Allan Duffin - Writer/Producer

Thanks for the downloads! History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police hits nearly 6,000

Thanks to everyone who downloaded an eBook copy of History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers during Kaplan Publishing's free eBook offer last month. Almost 6,000 people downloaded the book for their personal libraries! This includes the readers produced by Amazon.com, iTunes, Sony, and Barnes & Noble.

If you haven't checked out GoodReads.com yet, head on over and take a look. Lots of book lovers talking to each other and recommending titles. You can see the page for History in Blue at this link.

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!

Binky the Donut quits his job

Hot on the heels of the "Girl Quits Her Job on Dry Erase Board, Emails Entire Office" hoax, here are the compromising photos of Binky the Donut telling his boss at Dunkin Donuts that he no longer wants to work there:

We received the following photos last night from a bear claw who works with this donut, Binky. We don't know Binky's last name. Today, Binky quit his job with a (flash) bang by emailing her entire staff at Dunkin Donuts, about 20 employees were told. Awesome didn't begin to describe this office hero. Check back as we will be updating if we get more details.

Washington Post review of History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police

Many thanks to Dr. Elaine Showalter for reviewing History in Blue in the Washington Post last Sunday! Check out full the review by clicking here. Here's an excerpt:

In Washington, D.C., we have become quickly accustomed to seeing Chief of Police Cathy Lanier and other women police officers report on violent crimes on the nightly news, although only 13 percent of municipal police officers nationally are women. And while women serve in support roles in the armed forces, they are banned from combat. Many argue that women should not put themselves in harm's way on the mean streets and the fields of battle, facing injury, capture and death at the hands of criminals or enemies, and that their presence undermines crucial male camaraderie....

Police work and military service are complex case studies for debate about women and work. Both "History in Blue," by Allan T. Duffin, and "A Few Good Women," by Evelyn M. Monahan and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee, document women's work history and provide fascinating individual stories. There have been women in police work since the beginning of the 20th century, initially as mother-figures "with a badge," who would stop juveniles from smoking, advise wayward girls and patrol saloons.... In 1943, the NYPD issued a "combination gun holster and makeup kit" to female officers. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia told women cops to "use your gun as you would your lipstick. . . . Don't overdo either one." But in the 1970s, federal law, mass media and popular culture, including Angie Dickinson's hit TV series "Police Woman" and the police procedural novels of Dorothy Uhnak, made the female police officer a familiar and respected figure.

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.

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

One of my favorite Dunkin' Donuts commercials

I went to college in Boston. There's a Dunkin' Donuts on Boylston Street. It was (and still is, according to a good friend) an awesome place. The classic "Time to Make the Donuts" commercials are part of our popular culture, but this one -- from a few years ago -- is also hilarious and memorable.

History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers

Here's the first mention of my new book! It has a new title: History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers. The publisher is Kaplan, a division of the Washington Post Company. Simon & Schuster is the distributor. Publication date is February 2, 2010. Here's some of the marketing copy:

Spanning 160 years, History in Blue is the first book to tell the riveting story of the uphill struggle for respect and recognition sustained by women in the modern police force. Featuring rare photographs and original interviews with pioneering female officers, this fascinating book chronicles the ongoing fight for equality in the world of law enforcement. In this vivid and remarkable history, Allan T. Duffin tells of the extraordinary women who broke down the barriers of gender so that they—and many generations of successors—could do the work they loved most.

Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement through all of the steps in the process: pitching, researching, writing, editing, design, and now publication. More news as it happens.

Birthing a new book

My new book is in the galley stage -- I've just received the draft pages, which provide the first glimpse at what the actual book will look like.

If you haven't had the opportunity to see a labor of love go through the production process, let me tell ya, it's really an amazing experience. A small team of experts guide you through editing, design, marketing, and all of the other things that wind up with the bound pages peeking out at you from a shelf at the local bookstore (or the virtual shelf at an online merchant).

I have a lot of people to thank for making this happen, and I'll share some more as we head toward the publication date of February 2, 2010.

Handmade for Baby

If you're looking for new clothes for your munchkin, I'd like to introduce you to a friend's business, Handmade for Baby.

"Handmade for Baby" designs begin with the practical needs expressed by my friends and colleagues who are mothers to infants and toddlers. Add concepts based on images from my childhood, observations from nature and studies in childhood development. Then, using ecologically responsible and ethically produced materials, I produce the various pieces you see in this shop.

Custom orders can also be placed via this site.  So, if there's a piece with the right idea but you need it tweaked to suit the little one in your life, get in touch with me through Etsy and let's create something beautiful to welcome and nurture baby.

Anak takes a lot of care in everything she does, so give her online store a look. Thanks! Expanding her line, she'll be introducing doggie clothes in the near future.

The Baseballs

I wonder what Brian Setzer thinks of this? A German trio called The Baseballs takes current pop hits and rearranges them as rockabilly tunes. It's a lot of fun. Even songs I don't like in their original form become really enjoyable when The Baseballs take a crack at them.

Click here for their YouTube page -- try their version of Katy Perry's "Hot 'n' Cold." Meantime here's the video for their version of Rihanna's "Umbrella." I dare you not to bop along!