In the month of April Fools' Day, it seems like a good time to look at one of the characters we love to hate: The Con Man. He can appear in any genre. He can be the hero or the villain. The Con Man plot is most often used in Mystery or Thriller, but can be used in other genres. Cons can be conducted in person or via mail or the internet these days. There are successful swindlers and not so successful ones. Whether Dick is good at the game or laughable depends on your plot. Cons have been gaining people’s confidence since the population grew large enough to support snake oil salesmen. Let’s take an in-depth look at what makes a con tick. Dick the scammer is selfish and greedy. He isn’t lazy. Conning people takes a lot of energy and he is constantly in danger of getting caught. Traveling light and avoiding relationships is a good idea. Dick can be a charming predator. The most deadly scammer is a true sociopath. If you want to humanize him, give Dick a smidgen of conscience. ...

Kicking off the month of thankfulness, I express my gratitude for books. Where would I be if I had not found books? I've spent many hours pondering the reason I was able to escape the fate of so many in my family: stuck in a small town, addicted to drugs, living with an abusive spouse, dependent on welfare, in many cases with a felony record due to desperate acts. I hid from my chaotic upbringing in the pages of books. Instead of drugs and alcohol, I became addicted to learning. Books were my friends instead of the wrong crowd. Stories introduced me to a world beyond the ten mile radius our lack of reliable car limited us to. We didn't have computers, much less internet, back then. Even if we did, we couldn't have afforded it. Books introduced me to heroes who fought their way out of traumatic circumstances to thrive. They taught me that no matter how downtrodden you are, you can break free and construct the life you want. That monsters could be slayed. They ...