A to A Blogging Challenge Letter A -- Alibi, Antagonist & Arsenic

                                                 Letter A 

Arsenic will kill your Antagonist and the you'll need an Alibi for the Murder.

                                                                         

                                                                

A in the legal arena is for Alibi: n. an excuse used by a person accused or suspected of crime. In the original Latin it means "in another place" which has to be the ultimate alibi.

The accused may try to offer an alibi (a person to testify) that the accused was somewhere, other than the scene of the crime, at the time crime was committed. This is an alibi witness. The First National Bank on Main St., Tampa, Florida, was robbed on October 1, 2017 at 4:45 P.M and the defendant is accused of the crime. In his defense, the accused offers testimony from a witness who will testify that the accused was with alibi witness, in Denver, Co., therefore he could not have committed the crime. 

Antagonist in crime fiction:

One of my favorite antagonist and a stand out character is Anton Chigurh, the creepy villain portrayed by Javier Bardem in the film No Country for Old Men. The novel was written by Cormac McCarthy.

The character's known not only for his bad haircut, but for his lack of conscience and killing people with a a bolt pistol. He showed no emotion as he flipped the death coin ... the toss of a coin. Each victim, per instruction, chose heads or tails and unknowingly decided their own fate. Correct choice big bad dude spares your life. Wrong call and Anton executes you with a bang. Fair enough ... huh? I mean at least he keeps his word. Pretty nice for a cold blooded killer, don't cha think. 

A weapon (method) used for murder: Arsenic --

Arsenic is tasteless, odorless, so your killer can put the poison in just about anything for the victim to swallow and she'll not be the wiser. It mimics the symptoms a natural illness and if no one is suspicious or request the ME to specifically look for it, it's hard to find in the body. Arsenic in known to cause cancer. Yikes ... that scary's enough, but what if your villain used arsenic to cause the victim's cancer. When a person dies of cancer, the only thing going on that death certificate is Natural Causes.

After watching a loved one battle and suffer through months or years of cancer, often their death feels like a relief. A relief because there's finally an ending to the never ending pain and suffering. Many people, family and friends have just witnesses his/her demise, literally watched the person they love dwindle away before their eyes until there's nothing left inside of them. They hold on until they know we will be okay. 

How cruel it would appear if one insisted upon an autopsy after their loved one's suffering finally ended? They've finally left this world for a better place. We're left behind to mourn. Why on earth would we delay our grieving. It's time to move on. But, if the loved one is unusually young for the kind /type of cancer they are stricken with, listen to your instincts. You are always your best judge of wrongdoing. That niggling inside your gut or your MC's belly ... usually means something. It's the brain sending a message that somethings wrong and needs further exploration.

Years ago arsenic was the perfect poison. Arsenic is not used as often today, but it still works and it's still hard to detect, tasteless and odorless. But, your story requires a cruel victim because death by arsenic poisoning is painful and inhumane. 

Arsenic is a natural element so it's in rocks, soil, water, plants and air.

Where would your Antagonist bad guy come across arsenic in todays' world without drawing attention to himself?

• Lumber Yards
• Pesticides
• Batteries
• Glass Manufacturing 
• Horticulture/Nursery business
• Farming Business

A favorite book for the letter A:

Fiction: The Associate by Phillip Margolin

Non Fiction: Advanced Brilliant Writing by Susan May Warren at My Book Therapy ... Academy  offers many Writing Classes & Workshops, such as Learn How to Write a Novel. 

Be sure to visit her affiliate/Sister site Novel Rocket and view the Private Coaching Services. 

You''ll also want to check out Novel Academy and of course Susan May Warrens's other books & workbooks, which are incredibly helpful for creating multi dimensional characters with backstory, a wound or ghost from the past that causes them to believe a lie. The workbooks are fantastic aides for walking you through your character's flaw and how the flaw manifest itself throughout the story. You'll learn what the protagonist must overcome in order to achieve her outer goal. If you're anything like me and you had a difficult time understanding how your character's flaw and the internal and external goals and needs affect the plot, this workbook is an eye opener.

It's one of those duh ... uh ... moments when the light bulb goes off and you knock yourself in the head and wonder what took so long. 

How was your first day of the 2018 Blogging Challenge?

This is our first year with a Master Sign up List and a daily list. What do you think?

Follow the Challenge on Twitter and I love to Connect on Twitter. Here's some important Twitter Tags
A to Z Blogging on Twitter - Direct Link @APRILA2Z
Hashtag #aprilatoz
@msugar13

A to Z on FaceBook

AtoZ Google+

A to Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal

A to Z Theme Reveal

My Main Overall Theme = Crime & Punishment

Keeping close to the theme of my Crime Fiction Blog, I decided not to venture out and try anything too different this year. I've vacillated between the theme I choose every year and the poignant memoirs I intended to write last year. For those of you who don't know me or who may not remember, my childrens' father's colon cancer metastasized to his liver several months before last years challenge began. 

I wanted to write short memoirs of how we met and and how we lived before they were born so they would always have something to read. I had to drop out of the challenge before it even began as Steve took a turn for the worse and had to get a liver stent. Sadly he didn't live much longer. He died toward the end of May, and my kids are having the most difficult time dealing with his death. Losing a father is hard for teenagers and a girl headed off to college for her first year, under any circumstance, but disastrously, my kids have been dealt and additional, exceptionally cruel hand. I won't go into any detail, but my kids are suffering terribly. They're still so miserable. My poor sweet son, he seems like a shell of his former happy self. I'm praying that the grief counseling will begin helping. We'd be honored to have any of you add our family to your prayers. Easter is around the corner, and holidays are especially rough.

So I decided against the memoirs. I can't do my kids justice with short posts and still honor the brevity readers deserve for the challenge. The kids want the memoirs and they'll get them. Just not now. 

For Each Letter I'll Write Crime Fiction & the Real World ... All the World's a Stage:

I'll write 2 or more (depending on the difficulty of the letter) & not creating too long of a post because I know we're all aiming for brevity

• A legal theory, crime or area of criminal or police procedure that's often used in crime fiction books ... sometimes erroneously, e.g. "A"is for Alibi

• Writing topics I've studied, learned about, am still learning since I decided to become a writer, e.g. "A" is for Antagonist 

• Weapon - Something used to kill the victim (method or manner), e.g. "A" is for Arsenic or Arson

• My favorite crime fiction book or movie -- either the title or author's name begins with corresponding letter, e.g. Any Agatha Christie Book, Argo

• A favorite writing craft book, Writing Tool, Writing Resource, Author, Blogger, Blog, Website, Software or other Crime Fiction Resource I find immensely helpful

• Definition 

I won't ever write about all six & on the days I include three or more, I will likely write a review of a couple and provide links to the others to keep my post from exceeding 1000 words.

My goal is 500 words. Some will be less. A few will be more. Only a couple exceed 750 words. I want to visit as many blogs as possible and those of us interested in making new friends breathe a sigh of relief when we click on a blog and find a relatively short post (during the challenge). C'mon, you know you do. And the really bad thing is:

I know I do, but I'm so damn wordy, and I'm the guilty culprit writing the long winded posts that make you cringe. 

Not this year. My Theme Reveal is my longest post. Letter A is my second longest. Then I'm 500 and under. 

Oh and spread through my post/theme you will occasionally be given the chance to solve a daily, stand alone mystery. You don't have to read any other post to solve the daily mystery. Prizes will awarded, To Be Announced. Not sure if it will be small daily prizes or daily and a larger prize for the person who solves the most. The mysteries are not everyday.

Happy 2018 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Don't forget to tip your bartenders or stop by and thank you host and co-host. This challenge requires a lot of planning and then a lot of work, I don't know how many people realize how much time the host and co-host put into the challenge each year. Just ask them, ballpark how many hours per week? You'll be shocked. So send hugs, treats and thanks.

Arlee Bird (Founder) @ Tossing it Out

J. Lenni Dorner (Captain) @ The Blog of Author J. Lenni Dorner

Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multi Colored Diary

Jayden R. Vincentte @ J. R. Vincente

Jeremy Hawkins (Graphics) @ Hollywood Nuts

John Holton @ The Sound of One Hand Typing