James and Cissy welcome former Milwaukee police sergeant and author Patrick O'Donnell to discuss his new book, Police Stories: The Rookie Years, and the real-life experiences behind his writing. Patrick shares gripping stories from his early days on patrol, including a near-shooting, a fatal stabbing case, and the realities of policing that often get misrepresented in fiction. The episode also covers indie authors being excluded from a new publishing prize, questions around Amazon's algorithm and Kindle Unlimited, and how writers can use expert communities to make their crime and police procedural details more authentic.

Key Talking Points

The New Adult Book Prize and why excluding indie authors feels especially frustrating given indie publishing's role in building the genre.
Ongoing questions around Amazon rankings, Kindle Unlimited borrows, page reads, and whether indie titles are being pushed down in the charts.
Patrick O'Donnell's police career, from rookie officer to sergeant, and how those experiences shaped his nonfiction and fiction writing.
A powerful real-life story from Patrick's rookie years involving a knife suspect, a fatal stabbing, and the emotional reality of first responder work.
How the Cops and Writers community helps authors get police procedure, crime scenes, law enforcement culture, and investigation details right.

Links & Resources Mentioned

ProWritingAid (Sponsor – code IWC15 for 15% off annual subscriptions): https://prowritingaid.com
Cops and Writers Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/copsandwriters
Patrick O'Donnell – Police Stories: The Rookie Years: Available on Amazon
Indie Writers Club / support page: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support
LaunchPad course is open for enrolment: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/launchpad

SPS-445: Real Cops, Real Stories, Better Fiction with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca