The Day a Crime Writer Met the Inventor of the AK-47

August 11, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 3 Comments

Yes, THAT Kalashnikov, aka the AK-47. (Shutterstock photo)

Today I’m honored to host journalist and crime writer BJ Wolf, author of the forthcoming Karen Yellowtail books (don’t miss it). Wolf had the good fortune to meet with Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47, before he died in 2013. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to invite Wolf here to share the experience.

Despite creating what’s arguably the most iconic firearm in history, many don’t know that Kalashnikov never made a dime from the gun. Patents in the Soviet Union were property of the state, meaning Kalashnikov had to resort to other means to make ends meet. As you’ll read below, this meant licensing his name to some unusual endeavors.

Enjoy!

~Ben

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Guns on Book Covers: Does Accuracy Matter?

August 6, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 9 Comments

"Nope, my keys aren't in here, either." (Shutterstock photo)

“Nope. My keys aren’t in this barrel, either.” (Shutterstock photo)

Stay Off My Lawn?

Despite how I might come across on this blog and in my book, The Writer’s Guide to Weapons: A Practical Reference for Using Firearms and Knives in Fiction, I am not the guy with the shotgun growling at pedestrians to “stay off my lawn.” I’m also not interested in calling out other writers for their mistakes. As explained in this post, it’s not the point of what I’m trying to do. So maybe it’s not too surprising that I take a softer view about a common (to me) gripe about covers of novels, that of fingers being on triggers.

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Writing Fiction: Handguns for Criminal Characters

July 30, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 6 Comments

This is the second of two posts from “Adam,” an active duty law enforcement detective in California. Adam offers writers advice about depicting police work on his Writer’s Detective website and Twitter handle. You may want to read Adam’s first post about handguns for detective characters here.

Enjoy!

~Ben

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Best Handguns for Detectives in Fiction

July 23, 2015December 7, 2016 / Ben / 17 Comments

It’s my pleasure to host the first of two posts from “Adam” of Writer’s Detective. He’s an active law enforcement detective in California, hence the quotation marks. When he’s not on duty, Adam offers advice to writers about police work on his website and Twitter handle.

He graciously accepted my invitation to talk about the handguns he uses. Watch for an upcoming post on the firearms criminals use. I think you’ll enjoy them both.

~Ben

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On Writing Explosives: How to Blow Up a Boat in 1889

July 16, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / Leave a comment

Today’s guest blog post comes from Stephen Childs, author of the forthcoming On Track for Murder. It hits shelves on Sept. 1, 2015, and from the description it sounds pretty cool.

With her father stabbed to death, her brother caught with the bloody murder weapon, and her stepmother suspiciously missing, 18-year-old Abigail Sergeant is forced into a dangerous cross country adventure to uncover the truth and bring the real killer to justice.

What makes this crime novel stand out is the late 1800s setting. I invited Childs to contribute a post about selecting weapons for that period.

I think you’ll enjoy how he came to, as the title says, blow up a boat in 1889.

~Ben

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