August 2, 2023 • 36 mins
Join Wendy H Jones as she engages in a fascinating conversation with Lynn Random, a seasoned volunteer and expert in the field of search and rescue. With a rich background in advertising, marketing, and public relations, Lynn brings a unique perspective to this critical area of community service. Her stories are riveting; from volunteering with local canine search and rescue to gracing writers' conferences as a guest speaker, Lynn inspires as she shares her wealth of knowledge.
This episode covers more than you could ever imagine about search and rescue. Lynn unravels the world of search and rescue operations, detailing the specific roles of dogs, providing insights into their training, and even unveiling the need for articles like clothing or a hairbrush in operations. What's more? You'll hear intriguing stories about search and rescue dogs, including a captivating account of how eight dog teams were instrumental in a water search for a deceased person.
But this episode isn't just about search and rescue; it's about community service, it's about writing gripping narratives, and it's about understanding the significance of these aspects in crime stories. As Lynn shares her journey from being an advertising professional to being involved in search and rescue, we gain insights into the importance of giving back to the community. She also provides valuable advice for those interested in this field and authors seeking to write compelling search and rescue storylines. So, whether you're an author, an enthusiast, or someone simply intrigued by the world of search and rescue, sit back and take in an hour of captivating insights from an industry expert.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi and welcome to the Writing and Marketing Show
brought to you by author Wendy HJones.
This show does exactly what itsays on the tin.
It's jam-packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news
to help you with the business ofwriting.
It's all wrapped up in onelively podcast.
So it's time to get on with theshow.
(00:23):
Welcome to episode 184 of theWriting and Marketing Show with
author entrepreneur Wendy HJones.
And what a show we have for you.
Today I'm going to be talkingabout search and rescue and
different types of search andrescue, including Cadover search
and rescue Today with authorLynn Random, and I am very much
(00:47):
looking forward to that.
It sounds like a fascinatingsubject and I can't wait to dig
into it Again.
Another short interview becauseI'm recording back-to-back
interviews while I get ready togo to the States, because I want
things to be ready.
When we get to the States, andwhen you listen to this, I will
be on a train on the way fromWashington DC to Virginia.
(01:11):
I'll be on an Amtrak train, soI'll be listening to it in
America and I cannot wait forthat either.
It's getting very exciting.
There's lots of events whileI'm out there.
One of the ones I'mparticularly looking forward to
is getting witchy with it.
In Salem, massachusetts, inSeptember and it's the 17th of
September I will be doing a booksigning up there and I cannot
(01:33):
wait.
I can't wait to see Boston, Ican't wait to see Salem and I
can't wait for some nice warmsun, although they are having it
really tough out there.
So for all my friends inAmerica and Europe that are
listening to this, I am sorryyou're having such a tough time
in a heatwave, but we're nothaving any sort of heatwave in
Dundee.
It's warm-ish, it's sunny, butthe clouds come over, the rain
(01:57):
comes down, it gets a bit sunnyagain.
But we're not here to discussthe weather, but I just feel
sorry for the people that aresweltering it out in 100 degrees
.
That must be tough.
But I'm very much lookingforward to getting over there
and getting some sun, as well asdoing some book signings and
meeting new readers.
Before we I introduce LynnRandom.
(02:18):
I would like to say it's anabsolute pleasure to do this
show every week.
I do it willingly and I lovespending time with you.
However, it does take time outof my writing time.
So if you would like to supportthe show, you can do so by
going to patreoncom forwardslash wendy h jones and
supporting me for three dollarsa month and that's the price of
(02:38):
a tear coffee per month and Iwould be very grateful and it
would let me know that you wantme to continue with the show and
we're heading up for four yearsof the show soon, in January.
So it would be great if youknow it could continue after
that, because I am loving it andwe've got some amazing, amazing
(02:59):
interviews lined up for you,some amazing shows.
So what of Lynn?
Well, I met Lynn through theSisters in Crime Organization
because we're both sisters and Imean sisters in crime, not in
real life so and it wasdelightful to meet her and when
I found out that she did searchand rescue, I just knew I had to
(03:20):
interview her for the show.
So Lynn Random has an over 40years experience in advertising,
marketing and public relationsand is recognized in who's who
as an industry leader ininternational marketing.
Lynn has been a frequent guestspeaker at National and Regional
Writers Conferences Sister inCrime, romance Writers of
America, the Florida WritersAssociation, the Mystery Writers
(03:42):
of America and is a formerboard member of the Florida's
Publisher Association.
Her romance novels offerreaders spintingling suspense,
action-packed excitement andcharacters that sparkle with
intensity and emotion.
Reviews state over and overthat her novels are fresh, with
multi-layered plots.
Lynn joined the local caninesearch and rescue after 9-11 and
(04:05):
has trained and worked as avolunteer in her local area.
Her dog hunter was a cad of herdog.
In addition, lynn lives withher husband and four dogs in
Central Florida.
Her pastimes are reading,writing and enjoying nature a
woman after my own heart.
So, without further ado, let'sget on with the show and hear
from Lynn, and we have Lynn withus.
(04:28):
Welcome Lynn.
How are you today?
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Good morning.
I'm doing fine speaking to youfrom beautiful Central Florida.
I'm about 40 minutes from WaltDisney World, so went out on
Sunday night and watched one ofthe Starlink satellite launches
from our living room.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So yeah, well from outside our house.
Yeah, I'm not jealous in theslightest, not me, oh, I'm so
jealous.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
you're in Scotland, my goodness.
Who isn't jealous?
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Well, yeah, everybody always wants to be somewhere.
They're not Now.
I believe today you're wearingsomething very special just for
our show, which I'm very excitedabout.
Can you tell the listeners?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yes, so today we're going to talk about search and
rescue and search and recovery.
So this is about finding a liveor a person who is no longer
with us, and so we're going totalk about that.
If you have something in yourbook or you are personally
interested as I becameinterested in search and rescue,
you know then I'm going to giveyou some good basic information
(05:30):
and, of course, you can contactWendy on her website for
additional information and she'swelcome to get in touch with me
with any of your personalquestions.
Happy to help.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much forjoining us.
It really is.
I know you're a busy lady, sotaking time out to help me, to
help all of us, is really kindof you.
So I'm really curious and Iwant to start with this because
how did you become involved insearch and rescue?
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I have been a volunteer person all my life,
giving back, giving service tothe community, and for many,
many years I was involved in BoyScouts of America, which began
in England and in the UK, andwhat happened was my son became
an Eagle Scout and was on hisway to college, and about that
(06:20):
time it was the time of 9 11.
And I was very intrigued by thesearch and rescue jobs and,
knowing that I'd already workedwith dogs and horses in various
capacities, I thought this wasthe new.
You know, this was something Icould do.
And once I got into it one stepfurther, it's like there are
people that will do rescue andpeople who do recovery, and you
(06:43):
have to be of a predispositionto do recovery.
The reason is because when yougo out to find someone who has
passed, they're not going to bein a solid form leaning against
the tree.
There's various stages, so youhave to be mentally prepared for
that.
So there was a big, real needfor that and I want to give a
shout out this morning, while Iwas preparing for our meeting
(07:06):
this morning, to the wonderfuland very active search and
rescue community Sardis ofScotland, and the search and
rescue dog association ofScotland is a Scottish charity
which trains dogs and theirhandlers to search for missing
persons.
Sardis is a part of theScottish mountain rescue team, a
(07:26):
group of dog handlers.
They support the mountainrescue team in search for
missing people and, of course,also work with police, and all
the volunteers are handlers.
So if you're looking, if you'rein Scotland or anywhere in the
world and this is of interest toyou, contact your local search
and rescue team.
I can assure you hands downthat you're going to find people
(07:47):
that are going to be very youknow, very pleased that you're
there and very pleased to helpyou.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Excellent, that is really good advice.
Thank you, and for thoselistening elsewhere in the UK,
there will be a one in Englandand Wales and Ireland as well, I
can absolutely assure you.
So thank you for that.
That was really interesting.
But I'm curious can you tell usabout what search and rescue
dog teams do?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
There's two basic types of search and rescue dog
teams.
One is search and rescue.
These dogs are searched for alive person.
So, for instance, a missingchild who's wandered away from a
camp in Alzheimer's patients,someone with dementia it could
be something that wants to maybedo bodily harm to themselves,
(08:36):
it could be, you know, they'remissing on a hike.
So we are the search and rescueteam looks for live people.
Search and recovery we'relooking for the remains of a
human and you're also.
These dogs are search dogs.
Recovery dogs are referred to ascadaver dogs and that's what my
dog was.
She was a cadaver dog and I wasspecifically trained for that.
(08:59):
I got her at age 12 weeks andwe weren't sure until she was
almost a year old that she couldhandle the scent of cadaver,
because it does smell different.
Not all dogs of search andrescue dogs, not all dogs are
cadaver dogs.
And she was a golden retrieverand again, that breed is
predispositions and she was ableto accept it.
(09:21):
And then I too had to bepsychologically prepared for the
type of find you know thatwould be in my path.
So there's two types there'ssearch and recovery and search
and rescue.
Our search and rescue teamalways trained twice a month,
and we did so in the hopes thatwe'd never be called, you know,
(09:44):
for an actual live search.
We hope everyone was safe.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah, I can imagine nobody wants to be doing it for
real because it's such ahorrific thing to have to do,
but it's necessary and we aregrateful that there are people
that and dogs who are willing todo it and other different types
of search and rescue teams.
But are there, you know, arethere different types of search
(10:10):
dogs?
Are some dogs more suited to?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
it than others.
Yes, they are, and very quickly.
If you're looking for a searchdog, you want one with a long
nose.
Brought my little model todayBecause what happens is when
they smell it goes up into thecirculatory sensory glands.
To that and with the bloodhoundthey have the ears and it
almost works like a cone towhere it drives up the scent.
(10:38):
So that's why they're the goldstandard.
But so the types of?
So you want to go the dogs, thepugs, the bus interiors, the
English bulldogs with shortsnouts.
They don't have that range tototally adapt to the scent.
So that's why you want a dogwith a with a longer nose, and
they don't have to be abloodhound, they can be any type
(11:00):
of dog, as long as they're.
You know they have a long noseto do that.
But there's the types of dogs.
There's tracking and trailingdogs.
Those are the dogs that peopleare most see, mostly on
television and in movies.
You know that those are thedogs that either walk on top of
the scent or they walk to theside of the scent.
(11:22):
I want to interject right atthis moment that what happens is
we have about 3,000 littlecells on our body.
If I were to walk from here tothe door and back.
I will discard these littleskin particles and that's what
the dogs are picking up on.
Their sense of smell is sostrong we don't smell it, but
(11:46):
the dogs are able to sense andthat's the track that they
follow.
So there's tracking and trailingdogs.
There's cadaver dogs, which Imentioned.
These dogs are speciallytrained and are adaptable to the
scent of remains.
There's air-sensing dogs, waterrecovery dogs, and how they
work is if they know there is abody, if you will, in a lake.
(12:09):
What happens is the cells andthe scent rises up to the water.
But when it hits the water it'smoving.
There's wind and these dogskind of, you know, they pick up
on that scent and they willalert and drive the owner to.
You know, as in pointing youknow that they're most excited.
(12:29):
They follow that scent to findwhere they might be able to
recover remains.
Now the so that's water recoverydogs.
There's avalanche dogs thatdefine skiers in 15 foot of snow
.
When they see they'll go down.
And all of these dogs are veryplay-driven, you know they're
very, very, very active dogs.
(12:52):
So you know that's the type ofbreed that comes with them.
Dogs are able to do thisbecause they have over two
million scent receptacles inthere when they take in a scent
or a smell, and we have likefive million.
So they have 200 million.
So they have a lot more thanyou know, than we do, of course.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Wow, that is fascinating, Seriously.
I'm learning so much today andyou think you know about Search
and Rescue oh, the dogs go out,but you don't really, because so
much goes into it in thebackground and knowing how they
do it is really interesting.
I'm sure this sort of thing forthe crime writers that listen
(13:38):
to my show and I know there area lot of them because I'm in
Sisters in Crime, as are you weare sisters in crime and this
sort of information isabsolutely vital.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It's important to get it right.
I was watching one of the CSIshows on television, just
literally screaming at the TVbecause they had like three
search dogs running back andforth right behind them and the
dogs weren't really, theyweren't national, they weren't
national Nesar certified, youknow.
You could really tell they werejust out there for a walk or
(14:14):
enjoying it, and eventually, twoor three minutes later they
found a body about four footaway.
And I was just screaming at theTV.
I was like, oh my gosh, any dogworth its grip would have
smelled the scent there.
And just they had it all wrong.
So I think it's important.
It adds.
It adds, you know, integrity toan author's writing, to get the
(14:37):
facts right.
I know I certainly, with all ofmy books I always go that extra
mile to make sure that theinformation is correct, because
it also helps people that areinterested in search and rescue.
So but if anyone has aparticular question, they're
welcome to ask me about it andI'll be happy to say no, that
wouldn't happen.
(14:57):
But may I suggest this?
So or yes, that sounds spot on.
So yeah.
That's really a challenge.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
So I know we've talked about what the search and
rescue teams do, but can youexplain the different types of
searches?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Well, there's different types of searches and
the dogs are trained ondifferent arrays and for
specific tasks.
For instance, in my own city,here in Orlando, florida,
there's an urban search andrescue team.
I did not participate in thatand, but they go in and they
search for human survivors.
If a building is collapsed or,you know, if something had
(15:37):
happened to you know they wereexpected to also in a particular
area, they'd want to findpeople and those are urban
disaster search dogs.
I did wilderness search andrescue dogs and we looked, as I
said, for hypers and childrenwho'd wandered a right way from
the campsite.
And then there's air-sensingdogs, the water recovery dogs.
(15:58):
You know, as I mentioned, andyou know so there's different
type of dogs.
It's like my husband says getthe right tool for the job.
You know so, you.
So, while some dogs can becross-trained in search and
rescue and search and recovery,most dogs are trained in a
particular modality.
The hunting breeds, as Imentioned, are actually the best
(16:20):
.
These dogs are bloodhounds,german shorthaired pointers,
golden retrievers, and in ourgroup we even had a couple of
beagles.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Oh, my goodness, beagles, you had to be involved.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Oh yeah, it was very cute and I see the dogs.
There were two of them and theywere very aggressive, but when
they got on the scent theyhowled, and not that I'd ever
want to be lost, but if I everwanted to be lost I certainly
wanted it to be by a beagle or ahappy golden retriever, then
maybe a rottweiler or something.
(16:56):
They were delightful dogs.
Any dog can be trained and anydog at any age can be trained.
Ideally you want to work withdogs from.
I started my dog at 12 weeksold, their ideal age of when
they go through all theircertification, the
hemiplegosophia certification.
You're looking at about two,age two to about age seven.
After that time they can stillhave, they turn into wonderful
(17:22):
pets and they can go out andmaybe assist.
But when you're talking abouthuman life, it's very critical
that you have a dog in the peakarea, prime of their life, just
as you would want a person thatis in peak condition going out
and searching for a loved one.
I've had people come up.
You have to be careful what yousay to people during a search
(17:45):
because they always say well,you go out and find Uncle Joe
and you can't say, you can'tgive an authoritative response.
You have to say somethinglighter because you can't give
any false hope.
If you would, you want to goout and find them and hopefully
you're going to find that rescueand be able to bring them home.
(18:06):
My go-to statement is whenpeople came up to me and said
well, you find my husband for meand tears in their eyes just
clutching me, and I would sayGod knows where they are and I
pray every day that we're goingto get directed to that location
.
But you have to understand thedogs and go through the training
(18:27):
.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, I mean, that's it really is.
You don't realize just how muchgoes into it and the specifics
of it all you know.
I'm wondering are you allowedto share any stories, or is that
not possible?
Speaker 2 (18:43):
There's some that I'm not able to and of course I
would discuss those, but I wouldlike to share a story about a
water recovery, and thishappened right after I joined.
I was not on the search but Iwas very aware of it.
But there were eight dog teamsand I remember the location was
up in Georgia and they knew thata deceased person was in a body
(19:06):
of water and that they knewthat it was in a bottom mile
Well, they had eight dog teamson some flat boats and some air
boats and things and they allwent out into this body of water
, spreading out throughout theentire mile, and all of a sudden
all of the dogs started tolearn.
So they know everybody waslooking at because one, you know
(19:29):
they were up to a mile or twomile, you know, away from the
people.
Well, what we found out laterwas that in we had an American
Civil War in 1860, 1864.
And some of the dead were putinto coffins and buried up on
this little hill overlooking thestream.
(19:50):
As the 140 years or so haspassed, what happened was the
caskets that they were put indisintegrated as the parts of
the bone and went down to thewater system, went down into the
stream and all of these dogs inthis one mile area were
alerting at the same time.
(20:11):
Oh gosh.
So that I mean that these dogsare absolutely amazing and you
know, we've, you know peoplehave lost children, were able to
find them, and I'd like toshare with anyone listening
right now that if they have achild you know that they're
concerned with or they love, oryou know, or certainly a toddler
(20:35):
, get a piece of plastic baggie,you know, don't touch it, but
put your hand in a plastic likea baggie, get some gauze, take
the dogs, rub it on the child'stummy and then take that and put
it into a plastic baggie, sealit up and put it in the plastic
baggie and you know, 10 years,if the child decides he wants to
(20:56):
run away from home, or you know, or you're concerned about, you
can go, take that, that out and, and you know, let the dog
slanted and, like the doctor I'mnot making Senate and then
making the child from there.
(21:16):
Wow, what a fantastic tip Sure,and most, most people, most of
and of course, I'm aware ofpeople going out and, you know,
getting lost and things likethat Most realize that you're
all stuck and have a tree.
Don't try to refine where youare.
Most people, by the way, I alsofound within three, you know
(21:38):
three, within miles of wherethey were last seen.
So you know.
So that's always a good to know, so, but we would need to to
bond a set.
We would need to have anarticle of clothing, maybe a t
shirt or something that thepeople have worn, and also a
hairbrush will go.
Any of those things that don'twill pick up on the inside.
(21:59):
Wow, yeah, yeah.
It's pretty amazing what theseanimals are able to do.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
It really is.
Wow, I'm learning so much today.
So what's involved in becominga search and rescue dog handler?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Well, I want to state , just like the starter does all
of the people who help out andvolunteer are volunteers and
each dog and handler needs, inthe US anyway, 600 hours of
training to get their nationalsearch and rescue certificate.
And is a pretty rigoroustraining.
(22:33):
Plus you get additionaltraining, especially with on top
of what you are involved in.
So, for instance, I was alsotaught in first aid and CPR and
you know there might be hazmattraining.
There's some navigationtraining that you're doing,
water recovery, you want to beable to swim, maybe scuba, you
(22:56):
know.
So you have to.
You know all of the equipmentyou know are donated and brought
by the person who is interestedin and working with search and
rescue.
And if you don't have a dog,you're welcome just to show up,
because I know when I was doingit, we were always looking for
volunteers to come in and wewould just take a little piece
(23:19):
of dogs and rub it on the personand then they would go off into
the woods and hide or somewherewhere they were at, and then
the dog we'd let the dogs go outand find them.
So they were, you know, justvery pleasant to do that.
But you also have to read yourdogs and, as I said, we used to
train twice a month.
I never had to use it.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Excellent, I mean, that's again, you know the
insights.
Brilliant, because for writersI mean, but it's interesting
anyway.
Over and above that, it'sfascinating, it really is.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Please let your listeners know that national for
in the US anyway nationalsearch and rescue.
We won't inject ourselves intoa law enforcement investigation,
we just don't.
It's in our bylaws.
And then sometimes you knowthere's somebody's got a
bloodhound or dog it smelledgood, you know, and he'll go
down there and if he's nottrained he's liable to take law
(24:21):
enforcement.
You know, around the around themoon and you know, and so you
have to have make sure that thedogs are certified, you know, in
their training in order to havethe ability to do this.
But yeah, people will get theirdogs.
You need to go through training, you know, in order to be able
to facilitate, you know, searchand rescue.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah, that's good.
That's a good tip actually.
Thank you.
So if a listener was interestedin helping with such investment
, where would they start?
I'm sorry, if a listener one ofmy listeners was interested in
following this path, where wouldthey start?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Well, the first thing that I would do is um for a uh
and uh.
There's also going to be lotsof stories and information.
I'm so sorry.
My dogs are barking in thebackground.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
There's no worries.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I gave them all chewing, but when we started,
just so this wouldn't happen.
Um, but but anyway, um, thejoin us at local search and
rescue.
Either as a volunteer you canvolunteer to go out and search,
uh, or you know you can show upwith a dog, uh, and and just,
and they will help you trainthat dog.
So the people are verywonderful in this organization.
(25:40):
They're always looking forrecruits.
So, uh, again, if I uh, one ofthe things you want to do as a
writer is is to just follow aprocedure.
So, for instance, let's saythere's a lost child that's out,
that is lost, so uh, and you've, the parents have already
called and exhausted the friendsand places that the child might
(26:02):
go, and then you can bring inlaw enforcement.
Then you also want things likegetting a, a poster or something
of the child and do anorganized search.
And, uh, you know, and go doorto door.
And then, of course, you canstart with a search on rescue
dog, you know as well, and getthe team to come as well, or you
know, simply playing, how to doit.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
So yeah, Okay, If an author had has a search and
rescue storyline, can you giveus some tips on how they can
write it?
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Well, um, it's really a kind of a show, don't tell
kind of person.
So again, what I would do is tois to have somebody, uh, pair
it, you know, a search andrescue team, so that they can
actually watch the dog work.
And again, there's differenttypes of of of law, so, um, but
(26:58):
anyway, so there's differenttypes of searches that they can
get on.
So getting getting it's allright, don't?
Speaker 1 (27:05):
worry.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
I'm just anticipating , yeah, but anyway, um, so so
that would be one thing.
Another thing would be, uh, totake a look at their writing and
your first criteria is who isthe victim who is missing?
Who do you need to find?
Uh, why do you need to findthem?
Is there an urgency?
And they're also, uh, as awriter myself, I would.
(27:29):
You can increase the urgency,like, for instance, as the child
of the person needs some asthmamedicine or something, because
when you create urgency, thenthen you can do that, and so
just, you know, basically goingout there and getting that
information, then they couldwrite about it.
Um, dogs are very successful infinding, uh, someone, um,
(27:51):
however, um, I'm going to saythis anyway Uh, for instance, if
we I've been on trails wherewe've followed people and then
they, then they get to a certainarea and the scent is gone, and
so it could be because theyboarded a bus, it could be
because they, uh, we hit water.
You know, there could beextenuating circumstances as to
(28:12):
why the dog, you know, doesn'tdo it, but the dogs, dogs are
correct, you know they will,they will find, you know what
they need.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Okay, well, so we've talked about you know the tips
that we can write them well.
Are there any specific pitfallsto avoid when writing search
and rescue scenes in a book or ashort story?
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I would say getting it right.
You know, because if you uh dosome searches, uh, you know, I
mean I've seen things on TV andwhen you, when a author or a
writer takes that step and theyget the information wrong,
they've probably lost allcredibility.
So you know, and and a lot ofpeople will never return to read
(28:55):
another book or novel orarticle from them again.
So, uh, getting the informationright is critical.
Now you can, uh, as a, as aauthor myself, you know you can
take a certain scenario and kindof tweak it a little bit.
You know, for your characters,uh, you know, to adjust it to
(29:17):
fit your storyline.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Yeah, excellent, so can you please tell us about
your own books?
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I've got 15 books so far.
I'll have three more this year.
I write in three genres.
One, my new age genre, includesreincarnation.
It includes court cutting.
It includes, you know, the lawof attraction, but the way I do
it is through energy andvisualization.
I have five books that areromantic suspense.
(29:52):
There's one paranormal in therewhich I'm rewriting right now,
and then I also have anothergroup of marketing books on how
to write a book, how to you knowand how to market a book.
I came to the table with a wholelot of information.
You know I was nationaldirector of an international
(30:12):
advertising agency and I handledaccounts worldwide hotels,
resorts, theme parks.
You know very multi-milliondollar, you know entities, and
so when I converted over towriting full-time, that's when I
got into you know the differentgenres and you know, and I took
(30:35):
my writing.
But I also found out that somany writers come from different
backgrounds, equally importantTo mine.
You know there have beenteachers, there have been all
sorts of things, and they cometo the table.
So that's why I'm, you know,just want to make sure everybody
gets the information correct.
But I write romantic suspense,marketing books for new age
(30:58):
entrepreneurs and authors aswell, and my passion these days,
as I know it is yours is toencourage authors, you know, to
write and deliver their dreams.
I spent 40 years and my wasvery well compensated, but
unfortunately it wasn't whatbrought me joy.
What brought me joy was beingthe writer and of course, today
(31:19):
it's helping people write.
So, yeah, depending on what aparticular author is interested
in, I would think that they'remostly crime dramas, you know.
But you can bring the dogs outand just contact your local
search and rescue team.
Canine search and rescue team.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Excellent, thank you.
I know we do talk a lot andI've done a lot about crime, but
you can use searching rescuescenes in other as well, like in
a romance, a child could gomissing, you know they've
wandered off, and you knowliterary fiction or historical
fiction, although again, withhistorical fiction you'd have to
(31:59):
get it right because you'd haveto think about when searching
rescue with dogs actuallystarted.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
You know, as a whole other scenario, Search and
rescue actually became, wentthrough a period of growth in
the 1980s because of the Mexicanbuilding collapses due to the
earthquake, and that's what thestandard was raised.
However, if someone's writing astory, novel, about a child or
(32:28):
a gasoline distress or anyoneyou know, they can bring in.
You know dogs have had thiscapability since the beginning
of time.
They've been our companions aswe've hunted and you know they
certainly can.
You know if you have a set theycan probably, you know,
understand that you need to find, you know the child at the
(32:49):
house so you know they can lookthat.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So so my very final question is, as always where can
my listeners find out moreabout you and your books?
Speaker 2 (33:01):
They can find more about me on my website, which is
when randomcom.
I sell my books exclusively onAmazon and I do have my own
search and rescue book probablywe'll get to it next year called
Cold River Murders.
I'll have that, but most of allmy books can be found over
(33:24):
there and of course, I'mdelighted to help anyone you
know answer with any questionsof search and rescue or any of
the expertise that I have.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much, Lynn.
This has been fascinating, Oneof the most interesting
interviews I've done.
I think I've got a greatinsight and I certainly shall be
using your information in mysearch and rescue endeavors in
my books.
Not that I've always got themin every book, but when I do,
I'll certainly know what to do.
(33:53):
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Yeah, and I would just like to encourage everyone
to join your Facebook page andalso, you know and you can reach
me on that page, so if you havequestions about that, you can
certainly ask me a question.
I'm over there and I'd be veryhappy to answer any questions on
behalf of the group and Windowsgroup.
And it's wonderful, encouraging, exciting Facebook page
(34:21):
Everybody's lovely.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
If anybody wants to know what group we're talking
about, it's women, editors,agents and publishers on
Facebook.
So thank you, Lynn.
It's a very I have to say it'sa good group.
Everybody's very helpful andthat's where I found out that
you did search and rescue andhence the interview, and people
are kind because you agreed tocome on the show.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
I've done a lot of this.
Happy to it anytime, and asthese books come out, you want
to know about ghosts.
I'm rewriting it.
I'm hoping for an Octoberrelease, but you know very, very
comfortable talking aboutghosts.
When you get up my age, youhave a tendency to acquire a lot
of skills.
So I didn't have these in my30s, but I'm somewhat
(35:04):
knowledgeable now.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much andenjoy the rest of your day.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
Thank you so much for having me Such a pleasure and
if you have a search and rescuestory, contact your local search
and rescue and, of course, ifit's a specific question, I'd be
happy to help you.
You can help me on Wendy'sFacebook page.
Thank you, thank you Bye.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
That brings us to the end of another show.
It was really good to have youon the show with me today.
I'm Wendy H Jones and you canfind me at wendahjjonescom.
You can also find me on Patreon, where you can support me for
as little as $3 a month, whichis less than the price of a tea
or coffee.
(35:49):
You go to wwwpatreoncom,forward, slash wendahjjones.
I'm also Wendy H Jones onFacebook, twitter, instagram and
Pinterest.
Thank you for joining me todayand I hope you found it both
useful and interesting.
Join me next week when I willhave another cracking guest for
you.
Until then, have a good weekand keep writing, keep reading
(36:15):
and keep learning.
Hi and welcome to the Writing and Marketing Show
brought to you by author Wendy HJones.
This show does exactly what itsays on the tin.
It's jam-packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news
to help you with the business ofwriting.
It's all wrapped up in onelively podcast.
So it's time to get on with theshow.
(00:23):
Welcome to episode 184 of theWriting and Marketing Show with
author entrepreneur Wendy HJones.
And what a show we have for you.
Today I'm going to be talkingabout search and rescue and
different types of search andrescue, including Cadover search
and rescue Today with authorLynn Random, and I am very much
(00:47):
looking forward to that.
It sounds like a fascinatingsubject and I can't wait to dig
into it Again.
Another short interview becauseI'm recording back-to-back
interviews while I get ready togo to the States, because I want
things to be ready.
When we get to the States, andwhen you listen to this, I will
be on a train on the way fromWashington DC to Virginia.
(01:11):
I'll be on an Amtrak train, soI'll be listening to it in
America and I cannot wait forthat either.
It's getting very exciting.
There's lots of events whileI'm out there.
One of the ones I'mparticularly looking forward to
is getting witchy with it.
In Salem, massachusetts, inSeptember and it's the 17th of
September I will be doing a booksigning up there and I cannot
(01:33):
wait.
I can't wait to see Boston, Ican't wait to see Salem and I
can't wait for some nice warmsun, although they are having it
really tough out there.
So for all my friends inAmerica and Europe that are
listening to this, I am sorryyou're having such a tough time
in a heatwave, but we're nothaving any sort of heatwave in
Dundee.
It's warm-ish, it's sunny, butthe clouds come over, the rain
(01:57):
comes down, it gets a bit sunnyagain.
But we're not here to discussthe weather, but I just feel
sorry for the people that aresweltering it out in 100 degrees
.
That must be tough.
But I'm very much lookingforward to getting over there
and getting some sun, as well asdoing some book signings and
meeting new readers.
Before we I introduce LynnRandom.
(02:18):
I would like to say it's anabsolute pleasure to do this
show every week.
I do it willingly and I lovespending time with you.
However, it does take time outof my writing time.
So if you would like to supportthe show, you can do so by
going to patreoncom forwardslash wendy h jones and
supporting me for three dollarsa month and that's the price of
(02:38):
a tear coffee per month and Iwould be very grateful and it
would let me know that you wantme to continue with the show and
we're heading up for four yearsof the show soon, in January.
So it would be great if youknow it could continue after
that, because I am loving it andwe've got some amazing, amazing
(02:59):
interviews lined up for you,some amazing shows.
So what of Lynn?
Well, I met Lynn through theSisters in Crime Organization
because we're both sisters and Imean sisters in crime, not in
real life so and it wasdelightful to meet her and when
I found out that she did searchand rescue, I just knew I had to
(03:20):
interview her for the show.
So Lynn Random has an over 40years experience in advertising,
marketing and public relationsand is recognized in who's who
as an industry leader ininternational marketing.
Lynn has been a frequent guestspeaker at National and Regional
Writers Conferences Sister inCrime, romance Writers of
America, the Florida WritersAssociation, the Mystery Writers
(03:42):
of America and is a formerboard member of the Florida's
Publisher Association.
Her romance novels offerreaders spintingling suspense,
action-packed excitement andcharacters that sparkle with
intensity and emotion.
Reviews state over and overthat her novels are fresh, with
multi-layered plots.
Lynn joined the local caninesearch and rescue after 9-11 and
(04:05):
has trained and worked as avolunteer in her local area.
Her dog hunter was a cad of herdog.
In addition, lynn lives withher husband and four dogs in
Central Florida.
Her pastimes are reading,writing and enjoying nature a
woman after my own heart.
So, without further ado, let'sget on with the show and hear
from Lynn, and we have Lynn withus.
(04:28):
Welcome Lynn.
How are you today?
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Good morning.
I'm doing fine speaking to youfrom beautiful Central Florida.
I'm about 40 minutes from WaltDisney World, so went out on
Sunday night and watched one ofthe Starlink satellite launches
from our living room.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So yeah, well from outside our house.
Yeah, I'm not jealous in theslightest, not me, oh, I'm so
jealous.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
you're in Scotland, my goodness.
Who isn't jealous?
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Well, yeah, everybody always wants to be somewhere.
They're not Now.
I believe today you're wearingsomething very special just for
our show, which I'm very excitedabout.
Can you tell the listeners?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yes, so today we're going to talk about search and
rescue and search and recovery.
So this is about finding a liveor a person who is no longer
with us, and so we're going totalk about that.
If you have something in yourbook or you are personally
interested as I becameinterested in search and rescue,
you know then I'm going to giveyou some good basic information
(05:30):
and, of course, you can contactWendy on her website for
additional information and she'swelcome to get in touch with me
with any of your personalquestions.
Happy to help.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much forjoining us.
It really is.
I know you're a busy lady, sotaking time out to help me, to
help all of us, is really kindof you.
So I'm really curious and Iwant to start with this because
how did you become involved insearch and rescue?
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I have been a volunteer person all my life,
giving back, giving service tothe community, and for many,
many years I was involved in BoyScouts of America, which began
in England and in the UK, andwhat happened was my son became
an Eagle Scout and was on hisway to college, and about that
(06:20):
time it was the time of 9 11.
And I was very intrigued by thesearch and rescue jobs and,
knowing that I'd already workedwith dogs and horses in various
capacities, I thought this wasthe new.
You know, this was something Icould do.
And once I got into it one stepfurther, it's like there are
people that will do rescue andpeople who do recovery, and you
(06:43):
have to be of a predispositionto do recovery.
The reason is because when yougo out to find someone who has
passed, they're not going to bein a solid form leaning against
the tree.
There's various stages, so youhave to be mentally prepared for
that.
So there was a big, real needfor that and I want to give a
shout out this morning, while Iwas preparing for our meeting
(07:06):
this morning, to the wonderfuland very active search and
rescue community Sardis ofScotland, and the search and
rescue dog association ofScotland is a Scottish charity
which trains dogs and theirhandlers to search for missing
persons.
Sardis is a part of theScottish mountain rescue team, a
(07:26):
group of dog handlers.
They support the mountainrescue team in search for
missing people and, of course,also work with police, and all
the volunteers are handlers.
So if you're looking, if you'rein Scotland or anywhere in the
world and this is of interest toyou, contact your local search
and rescue team.
I can assure you hands downthat you're going to find people
(07:47):
that are going to be very youknow, very pleased that you're
there and very pleased to helpyou.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Excellent, that is really good advice.
Thank you, and for thoselistening elsewhere in the UK,
there will be a one in Englandand Wales and Ireland as well, I
can absolutely assure you.
So thank you for that.
That was really interesting.
But I'm curious can you tell usabout what search and rescue
dog teams do?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
There's two basic types of search and rescue dog
teams.
One is search and rescue.
These dogs are searched for alive person.
So, for instance, a missingchild who's wandered away from a
camp in Alzheimer's patients,someone with dementia it could
be something that wants to maybedo bodily harm to themselves,
(08:36):
it could be, you know, they'remissing on a hike.
So we are the search and rescueteam looks for live people.
Search and recovery we'relooking for the remains of a
human and you're also.
These dogs are search dogs.
Recovery dogs are referred to ascadaver dogs and that's what my
dog was.
She was a cadaver dog and I wasspecifically trained for that.
(08:59):
I got her at age 12 weeks andwe weren't sure until she was
almost a year old that she couldhandle the scent of cadaver,
because it does smell different.
Not all dogs of search andrescue dogs, not all dogs are
cadaver dogs.
And she was a golden retrieverand again, that breed is
predispositions and she was ableto accept it.
(09:21):
And then I too had to bepsychologically prepared for the
type of find you know thatwould be in my path.
So there's two types there'ssearch and recovery and search
and rescue.
Our search and rescue teamalways trained twice a month,
and we did so in the hopes thatwe'd never be called, you know,
(09:44):
for an actual live search.
We hope everyone was safe.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah, I can imagine nobody wants to be doing it for
real because it's such ahorrific thing to have to do,
but it's necessary and we aregrateful that there are people
that and dogs who are willing todo it and other different types
of search and rescue teams.
But are there, you know, arethere different types of search
(10:10):
dogs?
Are some dogs more suited to?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
it than others.
Yes, they are, and very quickly.
If you're looking for a searchdog, you want one with a long
nose.
Brought my little model todayBecause what happens is when
they smell it goes up into thecirculatory sensory glands.
To that and with the bloodhoundthey have the ears and it
almost works like a cone towhere it drives up the scent.
(10:38):
So that's why they're the goldstandard.
But so the types of?
So you want to go the dogs, thepugs, the bus interiors, the
English bulldogs with shortsnouts.
They don't have that range tototally adapt to the scent.
So that's why you want a dogwith a with a longer nose, and
they don't have to be abloodhound, they can be any type
(11:00):
of dog, as long as they're.
You know they have a long noseto do that.
But there's the types of dogs.
There's tracking and trailingdogs.
Those are the dogs that peopleare most see, mostly on
television and in movies.
You know that those are thedogs that either walk on top of
the scent or they walk to theside of the scent.
(11:22):
I want to interject right atthis moment that what happens is
we have about 3,000 littlecells on our body.
If I were to walk from here tothe door and back.
I will discard these littleskin particles and that's what
the dogs are picking up on.
Their sense of smell is sostrong we don't smell it, but
(11:46):
the dogs are able to sense andthat's the track that they
follow.
So there's tracking and trailingdogs.
There's cadaver dogs, which Imentioned.
These dogs are speciallytrained and are adaptable to the
scent of remains.
There's air-sensing dogs, waterrecovery dogs, and how they
work is if they know there is abody, if you will, in a lake.
(12:09):
What happens is the cells andthe scent rises up to the water.
But when it hits the water it'smoving.
There's wind and these dogskind of, you know, they pick up
on that scent and they willalert and drive the owner to.
You know, as in pointing youknow that they're most excited.
(12:29):
They follow that scent to findwhere they might be able to
recover remains.
Now the so that's water recoverydogs.
There's avalanche dogs thatdefine skiers in 15 foot of snow
.
When they see they'll go down.
And all of these dogs are veryplay-driven, you know they're
very, very, very active dogs.
(12:52):
So you know that's the type ofbreed that comes with them.
Dogs are able to do thisbecause they have over two
million scent receptacles inthere when they take in a scent
or a smell, and we have likefive million.
So they have 200 million.
So they have a lot more thanyou know, than we do, of course.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Wow, that is fascinating, Seriously.
I'm learning so much today andyou think you know about Search
and Rescue oh, the dogs go out,but you don't really, because so
much goes into it in thebackground and knowing how they
do it is really interesting.
I'm sure this sort of thing forthe crime writers that listen
(13:38):
to my show and I know there area lot of them because I'm in
Sisters in Crime, as are you weare sisters in crime and this
sort of information isabsolutely vital.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It's important to get it right.
I was watching one of the CSIshows on television, just
literally screaming at the TVbecause they had like three
search dogs running back andforth right behind them and the
dogs weren't really, theyweren't national, they weren't
national Nesar certified, youknow.
You could really tell they werejust out there for a walk or
(14:14):
enjoying it, and eventually, twoor three minutes later they
found a body about four footaway.
And I was just screaming at theTV.
I was like, oh my gosh, any dogworth its grip would have
smelled the scent there.
And just they had it all wrong.
So I think it's important.
It adds.
It adds, you know, integrity toan author's writing, to get the
(14:37):
facts right.
I know I certainly, with all ofmy books I always go that extra
mile to make sure that theinformation is correct, because
it also helps people that areinterested in search and rescue.
So but if anyone has aparticular question, they're
welcome to ask me about it andI'll be happy to say no, that
wouldn't happen.
(14:57):
But may I suggest this?
So or yes, that sounds spot on.
So yeah.
That's really a challenge.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
So I know we've talked about what the search and
rescue teams do, but can youexplain the different types of
searches?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Well, there's different types of searches and
the dogs are trained ondifferent arrays and for
specific tasks.
For instance, in my own city,here in Orlando, florida,
there's an urban search andrescue team.
I did not participate in thatand, but they go in and they
search for human survivors.
If a building is collapsed or,you know, if something had
(15:37):
happened to you know they wereexpected to also in a particular
area, they'd want to findpeople and those are urban
disaster search dogs.
I did wilderness search andrescue dogs and we looked, as I
said, for hypers and childrenwho'd wandered a right way from
the campsite.
And then there's air-sensingdogs, the water recovery dogs.
(15:58):
You know, as I mentioned, andyou know so there's different
type of dogs.
It's like my husband says getthe right tool for the job.
You know so, you.
So, while some dogs can becross-trained in search and
rescue and search and recovery,most dogs are trained in a
particular modality.
The hunting breeds, as Imentioned, are actually the best
(16:20):
.
These dogs are bloodhounds,german shorthaired pointers,
golden retrievers, and in ourgroup we even had a couple of
beagles.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Oh, my goodness, beagles, you had to be involved.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Oh yeah, it was very cute and I see the dogs.
There were two of them and theywere very aggressive, but when
they got on the scent theyhowled, and not that I'd ever
want to be lost, but if I everwanted to be lost I certainly
wanted it to be by a beagle or ahappy golden retriever, then
maybe a rottweiler or something.
(16:56):
They were delightful dogs.
Any dog can be trained and anydog at any age can be trained.
Ideally you want to work withdogs from.
I started my dog at 12 weeksold, their ideal age of when
they go through all theircertification, the
hemiplegosophia certification.
You're looking at about two,age two to about age seven.
After that time they can stillhave, they turn into wonderful
(17:22):
pets and they can go out andmaybe assist.
But when you're talking abouthuman life, it's very critical
that you have a dog in the peakarea, prime of their life, just
as you would want a person thatis in peak condition going out
and searching for a loved one.
I've had people come up.
You have to be careful what yousay to people during a search
(17:45):
because they always say well,you go out and find Uncle Joe
and you can't say, you can'tgive an authoritative response.
You have to say somethinglighter because you can't give
any false hope.
If you would, you want to goout and find them and hopefully
you're going to find that rescueand be able to bring them home.
(18:06):
My go-to statement is whenpeople came up to me and said
well, you find my husband for meand tears in their eyes just
clutching me, and I would sayGod knows where they are and I
pray every day that we're goingto get directed to that location
.
But you have to understand thedogs and go through the training
(18:27):
.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, I mean, that's it really is.
You don't realize just how muchgoes into it and the specifics
of it all you know.
I'm wondering are you allowedto share any stories, or is that
not possible?
Speaker 2 (18:43):
There's some that I'm not able to and of course I
would discuss those, but I wouldlike to share a story about a
water recovery, and thishappened right after I joined.
I was not on the search but Iwas very aware of it.
But there were eight dog teamsand I remember the location was
up in Georgia and they knew thata deceased person was in a body
(19:06):
of water and that they knewthat it was in a bottom mile
Well, they had eight dog teamson some flat boats and some air
boats and things and they allwent out into this body of water
, spreading out throughout theentire mile, and all of a sudden
all of the dogs started tolearn.
So they know everybody waslooking at because one, you know
(19:29):
they were up to a mile or twomile, you know, away from the
people.
Well, what we found out laterwas that in we had an American
Civil War in 1860, 1864.
And some of the dead were putinto coffins and buried up on
this little hill overlooking thestream.
(19:50):
As the 140 years or so haspassed, what happened was the
caskets that they were put indisintegrated as the parts of
the bone and went down to thewater system, went down into the
stream and all of these dogs inthis one mile area were
alerting at the same time.
(20:11):
Oh gosh.
So that I mean that these dogsare absolutely amazing and you
know, we've, you know peoplehave lost children, were able to
find them, and I'd like toshare with anyone listening
right now that if they have achild you know that they're
concerned with or they love, oryou know, or certainly a toddler
(20:35):
, get a piece of plastic baggie,you know, don't touch it, but
put your hand in a plastic likea baggie, get some gauze, take
the dogs, rub it on the child'stummy and then take that and put
it into a plastic baggie, sealit up and put it in the plastic
baggie and you know, 10 years,if the child decides he wants to
(20:56):
run away from home, or you know, or you're concerned about, you
can go, take that, that out and, and you know, let the dog
slanted and, like the doctor I'mnot making Senate and then
making the child from there.
(21:16):
Wow, what a fantastic tip Sure,and most, most people, most of
and of course, I'm aware ofpeople going out and, you know,
getting lost and things likethat Most realize that you're
all stuck and have a tree.
Don't try to refine where youare.
Most people, by the way, I alsofound within three, you know
(21:38):
three, within miles of wherethey were last seen.
So you know.
So that's always a good to know, so, but we would need to to
bond a set.
We would need to have anarticle of clothing, maybe a t
shirt or something that thepeople have worn, and also a
hairbrush will go.
Any of those things that don'twill pick up on the inside.
(21:59):
Wow, yeah, yeah.
It's pretty amazing what theseanimals are able to do.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
It really is.
Wow, I'm learning so much today.
So what's involved in becominga search and rescue dog handler?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Well, I want to state , just like the starter does all
of the people who help out andvolunteer are volunteers and
each dog and handler needs, inthe US anyway, 600 hours of
training to get their nationalsearch and rescue certificate.
And is a pretty rigoroustraining.
(22:33):
Plus you get additionaltraining, especially with on top
of what you are involved in.
So, for instance, I was alsotaught in first aid and CPR and
you know there might be hazmattraining.
There's some navigationtraining that you're doing,
water recovery, you want to beable to swim, maybe scuba, you
(22:56):
know.
So you have to.
You know all of the equipmentyou know are donated and brought
by the person who is interestedin and working with search and
rescue.
And if you don't have a dog,you're welcome just to show up,
because I know when I was doingit, we were always looking for
volunteers to come in and wewould just take a little piece
(23:19):
of dogs and rub it on the personand then they would go off into
the woods and hide or somewherewhere they were at, and then
the dog we'd let the dogs go outand find them.
So they were, you know, justvery pleasant to do that.
But you also have to read yourdogs and, as I said, we used to
train twice a month.
I never had to use it.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Excellent, I mean, that's again, you know the
insights.
Brilliant, because for writersI mean, but it's interesting
anyway.
Over and above that, it'sfascinating, it really is.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Please let your listeners know that national for
in the US anyway nationalsearch and rescue.
We won't inject ourselves intoa law enforcement investigation,
we just don't.
It's in our bylaws.
And then sometimes you knowthere's somebody's got a
bloodhound or dog it smelledgood, you know, and he'll go
down there and if he's nottrained he's liable to take law
(24:21):
enforcement.
You know, around the around themoon and you know, and so you
have to have make sure that thedogs are certified, you know, in
their training in order to havethe ability to do this.
But yeah, people will get theirdogs.
You need to go through training, you know, in order to be able
to facilitate, you know, searchand rescue.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah, that's good.
That's a good tip actually.
Thank you.
So if a listener was interestedin helping with such investment
, where would they start?
I'm sorry, if a listener one ofmy listeners was interested in
following this path, where wouldthey start?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Well, the first thing that I would do is um for a uh
and uh.
There's also going to be lotsof stories and information.
I'm so sorry.
My dogs are barking in thebackground.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
There's no worries.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I gave them all chewing, but when we started,
just so this wouldn't happen.
Um, but but anyway, um, thejoin us at local search and
rescue.
Either as a volunteer you canvolunteer to go out and search,
uh, or you know you can show upwith a dog, uh, and and just,
and they will help you trainthat dog.
So the people are verywonderful in this organization.
(25:40):
They're always looking forrecruits.
So, uh, again, if I uh, one ofthe things you want to do as a
writer is is to just follow aprocedure.
So, for instance, let's saythere's a lost child that's out,
that is lost, so uh, and you've, the parents have already
called and exhausted the friendsand places that the child might
(26:02):
go, and then you can bring inlaw enforcement.
Then you also want things likegetting a, a poster or something
of the child and do anorganized search.
And, uh, you know, and go doorto door.
And then, of course, you canstart with a search on rescue
dog, you know as well, and getthe team to come as well, or you
know, simply playing, how to doit.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
So yeah, Okay, If an author had has a search and
rescue storyline, can you giveus some tips on how they can
write it?
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Well, um, it's really a kind of a show, don't tell
kind of person.
So again, what I would do is tois to have somebody, uh, pair
it, you know, a search andrescue team, so that they can
actually watch the dog work.
And again, there's differenttypes of of of law, so, um, but
(26:58):
anyway, so there's differenttypes of searches that they can
get on.
So getting getting it's allright, don't?
Speaker 1 (27:05):
worry.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
I'm just anticipating , yeah, but anyway, um, so so
that would be one thing.
Another thing would be, uh, totake a look at their writing and
your first criteria is who isthe victim who is missing?
Who do you need to find?
Uh, why do you need to findthem?
Is there an urgency?
And they're also, uh, as awriter myself, I would.
(27:29):
You can increase the urgency,like, for instance, as the child
of the person needs some asthmamedicine or something, because
when you create urgency, thenthen you can do that, and so
just, you know, basically goingout there and getting that
information, then they couldwrite about it.
Um, dogs are very successful infinding, uh, someone, um,
(27:51):
however, um, I'm going to saythis anyway Uh, for instance, if
we I've been on trails wherewe've followed people and then
they, then they get to a certainarea and the scent is gone, and
so it could be because theyboarded a bus, it could be
because they, uh, we hit water.
You know, there could beextenuating circumstances as to
(28:12):
why the dog, you know, doesn'tdo it, but the dogs, dogs are
correct, you know they will,they will find, you know what
they need.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Okay, well, so we've talked about you know the tips
that we can write them well.
Are there any specific pitfallsto avoid when writing search
and rescue scenes in a book or ashort story?
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I would say getting it right.
You know, because if you uh dosome searches, uh, you know, I
mean I've seen things on TV andwhen you, when a author or a
writer takes that step and theyget the information wrong,
they've probably lost allcredibility.
So you know, and and a lot ofpeople will never return to read
(28:55):
another book or novel orarticle from them again.
So, uh, getting the informationright is critical.
Now you can, uh, as a, as aauthor myself, you know you can
take a certain scenario and kindof tweak it a little bit.
You know, for your characters,uh, you know, to adjust it to
(29:17):
fit your storyline.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Yeah, excellent, so can you please tell us about
your own books?
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I've got 15 books so far.
I'll have three more this year.
I write in three genres.
One, my new age genre, includesreincarnation.
It includes court cutting.
It includes, you know, the lawof attraction, but the way I do
it is through energy andvisualization.
I have five books that areromantic suspense.
(29:52):
There's one paranormal in therewhich I'm rewriting right now,
and then I also have anothergroup of marketing books on how
to write a book, how to you knowand how to market a book.
I came to the table with a wholelot of information.
You know I was nationaldirector of an international
(30:12):
advertising agency and I handledaccounts worldwide hotels,
resorts, theme parks.
You know very multi-milliondollar, you know entities, and
so when I converted over towriting full-time, that's when I
got into you know the differentgenres and you know, and I took
(30:35):
my writing.
But I also found out that somany writers come from different
backgrounds, equally importantTo mine.
You know there have beenteachers, there have been all
sorts of things, and they cometo the table.
So that's why I'm, you know,just want to make sure everybody
gets the information correct.
But I write romantic suspense,marketing books for new age
(30:58):
entrepreneurs and authors aswell, and my passion these days,
as I know it is yours is toencourage authors, you know, to
write and deliver their dreams.
I spent 40 years and my wasvery well compensated, but
unfortunately it wasn't whatbrought me joy.
What brought me joy was beingthe writer and of course, today
(31:19):
it's helping people write.
So, yeah, depending on what aparticular author is interested
in, I would think that they'remostly crime dramas, you know.
But you can bring the dogs outand just contact your local
search and rescue team.
Canine search and rescue team.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Excellent, thank you.
I know we do talk a lot andI've done a lot about crime, but
you can use searching rescuescenes in other as well, like in
a romance, a child could gomissing, you know they've
wandered off, and you knowliterary fiction or historical
fiction, although again, withhistorical fiction you'd have to
(31:59):
get it right because you'd haveto think about when searching
rescue with dogs actuallystarted.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
You know, as a whole other scenario, Search and
rescue actually became, wentthrough a period of growth in
the 1980s because of the Mexicanbuilding collapses due to the
earthquake, and that's what thestandard was raised.
However, if someone's writing astory, novel, about a child or
(32:28):
a gasoline distress or anyoneyou know, they can bring in.
You know dogs have had thiscapability since the beginning
of time.
They've been our companions aswe've hunted and you know they
certainly can.
You know if you have a set theycan probably, you know,
understand that you need to find, you know the child at the
(32:49):
house so you know they can lookthat.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So so my very final question is, as always where can
my listeners find out moreabout you and your books?
Speaker 2 (33:01):
They can find more about me on my website, which is
when randomcom.
I sell my books exclusively onAmazon and I do have my own
search and rescue book probablywe'll get to it next year called
Cold River Murders.
I'll have that, but most of allmy books can be found over
(33:24):
there and of course, I'mdelighted to help anyone you
know answer with any questionsof search and rescue or any of
the expertise that I have.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much, Lynn.
This has been fascinating, Oneof the most interesting
interviews I've done.
I think I've got a greatinsight and I certainly shall be
using your information in mysearch and rescue endeavors in
my books.
Not that I've always got themin every book, but when I do,
I'll certainly know what to do.
(33:53):
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Yeah, and I would just like to encourage everyone
to join your Facebook page andalso, you know and you can reach
me on that page, so if you havequestions about that, you can
certainly ask me a question.
I'm over there and I'd be veryhappy to answer any questions on
behalf of the group and Windowsgroup.
And it's wonderful, encouraging, exciting Facebook page
(34:21):
Everybody's lovely.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
If anybody wants to know what group we're talking
about, it's women, editors,agents and publishers on
Facebook.
So thank you, Lynn.
It's a very I have to say it'sa good group.
Everybody's very helpful andthat's where I found out that
you did search and rescue andhence the interview, and people
are kind because you agreed tocome on the show.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
I've done a lot of this.
Happy to it anytime, and asthese books come out, you want
to know about ghosts.
I'm rewriting it.
I'm hoping for an Octoberrelease, but you know very, very
comfortable talking aboutghosts.
When you get up my age, youhave a tendency to acquire a lot
of skills.
So I didn't have these in my30s, but I'm somewhat
(35:04):
knowledgeable now.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much andenjoy the rest of your day.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
Thank you so much for having me Such a pleasure and
if you have a search and rescuestory, contact your local search
and rescue and, of course, ifit's a specific question, I'd be
happy to help you.
You can help me on Wendy'sFacebook page.
Thank you, thank you Bye.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
That brings us to the end of another show.
It was really good to have youon the show with me today.
I'm Wendy H Jones and you canfind me at wendahjjonescom.
You can also find me on Patreon, where you can support me for
as little as $3 a month, whichis less than the price of a tea
or coffee.
(35:49):
You go to wwwpatreoncom,forward, slash wendahjjones.
I'm also Wendy H Jones onFacebook, twitter, instagram and
Pinterest.
Thank you for joining me todayand I hope you found it both
useful and interesting.
Join me next week when I willhave another cracking guest for
you.
Until then, have a good weekand keep writing, keep reading
(36:15):
and keep learning.
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