Choosing a Knife for a Vigilante Detective Character

June 3, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 3 Comments

Thriller writer Jennifer Chase popped a note to me the other day. She was looking for a recommendation for a backup knife for her vigilante detective character, Emily Stone. It seems the protagonist sometimes can’t access her sidearms, and needed something for last-ditch defense.

I enjoyed playing Q, and the resulting guest blog post is up now at Chase’s blog. I’ll spoil it a little bit and list the knives I chose for Stone, although I recommend you read the entire post for the step-by-step selection process. Continue reading →

Jimping: The Secret Shortcut for Choosing Characters’ Knives

May 21, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 4 Comments

Jimping: Not a Dance

Even though it sounds like yet another dance move I’ll never try without a few drinks (joke’s on you, suckers, I don’t drink), “jimping” is not at all related to limping, jumping or even pimping. When we’re talking about writing knives in fiction, jimping is the row of toothy grooves roughly located where the handle meets the blade. Like blade tangs, jimping is an overlooked part of choosing a knife for a character.

Here’s a look at what I’m talking about. This is my Benchmade Nimravus Cub II, my favorite fixed blade knife in fiction and reality.

“Jimping” is sometimes spelled as “gimping,” although the first version is how I’d write it.

Continue reading →

The Best Handgun for Female Detective Characters is Not Pink

April 28, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 10 Comments

Pink firearms and knives are marketing tools whose most practical use is gnawing out a discussion about gender in the sporting goods department. I’ll save that for another day and let writer bud Laura Roberts explain how she settled on a handgun for her female detective character, Venus Delmar. Roberts took the time to research the perfect Glock – and it sure in the red hell ain’t pink. Continue reading →

Semi-Auto Pistol or Revolver? It Can Make a Big Difference

April 28, 2015June 17, 2021 / Ben / 1 Comment

by Dana King

Nick Forte, the protagonist of my PI series, has a bit of a military background, and is old school to boot. His weapon of choice is a classic M1911 .45 caliber Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP). Nick figures, if it was a good enough sidearm to be standard issue for 74 years and five wars, it’s good enough for him. (Some U.S. troops still use the M1911.)

Continue reading →

What a Handgun Says About the Character Using It

April 28, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 1 Comment

This guest post comes from Travis Pike. He’s a Marine veteran, a firearm instructor and a writer. The post that follows pokes a little fun at stereotypes in the gun world, but I think his satire can apply to assigning handguns to characters, too. Have fun with it!

~Ben

1. The Revolver