Back Stories Archive | WritersWeekly.com

Viewing the World Sideways Leads This Author to Write Some PRETTY WEIRD STUFF! – by Terence Kuch

Published on December 6, 2019 backstories

The Trees of Malice is a collection of sixteen short stories “of horror and the weird,” as the publisher called it, but even though I love zombie movies, my own writing is more weird and strange than straight horror. I look at the world we know not as a steady, solid place…subject to sudden bloody […]

How This Book Finally Came to Life After 30 Years in the Garage! – Beverly B. Palmer, Ph.D.

Published on December 6, 2019 backstories

Love Demystified: Strategies for a Successful Love Life began in 1985 on my one-semester sabbatical because I wanted to present the scientific basis of loving relationships. There was an explosion of research articles on loving relationships in journals until 1975 when U.S. Senator William Proxmire gave a Golden Fleece Award to The National Science Foundation […]

Old WWII papers with “Weeping Ink” in an Italian Market Spur an Author to Finish her Decades-old Novel-in-Progress – by Pamela Allegretto

Published on November 29, 2019 backstories

The consistent manifestation of hope, scribbled across those abandoned pieces of paper on which the ink now weeps, afforded a valuable glimpse into the Italian sentiment during this horrific period. I deemed all this information to not be coincidence, but rather a sign that I was meant to continue with my novel…

How Does a Trauma Nurse Turned Author View the World? – by Elizabeth Cart

Published on November 29, 2019

Decade passed between this author’s first rejection from Seventeen Magazine…and her published book. But, she never gave up on her dream of writing!

After Being Kidnapped and Raped, an Artist Abandons Her Gifts to Write, and then Finds Them Once Again – by Martha Rucker

Published on November 20, 2019 backstories

I was born in South Carolina, and spent my early years on a farm. My parents separated when I was nine years-old and, a few years later, I moved to New York with my mother and brother. Determined to finish college so I could begin teaching, I earned my BA & MA and my career […]

An Author’s Strong Best Friend Inspires the Title of a Novel about Grief Recovery – by Tracy K. Sams

Published on November 20, 2019 backstories

I began writing this manuscript in 2010, and put it aside for a later date. Writing was something I did as a hobby to alleviate stress from working in the social service field…

A Child Hidden from Nazis During WWII is Finally Able to Tell Her Story – by Ellen Feinstein

Published on November 14, 2019 backstories

Author Ellen Feinstein was hidden as a child during World War II and her mother was later killed by Nazis. She was adopted by her aunt and only learned later in life all of the details surrounding her family’s traumatic experiences. This is her story.

“After learning I was born of rape, I eventually healed, and wrote a book about how God made us all ‘Good Enough'” – by Peggy Jenkins

Published on November 14, 2019 backstories

Author Peggy Jenkins considered herself a Pro-Life nurse with the possible exception of rape/incest ….. until she met herself. This is a story of how God opened her eyes and her heart to truly be Pro-Life – No exception/No compromise … ever.

How A Question From a Congressman About Adam Led Me To Write “The DNA of Jesus Christ” – by William “Sonny” Payne

Published on November 8, 2019 backstories

Some congressmen, key people in Washington D.C., my wife, and I had met for a weekend of prayer when a congressman asked me, “Sonny, what
happened when Adam and Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden?”

From a New Author’s Fear of Criticism…to Thousands of Readers! by Chantal van den Brink

Published on November 7, 2019 backstories

When I asked my spiritual guides about my soul’s purpose for this incarnation, they answered: writer, healer, teacher. Well, healing and teaching I did but, except for in my journals, I didn’t write. Something in me…

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Trivia Question!

WritersWeekly Trivia Question for 05/13/2022

May 13, 2022 5:00 pm

Congratulations to Mike Michelsen for being the first to answer correctly: Christy Lindsay taught WritersWeekly readers about audiobook narration. In last week’s issue of WritersWeekly, who taught us about audiobook narrating? ***Please answer the trivia question using our contact form HERE. Do not post your answer in the comments section below. You must be a WritersWeekly.com subscriber to participate in the weekly contests. Subscribe today. It’s free! NOTE: ONLY ONE WINNER PER HOUSEHOLD PER CALENDAR QUARTER, PLEASE. THIS WEEK’S PRIZE: A free print or ebook of your choice from Booklocker.com! Read more →

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POD Secrets Revealed!

SELF-PUBLISHING IN 2021? – How Many Book Sales Needed to Recoup Your Investment?

UPDATED: 03/04/2021 EDITOR’S NOTE: Please also see the Self-Publishing Price Comparison HERE. Considering self-publishing? Are you wondering how many books you will need to sell to recoup your investment? LISTED IN ORDER …
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POD SECRETS REVEALED: Book Contests for a Publisher’s Authors? Pppfffttt!!! By Angela Hoy

Playing on an author’s vanity is one of the most common marketing ploys used in the publishing services industry. From promises of wealth and fame to ridiculous “your book can …
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POD SECRETS REVEALED: “Free Publishing Guides” Are Used To Harvest Your Email Address, Phone Number, And More!

When I see the words “free publishing guide,” I think somebody is going to send me a free ebook that is an actual, factual, non-biased guide about the publishing industry, …
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RIDICULOUS RED TAPE!! When POD Publishers Charge WAY Too Much to Make Changes, and Take WAY Too Long to Make Them! by Angela Hoy

We often hear from authors who are upset with their current POD Publisher. One in particular is currently moving his AuthorHouse book to BookLocker, which is never a surprise. We …
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BookLocker’s Brian Whiddon Shares How it REALLY Feels to be a Street Cop

October 15, 2020 11:54 am

By: Brian Whiddon - Managing Editor

3 responses

Our own Brian Whiddon shares his stories from the street to help readers understand the humanity within the hearts of cops. Read more →

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Brian Whiddon lost his job as a cop after witnessing the wrongful arrest of a black individual. He knew, before walking into the chief’s office, that what he was about to do would end his career. The police chief told him to mind his own business so Brian then met with the Public Defender who was representing the victim. The charges were dropped but Brian was still fired from his job as a police officer for insubordination, and no other agency would hire him. The career he’d dreamed about since childhood was over. But, Brian would do it all over again because it was the right thing to do.

Shortly after Brian posted about his new book on Facebook, his Facebook account was banned, with no warning and no explanation.

The story of how Brian lost his career for saving an innocent man from going to prison is included in his book.

Blue Lives Matter – The Heart Behind the Badge is a book about absolute truths. It makes no difference where you may land on the political spectrum today. This book addresses undeniable realities that all Americans (in fact, all societies with an established police force) must face.

1. There is an active war in the U.S. against cops – and it is now violent.
2. Having a police force in the community allows citizens to focus on things in life other than protection of their own lives and property. Imagine for a moment if you were the only thing standing between your family, your possessions, and those who would violently (and happily) take both away from you.
3. Cops, first and foremost, are human beings.

I knew I wanted to be a cop when I was in my early teens. I did not want to go to college, or the military (but I had to because nobody would hire an 18-year-old to be a cop). I didn’t want to be rich, or have a collection of letters after my name. I just wanted to be “that guy” who ran toward danger when everyone else was running away. I wanted to be the one that showed up in the dead of night in response to a frantic phone call to tell a frightened family, “It will be alright. I’m here.” I wanted to be the one who stood up to violent criminals when everyone else was afraid to.

Cops learn early on that the world is not really divided into black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. They learn that they are often taken for granted, and are rarely appreciated. From that point on, a cop necessarily abandons the fantasy world of heroes and villains, and saving the innocent from evil. They adapt to a life of staying alive for the duration of each shift. They sift through volumes of information at each call, trying to make sound decisions. And, they compartmentalize some of the most horrible and heartbreaking events than humans can witness. Sprinkled amongst all of that is a camaraderie with fellow cops, occasional heart pounding car chases, fights, arrests, manhunts, and experiences that are re-told and laughed over for years to come.

And, occasionally, you even get to make a difference in someone’s life.

I spent 15 years as a street cop. I never became a detective. I never joined the ranks of the brass. I never did police work from behind a desk. I was always on the street.

My family always loved hearing the stories I’d tell of crazy and wild things I saw and dealt with on the street. But, there were a lot of things I didn’t tell them about. They were too ugly. They were too personal. Some of them showcased my own failures.

Later, after coming onboard here at BookLocker, Angela enjoyed hearing my cop stories from “way back when.” She’s often told me that I should write my stories down, and create a book. But, I always thought that I had nothing to tell that people that they could not get from watching re-runs of “COPS,” and newer shows like “Real Time PD.”

The war on cops that has become more vicious, more frantic, and more hateful than anything my generation has ever experienced. In just 19 years, since 9/11/2001, cops have gone from being considered heroes, to being maligned by the media, accused of “systemic racism” regardless of their own color or ethnicity, and “de-funded” by their own communities – all while under sustained violent attacks across the nation.

They are being lumped into a group and de-humanized. That is a psychological tactic of warfare.

In 1776, it was the “Redcoats.” In the Civil War it was either “Rebels” or “Yankees.” In conquering the West, it was “Injuns” and “savages.” In WWI we had to kill the “Huns.” In WW2, it was “Krauts” and “Japs.” Throughout history, lumping people into groups, and identifying them with a catchy or offensive name, helped societies wage war on each other. It’s easier to kill off someone that you don’t see as a human being. Today, it’s “Cops,” “Pigs,” and “White Supremacists.”

America needs to remember that cops are human – and they are not the enemy.

So, I wrote my book. I told my stories. And, I included the ones I never even told my family. Blue Lives Matter – The Heart Behind the Badge is a collection of stories experienced by one cop. But, they are the stories of all cops because we all carry these experiences around. That’s why I included the stories of mistakes I made, stories of cop mindset, stories of things I hope I never have to see again, and stories of things that will haunt me until the day I die.

Cops are imperfect. They are not psychic. They are not omni-present. They have limited strength, endurance, and foresight. Cops get scared. They get angry. Their hearts break. They have homes, and debt, and kids, spouses, and parents. Cops love, hate, sympathize, lust, crave, covet, give, and take – just like you and I do.

That is why I chose not to write a book that made me look like a hero. I wanted people to know how it feels to come a fraction of a second from shooting a suspect, how it feels to try to save an abused little girl, how it feels to deal with homeless people, how it feels to see evil and death up close and personal. If reading my book makes you laugh out loud, cry uncontrollably, or punch your fist through a wall, then I’ve done my job as the author.

There has never been a time in modern history that we’ve needed our police more. It’s time to recognize that they are people, like us. But, they have chosen to see and deal with the things in society that we do not want to have to face ourselves. It’s time for us all to recognize that Blue Lives Matter.

Read More Author Backstories HERE!

Before becoming BookLocker’s Operations Manager, Brian Whiddon spent 15 years as a cop. He served in the US Army as an MP. He then went on to serve as a police officer in the Kissimmee Police Department, then in the town of South Palm Beach, and, later, in the city of Mulberry, Florida. He was a patrolman, a motorcycle officer, and a firearms instructor, and taught at the Police Academy in Palm Beach County.

He has also started an ongoing blog called “Our Blue Lives” – check it out here : www.ourbluelives.com

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