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Does performance funding increase college completion? No.
State Higher Education Performance Funding for Community Colleges: Diverse Effects and Policy Implications
by David A. Tandberg, Nicholas Hillman & Mohamed Barakat
Performance-based funding programs have become a popular state policy strategy for increasing college completions, among other things. This study asks, To what extent does the introduction of performance funding programs impact two-year degree completion among participating states? Using a difference-in-differences technique, we find that the program had no effect on average and mixed results for the individual states. We conclude that the policy is not a “silver bullet” for improving community college completions.from The College Puzzle http://stanford.io/2ak1pLN
by David A. Tandberg, Nicholas Hillman & Mohamed Barakat
Performance-based funding programs have become a popular state policy strategy for increasing college completions, among other things. This study asks, To what extent does the introduction of performance funding programs impact two-year degree completion among participating states? Using a difference-in-differences technique, we find that the program had no effect on average and mixed results for the individual states. We conclude that the policy is not a “silver bullet” for improving community college completions.from The College Puzzle http://stanford.io/2ak1pLN
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Character Interview: Hattie Davish, A March to Remember
Traveling secretary Hattie Davish is taking her singular talents to Washington, D.C., to help Sir Arthur Windom-Greene research his next book. But in the winding halls of the nation’s capital, searching for the truth can sometimes lead to murder.
Hattie is in her element, digging through dusty basements, attics, and abandoned buildings, not to be denied until she fishes out that elusive fact. But her delightful explorations are dampened when she witnesses a carriage crash into a carp pond beneath the shadow of the Washington Monument. Alarmingly, one of the passengers flees the scene, leaving the other to drown. The incident only heightens tensions brought on by the much publicized arrival of “Coxey’s Army,” thousands of unemployed men converging on the capital for the first ever organized “march” on Washington. When one of the marchers is found murdered in the ensuing chaos, Hattie begins to suspect a sinister conspiracy is at hand. As she expands her investigations into the motives of murder and closes in on the trail of a killer, she is surprised and distraught to learn that her research will lead her straight to the highest levels of government . . .
Q: Miss Davish, thank you for coming by. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something readers might not guess?
Yes, Sir Arthur said that you would like to be introduced. I have to admit I’m not in the habit of exchanging personal information with complete strangers but since you are readers, Sir Arthur deemed it not too improper. So, I will do my best to indulge your curiosity. First of all, of course, I’m Miss Hattie Davish. I grew up a good Catholic in St. Joseph, Missouri, where my father owned the city’s most successful men’s hat store- hence my name. I adore hats, my father taught me well, and although I usually have little appetite, I have never let a slice of cake (or sweet of any kind) go uneaten. I fancy myself an amateur botanist, my collection being quite extensive and my knowledge coming in handy when solving a crime or two. I thrive on a good hike. I rarely sleep well so I often hike early before the day’s work begins. I was trained at Mrs. Chaplin’s School for Women to be a secretary and lady typewriter. After both my parents died, my training and my typewriter were all that kept me from destitution. As you must already know, I’m currently the historian Sir Arthur Windom-Greene’s private secretary. I’ve worked for Sir Arthur, off-and-on, for several years now, accompanying him wherever his research of the Civil War takes him. I have also worked for several of his rich and influential friends, traveling to wherever they may be. One might not guess that I am an avid baseball fan. My father taught the local boys team and followed the St. Louis Browns religiously, though they were called the Brown Stockings then. I couldn’t help but be a fan.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best?
Of course, Sir Arthur would expect me to mention him as we have a very good working relationship. But since I’m being so bold to reveal other details about myself without proper introductions, I will tell you that there is another character I get along with, quite well in fact. His name is Dr. Walter Grice and he is the most handsome, caring, witty and clever man I have ever met. We met in Eureka Spring, Arkansas when I was working for Mrs. Edwina Trevelyan, the temperance leader. Walter, I mean, Dr. Grice has his practice there. Despite my distrust of physicians (they treated my father terribly), Dr. Grice’s charm won my heart. And perhaps, may I dare dream, he’ll win my hand one day as well.
Q: Which other character do you have a conflict with?
Oh my, I must admit, I have had my share of conflicts over the past few years, especially with policemen and high society ladies. As a working woman, I must guard my position carefully. However, when someone threatens that position, I have been known to hold my ground, if not my tongue. And of course, I have increasingly indulged my curiosity of late, which has not won me favors or friends, except maybe Miss Lucy Shaw, an elderly lady that befriended me and relies upon me for her gossip. Must I name them all?
Q: Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
Must you ask? I think Mrs. Loan-Wilsey is quite a competent lady. Sir Arthur is my mentor, but she is my creator. And, although I wouldn’t admit it to her, she has done right by me, forcing me out of my sheltered existence and setting me on the path to adventure. Without her, I wouldn’t have overcome my deepest fears, I wouldn’t have grown in confidence, I wouldn’t have met Walter, I mean, Dr. Grice. Of course, I could’ve done without the murders she insisted I involve myself in, but alas, that is what you enjoyed the most, is it not, dear reader?
Q: It’s the reason you’re here. Miss Davish, what’s next for you?
Oh, I was afraid you were going to ask that. May I simply reply, “I don’t know?” The end of this current adventure, called A March to Remember, set me on an adventure of quite a different nature, both unpredictable and thrilling. It also marked an end point, at least for now, for many of my current associations, including dear Mrs. Loan-Wilsey. She and I must part for now. Whether we met again for another adventure, I can only say, “I do hope so.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Loan-Wilsey, biologist, librarian, and author, writes the historical Hattie Davish Mystery series featuring a Victorian traveling secretary who solves crimes in every historic town she visits. The first in the series, A Lack of Temperance, set in 1890’s Eureka Springs, Arkansas, (an Amazon #1 bestseller) was followed by Anything But Civil (set in Galena, IL), A Sense of Entitlement (an iBook #1 bestseller set in Newport, RI), and A Deceptive Homecoming (set in St. Joseph, MO, Hattie’s hometown). A March to Remember finds Hattie caught up in the political intrigues surrounding Coxey’s Army and the first “march” on Washington, D.C. Anna lives in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa with her family where she is happily working on new mystery adventures.
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Limited time featured #giveaway: The Case of the Defunct Adjunct
>>>The Case of the Defunct Adjunct featured on Instafreebie for one week only<<<
“Follow your dreams, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Because that field’s not hiring.”
Molly Barda earned her Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from a top-ten doctoral program. After a year of fruitless job-hunting, she finally landed a job at chronically underfunded Mahina State University (“Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow!”), in rural Hawaii. Teaching resume-writing. In the Business School.
Molly longs for working air conditioning. She sits on a yoga ball because there is no budget for office furniture. Her dean, unwilling to lose paying customers, won’t let her report cheating students.
Molly’s determined to bloom where she’s planted, enjoy the tropical beauty of her new home, and stay out of trouble until she gets tenure.
But when a serial harasser collapses face-first into his haupia cheesecake at a Student Retention Office retreat, Molly’s summer goes from dull to disastrous. Now Molly has to fight to keep her best friend out of the worst kind of trouble — and herself off the unemployment line.
If you like Dorothy Parker, P.G. Wodehouse, or E.F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia stories, you’ll enjoy The Case of the Defunct Adjunct, a tale of passion, pilferage, and petty politics in the middle of the Pacific.
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Author Interview and #Giveaway: LynDee Walker, Lethal Lifestyles
Wedding bells are ringing at the Richmond Telegraph, and maid of honor Nichelle Clarke is determined to give her friends the perfect fairytale beginning to their happily ever after. So when a corpse crashes rehearsal weekend, Nichelle ditches her wedding coordinator shoes for her crime reporter ones, and a little poking around turns up a big problem: the victim and the groom have a history, and it’s not a pretty one.
Evidence against groom Grant Parker piles up, leaving Nichelle wishing a hostile bridesmaid was still her biggest worry as she tries to fend off Richmond’s favorite TV reporter—and her own scheming publisher. At odds with the cops, her beloved editor, and the ticking clock, Nichelle races to uncover the truth and save the day before this perfect wedding turns into a funeral.
Q: LynDee, welcome back to Island Confidential and congratulations on your latest! Tell us a little bit about your protagonist, Nichelle.
A: I think Nichelle is pretty fabulous: A young reporter who gives her all to her job, friends, and family, and is smart and curious enough to solve a few murders between hunting designer heels on eBay and romantic evenings with her sexy boyfriend. Flawed, funny, and occasionally sassy, she’s a great imaginary friend. I always have fun opening my laptop and seeing where her story is headed on a given day.
Q: How much of you is in Nichelle? How would you feel about her in real life?
A: Nichelle has a few of my quirks (playing with her hair when she’s deep in thought), my fierce loyalty to people I care about, and my dog. I was a journalist in my pre-mom former life, and an investigative piece did almost get me arrested once—but I never got shot or tangled up with the mafia.
My favorite compliment is when readers tell me they wish they could have her as a girlfriend in real life. I agree. She doesn’t always make the choices I’d make, and she’s not always the smartest or prettiest woman in the room. But she’s spunky and loyal nearly to a fault, and she’s able to laugh at her imperfections instead of obsessing over them. A dedicated journalist who cares about getting her readers the truth, not just the official story, a caring friend, and a loving daughter—she might not have it all together quite yet, but I’d be pretty darned glad to have her in my inner circle.
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A: Absolutely. One of the most fun parts of writing is watching the characters grow and learn. It’s what makes them real to me. Nichelle might go to a meeting with a strange cop in a dark parking lot to get a scoop in the first book, but when that doesn’t end so well for her, she learns from it, and the next time a creepy anonymous phone call offers answers, it’s a well lit, crowded place or no deal. She certainly has commitment and security issues because she never knew her father (okay, maybe she gets one more thing from me), but she’s working through them a piece at a time.
While I love all the characters in Nichelle’s world, I have a special place in my heart for Grant Parker, the baseball hero turned sports columnist. I have enjoyed every keystroke of watching him go from Casanova ego caricature to groom, hero, and wonderful friend.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
A: I might’ve done a little more than think about it. But I plead the fifth on who and which book you’ll find it in. 😉
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: Nichelle’s Virginia is a hodgepodge of real life and imagination. You can find many of the locations in the books in and around Richmond (I love including our favorite places and watching readers figure them out when I visit book clubs)—but I gave the city a major league baseball team (we didn’t have a team at all when I wrote the first book, and I never thought anyone would read it, so what the heck? I went all the way and brought MLB to RVA. Then the book actually sold, and I asked if my editor wanted me to change the story to include the AA team that had come to town. She said leave it, so it’s still part of the story. A big part in the new book, in fact.), fictionalized the newspaper and TV stations, and tinkered with law enforcement structure in the city and the outlying rural areas Nichelle visits.
It’s all realistic, based on my field journalism experience, but liberties are definitely taken.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: This is always the hardest question for me, because my characters don’t look like actors in my head, for the most part. I don’t include tons of physical description in the books, because I like readers to imagine the characters however they want. And they do! I love hearing the differences people see as they read.
The only one I can tell you hands down is that I’d want Trevor Donovan to play Grant Parker.
Many of my readers say they’d like to see Anne Hathaway as Nichelle. I also think Leslie Jones could totally rock the part—she has the height, personality, and beautiful smile to be a fantastic Nichelle.
Joey…hmmm. Reader choices for this are all over the map, but my favorite one is a cleaned-up, Armani-suit-clad Joe Manganiello, so we’ll go with that.
Loads of folks like Channing Tatum for Kyle, and since this is a fantasy cast, why not? And while we’re in fantasyland, if I got to pick anyone for any part, I’d totally beg the film people powers that be to let Troy Aikman try out for the role of Tony Okerson. And then I’d go hang out at the set.
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: I’m not sure I can come up with a worst, really. Book people are pretty cool in general and I’m blessed to know some great ones.
The best advice, bar none, came from one of my writing idols: Harlan Coben. He is not only talented and brilliant, but a heck of a nice guy.
“If you want to build a career in this business, write a better book next time. Stay off the computer, don’t watch your amazon rankings, just write a better book next time.” —He took time out of his evening to tell me that (plus several hilarious stories about the writing life) and offer some encouragement, and I took every word to heart. Every time I sit down with a blank screen, I set out to write a better book than the last. Hopefully my readers think I manage to pull it off.
Thank you so much for having me here today! What a fun interview!
Books in the Headlines in High Heels Mystery Series:
FRONT PAGE FATALITY (#1)
BURIED LEADS (#2)
DATELINE MEMPHIS (novella after BURIED LEADS in HEARTACHE MOTEL)
SMALL TOWN SPIN (#3)
DEVIL IN THE DEADLINE (#4)
COVER SHOT (#5)
LETHAL LIFESTYLES (#6)
Q: LynDee, it’s great to have you back at Island Confidential!
LynDee Walker’s award-winning journalistic work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the nation.
Her debut novel, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, is an amazon and Barnes & Noble #1 bestseller, and was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel.
LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is either playing with her children, working on her next novel, or admiring beautiful shoes she can’t wear.
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Guest Post/intercepted email: The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel
In a charming cozy mystery series debut, Leslie Nagel’s irrepressible small-town heroine finds that her fellow mystery bookclub members may be taking their Agatha Christie a bit too literally—and murder a bit too lightly.
Charley Carpenter has poured heart and soul into her clothing store, Old Hat Vintage Fashions. She’ll do anything to make it a success—even join the stuffy Agatha’s Book Club in order to cultivate customers among the wealthy elite of Oakwood, Ohio.
Although mixing with the most influential women in town has its advantages, Charley finds the endless gossip a high price to pay. But after two women with close ties to the Agatha’s are brutally murdered, everyone falls under threat—and suspicion. When key evidence indicates that both murders are the work of the same hand, Charley realizes that the killer has arranged each corpse in perfect imitation of crime scenes from the Club’s murder mystery reading list. She uses her membership in the Club to convince Detective Marcus Trenault to use her as an inside informant. Not that he could stop her anyway.
Intelligent, fearless, and every bit as stubborn as Marc is, Charley soon learns the Agatha’s aren’t the only ones with secrets to protect. Passions explode as she and Marc must race against time to prevent another murder. And if Charley’s not careful, she may find herself becoming the killer’s next plot twist.
Email Sent: April 21, 11:49 p.m.
To: Francesca Cartolano Bright <[email protected]>
From: Charlotte Elizabeth Carpenter <[email protected]>
Subject: Agathas Update
Hey, Short Stuff!
When your husband first proposed extending your trip to Hawaii to include a visit to his grandparents in Vietnam, I was the first to champion the idea. You’ve been married almost five years, after all. Time to face the dragon. Seriously, I’m sure they’re going to love all curly headed, five foot nothing of you. Just don’t dump ketchup in your pho.
Sadly for me, I was too busy championing to realize you’d be missing an official meeting of the Agathas Murder Mystery Book Club (cue the creepy organ music). I was left to face the disapproval of Chairwoman Extraordinaire Midge single handedly. I know for a fact you told her you’d be out of town, but she acted as if John arranged the trip on purpose to inconvenience her. Or maybe she was peeved you didn’t send an engraved apology on monogrammed stationery. Who knows? We all endured plenty of thin lips and long suffering sighs about wasted food and inadequate critique of the book. And whose fault is it that membership in the Agathas is down from thirteen to eight? Physician, heal thyself.
Her Midge-ness worked through most of her ire by bossing the living daylights out of poor Wilson. That woman is a nervous wreck. I wonder what’s eating her? Jelly says Robert hardly lets Wilson go anywhere except Book Club and yoga classes at the Community Center, poor thing. Jelly’s the nosiest gossip in Oakwood, but this time I’m glad she said something. When you get home let’s try to coax Wilson out for a day with the girls, okay? I think she could use a friend before she does something desperate.
You missed a great presentation. We read the new Stephanie Plum mystery; it’s hilarious, but that’s not the best part. Kitty was presenting, and she has this unexpected flair for the dramatic. She showed up wearing about forty pounds of jewelry—okay, not that unusual. But then she dramatized a chapter from the book, playing all the characters. When she started in as Grandma Mazur, I nearly wet my pants! Picture our posh, sophisticated snobby fashionista waddling around with a huge purse over one arm, talking in a New Jersey rasp and swearing a blue streak. It was brilliant. Even Reggie stopped drinking long enough to pay attention for once. Lindy and I decided it was the best Agathas meeting ever. Sorry, girlfriend. Not trying to make you jealous (but you totally should be).
Although when Q&A turned to a discussion of murder by strangulation, I was ready to bail out. Seriously, a couple of people seemed way too into it. Are we weird for loving murder so much?
My dad’s recovering from his latest stroke, but it’s a slow process. Lawrence has officially moved into the small bedroom, because Daddy’s probably never going to get out of that wheelchair.
That was unbelievably difficult to write. It’s as if putting it into words makes it real. I don’t know what I’d do without Lawrence. The man is an absolute rock, and he loves his former Coach almost as much as I do. Poor Daddy. He struggles so hard to make himself understood. We’re starting with a new speech therapist next week, so hopefully that helps.
I miss you. Can’t believe you’re going to be gone another two weeks. L
Guess who I saw yesterday? I was working on my world famous display window which, as you know, has an excellent view of the Safety Building. Up pulls a squad car, lights but no sirens. First he gets out, followed by a uniformed officer escorting an extremely sketchy guy in handcuffs. Detective Marcus Trenault was in full cop mode, striding around like he owns the entire street, barking orders and generally fulfilling expectations. Not that this sleepy burg offers much in the way of crime for a former Chicago homicide hotshot.
No, he didn’t see me. And no, I’m not going to comment on his appearance, except to say that the man needs a haircut. Although it did strike me that he was working awfully hard at not glancing across the street. It was probably my imagination. STOP. If you just said “…or wishful thinking…” I’m going to punch your miniature Italian lights out when you get back. And then I’m going to make you treat me to lunch at Central Perc.
Speaking of my window, Heddy and I picked up some amazing finds for Old Hat at an estate sale in Springfield this weekend. I hit the mother lode on jewelry, and not a moment too soon. My vintage inventory definitely needed some fresh bling, especially with the big reunion this fall.
Holy crow, I forgot you missed the announcement at Book Club! You’ll never believe what Midge is up to now. She’s spearheading an Oakwood High School multiclass reunion, proceeds to benefit the Education Foundation. Talk about the devil and idle hands. But wait until you hear the theme. It’s Decades. Everyone’s supposed to dress in vintage wear to honor the school’s 100 year history. Can you believe it? I’m going to make a fortune.
What’s odd is that the party’s being held inside the school. Midge insisted, backed up by Wilson, of all people. They claim the nostalgia of walking the hallowed halls will loosen purse strings. Personally I think that old mausoleum is too spooky to be festive. It’s got more dead ends, shadowy hallways and staircases than Hogwarts. Hardly a gala setting. If you ask me, it looks more like a potential crime scene.
Crap, it’s nearly midnight. I’d better sign off. Some of us have to work for a living. Hugs and kisses to John, as well as to any eligible male cousins. Inability to speak English isn’t necessarily a deal breaker.
Love you for reals,
Charley
About The Author
Leslie Nagel is a writer and teacher of writing at a local community college. Her debut novel, “The BookClub Murders“, is the first in the Oakwood Mystery Series. Leslie lives in the all too real city of Oakwood, Ohio, where murders are rare but great stories lie thick on the ground. After the written word, her passions include her husband, her son and daughter, hiking, tennis and strong black coffee, not necessarily in that order.
Author Links
- Webpage –http://www.leslienagel.com/
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LeslieNagelAuthor/
- Twitter – https://twitter.com/@leslie_nagel
- Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/leslie_nagel/
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Are Elite College Courses Better?
– The public — and heck, many people in higher education — widely assume prestigious colleges and universities provide the best quality education. That’s why employers often want to hire their graduates and why many parents want their children to attend them.
And the assumption partially explains the fascination from the media and others in recent years with massive open online courses from Harvard and Stanford and other elite universities: the courses were believed, rightly or wrongly, to be of higher quality than all other online courses precisely because they came from name-brand institutions.
But what if the richest and best-known colleges and universities don’t provide the highest-quality education?
Continue reading “Are Elite College Courses Better?”
And the assumption partially explains the fascination from the media and others in recent years with massive open online courses from Harvard and Stanford and other elite universities: the courses were believed, rightly or wrongly, to be of higher quality than all other online courses precisely because they came from name-brand institutions.
But what if the richest and best-known colleges and universities don’t provide the highest-quality education?
Continue reading “Are Elite College Courses Better?”
The Secret to Better Learning That Most People Don’t Know: Interleaving
Mixing up your learning can lead to massive gains, a new study of academic performance reveals.
For years now ‘interleaving’ has been a secret largely confined to researchers.
Interleaving means practising or learning different skills in quick succession.
When interleaving, tennis players might practice forehands, backhands and volleys altogether.
Interleaving for musicians could mean practising scales, arpeggios and chords all in the same session.
It’s quite a different method to how people normally learn.
Tennis players typically focus on forehands for a session and musicians on scales for a session.
The benefits have been shown in studies of motor skills:
“…college baseball players practiced hitting three types of pitches (e.g. curve ball) that were either blocked by type or systematically interleaved.
During a subsequent test in which the three types of pitches were interleaved (as in an actual game), hitting performance was greater if practice had been interleaved rather than blocked.
A similar benefit was observed in a study of basketball shooting…” (Taylor & Rohrer, 2010)
A new study, though, shows the dramatic benefits of interleaving on children’s performance at math.
For the research some kids were taught math the usual way.
They learned one mathematical technique in a lesson and then practised it.
A second group, however, were given assignments which included questions requiring different techniques.
The results were impressive.
On a test one day later, the students who’d been using the interleaving method did 25% better.
But, when tested a month later, the interleaving method did 76% better.
That’s quite an increase given that both groups had been learning for the same amount of time.
The only difference was that some learned block by block and others had their learning mixed up.
One of the potential drawbacks of the technique is that it can feel harder at first.
Instead of concentrating on one skill at a time, you have to work on two or more.
But interleaving probably works because it forces the mind to work harder.
Instead of relying on learning a system and sticking with it, the mind has to keep searching and reaching for solutions.
The research was published in the Journal of Educational Psychology(Rohrer et al., 2015).
from PsyBlog http://bit.ly/2co2Lt6
Improve your writing by typing with one hand
Forcing yourself to type slower could improve the quality of your writing, a new study finds.
Participants in the study who typed with only one hand produced higher quality essays, researchers found.
Mr Srdan Medimorec, the study’s lead author, said:
“Typing can be too fluent or too fast, and can actually impair the writing process.
It seems that what we write is a product of the interactions between our thoughts and the tools we use to express them.”
People who type quickly may use the first word that comes to hand.
Slowing down allows the mind more time to find the right word.
This could be why forcing yourself to slow down a little improves the sophistication of vocabulary used.
Professor Evan F. Risko, who co-authored the study, said:
“This is the first study to show that when you interfere with people’s typing, their writing can get better.
We’re not saying that students should write their term papers with one hand, but our results show that going fast can have its drawbacks.
This is important to consider as writing tools continue to emerge that let us get our thoughts onto the proverbial page faster and faster.”
Slowing down your writing could help writing quality no matter what input method is used, the authors think.
The same trick could benefit people using pen-and-paper or even speech-to-text.
Slowing down too much, though, can be detrimental.
When people slow to below the rate of normal handwriting, their quality gets worse, previous research suggests.
The study was published in the British Journal of Psychology (Medimorec & Risko, 2016).
from PsyBlog http://bit.ly/2c0lDKV
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Author Interview: Cassidy Salem, Dying for Data
>>>Enter to win a copy of Dying for Data (Kindle or paperback, US only)<<<
Bad karma, a rival suitor, and a deadly attack are enough to put a damper on any date.
“My head throbbed the next morning and did a nifty spinning trick when I first stepped out of bed. I sat down and took a few deep breaths before heading into the bathroom. The image that greeted me in the mirror was scarier than usual — bloodshot eyes embellished by remnants of the mascara I had neglected to remove the night before. My face was covered in soap when my phone rang. It was only 8:55. No one who knows me would ever call that early on a weekend unless it was important. A quick splash and wipe move later, I grabbed my phone.”
Just when Adina’s social life is looking up, her night out is interrupted by the scream of police sirens. Afraid her bartender boyfriend might be accused of murder, Adina’s neighbor enlists her assistance, and in the process exposes her to the seamier side of illegal immigration and crime in the city. Hard as she tries to limit her involvement, the more Adina learns, the more she needs to know – until a case of mistaken identity lands her in hot water. Will she uncover the truth before it’s too late?
Q: Cassidy, welcome to Island Confidential! Can you tell us a little about your protagonist?
A: Adina Donati is a young college graduate living in Washington D.C. She works at the illustrious Drake Institute, or the DIPPeR, which is a think tank that focuses on policy trends. It’s not what she dreamed of doing when she went to college, but the job market is tough. She loves dogs and gets her “warm puppy fix” by volunteering at a local dog rescue center a couple times a week. She puts her research skills to good use in helping a nice detective solve a series of murder investigations.
Q: How much of you is in Adina?
A: Adina is a fictional character. That said, we do share a few quirks – her incredibly loud sneeze and terrible eating habits, to name a few. And I do love dogs.
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A: The core characters and the relationships between them evolve as the series progresses, in Adina’s workplace, at the dog rescue and in her love life.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
A: Believe it or not, no. I may have fantasized about killing a few people over time, but have never put characters from real life into my fiction.
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: The series is set in Washington, D.C., and I have tried to keep descriptions of the city and well known locations as true to life as possible. Of course, I have taken a few liberties in creating settings (parks, restaurants, and such) that are entirely fictional.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: I’ll be so thrilled I wouldn’t know who to suggest. Maybe a younger version of Natalie Portman as Adina, a younger and shorter version of David Krumholtz as Jonathan, and Derek Theler as Bruce.
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: Worst – avoid using adjectives and adverbs. Well, if there is a stronger word or verb, go for it. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes those modifiers add necessary color to the story. Everything in moderation. Best – network with other authors (you’re not alone and you can learn a lot) and don’t rush to publish. Always take the time to have your document properly edited and proofread.
About The Author
Cassidy Salem has always been an avid reader. She is especially fond of mysteries (both cozy and traditional) and police procedurals. Cassidy also enjoys reading historical fiction focused on American and world history, as well as the classics. When she’s not reading, she enjoys music and spending time with family and friends, and travels with her husband and son whenever possible. Her travels have taken her to destinations throughout the United States, Europe, and Scandinavia.
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