Name: The Last Séance
Author: Agatha Christie
Short Story: 33 pages
Description from Amazon: Raoul Daubreuil insists his fiancée give up her activities as a talented and successful medium when they marry. However, he agrees to attend what is to be her last séance—with Madame Exe. But even Raoul can't foresee the tragedy ahead.
Review as a Reader:
This was a short story and a quick read. I'm not usually a reader of short stories but I chose to read one by Agatha Christie before taking on another novel. The last Christie novel I started to read was a Hercule Poirot novel. He's not my favorite character and part of the problem is he's too British. I find myself not understanding a lot of what Hercule says and it was a struggle because of the differences in idioms, etc. I gave up reading the Hercule novel because I felt like I was losing the plot too often.
But The Last Séance was a quick and easy read. It allowed me to clean my reading palate after the Poirot experience. Although this short story was enjoyable, it didn't have any profound message and none of the characters lingered after finishing the novel.
Review as an Author:
Going into the book, I was looking for tips on writing short stories in general. What I learned after finishing the book was that this short story circled one event and only one event. The characters in this book were one dimensional. I'm assuming creating more complex characters may be hard due to the short story format, but I believe a two-dimensional character would be possible. I'm wondering if short stories in general are more "plot-driven" and this one-event format is how it works.
I have read a few gothic short stories previous to this one and I sense that genre allows for a bit more characterization, especially if there is a psychological plotline.
So all in all, it's my opinion that The Last Séance was written very well, like all of the Christie books. I learned a bit about the shorter plotline used in short stories and the book was enjoyable. I would recommend this book to someone who is going on a trip and needs something quick and easy to read where there may be a lot of distractions. It wasn't hard to follow. The plotline is simple but enjoyable. I would also recommend this to any caretakers who are waiting in a doctor's office, etc. as this can be read in one sitting.
Time for a relaxing break?
Who doesn't love Word Find Puzzles.
These words are words surrounding the subject matter in the short story
entitled "The Last Seance" by Agatha Christie.
Click to the left to download the Word Find puzzle pdf.
When I self-published my first novel, I finished it and uploaded it and waited. That's when I learned how important marketing the book is. I also learned through the next several books how important it is to take advantage of each tiny phase of a book launch for marketing. That's what this blog post is about.
In Layer 8, I do a read-back. In Microsoft Word, I use the Read-Aloud feature that is contained on the Review Tab. By listening to the book read aloud by someone else, it doesn't skip over mistakes like I do as the author. By the time I'm finished with Layer 7, I've read and reread this book too many times to trust my eyes to spot every error.
We compiled the novel into a Word document and named it "Manuscript from Scrivener". That's where we now pick up with Layer 7.
It all begins when you get the book back from the editor. Make all the changes in the eBook within two to three days after receiving it from the editor.
After the edits are done, its now time to list it as a pre-order on Amazon and/or as an ARC copy.
Don’t get impatient and offer the eBook before the last edit. I was told to do this and make "use" of the time the editor had the book. However, I paid the price for this, and it's a tall price, one that follows me forever.
Recruiting ARC readers can also be a marketing strategy because who doesn’t like freebies & giveaways? Giveaways and Freebies have a way of capturing everyone’s attention. With a great eye-catching graphic, this can create interest and general buzz about your upcoming book.
It all sounds good. How do I do it?
My website and millions of other websites are built on WordPress. WordPress is a platform and many coders release what are called plug-ins. They give different functionalities to the website.
Yes, a tax lien on a company is a public record. This means that anyone can search for and view the lien, including potential creditors, investors, and the general public. The lien will typically be filed with the county recorder's office in the county where the company is located.
The purpose of a tax lien is to give the government a legal claim on the company's assets if the company fails to pay its taxes. The lien will remain in effect until the taxes are paid in full.
If you are interested in finding out if a company has a tax lien, you can search the public records for the county where the company is located. You can also contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to see if they have a lien on the company.
Here are some of the reasons why someone (or a detective) might want to know if a company has a tax lien:
Sometimes just having an overview of how things work can help you thicken the plot or add some details that will enrich the story. Below are some words and definitions that surround the subject of Tax Liens:
I am in the process of writing the fourth book in the 
Husbands and wives who cheat also use burner phones that they hide from their spouses. They don't have to worry about getting caught texting to their lovers.
Drug traffickers also use burner phones. They use them so they can't be traced by the cops. BUT, as you will read below, they are not foolproof. As a matter of fact, they are kind of easy to trace. If you watched the show, Better Call Saul, his system of selling the phones would work for the drug lords. It worked because Sol bought the phones in bulk in his name. He sold them to individuals for cash. So nothing would ever trace the phones to the people who bought them.
I'm writing Book 4 in the Jack Nolan Detective Series and there is the possibility of a financial crime. I did some research on how detectives can get financial records. I mean, do cops just call and ask nicely? No, there has to be a warrant.
Yes, homicide detectives need to formally go before a judge to get a warrant to see financial records. They cannot ask a district attorney to get it informally. This is because financial records are protected by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. In order to get a warrant, the detectives must show the judge that they have probable cause to believe that the financial records contain evidence of a crime. They must also specify the records they are seeking and the financial institution where they are located.
The common procedure for obtaining a warrant for financial records is as follows:
The detectives can also ask the district attorney to help them obtain a warrant for financial records. The district attorney will review the affidavit from a legal perspective and decide whether to file it with the court. If the district attorney does file the affidavit, the judge will still need to review it and decide whether to issue a warrant.
If the judge finds that there is probable cause, they will issue a warrant. The warrant will specify the records that the detectives are seeking and the financial institution where they are located. The warrant will also be valid for a certain period of time, and for a specific type or range of records. After the expiration date, the warrant is void.
The warrant is served by a law enforcement officer, such as a police officer or a sheriff's deputy. The officer will present the warrant to the financial institution and demand that the records be produced. The financial institution is required to comply with the warrant, and they cannot refuse to produce the records.
process server.
In my last police procedural fiction book, I did some research on cell phones and the terminology used by police officers. I thought I would share it with other writers to save you the research time.
Cell towers, also known as cell phone towers or cellular towers, are tall structures that transmit and receive radio signals. These towers facilitate wireless communication between mobile devices and the network. Mobile phones connect to the nearest cell tower to send and receive voice, text messages, and data.
When cops are researching where cell phones are pinging from, they typically use a process called cell site location information (CSLI). CSLI is data that records the location of a cell phone by tracking its connection to cell towers.
Each cell tower has a unique identifier, which is called the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI). The IMEI is a 15-digit number that is assigned to every cell phone when it is manufactured.
The coverage radius of a cell tower depends on a number of factors, including the technology used, the height of the tower, and the terrain.
This information is about how a cellphone customer can find out about their own cellphone towers. This wouldn't be used by the police necessarily but it is information I came across during my own research.
