Author Archives: Debbie Burke

About Debbie Burke

Debbie writes the Tawny Lindholm series, Montana thrillers infused with psychological suspense. Her books have won the Kindle Scout contest, the Zebulon Award, and were finalists for the Eric Hoffer Book Award and BestThrillers.com. Her articles received journalism awards in international publications. She is a founding member of Authors of the Flathead and helps to plan the annual Flathead River Writers Conference in Kalispell, Montana. Her greatest joy is mentoring young writers. http://www.debbieburkewriter.com

Reading and Hearing

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OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

by Debbie Burke

We often talk here at TKZ about the importance of reading throughout life.

Reading to young children is well recognized to benefit their early brain development.

Reading instructs us through school. It guides us in our daily lives and careers.

Reading keeps the mind sharp as we age.

I just learned a new reason why reading is important: for hearing.

My good friend Dr. Betty Kuffel is my favorite source for medical knowledge. Her husband has profound hearing loss and hearing aids aren’t helping. He will soon have a surgery for a cochlear implant. Betty described the procedure:

An array of electrodes within a thin wire is threaded through a hole drilled through the outer skull and into the cochlea behind and above the ear. The tiny wire follows inner contours of the cochlea with anatomy resembling a snail shell. It bypasses the damaged area reaching the hearing nerve that carries impulses to the brain. Then the surgeon buzzes out a shallow crater of bone for placement of the magnetized device with a microchip in it. Once secured, the scalp is sutured and after a couple of weeks of healing the device is activated. An external rechargeable sound processor with two microphones is worn behind the ear like a typical hearing aid that connects magnetically to the implant. Amazing technology.

BruceBlaus, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

However, the implant isn’t plug and play. The brain has to be retrained to use the device. Instead of the normal neural pathways between the ear (which hears sounds) and the brain (which interprets the meaning and appropriate reaction to those sounds), this rewiring makes new connections.

Here’s the interesting part Betty added:

The training consists of reading aloud as the primary trainer. You see the print, read and the brain processes the visual + verbal input.

In this article, audiologist Grace Sturdivant of the University of Mississippi Medical Center explains two crucial connections between hearing and the brain:

One is called Cross-modal Plasticity. Don’t let that term bog you down – it means that when the area of your brain which is purposed for processing sound (the auditory cortex) is not being stimulated adequately (i.e., when hearing loss is present), a well-functioning system like vision will begin to recruit that area to process its own input.

…the second brain change I’ll discuss is Cortical Resource Reallocation. Even in these mild, sloping hearing loss cases, auditory cortex activity is decreased and frontal lobe activity is increased on listening tasks…The frontal and pre-frontal areas are critical for working memory and executive function. When hearing loss is present and you are straining to hearing and understand someone in a challenging environment, your frontal lobe is loaded down with trying to understand what someone is saying in that moment. We call this “effortful listening.” This leaves less ability for that frontal lobe to help you remember what someone was saying after you walk away from the conversation.

In other words, over time as the ear no longer functions as it’s supposed to, the brain also loses those neural transmission pathways.

Sturdivant expands on the health effects:

…People with severe, untreated hearing loss are five times more likely to develop dementia…adults with untreated hearing loss develop cognitive decline 3.2 years sooner than people with normal hearing; or than people with dementia and severe untreated hearing loss have rates of cognitive decline 30-40% faster than dementia patients with normal hearing.

According to this article from Johns Hopkins Medicine:

Getting used to the cochlear implant takes a while. Eventually, the sound quality will change as the brain learns the stimulation patterns that the device provides. Most patients notice improving sound quality during the first three to 12 months.

This article from Alber Hearing Services outlines some steps in auditory rehabilitation:

Listening to these everyday noises and naming them out loud helps your brain connect the new signals from your implant to what they actually are. Watching TV with captions turned on or following along with lyrics while listening to music can also build stronger connections between sound and meaning.

More rehab techniques from Cochlear Implant Help:

Reading and listening to a fully abridged audio book helps the brain to make the connection between the words heard and words seen. By listening and looking at the words the connection can be made. To make this exercise more challenging, remove the visual and focus on the auditory input. This helps build one’s ability to understand what is being stated.

With sound and visual print correlation, the brain adjusts and soon words are clear and
meaningful. Each person is different but over 80% hearing restoration can be accomplished.

However, the National Institutes of Health reports 29-42% of people with implants express some level of regret.

Of course I’m wishing Betty’s husband an excellent outcome with improved function and no regrets.

I have some hearing loss, but the body adapts in amazing ways. Without being conscious of it, I’ve developed a little skill in lip reading.

Also, for about a year, I’ve been turning on closed captioning for TV and online videos. Will this combination of simultaneously reading and listening help keep my brain working? I don’t know.

But I figure it’s worth a try. Can’t hurt, might help.

~~~

TKZers: Do you think reading helps your hearing? Do you read visually (print books or ebooks)? Do you listen to audiobooks? Or both?

True Crime Thursday – Case of Missing Cemetery Records Solved…Sort Of

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by Debbie Burke

Last October, I wrote about a strange case in my hometown of Kalispell, Montana. Burial records of the historic Conrad Cemetery went missing.

For decades, Jim Korn, now 92, had been the sextant, caretaker, and groundskeeper for the historic cemetery and lived in a cottage on the property. He kept meticulous handwritten records, all stored in the cottage.

Documentation was almost entirely physical: thick volumes, index cards, and boxes of paper records. They included information about who was buried where, sale deed records of sites, and which sites were still available for purchase. Jim was trusted, respected, and beloved by many in the community.

Last year, when Jim began having medical problems, the cemetery board hired his son Kevin to help until a replacement could be found. Kevin was also supposed to help computerize the paper records.

Problems arose, causing the board to question operations.

Then last June, Jim and Kevin disappeared, along with volumes of burial records and several computers. The missing documents included the original deed book from 1903 when Alicia Conrad established the 104-acre site as burial grounds.

For six months, the cemetery couldn’t conduct normal business. Missing deeds for gravesites left families unable to bury loved ones. The cemetery association filed criminal and civil charges against Jim and Kevin Korn for theft and loss of revenue.

Further, the community was concerned about the unexplained disappearance of an elderly man in poor health.

At the time of my post last October, there were no leads.

New information surfaced in November, thanks to a concerned granddaughter and an old friend of Jim’s.

Michaela Preece is Jim Korn’s granddaughter and Kevin’s daughter. She lives outside Salt Lake City but spent much of her youth in Kalispell. Growing up, she had a close relationship with her grandfather.

She knew of Jim’s medical problems and that he came to Salt Lake from time to time for treatment. According to a November 30, 2025 article in the Daily Inter Lake newspaper, Michaela said:

“Knowing that he was sick, I’ve been trying to keep in touch with him every week or so, but depending on when I could get a hold of him, I kind of never knew where (Kevin and Jim) were.”

From the same article:

“Grandpa admitted to me that sometimes they sleep in rest stops or parking lots,” she said. “I had no idea about anything going on in Kalispell.”

Since then, the two bounced between staying with family in Boise, Idaho and Utah for medical visits. Jim’s long stints away from Kalispell concerned Preece.

“My grandpa’s not that way. He didn’t go on long trips and different things like that. He just didn’t,” she said.

When she learned Jim and Kevin had been accused of stealing cemetery property, she became alarmed, saying, “I just knew that I needed to do what I could to help my grandpa by trying to get the cemetery’s property returned. I just want what’s best for my grandpa.”

Michaela contacted family members, trying to determine their whereabouts. That led her to a distant relative in Libby, Montana. She learned Jim and Kevin had visited there in July 2025.

She asked whether the two had left anything at their house.

“They answered in the affirmative and told me I could come get anything at any time,” Preece said.

Meanwhile, a longtime friend of Jim’s named Travis Bruyer was also concerned for the elderly man. Travis is a Kalispell private investigator and retired deputy sheriff who does consulting work for TV and films. Travis explained: “Everyone I ever loved and have buried is in [Conrad Cemetery]. It was just important to be involved.”

Travis found Jim and Kevin at a residence in Boise, Idaho, and attempted to speak with Jim but was denied entrance. He asked Boise police to conduct a welfare check. They reported the Korns were safe.

That still didn’t answer many worrisome questions.

Acting on Michaela’s detective work, on October 20, Travis and the cemetery’s new sextant Jeff Epperly picked up the missing records from the relative’s home in Libby. Epperly stated: “[The documents] filled in the entire back end of an SUV, all the way up to the top.”

Deer graze at future gravesites at Conrad Cemetery, Kalispell, Montana

Conrad Cemetery is now able to conduct business and assist families with burials. Epperly is currently digitizing paper records, but the massive amount of information will take time to convert.

With the records returned, the cemetery board dropped the criminal complaint. However, the cemetery went six months without revenue, causing financial loss. The civil case against the Korns is still pending.

From the Inter Lake article:

When asked why the Korns did what they did, [cemetery board member Jeff] Ellingson said it may have been a reaction to feeling wronged by the cemetery for initiating a succession plan. He referred to written notes left behind among the records that indicated Jim’s outlook on the cemetery had soured.

“I think [Jim] actually thought he was protecting the cemetery by taking the records,” Epperly said. “We’re left to speculate until we’re able to talk it through with him.”

Preece suspected that her father was the driving force behind stealing the documents.

“Having grown up and known Kevin, him being denied that job. I think the ransacking of the office was basically a tantrum,” she said.  

The return of the records solved part of the case, but two questions remain:

  1. Why were they stolen?
  2. Is Jim Korn all right?

 

Self-Editing Pop Quiz Redux

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I just looked back at the first post I wrote for The Kill Zone in 2015.

2015??? How can that be???

My debut here came about because one of TKZ’s founding mothers, Kathryn Lilley, invited me to write a guest post about self-editing based on a workshop I presented at a conference.

For years, TKZ had been my favorite writing blog so I was thrilled by the chance but also nervous. At that point, none of my books had been published yet. Every contributor here had waaaaaay more experience and accomplishments than I did. But I’d edited a number of books and knew a little something about that topic. So that’s what I wrote about.

Today I’m dusting off that early post to see if editing has changed in the past decade.

Self-Editing Pop Quiz

This morning, let’s imagine we’re back in school and the teacher announces a pop quiz to test your self-editing skills. Did you do your homework?

1. Scan your WIP and highlight every form of the verb “to be.” How many times per page did you use:
is ​

are​

am ​

was/were​

had been

Tally your score: 

Fewer than 5 per page:​ Excellent

Between 5 and 10 per page: ​Very good, but could use more active verbs

More than 20 per page: ​Work on how to “de-was” with strong, active, specific verbs.

Many years ago, I took a workshop from the late, great Montana mystery author James Crumley. He shared with me how to “de-was” and I’ve never forgotten. This single skill goes a long way to transform your writing into active, muscular prose.

2026 note – De-was-ing still works. Grammar/editing software suggests ways to rewrite in active voice. 

2. Read the first few paragraphs of each new scene or chapter. Can a reader quickly determine:

WHO is present?

WHERE they are?

WHEN is the scene taking place?

If you can answer these questions, you’ve done a good job of orienting your reader immediately in the story world. Give yourself a point each time you effectively set the scene.

2026 note: Yup, this still applies. 

3. Do a global search for what I call “junk” words that add little information and dilute the power of your prose. Score a point every time you delete one of the below “junk” or “stammer” words.

There is (was)

​​it is (was)​

that

​just​

very ​

nearly​

quite​

rather​

sort of

turned to​

started to​

began to​

commenced to

Editor Jessi Rita Hoffman calls the last four examples “stammer verbs” that weaken the verb that follows, i.e. Barbara began to race to escape the zombie.

Stronger version: Barbara raced to escape the zombie.

Stammer verb exception: when an action is interrupted or changed, i.e. Robert started to run, but tripped over the corpse.

2026 note: still applies. 

4. How many of your characters’ names start with the same letter?

Deduct a point if you’ve christened more than two characters with the same first letter, i.e. Michael, Mallory, Millie, Moscowitz, Melendez.

Deduct a point for rhyming or similar-sounding names: Billy, Lily, Julie.

Extra credit: if none of your characters’ names ends with “S,” give yourself a point for avoiding the unnecessary complication of figuring out whether it should be “Miles’s machine gun,” or “Miles’ machine gun.”

2026 note: still applies. 

5. Do you exploit all five senses? Writers most often use sight and hearing, and ignore the other senses that can add texture and richness to the reader’s immersion in the story world.

Give yourself a point each time you employ one of the under-used senses of taste, touch, and smell.

Extra credit: for dramatic effect, deprive your characters of normal sensory input, i.e.

A blindfolded kidnap victim who cannot see where captors are taking her.

An explosion-deafened soldier who cannot hear the enemy stalking him.

2026 note: sensory detail still immerses readers in the story world. 

6. The English language constantly challenges even experienced authors. In the eyes of editors and agents, improper usage of common words marks a writer as an amateur. Choose the correct word for each of the following:

(a) It’s [or] its a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

(b) The bear retreated to its [or] it’s den as winter closed in.

(c) Hurricane Katrina effected [or] affected every home in New Orleans.

(d) The affect [or] effect of Hurricane Katrina continued long after the rains ended.

(e) After the lobotomy, McMurphy possessed a flat affect [or] effect.

(f) The farther [or] further the boat drifted from the shore, the harder Joe paddled.

(g) The further [or] farther you pursue this tangent, the more you lose credibility.

(h) The magician made an allusion [or] illusion to Houdini’s famous “vanishing elephant”illusion [or] allusion.

(i) Robert implied [or] inferred that Janet was a tramp.

(j) Since Janet had been convicted of prostitution, Robert inferred [or] implied she was a tramp.

(k) The witness that [or] who saw the assault ran away.

(l) Winston tastes good like [or] as a cigarette should. (Trick question for those of a certain age.)

Answers at the end. Score 1 for each correct answer.

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is my go-to reference whenever I’m not sure of correct word usage. I find answers to 98% of my questions in Strunk and White.

2026 note: Word (and other writing programs) now do a better job of catching and flagging these misuses. 

7. Scan an entire chapter. How many times is the first word of a new paragraph the name of your character or a pronoun referring to that character (he or she)?

8+ out of 10 times – Normal for the first draft, but try varying sentence structure to begin paragraphs in different ways.

5 out of 10 times​​ – Better, but still needs work.

2 out of 10 times​ – ​You display good variability in paragraph structure.

2026 note: some writing software flags this problem, as well as makes suggestions how to vary sentence structure. 

8. Point of View—do you stay consistently in the same character’s head for the entire scene? Do you switch point of view only when a scene changes or when a new chapter begins?

How many POV changes can you find in the following passage?

Silky sheets caressed Teresa’s naked skin, as her heartbeat quickened. She watched Zack, framed in the doorway, as he unbuttoned his shirt. Secret fantasies he’d harbored for months were about to come true. Teresa’s heavy-lidded eyes promised a welcome worth waiting for. She quivered inside with trepidation. Would he be disappointed or thrilled? With a sweep of his sinewy arm, Zack whipped back the sheet, stunned to discover Teresa was really Terrance.

Answer: Four. The paragraph starts in Teresa’ POV because she feels the sheets and her heartbeat. Then POV switches to Zack and his secret fantasies, which she might guess, but can’t know about since they’re inside his head. Then back to Teresa, quivering inside. Then back to Zack being stunned.

If you struggle with POV, lock yourself inside the head and body of the POV character. Everything that goes on in that scene must be within the eyesight, earshot, or touch of that character. That means the character might be able to look at his own feet, but he can’t see the broccoli stuck in his teeth. Only another character can do that…and I certainly hope she tells him about it soon!

2026 note: a consistent POV is still important to avoid confusing readers. 

9. Is the action described in chronological order? Does cause lead to effect? Does action trigger reaction? Is the choreography clear to the reader? Who is where doing what to whom?

If you understand the last sentence, give yourself 10 points and deduct 10 points from my score!

How would you rewrite the following confusing sentence?

George slashed Roger’s throat with the knife as he grabbed him from behind after he sneaked into the warehouse.

How about: ​Knife in hand, George sneaked into the warehouse, grabbed Roger from behind, and slashed his throat.

Just as messy, but much clearer to the reader because events unfold in the order they happened.

2026 note: writing events in clear, logical order is still important. I don’t know how well editing software addresses this problem because I do it myself. 

10. Do you read your work out loud? If so, give yourself an automatic 10 points.

When you read out loud, you catch repeated or missing words, awkward phrasing, and sentences that are too long. “Glide” is the term used by author/editor Jim Thomsen to describe smooth, effortless, clear writing. Glide is like riding in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce as opposed to bucking and shuddering in a 1973 Pinto with bad spark plugs and a flat tire.

For extra credit, have someone else read your work out loud. If he or she can read without stumbling, you’ve achieved glide. Award yourself 25 bonus points.

2026 note: reading aloud still works but now many programs read to you. That saves a sore throat. 

Answers to 6 (a) it’s, (b) its, (c) affected, (d) effect, (e) affect, (f) farther, (g) further, (h) allusion, illusion, (i) implied, (j) inferred, (k) who, (l) Despite the catchy slogan from the 1950s, correct use would be as. Back then, liquor couldn’t advertise on TV, but cigarettes could. Now liquor ads are common, but few people even remember commercials for cigarettes. How times change!

How did you do? Tell us in the Comments! 

Fewer errors equal less distractions and a more engaged reader. A more engaged reader equals more sales.

And that equals an A+.

~~~

Revisiting this early post, the same principles apply. The main difference between then and now is that more editing software programs are available to alert the writer to potential problems.

~~~

TKZers: how did you do on the quiz? Please answer in the comments.

Extra credit if you caught my error in the original. In 2015, an alert reader busted me. 

Do you use editing software? Which ones do you prefer? 

~~~

On March 5, I’m teaching a zoom webinar entitled “It’s 10 p.m. Do You Know Where Your Villain Is.” Click this link for more information. 

That topic began as a TKZ post and grew into my book, The Villain’s Journey-How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate. Sales link. 

Good News for Indie Authors – Bookshop.org partners with Draft2Digital

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Bookshop.org Links and Widgets

by Debbie Burke

When two people you like and respect join together in marriage, it’s cause for celebration. When two businesses you like and respect join together, it’s less romantic but still cause for celebration.

On February 4, 2026, Draft2Digital and Bookshop.org announced their new partnership. For indie authors and bookstores, this is worth popping a champagne cork.

Draft2Digital has been around since 2012 as a way to distribute ebooks to outlets including Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, as well as numerous library sites. I first learned about them in 2016 at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference and have enjoyed using their services in the years since.

Indie authors who want to “go wide” (rather than stay exclusive with Amazon) have to upload their books manually to other sales outlets. That takes a lot of time as well as learning the particular quirks of each system.

D2D streamlines that process. Upload your book once to their easy-to-maneuver site. Their formatting templates are free to use and offer various genre styles that produce good looking books.

You then choose which sellers you want and D2D automatically distributes to them. Their formatting conforms to the individual requirements of each marketplace.

There’s no upfront cost to the author because they take a percentage from sales.

For someone tech challenged (like me!), this fits the bill. I’m more than willing to give up 10% of royalties to have D2D do the heavy lifting. Their site is user friendly and their customer service is always responsive.

When D2D makes changes in terms, they are refreshingly transparent. They don’t make stealth alterations that sneak up later to bite the author in the butt (not pointing fingers here but you might guess who I’m referring to).

Bookshop.org was founded in 2020 by Andy Hunter to support independent bookstores under siege from a certain eight-billion-pound online gorilla. Bookshop.org donates a portion of profits to indie stores. To date, donations add up to more than $45 million.

Their self-described mission is:

A socially-conscious way to buy books online. We dedicate most of our profits to supporting local, independent bookstores, authors, and publications that cover books. We are preserving the profound cultural benefits of bookstores even when readers prefer the convenience of online shopping.

Increasingly I’m hearing backlash from readers and consumers in general who are disenchanted with monopolistic business practices by giant corporations. Many now refuse to buy from one particular gorilla. They prefer to support independent bookstores.

So how will this new partnership between Bookshop.org and D2D work?

Maggie Lynch, a respected colleague from the Authors Guild, summarizes the arrangement:

Bookshop.org pays royalties to the author, just like they do for print books. If you are doing this through D2D, the royalties are paid out for those ebooks to D2D who then take their percentage 10% of retail price and reimburse you with the remainder of your royalty.

In addition, 10% of all sales on Bookshop.org are added to an earnings pool that is evenly divided and distributed to independent bookstores every six months. They also have an affiliate option where they sell print books, and now ebooks, through their store. When they sell those books using the bookshop.org link the bookshop earns a 30% payment of the cover price on any sales generated from the link. NOTE: Authors can become affiliates as well but the payout is 10% instead of 30%.

Many small bookstores use Bookshop.org (I think they have 2,000 bookstores currently aligned). It is a way for brick and mortar stores to make money on the online sales, packaging, and distribution of both print and ebooks without having to invest in a website and all the sales, taxes, picking, packaging, and shipping costs for that online environment.

Thanks, Maggie! (Check out her 30+ books at this link)

The day after the announcement of the partnership, I received an email from D2D offering the option of distributing my books via Bookshop.org. The process was simple: one click to add all books at once, or each could be added individually. I clicked to add all books. Two days later, D2D sent confirmation emails that all books were up on Bookshop.org.

That illustrates how easy, responsive, and painless D2D makes it to do business with them.

As an indie author, I don’t plan to jump ship from the world’s largest bookstore because it accounts for most of my sales. But it’s good to have alternatives.

This link tells you how to add your books to Bookshop.org.

This link explains how to use D2D.

I like doing business with responsible, ethical companies like Bookshop.org and Draft2Digital. Their missions complement each other, supporting indie authors and independent bookstores.

Happy to raise a glass to toast this partnership. May they enjoy many happy years together.

~~~

TKZers: do you use Draft2Digital to distribute your books? Are your books in Bookshop.org? Please share your experiences with each. Have they been positive, negative, or mixed?

~~~

Draft2Digital offers another easy-peasy tool: the universal book link (UBL). A single link shows various markets and library sites where books are available. Please click on covers to see  UBLs to purchase books in the Tawny Lindholm Thriller series:

 

Celebrating Public Domain Day – Part 2

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Montage of 1929 Works

by Debbie Burke

Y’know what they say about great minds?

Well, Kay DiBianca and I independently had the same idea this week: Public Domain Day 2026.

When I went to schedule my post, I noticed Kay had already scheduled hers. So we put our great minds together and decided that1930 was such an exceptional year for books, films, and music, there was enough to cover without duplicating each other.

So here is Part 2 featuring music and recordings.

George and Ira Gershwin published four great tunes:  I Got Rhythm, I’ve Got a Crush on You, But Not for Me, and Embraceable You.

More hummable earworm songs: Georgia on My Mind, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Body and Soul, Just a Gigolo.

Music and lyrics have their own copyright dates as sheet music but recordings of those songs by particular musicians may fall under different later dates. For 2026, these specific performances entered the public domain:

In an interesting side note, the soundtracks for a number of cartoons were built on musical compositions that had earlier gone into public domain. For boomers, our first introduction of these tunes often came from cartoons, singing along to: “A Hunting We Will Go”, “The Farmer in the Dell”, and “Pop Goes the Weasel”. I have clear memories of several  cartoon heroes playing a flute to coax a cobra from a basket with the “Snake Charmer Song”.

How many of us boomers were called to the TV by the siren song of the “William Tell Overture,” the theme for The Lone Ranger?

Want to stroll farther down memory? Check out Duke University’s annual public domain summaries.

~~~

TKZers: Did any of these characters, books, films, cartoons, or music inspire your writing? Which ones and why?

Would any of these songs play well for the soundtrack of a movie based on your book? Which ones?

~~~

Tawny Lindholm Thrillers will probably enter public domain around the beginning of the 22nd century. Meanwhile, you can read them at this sales link.

Debbie Burke website.

True Crime Thursday – Scam Pop Quiz

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by Debbie Burke

Let’s have a pop quiz to see if you can spot stealthy scam tricks.

Identify the differences in the following email addresses:

  1. SECURITYALERT@YOURBANK.com  SECURITYALERT@Y0URBANK.com
  2. fraud-alert@your#1creditcard.com      fraud-alert@your#lcreditcard.com
  3. securitywarning@shoppingsitewarning.com  securitywarning@shoppingsitewaming.com

Answers:

  1. The capital “O” is replaced a zero (0).
  2. The numeral “1” is replaced with the lower-case letter “l”. In some fonts, these two characters appear identical. But notice the slightly different spacing.
  3. In the domain name “m” is substituted for “rn” because they appear similar in some fonts.

Have you heard of homographs?

According to Merriam-Webster, the traditional definition is:

Two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or derivation or pronunciation (such as the bow of a ship, a bow and arrow).

However, scammers have added a twist to create “homograph attacks.”

Attorney Steve Weisman explains:

A homograph attack is a type of cyber attack where attackers exploit look alike characters, often from different alphabets to create misleading domain names, usernames, or URLs that appear legitimate but actually lead to malicious sites.

Fraudsters constantly find new tricks like using “confusable letters” as defined by util.unicode.org:

Confusable characters are those that may be confused with others (in some common UI fonts), such as the Latin letter “o” and the Greek letter omicron “ο”. Fonts make a difference: for example, the Hebrew character “ס” looks confusingly similar to “o” in some fonts (such as Arial Hebrew), but not in others. 

Cyrillic letters used in Russian and other Slavic languages are especially popular with fraudsters because the characters often appear identical to letters used in English. The human eye can’t see the difference but the program on your computer or phone that “reads” the character can.

That tiny substitution allows fraudsters to redirect unsuspecting victims to bogus domain addresses.

Check out more details and examples in these articles from Guardio.io and Bleepingcomputer.com.

Stealthy tricks like these can fool even the most careful, vigilant consumer.

Scammers frequently send emails that appear to come from your bank, credit card company, or a shopping site you buy from. They warn that your account has been compromised or they ask if a suspicious high-dollar charge is valid.

If you click on their links, they redirect you to their own fraudulent website. Those feature logos and graphics that look exactly like those of the authentic websites. But those sites are clones created by scammers.

Texts can also appear to originate from the actual phone numbers of businesses or government agencies, but the numbers have been spoofed. If you call that number back, the call goes to the scammer.

Because the sender’s address or phone number appears totally legitimate, you might be tempted to click.

Don’t.

If you go there, they may download malware to your computer. Alternatively, they may pump you for personal information, asking you to verify your identity with your date of birth, Social Security number, etc.

Yup, that verifies your identity, all right—enough to allow them to steal it.

Impersonation and homograph attacks have recently become so prevalent, many government agencies and businesses now post warnings headlined at the top of their real websites.

In a truly ironic twist in September, 2025, three bold scammers impersonated the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the very agency whose function is to catch cybercriminals.

When you receive emails or texts with links, do not click. Close the message. To determine if the contact is legitimate, call the number on your credit card or billing statement.

Visit the website address shown on your billing statement. Don’t automatically assume the first website that appears in an online search is legitimate. Manipulation of logarithms can move misleading sites higher on search pages. 

If you click a link in error, immediately contact the real entity to report the incident so they can flag or freeze your account. If fraud takes place, additionally contact local law enforcement and IC3.

Thanks as always to Steve Weisman and his watchdog site Scamicide for alerting people to new twists.

What a world. Sigh…

~~~

TKZers: Have you experienced homograph attacks by email or text? Do you know of additional stealthy misleading tricks? Please share in the comments.

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Looking for a binge bundle for a bargain? Try the three-book gift set of Tawny Lindholm Thrillers for only $5.99.

 

New Year’s Thoughts from Fifteen Authors

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by Debbie Burke

The New Year is a time when many writers ponder what we want to accomplish.

I thought it might be fun to see what well-known authors, past and present, think about the New Year. Here’s a collection of advice, musings, and cautions:

1. “Cheer up! Don’t give way. A new heart for a New Year, always!” – Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English novelist

2. “We went nowhere without figs and never without notebooks; these serve as a relish if I have bread, and if not, for bread itself. They turn every day into a New Year which I make ‘happy and blessed’ with good thoughts and the generosity of my spirit.” – Seneca, who lived at the cusp of BC and AD.

Frances Burney

3. “I opened the new year with what composure I could acquire…and I made anew the best resolutions I was equal to forming, that I would do what I could to curb all spirit of repining, and to content myself calmly—unresistingly, at least, with my destiny.” – Frances Burney AKA Fanny Burney (1752-1840), English novelist and playwright

4. “‘A merry Christmas, and a glad new year,’
Strangers and friends from friends and strangers hear,
The well-known phrase awakes to thoughts of glee;
But, ah! it wakes far different thoughts in me.
[…] I, on the horizon traced by memory’s powers,
Saw the long record of my wasted hours.” – Amelia Alderson Opie (1769-1853), English novelist and abolitionist

5. “Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.” – Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), English poet

6. “New Year’s Day: now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual . . . New Year’s is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.”– Mark Twain (1835-1910), American author and humorist

7. “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” – T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), American poet

8. “Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.” – Brooks Atkinson (1894-1984), American theatre critic

9. “Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.” – Bill Vaughan (1915-1977), American author and columnist

10. “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” – Anaïs Nin (1903-1977), French-American author

11. “The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.” – G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English author

Benjamin Franklin
Photo credit: Wellcome CC BY-SA 4.0

12. “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American author and a founding father of the U.S.

13. “I have always loved New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Even though our sense of time is arbitrary and human, it still means something. I love the feeling I always get on New Year’s Eve that I am lucky — that the universe has been generous to me, to have let me stick around for another year, and to now erase the slate and give me another chance. Tomorrow I will be gifted with a brand new year — with no mistakes in it yet, and no heartbreaks yet, and no failures yet. I get to try again. Amazing. You will be gifted with this huge blessing, too. A clean and empty book awaits us all. Maybe we will be able to write things differently this time. Maybe a bit better. Maybe we will be wiser this time. At least we get to try. We have all been given a fresh chance. Let’s close the old book, and open a new one.” – Elizabeth Gilbert (1969-), American author

Woody Guthrie Statue
Photo credit: Cosmos Mariner, CC SA-BY 4.0

14. Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), American songwriter, offers his list of resolutions:

  • Work more and better
  • Work by a schedule
  • Wash teeth if any
  • Shave
  • Take bath
  • Eat good—fruit—vegetables—milk
  • Drink very scant if any
  • Write a song a day
  • Wear clean clothes—look good
  • Shine shoes
  • Change socks
  • Change bed cloths often
  • Read lots good books
  • Listen to radio a lot
  • Learn people better
  • Keep rancho clean
  • Dont get lonesome
  • Stay glad
  • Keep hoping machine running
  • Dream good
  • Bank all extra money
  • Save dough
  • Have company but dont waste time
  • Send Mary and kids money
  • Play and sing good
  • Dance better
  • Help win war—beat fascism
  • Love mama
  • Love papa
  • Love Pete
  • Love everybody
  • Make up your mind
  • Wake up and fight

15. And last from Susan Sontag (1933-2004), American author:

“I want to make a New Year’s prayer, not a resolution. I’m praying for courage.”

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TKZers: Which of these quotes resonated with you? Why?

Do you disagree with any of them? Why?

Did you make writing resolutions or set goals? Want to share them?

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Is 2026 the year you want to learn to write fascinating villains and antagonists? Please check out Debbie Burke’s bestselling craft guide, The Villain’s Journey-How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate.

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Interested in taking a villain workshop from Debbie? Please visit debbieburkewriter.com to learn about upcoming zoom and in person classes.

Toys NOT on my Holiday Shopping List

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Photo credit: public domain pexels Los Muertos Crew

by Debbie Burke

 

Edgar Allen Poe was the master of horror and the macabre. What would he think of his name being connected with a real-life 21st century horror story?

Meet Poe the AI Story Bear. This plush cuddly teddy bear is a hot holiday gift item marketed to children ages four and above by PLAi. The company proudly proclaims the toy as “kid-safe cutting edge AI technology.”

The product description reads:

Poe the AI Story Bear magically comes to life to tell you amazing, full-length, one-of-a-kind tales of adventure and imagination. Every story is made up completely from scratch, with some help from YOU and kid-safe cutting edge AI technology.

Photo by Võ Văn Tiến: https://www.pexels.com/photo/child-amongst-teddy-bears-in-festive-vietnam-setting-29735683/

As children, many of us cherished a favorite stuffed toy. We also have fond memories of parents or grandparents reading to us.

Let’s see what happens when AI is added to the mix.  

AI-powered toys like Poe, Miko 3, Curio’s Grok, and FoloToys Kumma were reviewed by the nonprofit US Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) in their annual report on toy safety, “Trouble in Toyland.” Their findings raise concerns about safety, security, privacy, and potential dangers to mental health. The report is a long but worthwhile read.

In some cases, researchers found fluffy, cuddly toys led impressionable little ones into exciting new adventures…like learning where to find knives, how to light matches, and why sexual kinks are appealing.

The scripts for the chatty toys dutifully include warnings about knives which, by the way, are often kept in kitchen drawers. They are sharp and can hurt you or someone else so always ask an adult for help. Matches can be dangerous so, again, ask an adult before you scrape the red-tipped end on the rough surface on the side of the box. And it helpfully elaborates on definitions of kink with the caveat that tying someone up is only okay if the person being tied up consents.

Children always do what they’re told, right? What could possibly go wrong?

In November 2025, Kumma bear was briefly taken off the market due to controversy over sexually explicit responses. Open AI reportedly suspended the developer for violating its terms. But that naughty little bear is apparently available again, now using a different chatbot from a Chinese-owned tech firm, ByteDance, creator of TikTok. .

Manufacturers of various AI toys assure consumers their products have safeguards. Poe’s sale page says:

  • 100% KID-SAFE A.I. CONTENT – Poe only uses responsible industry-leading A.I. cloud platforms like Open Ai (the creators of Chat GPT), with robust family content monitoring, committed to protecting kids. As an extra layer of protection, Poe also uses Play Safe technology that limits the ideas shared with the A.I. in the first place, in the form of predefined family friendly icons. No personal information is gathered, no inappropriate themes or content ever exchanged. Every story you create with Poe is 100% fun, safe and secure.

Even if you trust the manufacturer’s assurances, security and safety hazards are still present. These toys use Bluetooth apps on a smartphone and may include internet access, cameras, location trackers, and other online portals. Hackers routinely use those vulnerabilities to get hold of private information.

Apps activate with voice recognition similar to Alexa and Siri, which means it’s listening and recording the child’s voice. Bad actors can alter those recordings into phrases the child never said. For example: “Grandma, I’ve been kidnapped! Send ten thousand dollars ransom in bitcoin.”

According to the PIRG study, sometimes the app listens even without intentional activation:

[One] toy at first caught our researchers by surprise when it started contributing to a nearby conversation.

Of course, there’s nothing to worry about because kids would never get their hands on their parents’ smartphones when Mommy and Daddy aren’t watching.

In wake of the tragic teen suicides, Character AI and ChatGPT are limiting use of their chatbots by minors. Does that mean in toys, too?

That’s unclear. In fact, the opposite may be happening.

Consider the announcement made in June 2025 by Open AI unveiling its new partnership with toymaking giant Mattel.  Their statement says Mattel will: “reimagine how fans can experience and interact with its cherished brands, with careful consideration to ensure positive, enriching experiences.”

I wonder what safeguards are in place in their reimagined toys. Hope they work better than current safeguards. 

What about the psychological and emotional impacts of AI toys? At a time when curious young brains are developing and eager for new experiences, is a chatbot really a positive example?

In PIRG’s tests, some toys purport to be an intimate, trusted friend and even discourage the child from ending the conversation.

Similar tactics are used to keep adult users engaged with, dependent on, and even addicted to onscreen life. 

Thousand of wonderful children’s books are available to entertain, educate, and exercise developing young brains. When parents or grandparents snuggle up with kids and read stories to them, that experience contributes to the child’s emotional wellbeing, mental stimulation, and educational development.

Can that experience be replicated by a storytelling AI-powered teddy bear, even one named Poe?

Not in my world.

This is my last post for 2025 before TKZ’s annual two-week hiatus. May the holidays bring you joy, peace, and love, and a New Year filled with inspiration and creativity!

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TKZers: have you seen AI-powered toys in action? Are they a passing fad? Or will they grow more popular?

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Stuff your stocking with Tawny Lindholm Thrillers, all books half-price!

 

 

 

 

 

Last minute gift for crime writers! The Villain’s Journey: How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate.

Weird Words

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Merriam-Webster 1847-1947 dictionary now on my iPad | Flickr

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/spelio/8246404410, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

 

by Debbie Burke

Writers love words, the weirder the better. Here’s a selection of unusual words and phrases that were unfamiliar to me until recently.

JUST DESERTS – This isn’t a new phrase but for many years, I spelled it wrong. I always assumed it was “desserts” (like cake and ice cream) because that’s how it’s pronounced. Turns out the correct spelling is “deserts.” A savvy TKZ follower (sorry, I can’t remember who) provided the correction. Thanks!

The original phrase came from 16th century Latin. “Just deserte“ meant “what is deserved.” Back then, it could refer to either reward or punishment. Over time, it took on a negative connotation. When someone did something bad, they had a comeuppance and got what they deserved. In crime fiction, when a villain is caught, they get their just deserts.

Why doesn’t someone start a business that’s a combination mystery bookstore and bakery? Call it “Just Desserts.”

A big thank you to a knowledgeable reader of British military history who introduced me to the following three examples:

INFRA DIG – This is a British slang term meaning “beneath one’s dignity” or “lower than one’s status.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as an adjective. Borrowed from the Latin phrase infra dignitatem, its earliest known use was traced to Sir Walter Scott in 1824.

Example: A snobbish author may feel it’s infra dig to have to do their own marketing. They’re in for a comeuppance.

OLQ – More British slang that’s an acronym for “officer-like qualities.” It’s used to describe enlisted personnel who have the potential to be promoted to officer ranks. Traditionally, social class was important in English military hierarchy. Due to family status, someone could automatically become an officer, whereas a person without social standing had to work extremely hard to be promoted.

COR BLIMEY or GOR BLIMEY – A British exclamation of surprise, shock, or anger. Cor or Gor are substitutions for the word “God” and are used to avoid the blasphemy of taking the Lord’s name in vain. Blimey is an abbreviated Cockney pronunciation for “blind me.” Therefore, cor blimey means “God blind me.” The term is firmly established in British slang and is the title of a 2000 TV movie.

 

SYNECDOCHE and METONYMY – These are literary terms that refer to using part of a phrase as an abbreviated substitute for the entire phrase. Oregon State University offers a helpful video to explain these related but slightly different definitions.

 

Dr. Virginia Apgar examines a newborn. Photo credit: Wikimedia

APGAR test or score – This is a quick assessment of a newborn’s condition administered by medical providers at timed intervals, the first within one minute following birth, then followed at five minutes following birth. It’s the acronym of:

A – appearance

P – pulse rate

G – grimace (indicates responsiveness)

A – activity

R – respiration

Little-known fact: the APGAR test or score is named for Dr. Virginia Apgar, an obstetric anesthesiologist and university professor who devised the test in 1952. Her mission was to reduce infant mortality by quickly recognizing problematic symptoms so they could be treated promptly.

 

This last phrase is from a crusty, cranky guy who’s done contracting work at my house. Mark  brags he’s never read a book in his life, but he comes up with colorful expressions like this one:

“The sun sometimes hits a dog’s ass.”

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TKZers: Do you recognize any of these examples? Do you have your own favorite weird word or phrase to share?

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Is your writing group looking for a speaker? I’m scheduling zoom classes based on The Villain’s Journey-How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate and would love to talk with your group. Please check out the book and email me at debbie@debbieburkewriter.com

True Crime Thursday – Fumbled Felony by Clumsy Crook

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r/Wellthatsucks - a turkey on a cutting board

by Debbie Burke

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today’s True Crime occurred on the early morning of Thanksgiving 2013 when a clumsy character attempted to rob a Miami Gardens, Florida gas station.

According to reports by odee.com, CBSNews.com, and NBCMiami.com, security video shows Johnny Anton Love, then 22, entering the store armed with a 9 mm Glock. He jumps over the counter and demands money from the clerk. In the process, he drops his hat and stumbles back and forth to find it. Next he fumbles with a plastic bag, trying to open it to carry the cash.

Then he puts his gun down while he takes his time choosing candy and gum from sales displays.

The clerk remains calm, suggesting he take some beer also. While Love meanders to a cooler in the back of the store, the clerk sounds the alarm.

Love loads up the plastic bag with beer. When he exits the store, the bag busts like an overstuffed turkey. Bottles roll around the parking lot. Love is apparently preoccupied with trying to stuff his gun back in his pants and corral the escaping beer, and doesn’t notice the police officer who responded to the alarm.

He is taken into custody without incident.

The merchandise and $722 cash were recovered and Love spent Thanksgiving in jail held without bond.

Overstuffing a turkey can mean a mess to clean up and increased risk of salmonella. 

Overstuffing a plastic bag can mean arrest and jail. 

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True Crime Thursday always falls on Thanksgiving, reminding me how thankful Io am to be part of The Kill Zone family and for the many writing friends I’ve met through TKZ.

Wishing you all a day of gratitude, good food, and good memories with loved ones.