Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes: A Defense Attorney and PI Who Also Happen to Be Writers
On June 9, 2013, Guns, Gams & Gumshoes celebrates its four-year anniversary — thanks for being along for the ride!
Our blog byline started out as “A couple of PIs who also write” but as one of us is now a criminal defense attorney, we’ve changed it to “A defense attorney and a PI who also happen to be writers.”
We’ve had a great time writing these blogs. Four years ago, we started this blog to help fiction writers better understand the tools and tasks of contemporary private investigators for their characters and stories. But we’ve also written for our peers in the profession, as well as those simply curious about the real-world of private investigators.
Shoutouts to Guns, Gams & Gumshoes
Along the way, we’ve garnered some recognition:
- Noted in Bill Crider‘s column in August 2010 Ellery Queen Magazine as being one of the top three true crime blogs.
- Ranked by PINow.com as being #8 in the top 44 private investigator blogs throughout the U.S. in 2012
- Chosen by the American Library Association‘s Booklist Online to be “Web Crush of the Week” during its 2012 Mystery Month.
We’re Giving Away Books! Yeah, We’re Talking Free
What’s a celebration without some free stuff? To celebrate our anniversary, we’re offering free downloads of our two nonfiction books on private investigations on June 9 and 10. To download a book for your Kindle, PC or Mac computer, browser or a variety of mobile devices, click on the links below.
Click on the book title link (or the book cover) to open its Amazon page. Remember, these downloads are free on June 9 and 10 only:
How Do Private Eyes Do That? by Colleen Collins
“A must have for any writer serious about crafting authentic private eyes. Collins knows her stuff.”
– Lori Wilde, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
“Real-life private investigator Colleen Collins spills the beans.”
~The Thrilling Detective
How to Write a Dick: A Guide to Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths by Colleen Collins and Shaun Kaufman
“This is an amazing book and I’m very happy that I got it. The authors cover so much ground about a PI’s life and work, I’d find it hard to get a more thorough overview. Since this book is geared towards writers, I think the authors provided just the right amount of detail regarding specific PI work.”
~Allie R.
“HOW TO WRITE A DICK is an accessible, up-to-date guide to the realities of P.I. work uniquely tuned in to what fiction writers want/need to know. If it had been around when I was fiction editor for THE THRILLING DETECTIVE WEB SITE, my job would have been much easier.”
~Gerald So
Readers’ Favorite Articles Over Four Years
In four years, we’ve written 256 posts in 165 categories, with nearly 200,000 of you dropping by to read and post comments. Below, we list our readers’ top 10 favorite articles since we opened our blog doors in 2009…
Our readers’ #1 blog post over these four years has been:
Private vs. Public Investigators: What’s the Difference?
Below are the next most popular readers’ posts, from #2 through #10:
Can You Put a GPS on My Boyfriend’s Car?
Booklist Online’s “Web Crush of the Week”: Guns, Gams and Gumshoes
How to Find Someone: Free Online Research Tips
When the Amazing Race Reality Show Called and Invited Us to Audition
Shaun Kaufman and Colleen Collins, the Writing PIs
What’s the Importance of a Crime Scene?
Private Investigators and Murder Cases
Marketing the Private Investigations Business
How to Find Someone’s Cell Phone Number
iPhone Apps for Private Investigators
Our Other Sites
Thanks for dropping by, Writing PIs
Guns, Gams & Gumshoes 