clean up the 130,000 tons of debris as quickly as possible. Inadvertently, this rapid cleanup caused some remains to be separated from personal effects which could be used to aid in victim identification, and further scattered the remains of dismembered bodies. Inadvertently, human remains may have been disturbed as remains and comingled effects became separated, or as associated remains became scattered. In 2005, the search was declared complete despite concerns raised by families of those still missing that the initial efforts had been too rushed or carelessly handled. But after the discovery of bone fragments on the roof of the nearby Deutsche Bank Building and in two manholes in 2006, a new investigation was launched and 1,500 additional remains were recovered.

Twelve years after the attack, the cleanup process continues. In just the last few years, over sixty truckloads of debris have been removed from the site. On April 1, 2013 two more skeletal fragments were discovered. Currently, 40% of the victims are still unidentified, so efforts to identify the missing and the dead will continue.

Next week, we’ll look at identification methods used following the attacks to identify the dead.

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ARC Giveaway!

A new Goodreads giveaway for a signed ARC of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT runs until April 19th! Enter here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/49884-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Forensics 101: Bullet Wounds in Bone—The Skull

In a previous Forensics 101 post, we looked at how kerfs—the grooves and notches made by tools on bone—can help scientists identify the method of death in a murder investigation. But the rise of gun crime in North America has made the forensics of wound ballistics increasingly important. There are two different types of damage in this kind of wound—soft tissue and bone. In this post we’re going to strictly look at bone damage, concentrating on the skull and its very characteristic fracture patterns.

Unlike blunt force trauma, gunshot wounds often cause both an entrance and an exit wound. Investigators need to be familiar with how bone behaves in both circumstances to reconstruct the order of events and be able to piece together the details of the fatal shot. Different variables that affect the type of damage done to the bone include the velocity of the bullet (which depends on the type of gun used and the distance between the shooter and the victim), the size/caliber of the bullet, and the angle of impact.

If a bullet penetrates the skull perpendicular to the surface, a round defect is formed, often with outward radiating fractures extending from the bullet hole. The force of the bullet’s entrance increases the intracranial pressure inside the skull, causing the pieces of bone between the radiating fractures to push outwards. These ‘heaving fractures’ can be differentiated from blunt force trauma fractures because the bone sits above the plane of the skull instead of below it. The energy transfer from the bullet to the bone can be so efficient that the radiating fractures can travel through the bone to the far side of the skull faster than the bullet can traverse the brain and exit. This fact can be crucial in determining the order of fractures since a new exit fracture cannot cross an existing entrance fracture.

When a bullet strikes the skull tangentially, a characteristic ‘keyhole’ is formed—a defect that is circular at one end with tangential fractures radiating outwards in parallel, allowing the bone between them to lever out.

Exit wounds often tend to be much larger than entrance wounds for a number of reasons: the bullet is misshapen or ‘mushroomed’ from the initial bone strike, the bullet may no longer be moving along a straight trajectory, or the projectile may be tumbling end-over-end. Often large chunks of bone may be completely detached from the skull following the bullet’s exit. Sometimes, however, the bullet’s energy is spent following the initial strike; when this occurs, the bullet does not exit the skull and can be recovered later during autopsy.

Contrary to popular belief, the size of the bullet wound does not directly correlate to an exact bullet caliber because factors such as bullet shape, jacket material, stability of the bullet’s flight path and whether any other targets have been hit tangentially can affect the force with which the bullet strikes the bone.

Photo credit: Ann H. Ross, The University of Tennessee and Gérald Quatrehomme et al, Florida Atlantic University

ARC Giveaway!

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Reading As A Cure For Depression

I read an interesting article recently about the positive effects of reading on depression. As someone who is lucky enough not to be affected herself by this challenge, but who has family members that are, the article naturally caught my eye.

Starting in May 2013, parts of the U.K. are initiating a new program called ‘Books on Prescription’. As part of this program, doctors will be able to prescribe self-help and mood-boosting books to patients suffering from depression, anxiety, phobias, chronic pain, and eating disorders. A government grant will fund libraries to carry these books, making them available to readers. Supported by the Royal Colleges of General Practitioners, Nursing and Psychiatrists, the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and the British Psychological Society, this program is essentially cognitive behavioural therapy through reading and literature.

Established by Dr. Neil Frude, a clinical psychologist, this therapy model has been successfully used in Wales’ public libraries since 2005. Psychology professionals selected a list of self-help books on various topics for the program, and mood uplifting books were selected by readers and reading groups across the U.K. These include not only general books, but also those directed towards both younger and older age groups.

‘Bibliotherapy’ or the use of the written word as therapy is not a new concept. First used by the ancient Greeks, who considered libraries to be healing places, its use was promoted by Sigmund Freud as a component of his psychotherapeutic treatments, and was recommended for recovering World War II veterans. Current research suggests that reading can reduce stress levels in the reader up to 68%, more than listening to music or taking a walk, with positive physical stress readouts evident in only six minutes.

But how does reading affect our mindset?

• Reading allows the reader to connect with others undergoing similar challenges, reminding them that they aren’t alone. Finding similarities between themselves and that character may also assist in building their own self-confidence.
• It allows the reader to explore ways of overcoming their problems in a safe manner before trying a particular method for themselves.
• Reading can bring about a change in emotional state simply by immersion in the story. The pure escapism of a story can also give the reader something else to concentrate on other than their own challenges.
• The act of reading can cause the creation of new connections in the brain, especially in children and teenagers, allowing for differential brain function.
• It can assist children by demonstrating new coping skills, couched in terms they understand.
• Evidence exists that social reading/reading groups promote well-being and decreases isolation with participation in the group environment. 

While bibliotherapy likely won’t replace medical aids for mental illness, it may assist in decreasing a patient’s reliance on them, or, for mild to moderate sufferers, may lighten their needs for prescription drugs and their accompanying side effects.

So you know what this means—next time you’re having a bad day and are feeling low, reach for a book!

Photo credit: Spirit-Fire

Forensic Case Files: Black Death Victims Uncovered in London

A burial ground containing thirteen sets of remains was recently discovered in London during excavations for the Crossrail project, the expansion of London’s existing public transit rail lines. Located in Farringdon—an area of downtown London—in one of the rare undeveloped sections of the city, the remains were uncovered in a location suspected to be one of the city’s emergency burial grounds used during the 14th century plague known as the ‘Black Death’. Open in 1349 and possibly receiving up to 50,000 dead during the next three years, the Farringdon burial ground was referred to in historical texts as ‘no man’s land’. Closed in the 1500’s, its exact location was lost to time until now.

Laying a mere eight feet underground, the skeletons were discovered in two neat rows. The burial pattern indicates that this area of the cemetery was used at the beginning of the plague, when death rates were low and individual burials were common. In later years, the overburdened and fearful population simply discarded the constant stream of bodies into mass graves. An indication of the mindset of the population at the time—in 1347, the average number of wills registered in London was only 20; but by 1349, that number ballooned to 370. Simply put, the English expected to die, and wanted no contact with the sick or the dying that lessened their chances of survival.

Osteologists and archeologists from the Museum of London are already excavating and removing the remains for study. They plan to extract plague DNA from the tooth pulp of the victims and hope to be able to sequence the bacteria’s genomic DNA, possibly mapping it as the ‘mother of all modern plague species’. The remains will also give scientists a glimpse into life in the 14th century—the wear patterns on the bones reveal it was a life of heavy labour, but other indicators will give information about their general health and stature.

Yersinia pestis, the bacteria responsible for the Black Plague, originated in China and was brought to Europe in the mid-14th century. It started in Persia in 1346 and then spread through southern Europe in 1347 before moving north into the rest of Europe and Russia over the next five years. It arrived in London and the south of Britain in 1348 before spreading to the rest of the country and beyond. By the time the epidemic played out, an estimated 75 – 200 million people, roughly 30 – 60% of Europe’s population were dead. Carried by rats, and transmitted by the rodents’ fleas, Y. pestis sickens it’s victims by suppressing the body’s normal immune response. It directly affects immune cells in the blood and evades the body’s response by hiding and replicating in the lymph nodes, creating the characteristic black buboes or swollen lymph nodes that often oozed pus and blood. Medieval physicians often lanced the buboes, exposing the unsuspecting practitioner to the infectious contents and spreading the plague further. The number of infections dramatically decreased in Britain after 1350, but smaller outbreaks continued for the rest of the 14th century. A second major plague took place between 1665 and 1666 in London, but by the late 18th century, it had mostly disappeared from Europe.

An electron micrograph of a cluster of Yersinia pestis bacteria.

Why the plague died out has never been definitively answered, but there are several possibilities. Those that survived the first wave of the plague in 1348 became immune to further infections, leaving fewer susceptible to future infection. The 1348 wave of the plague mostly infected adults, but later waves—1361 for instance—primarily infected children who were not alive in 1348 and had no resistance to the bacteria. Later on, herd immunity (the greater immune population protecting the lesser susceptible population simply by their inability to become infected) would have protected younger members of the population. There is also a theory that the fleas that carried Yersinia pestis only lived on black rats. When larger brown rats out-competed the black rats in Europe, there were fewer carriers for the plague.

Photo credit: Crossrail, Rocky Mountain Laboratories/Wikimedia Commons, and the Toggenburg Bible.

Giveaways!

It’s the final days for Five Star’s Goodreads giveaway! 10 ARCs of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT are up for grabs to American entrants, ending on Sunday night: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/41803-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

And stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon!

Forensic Case Files: Arlington Burial for U.S.S. Monitor Sailors

Last May, we brought you a story about the remains of two U.S.S Monitor sailors, recovered in 2002 when the turret of the disintegrating wreck was recovered off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. While forensic anthropologists were able to determine important information about both men, conclusive identifications remain elusive more than a decade later.

Last Friday, more than 150 years after their deaths, those two soldiers were finally laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. They are likely to be the final Civil War soldiers buried there. Only two were buried on the grounds that previously belonged to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, but the ceremony honoured all sixteen sailors lost when the Monitor sank on December 31, 1862. Members from the sixteen families attended the ceremony, many travelling across country to be present. The public event was very well attended, some even appearing in full period dress in honour of the occasion.

A monument will be erected near the graves, honouring the sixteen sailors. The body of the ironclad warship will remain where it lies in 260 feet of water, possibly still containing the remains of her fourteen missing men.

Photo credit: U.S. Navy, Alex Brandon/Associated Press, Win McNamee/Getty Images, and Linda Davis/The Washington Post

Giveaways!

I’m giving away an autographed ARC of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT to Canadian entrants. The contest closes on March 15, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/46552-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Five Star is giving away 10 ARCs to American entrants, ending on March 25, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/41803-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

A Facebook giveaway! Stop by Facebook for your chance to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win an autographed ARC: http://is.gd/iDxH1z

Forensics 101: Using the Bomb Curve to Date Human Remains

Over the past month, we’ve discussed human remains that were centuries—King Richard III—if not a millennium old—King Alfred the Great. For remains of this age, classic carbon dating is the most reliable way of determining time since death. But is there a more precise way to date more recent remains, remains that might only be thirty to fifty years old, instead of six hundred? There is, and that method uses the fallout from nuclear testing following the Second World War to determine time since death.

Following the end of the Second World War, nuclear weapons were tested by the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia. The fallout from this testing radically changed the percentage of radioactive carbon—14C—in the atmosphere, spiking significantly in the early 1960’s before peaking in 1963 at a level nearly twice that of 1950. Atmospheric 14C levels fell slowly in the decades following, but still remain 15% higher than in 1950.

Average atmospheric 14CO2 for the northern hemisphere

Just as strontium is incorporated into living organisms, 14C in atmospheric CO2 enters the food chain when plants use it to manufacture carbohydrates and proteins during photosynthesis. Those plants are then eaten by herbivores and become a permanent part of that animal’s bone structure. As a result, 14C from samples taken from skeletal remains after the 1950’s can be compared to the bomb curve to determine relevant dates. Samples taken from the mid-shaft of long bones represent childhood 14C levels. Spongy cancellous bone sampled from the ends of long bones will show a greater amount of turnover and remodeling that correlates closely to the date of death. Enamel from teeth captures a snapshot of the time when the tooth developed and erupted. If all the values fall in the pre-1950’s range, a different manner of aging the remains must to be used. But for those values that fall post 1950, a window of only a few years can be determined for the date of death.

The slow drop in atmospheric 14CO2 following the early 1960s is due to the signing of the Limited Test Ban Treaty. In August of 1963, representatives from the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom signed a treaty banning all nuclear testing in the atmosphere, in space or under water. In the decades that followed, 123 additional countries signed the ban (the most recent was Montenegro in 2006), leaving 58 states as non-signatory.

Photo credit: Fastfission via Wikimedia Commons and Ubelaker, DH et al. Analysis of Artificial Radiocarbon in Different Skeletal and Dental Tissue Types to Evaluate Date of Death. Journal of Forensic Sciences; May, 2006

Giveaways!

A new Goodreads giveaway starts today! I’m giving away an autographed ARC to Canadian entrants. The contest closes on March 15, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/46552-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Five Star is giving away 10 copies to American entrants, ending on March 25, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/41803-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

A Facebook giveaway! Stop by Facebook for your chance to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win an autographed ARC: http://is.gd/iDxH1z

Forensic Case Files: 9th Century Remains of King Alfred Discovered?

It seems like English kings are popping up all over the place recently. A few weeks ago I shared the story of King Richard III’s positively identified remains in Leicester. Shortly after that story broke, Ann (who is always my best resource) found a story about archeologists in Winchester who believed remains found in an unmarked grave are those of King Alfred the Great (849 – 899 A.D.).

Following the death of his three older brothers, Alfred took the throne at twenty-two. Over the course of his reign, he became best known for keeping the Viking invasion at bay, thus ensuring English as the country’s spoken language and Christianity as its religion. First called the King of Wessex (an area of southwestern England), he was successful at repelling the Danish invaders in his own kingdom before recapturing London from the Danes and making peace with their leader, Guthrum. Known afterwards as the first King of the English, Alfred was also responsible for introducing new military responses to specifically counter new Danish strategies, significantly improving England’s naval power, introducing the country’s first written code of law, and introducing a standard system of coins.

Following his death in 899 A.D. from natural causes (possibly Crohn’s Disease), Alfred was buried in first in Winchester, a city in the south of England. Later, his remains were transferred to the newly opened Hyde Abbey in 1110, along with the remains of his wife and children. In 1539, during Henry VIII's dissolution of all Catholic abbeys and monasteries, Hyde Abbey was demolished, but the graves were left intact. In the eighteenth century, the graves were robbed and stripped of all contents, and later excavations showed Alfred’s grave to be empty.

In the late 1800’s, a vicar at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Winchester paid ten shillings for a collection of bones rumoured to have originated at Hyde Abbey. These bones, including five skulls, where interred at St. Bartholomew’s Church until archeologists recently identified the remains as possibly belonging to King Alfred the Great.

This archaeological team will face challenges that Richard III’s team did not, including:

• Multiple individuals interred in the same grave—a forensic anthropologist will be able to determine sex from some bones, relative height from others, and will try to separate each individual’s remains.

• Age of the remains—King Alfred’s remains are six centuries older than those of Richard III, and the chances of extracting viable DNA are much smaller. Scientists have been trying to recover DNA from Alfred’s granddaughter's remains, but have not yet been successful.

• No known living relative—Genealogy before the turn of the first millennium was not documented as it was after Richard III. If Alfred’s family line continues to this day, his relatives are most likely unaware of the connection.

• Radiocarbon dating is probably the best chance to age match the remains.

The team will begin excavating the remains during spring 2013 and hopes to have results by summer.

It's Goodreads giveaway time! Five Star is giving away 10 copies to American entrants, ending on March 25, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/41803-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Photo credit: Odejea via Wikimedia Commons

Guest Interview at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

I'm over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books today, chatting with Sarah Wendell about my brother Mychael's two Oscar nominations, films scores, and hooks in fiction vs. hooks in music. Thanks, Sarah, for a really fun conversation!

Hooks, Scores and Writing: An Interview with Jen Danna

The Valentine Challenge—Marisa Cleveland's Debut Novella

I’m thrilled to help long time writing bud and agency sister, Marisa Cleveland (and the Seymour Agency's newest agent extraordinaire), celebrate her first release by taking part in her blog tour. Best of all, there are three great prizes to be won and multiple entries allowed, so leave a comment here and visit the other participating blogs to increase your chances of winning!

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Marisa Cleveland's novella, The Valentine Challenge, debuted from Entangled Publishing! Join the celebration by visiting participating blogs and commenting the answer to this question: In your opinion, what's the sexiest part of a man?  

Between now and February 28th, Marisa's super-secret judges will browse the blogs and choose up to three winners to receive Valentine goodies! 

No purchase necessary, but a Like on Amazon is always appreciated!

Title: The Valentine Challenge
Author: Marisa Cleveland
Publisher: Entangled Publishing (Flirt)
Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

Book Description: When Stacey Bradford's hot boss convinces his company's board to close her best friend's flower shop - days before Valentine's Day! - Stacey declares war.

Intrigued by Stacey's devotion to her friend, the hearts and flowers holiday, and belief in true love, Marsh issues a challenge - prove love exists or deliver the closing documents to her friend herself.

Stacey never could resist a challenge, but when Marsh makes Valentine's Day the deadline for their deal, Stacey must decide how far she's willing to go...for love.

Author Bio: Marisa Cleveland loves to laugh, hates to cry, and does both often. As a writer, she writes. Every day. Perhaps because she married her best friend, her adult romance novels focus on playfully naughty relationships developed through friendship and family-oriented values. She loves to connect with writers and readers.

Author Links:
Website and blog: www.marisacleveland.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/marisacleveland
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marisacleveland00

Super Amazing Participating Blogs:
http://amandaflower.wordpress.com/
http://amielouellen.com/
http://www.bethvrabel.com/
http://katemeader.com/blog/
http://www.kateserine.com/blog/
http://jamieayres.com/
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http://www.jennysulpizio.com/
http://nocturnalreadings.blogspot.com/
http://lynnetteaustin.blogspot.com/
http://www.sarahgagnon.com/
http://sonyaweiss.com/
http://tonyakuper.blogspot.com/

Come on guys, let's see those answers! And be sure to visit any of the other participating blogs because we've all got more than one answer to this question.

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It's Goodreads giveaway time! Five Star is giving away 10 copies to American entrants, ending on March 25, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/41803-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Congratulations to Heather, who won the recently closed Canadian Goodreads giveaway. Keep your eye on this space—more giveaways coming soon!

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Updated! Congratulations to Jenny who commented and won a prize from Marisa! Enjoy your goodie bag!

Why do we read?

I finished the novel GONE GIRL last week. It took me a while to find time to read it, but I was curious because I’d heard a lot about it and knew it was critically acclaimed. But almost immediately I knew this wasn’t my kind of book. I finished it, but I admit to having to take a break about a third of the way into it. Now that I’m done, I can’t actually say that I enjoyed it. It was a solid story, but the gritty portrayal of the protagonists’ marriage, and the nastiness and betrayals were just not fun to experience with them. It was dark and disturbing and unsettling. Kudos to Gillian Flynn for bringing her readers along for the ride, but, for me, life is heavy enough without that kind of realism invading my brief and precious entertainment space.

However, it made me think about why we read. In the end, I stuck with GONE GIRL just to finish the book, not because I liked the characters or was enjoying the story. But when it comes to the main types of books we read, why do we do it?

• Escapism: Sometimes real life can be overwhelming, and you just want to get away from the bills, work projects, raising teenagers and everything else reality throws your way. So losing yourself in another world—be it a happily-ever-after romance, the worldbuilding of a fantasy novel, or immersion in a terrifying horror tale—can be a welcome break from reality.

• To learn something: This is why I love historical fiction of any kind. I always come out of a novel like that having learned something new about a culture, a place or a time in history.

• To engage the brain: This is one reason I’ve always been drawn to murder mysteries. My brain doesn’t turn off well at the best of times, but when I read fiction like this, I’m always on the lookout for clues and constantly trying to solve the crime before the investigator.

• To safely explore emotional themes in a manner where no one is actually harmed: Many things happen in fiction that we’d never want to personally experience—rape, murder, losing a child, or navigating the breakup of a marriage, for example. Experiencing tragedy through someone else’s eyes gives us a window into what it really might feel like without experiencing the loss ourselves.

• Emotional satisfaction: Many times, the world simply doesn’t work in ways we’d like to see and experience—often there isn’t justice for evil, and good is not always rewarded. Fiction can give us a way to right the wrongs we see in real life and to experience the emotional satisfaction that comes from justice well served.

• An interruptible and resumable process: Reading is something that we can do on our own time schedule. No need to watch the clock or set a DVR. Fall asleep during your favourite TV show and you’ve missed something and have to scramble to catch up. Fall asleep while reading and your book waits for you.

• A renewable process: You can reread your favourite books time and again, often gaining new insight by doing so. Books have layers that peel away to reveal new information when you have the foresight of knowing how the book ends. As a result, sometimes books can be more enjoyable on a second read.

Something occurred to Ann and I while we were coming up with this list: from our perspective, many of these reasons are also why we write—especially around the concepts of emotional justice, learning new concepts and exploring emotional themes.

These are our reasons to read. How about you guys—have we missed any of your favourite reasons to read or do you agree with our list?

Photo credit: Alexandre Dulaunoy

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It's Goodreads giveaway time! Win an ARC of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT in one of two ways:

1) Five Star is giving away 10 copies to American entrants, ending on March 25, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/41803-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

2) I'm giving away an authorgraphed ARC to Canadian entrants until February 18th (with more North American giveaways coming soon): http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/44027-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Forensic Case Files: Richard III’s Remains Confirmed

On August 25, 2012, the Richard III Society, the University of Leicester Archeology Department and the Leicester City Council made an astounding announcement. Their joint efforts to find the remains of King Richard III had led them to a local municipal parking lot. The three trenches dug there not only revealed the walls from the Greyfriars Church in which Richard was said to be buried, but also a set of human remains—remains with a curious curvature to the spine and signs of violent, battle-related death. They proposed that this skeleton was the remains of Richard III, the last English monarch to die in battle, but they needed time to definitively prove his identification.

We covered this story last fall when the remains were finally excavated, and in the following posts concerning Richard’s supposed (and unproven) treachery in killing his nephews, the Princes in the Tower, and outlining the science that could ultimately prove Richard’s identity.

Yesterday, it was announced that ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’, the remains recovered were indeed those of King Richard III. It took the team over four months of intense testing using the tools of DNA analysis, forensic anthropological examination, carbon dating and environmental analysis to make this determination.

This is the evidence to support Richard’s identification:

• Despite fears that nucleic acids within the bones might be too degraded after more than 500 years in the ground, DNA was successfully recovered from the teeth. Independent testing in Leicester and York confirmed the mitochondrial DNA match between the remains and Michael Ibsen of London, Ontario, a direct descendant of Anne of York, sister of the king. A second descendant was also found; this too was a match.

• Carbon dating placed the remains between 1450 and 1540. Richard died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

• Examination of the remains by a forensic anthropologist determined them to be from an individual in his late twenties or early thirties. At the time of his death, Richard was 32.

• Radiocarbon dating revealed that the individual had consumed a high protein diet. Meat consumption in the fifteenth century was rare, except by those of high social status. 

• There were ten injuries to the skull, including two fatal wounds by a sword and a halberd (a pole topped by a spiked axe). The latter removed a large chunk of the back of the skull.

• The remains showed signs of severe scoliosis, which would present as the right shoulder sitting higher than the left. However, both arms appeared normal, in opposition to the Tudor portrayal of Richard as a ‘hunchback with a withered arm’.

• Body positioning of the remains suggests that the hands were tied, as a prisoners’ might be.

• The body was interred in a hastily dug grave. It was not long enough, causing the head to tip up so the body could fit. There was also no shroud or any grave artifacts. This careless treatment suggests burial at the hands of the victors of the battle and not those loyal to the Plantagenet cause or its king.

Richard’s remains will be re-interred at Leicester Cathedral. Next up for the Richard III society is to restore Richard’s tarnished reputation. Is it all a result of the victorious Tudor’s and their re-telling of history, or was any of it truth? This will be a challenge as they have centuries of belief to overcome.

For anyone wanting more information about Richard, the search for his remains and how they confirmed his identity, the University of Leicester has set up an excellent website containing all the information they now know: The Search for Richard III – Completed

Photo credit: The University of Leicester

It's Goodreads giveaway time! Win an ARC of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT in one of two ways:

1) Five Star is giving away 10 copies to American entrants, ending on March 25, 2013: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/41803-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

2) I'm giving away an authorgraphed ARC to Canadian entrants starting today and going until February 18th (with more North American giveaways coming soon): http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/44027-dead-without-a-stone-to-tell-it

Forensics 101: Forensic Entomology

Determining time since death of a body more than a few days old can be problematic for investigators. They have a number of tools at their disposal—for example, the stage of decomposition/advance decay, or soil analysis to determine the extent of the body’s chemical breakdown—but the science of entomology can be a more precise way to determine when death occurred. Using knowledge of the life cycle of local carrion insects, scientists can accurately estimate a minimum time since death from one day to more than one month.

Flies:

• Flies are the first responders of the forensic entomological world, including species such as blow flies (Calliphoridae), muscid flies (Muscidae), and flesh flies (Sarcophagidae).

• Flies are capable of burrowing and colonizing bodies buried up to 30 – 50 cm deep.

• Blow flies are usually the first to arrive, being able to detect a body at distances up to one mile. Adult flies can arrive to colonize a corpse within minutes.

• Most adult flies oviposit (lay eggs) on the body, preferring the moist mucous membrane openings of the face. They are also attracted to any areas of trauma; in fact, this specific colonization indicates areas of damage to the medical examiner before an autopsy is started.

• Sarcophagidae is the exception to egg laying. It deposits larvae directly onto the corpse.

• Fly eggs hatch within 8 – 24 hours, and the resulting larvae or maggots will feed off the corpse. A heavily colonized corpse can be completely reduced to skeleton in only a matter of weeks by nothing more than extremely active maggots during warm weather.

• When a victim is discovered colonized by maggots, investigators will collect samples. Some larvae are sacrificed for DNA which will be analyzed to determine their species. Others will be raised in the laboratory, and scientists can observe them to determine when they pupate and develop into the adult form (this will also confirm or determine species identification). Using knowledge of the species’ life cycle, scientists will then be able to work backward to determine when eggs were laid on the corpse. This is the minimum possible time since death. The maximum time since death estimate is often dependent on the condition of the victim ie. body location, or a time of year that might slow near-instantaneous insect colonization.

• A body undergoing decomposition moves through the stages of fresh, bloated, decay and dry. Since ovipositing flies require a moist environment for egg development, most flies are no longer attracted to the corpse by mid-way through the decay stage

Beetles:

• Beetles tend to arrive following the fresh body stage. They will feed on any young fly larvae present as well as the flesh of the corpse itself.

• Adult beetles will lay their eggs on the corpse; when the larvae hatch, they will consume the corpse as their sole food source.

• As the body decomposes and dehydrates, beetles remain, feeding on the dry tissue, hair, and any fungus growing on the flesh.

• As with flies, investigators can collect beetle larvae and hand-raise them in the lab to determine both species and a minimum time since death based on knowledge of the species’ life cycle.

The absence of carrion insects is also important information for investigators. For instance, if a decomposing body lacking in larvae was found in a wooded area in a temperate climate, investigators would likely suspect that the body had only recently been placed there after being stored indoors and out of the contact with insects normally plentiful in that environment. Conversely, if a body was placed outdoors during the winter and mummified due to cold temperatures and low humidity, once insect activity resumed with warmer weather in the spring, flies would never colonize and only beetles would be attracted to the remains.

Using knowledge of the life cycle of key insect species, scientists can determine time since death on older remains. With this information, criminal investigators can begin their investigation to determine the suspect responsible for the death in question.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons – Cynomya mortuorum and Philonthus

The First Three Chapters

I don’t have an official blog post for you this week because today’s post isn’t about forensics or the writing process; instead, it’s all about our debut forensic thriller DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT. I’m happy to announce that the first three chapters of DEAD are now live on my Books page. Please stop by for a sneak peak before the book’s full release in May.

Excerpt - DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT – Chapters One to Three

Next week we’re back to our regular content with a brand new Forensics 101 post on Forensic Entomology—how the insects found associated with the dead can tell investigators crucial information about time and method of death.

Meet the Dannas!

There’s been a lot of talk this past week about my oldest brother Mychael. Both of my brothers are film composers, but on Thursday morning, Mychael was honoured with two Oscar nominations for his work on Life of Pi– Best Original Score and Best Song. There was a lot of discussion about family talents, so I thought this week it might be a fun break to introduce you to the multitalented Danna family.

It all starts here with Edith and Frank Danna (1932-1978). Born and bred in Winnipeg, they were married in 1955 before moving to Southern Ontario in 1958 with newborn Mychael. A teacher and an accountant by trade, it was their love of the arts that set their children up for success. Both sang (Mom still does; we sing together in a choir), and Dad played the piano and had a love of performing in amateur musical theater. I think it’s fair to say that we owe everything to them—a love of reading that translated into two academics and authors, and our musical talents, enhanced by piano and voice lessons, which led to two professional musicians.

Mychael is the oldest of the Danna children. After earning his B.A. in Composition at the University of Toronto, he went on to work at the McLaughlin Planetarium, compose several New Age albums and begin a career in film composition. With five television shows, more than seventy-five film scores and multiple Genie, Gemini, and BMI Film and Television Awards to his credit, as well as a BAFTA and two Oscar nominations for next month, Mychael has a very impressive career.

And then, of course, there’s his win from two nights ago, when he took home the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Life of Pi:

Elizabeth is the family languages expert and scholar with a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Durham University. She is an active member of the Crossroads Center ministry, and, as part of her academic writing and speaking career, she wrote ‘From Gethsemane to Penetecost: A Passion Study’. She has also assisted Mychael in lyric translations for use in some of his soundtracks.

Brother Jeff is also a composer, and scores a mix of film and live action and animated television. He has eight TV series, over forty movies and several Gemini awards to his credit. His current TV series, Continuum, starts airing on SyFy on January 16th and season two will air in Canada starting in May.

Mychael and Jeff have worked together on many projects, from the TV series Camelot, to their Celtic CDs (Billboard’s Top Ten A Celtic Tale and A Celtic Romance), to several television and feature films.

And then there’s me. As you can see, in a family full of arts majors, I was the odd man out with my science/math degree. But even in the scientist, the artistic spirit was apparently never far from the surface.

The future Danna generation is not without talent as well—a skilled photographer, a stage actor, a biologist (finally someone following in mom’s science geek shoes!), a couple of hockey stars, and a burgeoning piano virtuoso. Look out world, here come the Dannas!

And now it’s time to announce our winner from last week’s Rafflecopter draw of the very first ARC of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT. I’m pleased to announce that our winner (picked via random.org) was entry #68—Sherri Mitchen—for her entry on January 12 at 6:47pm! Congrats, Sherri, and enjoy!

Photo credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

The Call Blog Hop: After ‘The Call’

This is Part Three of the Seymour Agency blog blitz on ‘The Call’, following Part One on life before ‘The Call’, and Part Two on ‘The Call’ itself.

What happened after the day/night of the call?

It’s not very exciting, but Ann and I went right back to work. By that point we had comments back from our crit team and we set a new deadline to get the finished revision back to Nic by mid-January. We then did a second heavy edit with her following her detailed review of our first revision, and, by March, we were out on submission.

Did you have to give other agents a heads up?

I had four or five other agents reading and I let them know that I had received an offer of representation. It was a courtesy at that point, because as far as I was concerned, I’d found the agent I wanted.

How long before you signed papers?

My contract is dated January 3, 2011.

How long have you had your current agent?

Two years and one week.

Has your agent sold your work?

Nic sold DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT to Five Star Publishing (an imprint of Gale/Cengage) in a two book deal. DEAD will release as a forensic thriller in May 2013, and the sequel, A FLAME IN THE WIND OF DEATH, is tentatively scheduled for March 2014. Ann and I are also planning to release a bridging novella in the fall of 2013.

Do you have words for aspiring writers or readers of your category and genre?

I’m going to take this from a blog post I recently wrote for Jenny Sulpizio’s Write On, Mom blog, because I think it really sums up how I feel about the writing, querying and submission process: Persistence is key. There are going to be a lot of people who are going to try to shoot you down, and others who will resent the time you spend writing or who will dismiss your efforts as unimportant. Rejections from professionals will come fast and furious in both the query and submission stages. But if this is your dream, you have to draw your line in the sand and make the decision to go for it with everything you’ve got. And often that means picking up your bruised ego, dusting it off, gritting your teeth, and trying again. I always looked at our writing as ‘go big or go home’. I didn’t want it to be something I looked back on 10 years from now only to regret not taking the leap. Failure was definitely preferable to apathy.

And now, an exciting announcement from Ann and I. We received an extra special Christmas Eve surprise when a box of Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) arrived at my door.

So we’re doing our first giveaway for a copy of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT, which won’t officially release until this May. If you live in North America, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for your chance to win. You have until 11:59p.m. on Sunday, January 13th, 2013 to enter and then we’ll announce the winner in our regularly scheduled blog post on Tuesday, January 15th. Good luck!

(Helpful hint - to enter the draw by tweeting about it, simply select that option. Click the 'Tweet' button, and then click 'I tweeted!' to enter. Also, for some entry options, you can enter daily.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Call Blog Hop: ‘The Call’

This is Part Two of the Seymour Agency blog blitz on ‘The Call’. If you missed Part One on life before ‘The Call’, you can find it here; today’s post is all about ‘The Call’ itself from Nicole Resciniti.

Do you remember the date you got the call from your agent?

Our official call was December 29, 2010.

What did you do to prepare for the call?

Nic asked to see the first few chapters of the revision she’d requested earlier in the month to see how it was going. It was a very reasonable request in my opinion, since she was going to be offering without seeing the entire revision because there simply wasn’t time for us to complete it. She felt the manuscript still needed some work (and it did! I know that in spades now…), but needed to see that we had not only writing skills, but revision skills as well.

If you didn't get the stereotypical call then how did your agent offer representation? What was your reaction while on the phone?

It definitely wasn’t the stereotypical out-of-the-blue call because just before Christmas, I’d received an email from another agent who I’d queried and who had requested the full manuscript before I ever found Nic. She requested a phone call, so we booked that call for December 28th, and she offered representation at that time. I really liked her and she seemed very good, but I just wasn’t getting the same vibe from her that I was getting from Nic. I asked this agent for a week to make up my mind (because I wasn’t sure how quickly I could contact Nic during the holidays) and immediately sent Nic an email letting her know what was going on. I heard back from her in less than twenty minutes and we set a time the next morning to make our call. She said in her email that she still wanted to represent our manuscript, so when she offered officially the next day, I was already prepared for the good news. 

What was your reaction/thoughts when you got off the phone? 

I knew we’d found the right agent. I was taking lead on finding us an agent, but Ann was in the loop every step of the way, even from 1,600 miles away. I called her after talking to the first agent, and I called her again after talking to Nic, and she commented that I sounded much more excited about Nic. And I was. I knew it was the right fit for us and that Nic’s science background could only help (on her very first read through, Nic corrected us on an aspect of marine science, one of her specialties. To me, this was a very good sign). I had the Seymour Agency contract in my inbox shortly after noon that day and we’ve never looked back.

On Friday, we’ll look at life after ‘The Call’…

And now, an exciting announcement from Ann and I. We received an extra special Christmas Eve surprise when a box of Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) arrived at my door.

So we’re doing our first giveaway for a copy of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT, which won’t officially release until this May. If you live in North America, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for your chance to win. You have until 11:59p.m. on Sunday, January 13th, 2013 to enter and then we’ll announce the winner in our regularly scheduled blog post on Tuesday, January 15th. Good luck!

(Helpful hint - to enter the draw by tweeting about it, simply select that option. Click the 'Tweet' button, and then click 'I tweeted!' to enter. Also, for some entry options, you can enter daily.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Photo credit: The Seymour Agency

The Call Blog Hop: Before ‘The Call’

Surprise! I’m back a day earlier than previously promised for a special series of blog posts. Clients of the Seymour Agency are all getting together this week to highlight their experiences with ‘The Call’—where our agents called to offer representation. This series of posts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday will cover The Call itself, as well as our lives before and afterwards.

We also have a special and exciting giveaway that Ann and I are highlighting all week, so stick around to the end of the post and make sure you enter!

Now, on to life before ‘The Call’…

What category and genre do you write?

Forensic mysteries/thrillers with an angle towards science and forensic anthropology in particular.

What do you do other than write?

I’m a research scientist by trade, specializing in infectious diseases. I spent twenty years in HIV research before switching labs; I now work with Dengue fever and influenza. It was my background in science and my position at the university allowed me access to all the scientific materials I needed to learn the field of forensic anthropology that became the backbone of our novels.

How did you end up in contact with your agent from the Seymour Agency (cold query, conference, etc.)?

I found Nicole Resciniti through the AAR—The Association of Author Representatives. I’d been querying for about 5 months at that time, and had lists of agents I was working my way through. A few months earlier, we had an offer of representation that we’d turned down because we weren’t comfortable with the agent, so it was back to the drawing board at that point. But when I found Nic’s posting on the AAR website, it was like a light bulb going off over my head. She not only listed herself as a ‘consummate science geek’ but she has degrees in biology, psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. We had a novel with a very strong science bent. Needless to say, I badly wanted to query this agent. At the time, the Seymour Agency requirement was that they wanted exclusive access to the full manuscript. I knew that multiple agents already had the full, but I took my chances and queried anyway. A few days later, Nic requested the full manuscript, regardless of the fact that others had it.

Did you communicate with your agent before you got "the call" from them (did you talk at a conference, email, do a Revise & Resubmit)?

We got our first comments from Nic when she was only partway through the manuscript. She loved it but had some very fair comments for improvement. Would we be willing to work with her on an edit? We were over the moon and were more than willing to do the work. When she finished the manuscript, she sent more comments, and Ann and I started into a full edit for her. Even though it was only 2 weeks before Christmas, our fantastic crit team—Margaret, Sharon, Jenny and Lisa, plus my eldest daughter, Jess—jumped into the fray with us and we all started to rip the manuscript apart with an eye to Nic’s comments.

But we’d only been working on the edit for two weeks when another agent stepped into the picture and turned the whole situation on its ear. More on that on Wednesday when we talk about ‘The Call’…

And now, an exciting announcement from Ann and I. We received an extra special Christmas Eve surprise when a box of Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) arrived at my door.

So we’re doing our first giveaway for a copy of DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT, which won’t officially release until this May. If you live in North America, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for your chance to win. You have until 11:59p.m. on Sunday, January 13th, 2013 to enter and then we’ll announce the winner in our regularly scheduled blog post on Tuesday, January 15th. Good luck!

(Helpful hint - to enter the draw by tweeting about it, simply select that option. Click the 'Tweet' button, and then click 'I tweeted!' to enter. Also, for some entry options, you can enter daily.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Photo credit: bethcoll