FAQ
Q: Who are you?
A: I’m a writer with two degrees in music who comes from a family of academics—including a mother with a master’s degree in library science—so research and I are old friends. I've written articles for Mystery Readers Journal, The Washington Times and special-interest magazines and and penned public radio and commercial television feature scripts. I'm a four-time Derringer Award finalist and 2012 winner for my short fiction, as well as a contributor to the Anthony Award-winning Blood on the Bayou. My Scott Drayco mystery series has also been honored by the American Independent Writers, Maryland Writers Association, named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, chosen as a Featured Library Journal Self-e pick, and been a finalist for the Shamus, Silver Falchion, Daphne, and Kindle Book Awards. I’m a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and American Independent Writers. You can visit my web site at bvlawson.com.
Q: What types of links are included? Are they up to date?
A: It's virtually impossible to compile a comprehensive web site of reference materials, but it's hoped that In Reference to Murder will be as wide in its scope as humanly possible, and as helpful to both writers and fans as I can make it. Every attempt will be made to keep the links up-to-date, but in an Internet world where there are approximately 51 million active web sites and 15.5 million active blogs (and an unquantifiable number of both going inactive each day), a few links may slip through the cracks every now and then.
Q: How did you decide which categories and links to include?
A: I suppose the categories are a bit arbitrary. I know the types of information I often look for when researching stories and books, and since I had already started compiling tons of bookmarks and lists, I used that as a jumping-off point. I wanted to include links that would be useful to fans and writers, such as awards, conferences, book stores, blogs, magazines, newsletters, etc., but also categories that would be helpful primarily to writers, such as crime scene investigation, police procedural, and forensics. Within the individual categories, I tried to find links that provided useful information from a professional standpoint.
Q: Do you personally guarantee all of the information on these links is accurate?
A: That would make me Goddess of the Internet, or at least an encyclopedia Goddess of some sort, and I’m afraid I’m not there yet. Actually, I have to compile these lists because I have such a lousy memory! In any type of research, especially on the Internet, the motto should be “Don’t trust, and verify.”