Allan Duffin - Writer/Producer

Get a FREE eBook version of History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police

If you have an eReader, take advantage of this limited offer from the publisher: a FREE eBook version of History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers!

The promotion runs through 10 January (update: just extended to 17 January!). Just click on the link below to go to the publisher's website:

http://www.freekaplanebooks.com/

Versions are available for the Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iPad, and Sony eReader. A version for the Kindle will be released shortly. Happy reading, and Happy New Year!

Today I became a Kindle Warrior: TheatreBook and Tow Truck Kings

I enjoy writing about a variety of topics, and over the last several years I've been fortunate to work as a regular contributor to two terrific industry publications: DramaBiz Magazine (the business of theatre) and Towing & Recovery Footnotes (the towing & recovery industry).

I've collected a number of those pieces into two eBooks — TheatreBook and Tow Truck Kings — available exclusively for the Amazon Kindle reader.

There's a lot of entertaining and useful information in each eBook. Theatre managers looking for tips on how to light a production or repair a costume, vehicle owners curious about how first responders clear a traffic accident, towing company owners who want to boost business — there's a little something for everyone in these two eBooks, in a portable and easy-to-read format.

You can download a free preview to your Kindle. That way you can check out the table of contents for each eBook, plus the first chapter or so. I hope you enjoy reading about the people in these two worlds as much as I did writing about them. You can click on the links below to go to Amazon's Kindle store:

TheatreBook: A Compact Guide to Running Your Theatre

Tow Truck Kings: Stories of the Towing Industry's Best & Brightest

Policewomen On Patrol, New York City, 1974

March is Women's History Month! Celebrating the publication of my new book, History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers: Here's a clip from YouTube featuring rare black-and-white footage of New York policewomen on patrol in the Bronx, 1974. For more information, click on the clip to contact the filmmaker.

History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers is published by Kaplan Publishing (a division of the Washington Post Company) and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Visit your local bookstore, or order your copy from the Simon & Schuster website or from Amazon.com, Borders.com, or BarnesandNoble.com.

Official publication date for History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers

It's February 2, 2010 — the official publication date for History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers. Check your local bookstore today!

— We're #1 in Australia! History in Blue is listed as the #1 title at Borders.com in Australia (under "Police & Security Services Books"). Check it out here.

— Our publisher, Kaplan Publishing, is generously supporting charity events like the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association's Black Tie Gala on February 25, 2010. Five copies of History in Blue will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the Association's college scholarship program, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Foundation, and the Minnesota Special Olympics.

I want to thank a bunch of people for making this happen: Jane Dystel, my agent; Don Fehr, editorial director at Kaplan Publishing; Rachel Bergmann, my editor on the book; Kim Bowers, production editor; Tim Brazier, director of marketing at Kaplan Publishing; Janet Renard, copyeditor; Nancy Gillan, proofreader; Adina Kahn, who sold the original concept; and everyone else who helped turn a pretty cool idea into a real, honest-to-goodness book. (I've missed a few people who were part of the process and will update my thank-you's to include them soon.) Thanks so much!

History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers is published by Kaplan Publishing (a division of the Washington Post Company) and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Visit your local bookstore, or order your copy from the Simon & Schuster website or from Amazon.com, Borders.com, or BarnesandNoble.com.

Police Magazine and women in law enforcement

As we count down to the release date (February 2) for my new book — History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers — I'll be cross-posting information from various sources so you can read more about the topic if you'd like to.

Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine has a section that focuses on women in law enforcement. (Click here to access.) Here's an excerpt from a current article:

Gone are the days when a woman police officer was acting as a social worker with a badge, and they now fill as many roles as male police officers do. Many companies are adjusting what they manufacture and sell to specifically meet the needs of women police officers. This is after years of providing only unisex products and using a one size fits most business model.

I'd like to thank David Griffith, editor of Police Magazine, for taking the time to read and review History in Blue. In part:

History in Blue is an excellent social history of women in law enforcement that's full of powerful stories of the creativity, determination, and courage of women on the job.

History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers arrives on bookshelves in February 2010 from Kaplan Publishing (a division of the Washington Post Company), distributed by Simon & Schuster. Pre-order your copy now from the Simon & Schuster website or from Amazon.com, Borders.com, or BarnesandNoble.com. Or you can place an order at your local bookstore.

Using a movie to train business leaders

A Hollywood film as an educational tool for businesspeople who want to improve their management skills? Sure!  Over the years the Gregory Peck WWII film "Twelve O'Clock High" has served as a leadership training tool in many military and civilian organizations.

Monterey, Calif.-based management trainer J.L. White sponsors a workshop built around "Twelve O'Clock High" and its various depictions of leadership:

Together with a group of your peers we will analyze the situation that General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) finds himself in. We will review various management styles that are played out by the actors; what problems management is facing; the decision-making process and corrective action techniques; morale building methodologies that work; accountability; dealing with confrontation; leadership skills development; discipline; structure; teamwork; delegation; planning, organizing, communications and you will be introduced to the DISC Language and much more.

Here's a video clip of Mr. White doing his thing:

Culturally aware?

As a guy who's part Scottish, part Chinese and part Irish, I try to be as culturally aware as I can. My Mandarin Chinese is woefully poor these days, although I'd love to regain the fluency I had as a kid. Then again, some would say I have enough difficulty just communicating in English. Anyways, it's always interesting to see how the characteristics of one culture are adopted by others.

Sometimes the results can be confusing. Hot on the heels of a reality TV actress tattooing "Pork Fried Rice" in Chinese on her forearm comes a disturbing story from the Texas board of education. Check out Tian's blog, Hanzi Smatter, for more details about how cultural misunderstanding can lead to awkward situations. Back in March, board chair Donald McLeroy admitted that while he hadn't reviewed the books on the state's proposed English language arts and reading curriculum, for sure there shouldn't be any Chinese stories:

"What good does it do to put a Chinese story in an English book?" he said. "You learn all these Chinese words, OK. That's not going to help you master ... English. So you really don't want Chinese books with a bunch of crazy Chinese words in them. Why should you take a child's time trying to learn a word that they'll never ever use again?"

He added that some words — such as chow mein — might be useful.

Huh? When all else fails, make sure you know how to order in a Chinese restaurant? More alarming to Texas teachers was the lack of books about Hispanic culture — "in a state where nearly half the schoolchildren are Hispanic."

As of today, and after a lot of negotiation, the curriculum is on its way back to the board for a vote.

(From Hanzi Smatter, via ForYourEntertainment.com)

The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch

Prof. Randy Pausch, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006. His inspiring fight against the disease is chronicled at his website. Last year he delivered what he called "The Last Lecture," subtitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." It's a wonderful look at what's important in life. I've included the YouTube video of the entire lecture below.

Pausch's thoughts on life have been collected into a book that Hyperion released a week ago. You can order it on Amazon.com. As he told them in an interview:

A book allows me to cover many, many more stories from my life and the attendant lessons I hope my kids can take from them. Also, much of my lecture at Carnegie Mellon focused on the professional side of my life--my students, colleagues and career. The book is a far more personal look at my childhood dreams and all the lessons I've learned. Putting words on paper, I've found, was a better way for me to share all the yearnings I have regarding my wife, children and other loved ones. I knew I couldn't have gone into those subjects on stage without getting emotional.

Thanks to my wife Michele, who is a Carnegie Mellon graduate and pointed me toward Prof. Pausch's story. It's an amazing look at a man who, despite the odds, maintains a positive view about life and the people in it.

Mourning American Heritage

Freelance writing requires constant pitching and self-marketing. If I'm not actively pitching story ideas to editors, I'm researching and writing new pitches, plus getting the word out by doing things like writing this blog. I spend the remaining hours of the day actually writing writing. It's a delicate balance. I'm still pushing for the 36-hour day: that way you can spend time with your family, do your work, and still get at least eight hours of sleep. I'm not sure why people look at me funny when I explain it. Hmm.

While I've been pitching story ideas to various magazines (print and online versions), I learned (and am embarrassed that I didn't know about sooner) that American Heritage, the venerable history magazine, suspended print publication with its April/May 2007 issue. This is tragic news for history writers and readers alike. I was fortunate enough to talk to James Parton, one of the founders of American Heritage, when I was researching The "12 O'Clock High" Logbook a number of years ago. Parton was one of the original group of U.S. Army Air Force officers who set up VIII Bomber Command in England during the early days of World War II.

The New York Times ran a story about what happened to American Heritage. Here's a brief explanation from the company's press release:

American Heritage, a bimonthly, was founded in 1954. It was bought by Forbes Inc. in 1986 and has suffered financially in recent years amid hard times for magazines in general. Forbes put it up for sale earlier this year and has not yet found a buyer.

Fortunately, the online version of the magazine is still active. Here's hoping that someone forks over the dough to keep American Heritage going.

Traditional media, including print publications and broadcast television, have been dealing with rapidly changing terrain for a number of years now: the new generations of readers are switching to online methods of obtaining their information and entertainment. For those of us who cherish holding a fresh newspaper or magazine in our hands, who knows how much longer we'll be able to enjoy that experience? Technology is supplanting the seemingly old-fashioned methods of information interchange. I'm a big fan of new tech, but I'm also a writer who pens a lot of history pieces. So one eyeball is on the future while the other is on the past. It's hard to see straight sometimes!

Sitting at an awkward position in front of your computer? Problems can start early

There are days that I miss the typewriter. Then there are days that I remember that many people have probably never used such an antiquated device. Then I look at my computer, sigh loudly to no one in particular, adjust my chair, and continue pecking at the keys. Sometimes this is how writing sessions go in my office.

When I'm totally focused on my writing, I often forget to step away from the computer every now and then. It's a matter of health, after all. Here's a reminder that too much time spent in front of your computer can be bad for you: According to the Office Ergonomics Research Committee (OERC), a nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to study the increasing number of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among office workers, students who frequently assume awkward postures when working with a computer were, compared to other students, more likely to report musculoskeletal discomfort in several body regions, including the eyes, neck, and back.

OERC quotes Dr. Carolyn Sommerich of The Ohio State University: "Similar to the recommendations provided to adults, children should be encouraged to take periodic breaks from any computer they use, in order to give eyes and other body parts a break from sustained and sometimes awkward postures adopted while using the computer."

Adele Diepenmaat, an epidemiologist with the Municipal Health Service of Amsterdam, Netherlands, has been studying musculoskeletal discomfort lasting four or more days per month, which she found to be common among adolescents. Diepenmaat's study found that it didn't matter how long the students spent in front of the computer; all of them experienced some form of musculoskeletal discomfort.

A good lesson to all of us who spend most of our workdays in front of a computer: Posture problems can start when we're very young. So let's push away from these machines periodically during the day and wander around a bit. You never know what creative thoughts will hit you when you're taking a break.