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Seemed LIke A Good Idea at the TIme

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You never know, right? When what seemed to be such a great idea will turn into--not so?

The other night, I decided a box of books was too heavy to carry down the attic stairs, so I figured that shoving it down the steps would result in it landing nicely at the bottom. It actually resulted in it crashing into the wall, leaving huge gouge in the paint and plaster.

I also decided that three lipsticks that I had in the medicine cabinet could be rejuvenated by putting them in the freezer. Where this idea came from, I'm not sure, but it didn't work. At all. The lipsticks froze. Duh.

Elizabeth Heiter--whose madly suspenseful brand new debut thriller HUNTED will be out any minute now from MIRA Books--also had a brilliant idea. You might win her wonderful book--and THE WRONG GIRL!--but first:

Watch Where You Point that Gun
by Elizabeth Heiter It all started a few years ago, when I visited the FBI Academy at Quantico.  I was thrilled, because I love writing FBI characters.  I love everything about them: the country-spanning investigations, the interesting specialties (from profiling to hostage rescue to SWAT), the badge that reads “fidelity, bravery, integrity.”  I could hardly wait for the visit.

When it finally arrived, I expected the tour of the Academy, the up-close look at Hogan’s Alley where New Agents in Training do practice scenarios, and the run-down on major cases and investigative methods.  What I didn’t expect was to be led out to the firing range and handed a variety of weapons, from a Glock pistol to a Remington shotgun to an MP-5 fully automatic sub-machine gun.  So, naturally, I’d worn a skirt and heels that day.

People took pictures.  Other writers on the trip.  The FBI photographer.  My critique partner.  When I returned home, I found myself on random sites on the Internet, holding a shotgun, with labels like “Badass Spy Chick.”

Fast-forward a few years, when I sold my first five novels, and it was time to create a website.  My web designer and I figured out a design and when the first mockup was ready, I only suggested one change.  I wanted to replace the male law enforcement character (a serious-looking guy wearing dark glasses and pointing a weapon) with a female character, since the lead in my debut was an FBI profiler named Evelyn Baine.

Instead of finding a replacement, my web designer suggested I make myself the FBI character.

I didn’t use the pictures from the FBI, because I really didn’t look like a federal agent in that outfit.  So, I put on a suit (and heels!), wrapped electrical tape around the red tip of my plastic gun and headed outside.  (Why did I have a plastic gun?  Well, because I had dressed up as an FBI agent for the previous Halloween, wearing all the FBI gear my friend in the Bureau had given me over the years.   But I digress…)

Turns out, when you put black electrical tape over the red tip of a fake gun (and also use it to cover “Secret Agent” written in gold on the side), it actually looks pretty dang close to the real thing.  And there’s a cop who lives in my neighborhood.  Plus a fire station up a few blocks.

So, like any writer who spends a lot of time researching the stupid ways criminals get caught (pointing a fake gun in the general direction of her sister, who’s taking picture after picture of her out in the snow on her driveway?), every time a car drove by, I frantically hid the gun and ruined the shot. Luckily, the story doesn’t end with me facedown on my driveway, with a horde of police officers around me, aiming real weapons.  Instead, it ends with me finishing up my website – I think I pulled off “serious federal agent” – take a look at www.elizabethheiter.com and see if you agree!

What “good idea” did you have that could have gone horribly awry, but didn’t (or maybe it did!)?

HANK: So funny! But in the end, it did work perfectly. Unlike my box-of-books and lipstick ideas.
So--who wants to win Elizabeth's book HUNTED? Just tell us a good idea--or a bad idea!

(And the second place winner--wait, that's a bad idea-- let's call it "another winner"--will win THE WRONG GIRL!)

But wait-there's more! Check out Elizabeth's website for another special contest--and more about HUNTED! (What a good idea!)

Elizabeth graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature. Her manuscripts have been finalists in the Golden Heart®, Marlene, Daphne Du Maurier, and Golden Gateway contests and she won Suzanne Brockmann’s 2010 Haiku Contest. She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America and has volunteered for several chapters, including serving as the Greater Detroit area president.

In 2012, Elizabeth fulfilled a lifelong goal when she sold her first five novels. Labels: debut thriller, Elizabeth Heiter, FBI, female FBI agent, Hunted, MIRA books