I’m so excited to be returning to one of my favorite events this March: the Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference in New Jersey. It’s a wonderful event that I enjoy each year and highly recommend attending. I am honored this year to be hosting an interview each week with the attending speakers! It begins today and will continue each week leading up to the conference. I hope you enjoy! ~Jillian
Today the Liberty States Create Something Magical Conference Speaker Interview Series continues with author Geoff Symon:
- Why did you start writing your books?Three years ago, I began presenting forensic courses at various writing group meetings and conventions. I quickly discovered authors long for accuracy in their writings. They may deal in make-believe, but they want their stories anchored in truth. While many books exist on crimes and the techniques used to investigate them, very few are focused on authors.That was how my Forensics for Fiction Series was born. I’m taking all of my training and experience as a 20-year forensic investigator and presenting it to writers.
- Is there one piece of advice you would give an aspiring writer?
Don’t stop. There will be days that you think a Betty Crocker recipe is written with more emotion and relatability than what you spent the last 10 hours on. Keep writing.
As I stated in my latest book, as a writer, you are either pouring out your soul or pulling out your hair. There is no in-between and both are part of the process. Keep writing.
Writing is a craft, and crafts only improve through practice. Keep writing.
- Who is on your bookshelf?
Damon Suede (contractual requirement)
Val McDermid
Carl Hiaasen
Jane Austen
- Tell us about your newest release/current work in progress.
I’ve just come out with my second book in the Forensic for Fiction Series, Crime Scenes. It covers all of the laws, procedures and personnel related to processing the scene of the crime, with in-depth case studies of two well-known crime scene failures: O.J. Simpson and JonBenét Ramsey. I have the third book, Autopsies, well under way.
- Tell us a little about your workshop at the Create Something Magical Conference.
I’ll be presenting my Breaking News: Exposing the Forensics in True-Crime Headlines class. We’ll be taking a real life case from the headlines and study it for forensic lessons and plot bunny inspiration.
I’ll also be joining Sara Humphreys and Lyla Bellatas for a fun hour of Blood and cookie decorating! Vampires, Mobsters, Blood Spatter and the Blood, Sweat and Tears of breaking into the industry are some of the topics we’ll cover. There will be prize baskets, decorating competitions….and COOKIES!
About Geoff Symon:
Geoff Symon is a Federal Forensic Investigator, Polygraph Examiner, teacher and consultant. His participation in high-profile cases includes the attacks on September 11, 2001, the Space Shuttle Columbia explosion and the Chandra Levy investigation, among countless other cases over his 20-year career. He has specified and certified training in the collection and preservation of evidence, blood-spatter analysis, autopsies and laboratory techniques.
Websites:
www.geoffsymon.comSocial Media:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/geoff.symonTwitter – @GeoffSymon
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