This summer’s Cape Cod Writers Conference was, as usual, both enjoyable and informative. For me, the highlight was the presentation by the Chief Forensic Investigator for the state of Connecticut. After all, if you’re going to write about gruesome things, it’s important to get the details right! The most important things I learned are:
- Always wear steel-toed boots to a crime scene.
- Despite what you see on TV, never apply Vaseline under your nose to help deal with unpleasant odors. Vaseline actually opens your nasal passages, so the effect of the odor is worse.
- DNA results can take as much as a year to be processed. Somebody tell CSI!