Posts by: K

Cutting Cliches and Adding Realism to Private Eye Characters

On October 19, 2015 By

I love private eye characters, stories and film as much as the next guy or gal…but sometimes I groan out loud when a writer doesn’t bother to do a bit of research to add at least a whiff of realism to a private investigator’s actions. After co-owning a PI agency and having the honor to […]

Continue Reading →

How I Became a Fly on the Wall, Listening in on Reagan’s Inner Circle

On August 13, 2015 By

With the current frenzy of politicians vying to be nominees for the Republican and Democratic parties’ bids for the presidency, I’m sharing a post about a job I had in 1979 when I accidentally fell into the midst of Ronald Reagan’s inner circle, who later became his first cabinet. This was on the eve of […]

Continue Reading →

A Few Things I Learned at Coroners’ Conferences

On July 9, 2016 By

People Usually Weigh 50 Pounds More…

Than the number they put on their drivers’ licenses. That was one of the first things I learned.

I learned other things at coroners’ conferences, too. Some facts were far more depressing, while others were more enlightening, than the driver’s-license-weight thing. But let me digress for a moment—this […]

Continue Reading →

Free Christmas Apps, Gingerbread Pancake Recipe

On December 22, 2013 By

As it’s the last few days before Christmas, below is a virtual basket of goodies.  Happy holidays!

Free App: 101 Christmas Cake Ideas (for iPhone, iPad, iPod)

Free App: Christmas Radio (for Android)

Free App: Santa’s Bag – Christmas List (for iPhone, iPad, iPod)

Free App: TripIt – […]

Continue Reading →

#bookexcerpt Secrets of a Real-Life Female Private Eye: The Best Disguise in the World

On September 21, 2013 By

Today I’m sharing a book excerpt from my current nonfiction book Secrets of a Real-Life Female Private Eye, which I’m happy to say has remained on several of Amazon’s Kindle Store’s bestseller lists since the book launched in August […]

Continue Reading →

Hired to Find a Long-Lost Love: A Case with a Surprise Ending

On September 10, 2013 By

Besides being a novelist in the romance, mystery and nonfiction genres, I’m also a private investigator.  This is a story about one of my P.I. cases that challenged my investigative skills, was littered with clues and red herrings like a mystery, and ended as a star-crossed lovers’ tale.

Hired to Find a Long-Ago […]

Continue Reading →

When Lawyers Call on Female P.I.s to Conduct Investigations

On August 8, 2013 By

Secrets of a Real-Life Female Private Eye
by Colleen Collins

A nonfiction, no-holes-barred, modern-day story about life in the female PI fast lane

Today I’m posting an excerpt from Secrets of a Real-Life Female Private Eye by Colorado criminal defense attorney Shaun Kaufman, managing partner, Shaun Kaufman Law, as well […]

Continue Reading →

Free Master Classes on Crime Fiction Writing and True Crime Sites

On August 3, 2013 By

 

Today I’m sharing some links where crime writers give online master classes about different facets of crime-fiction writing–for free!–followed by a handful (or should I say a bloody handful?) of true crime websites.

Free Online Master Classes in Crime Fiction Writing

The online UK paper The Telegraph offers a series of master […]

Continue Reading →

Writing a Sleuth? Tips on the Investigative Practice Called Pretexting

On July 26, 2013 By

(Below is an excerpt from my article “P.I.s, Pretexting, and the Law: Tips for Crime Writers,” posted July 26, 2013, at Pursuit Magazine, the magazine for professional investigators)

 

“To tell the truth, I lied a little.”

~Private eye Jake Gittes in Chinatown

The private eye genre has long been a favorite for writers, […]

Continue Reading →

A P.I. Writes About the Real World of Female Private Eyes

On July 14, 2013 By

“As an experienced private detective and a skilled storyteller, Colleen Collins is the perfect person to offer a glimpse into the lives of real female P.I.s”
~Kim Green, managing editor of Pursuit Magazine: The Magazine of Professional Investigators

“SECRETS OF A REAL-LIFE FEMALE PRIVATE EYE is a research must-have.”
~Holly Jacobs, award-winning […]

Continue Reading →