Dave Case's Blog

One of my goals this year is to connect with as many readers--and future readers--as possible.

When I received this letter in the mail a few days ago, it certainly made my day! As an author, hearing directly from fans is truly the best part of the job.

Thank you to Gracie, for your kind words and enthusiasm. I can't wait to hear what you both think about "Stand for the Dead."

Curious when I'll be releasing another giveaway? We're cooking up something behind the scenes that you may be interested in.

As always--stay tuned, and stay safe.

Six authors walk into a bar...

I recently had the honor of joining my long-time friends and talented authors at Pollyanna Social. From westerns to true crime, we had a blast signing books and sharing some great conversation over a drink crafted just for the event--an Eleanor Porter.

Thank you to the folks at Pollyanna who invited us into their space. Great venue, great drinks, and great vibes!

Thank you to authors Michael A. Black, J. Michael Major, Jack Fredrickson, George Tackes, and Bob Cyphers. It's always a pleasure reconnecting with this amazing crew.

And thank you to everyone who stopped by, shared some laughs, or even bought a book or two. Your support means more than you know!

Looking forward to keeping these events going - like the Berwyn Library Authors' Fair on May 16th. Catch me there from 10 to 2, and maybe find your next favorite read.

Want the inside scoop on future events? Head over to DaveCaseBooks on Facebook. Excited for what's ahead!

The Journey Starts Here

For me, "Stand for the Dead" was a journey into the unknown. And I'm so glad that others decided to come along for the ride. (3,215 to be exact!)

Thank you to everyone who entered our latest Goodreads giveaway! Your support isn't something I take lightly. Ever.

Big things are coming this year, and I'm so excited to have you all here for this next adventure.

How to Add Suspense to Your Novel

You’re getting ready for bed, head on the pillow and about to fall asleep–when you hear it.

A thud. A scrape. Whatever it is, you’re sure it’s just your imagination. You’re tired.

So, you shrug it off and close your eyes. Until it happens again.

You’re lying there, in the dark, stuck between two choices: stay right where you are, or investigate.

There’s a name to that feeling, a name for the sensation that overtakes you when you hear something go bump in the night. Suspense. What’s on the other side of the door? Is it all in your imagination?

There are ways to sprinkle that feeling into your own writing. Whether you’re crafting a harrowing survival story or want to inject some tension into a scene, I’m sharing advice to help raise the stakes.

1. Give Your Characters Something to Lose

Motives are human nature… which opens the door for a compelling story.

Motive: Max wants a good night’s sleep.

Issue: The upstairs neighbor has started practicing for Battle of the Bands until midnight… for the foreseeable future.

Motive revisited: Exhausted and irritable, will Max stop at anything to get a good night’s sleep?

2. Know When to Dwell, and When to Pull Away

We’re not seeking a jump scare, or overloading our readers with fear. We want that perfect middle ground.

It’s a common trope in horror: the figure no one else sees. Hidden behind a tree, ducking behind a parked car. See the figure often enough, and anyone would start making a fuss. “He’s right there, I swear!”

What happens when they ignore their fear?

Carla saw the “No Diving” sign but it’s the first day of summer break, and all her other friends are planning on hitting the lake. She sees an old flyer tossed in the garbage can, telling swimmers to use caution–no lifeguard on duty. By revisiting the problem, and having the character decide again and again to cave in or ignore the issue, you’re gradually building suspense.

3. Time is the Enemy...or the Cure

It’s the rush to cut the blue…or the red…the correct wire in time to defuse the bomb. The endless line at the bathroom when lunch is really disagreeing with you.

Time often feels like it’s playing tricks on us, and as the writer, you can use that to your advantage.

Play with your writing style. Short, punchy sentences highlight a sense of urgency. Every tick of the clock.

Hone into emotion. A determined character might see there’s maybe 20 seconds until the train plunges off the cliff–but it’s no biggie. An uncertain character might wallow. They might decide they don’t want to be the savior.

And that might just change the whole story.

Now You Try

I truly believe that everyone has a creative side–and I hope these tips helped spark some ideas! If you’re still stuck, consider this writing exercise.

1. Think of a time when you really, really wanted something. Name the emotions you felt. Think of the outcome. Did you succeed?

2. Think of a time when you went against your gut. Was it the right decision after all?
Think about when time stood still…or flew by.

3. Looking back, was that time monumental in your life? Was there a butterfly effect?

As always, thanks for reading! Got any other writing-related questions you want me to tackle? Shoot me a message, and it might just be the topic for my next post!

Dave here! I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to the 1,786 people who entered the Out of Cabrini Kindle edition giveaway.

As a writer, having just one person interested in reading your work is a blessing. Over 1,000 feels incredible!

If you want weekly updates on all things Cabrini, follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaveCaseBooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davecasebooks

Didn't win a copy? Out of Cabrini is available in just a few clicks:

Out of Cabrini

Thanks once again. Your support truly keeps me inspired--and grateful. And as always, stay safe!

My Top 5 Favorite Ways to Celebrate National Book Month.

1. Use That Library Card

Libraries certainly aren't dying--but they still need our support! I enjoyed being a part of Berwyn Public Library's event this past summer. I really appreciated the opportunity Quinn Stitt and the Berwyn Library afforded me. Nothing beats sharing the stage with fellow authors!

2. Attend Your Local Book Signing

Not sure where to find local authors and their events? Many libraries and bookstores will have a local author section. And of course, once you've identified an author you like, check to see if they have a website or Facebook page to peruse to see if they have a signing in the works. And check out the happenings section in your newspaper (yes, those still do exist!). Meeting fans and new readers is truly special, and I've been lucky to host a few book signings these last few months.

3. Get Through Your TBR List

We're all guilty of it: the endless pile of books on the nightstand. Give yourself a challenge to start a new book or two this month. And even a one sentence review can bolster that author's exposure to other readers. I'm always truly appreciative of anyone that takes a moment to whip up a review, especially if you liked the novel, lol!

4. Enter a Giveaway

Goodreads is my favorite place to snag a free book. I'm currently running a giveaway myself! Cozy up with your own copy of "Out of Cabrini" in my Kindle edition giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/en...

5. Listen to an Author Interview

Weather a little too cold for your liking or you can't find a book signing involving your favorite author? I love getting to know my favorite writers through podcasts (and even appearing on them, too). I sat down with my friend Russell on the PONetwork Podcast, where we talked about what makes a compelling character, what advice I have for aspiring writers, and more.

Listen here: https://www.davecasebooks.com/

Did I miss any #NationalBookMonth traditions? Leave yours in the comments. And as always, stay safe!

"The First Time a Gun Was Pointed at Me."

Police work is a dangerous job.

Grown men and women running around the city with guns pursuing men, and a few women, who have chosen to prey on people of our communities is fraught with risk.

I honestly don’t know how many times in my career I had run into situations where I pointed my weapon at another cop, or had another copper’s weapon pointed at me. I spent a lot of time running around after criminals and predators on the south and the west sides, and the north side, too, for that matter. Those pursuits being in both uniform and plainclothes.

(Note: for those not familiar with Chicago, there isn’t really an east side, other than a little slice of the city (neighborhood) that hugs our border with Indiana on the far south side.)

When I came out of the Chicago Police Academy on November 19, 1986 (why that date sticks in my mind I have no idea), I remember wondering if I’d ever find myself on the wrong end of a gun being pointed at me. I remember thinking what it would be like facing down that yawning black hole that promised death and/or great bodily harm?

I know . . . I wasn’t too bright back then, some, well, plenty of people would argue I’m still not too sharp today.

How would I react? Would I react?

In the academy, we had some recruits freeze in training when faced with having a gun pointed at them. Some ducked. Some looked to hide.

What would I do?

You couldn’t help but wonder. Post academy, I was self-aware enough to know that I didn’t really know. Sure, we’d been trained and hopefully I would revert to my training and respond accordingly.

But, I asked myself, will you ever really know until it happens?

I imagine there are plenty of Chicago cops who never have had to discover how they would respond. In fact, maybe its most of Chicago’s finest haven’t looked down the barrel of another person’s firearm. I hope that’s the case.

I am in no way casting any aspersions on those officers who haven’t had the experience. It’s not like we go looking for it, I know I didn’t. But I tended to be . . . assertive and worked with aggressive officers who were assigned to districts with the highest violent crime rates and/or trends and shootings. There were always, and still are, shootings.

All of that said, I found out what it felt like and what I would do when faced with having a gun pointed at me. But it wasn’t anything like I’d imagined it would be. Sometimes that’s the trouble with imagining ahead of time. . . Playing the “What if?” game. Regardless, I still highly recommend playing, “What If.” It’s saved my hide many times.


The Beach Watch Party

Which brings me to the indelible memory that’s stuck with me for several decades.

I was still on probation, not long off my field training, when an academy classmate, who worked in a different district than I did, invited me to a watch party. It was spring, and his watch was having a party on the beach in their district, the Twenty-first, which has been shuttered for years now. Watch parties could be rambunctious affairs hosted when the men and women of the watch about to rotate off of afternoon shift for the day shift would get together to blow off some steam. This occurred once every three months.

Billy assured me this was going to be low-key, just a few of the straight afternoon officers that didn’t rotate had decided to get together. They called it a watch party, but he said it wouldn’t be twenty people all together.

Having lived in the city less than a year, and working a lot, I wanted to get out and meet more people. My circle of friends was pretty small and somewhat limited compared to how many I had in Minnesota, where I primarily grew up.

I arrived at the beach, it was dark, and chilly, and so a fire had been built in the sand. I saw Billy and we spoke, but he got pulled away for some reason or another and I found myself alone amongst a group of strangers, cops, but strangers nevertheless.

I had on a jean jacket, but was still a little chilly with the breeze coming off Lake Michigan, so I stepped up to the fire. I was by myself, but people were all around me.


The Confrontation

As I stood there, frankly thinking maybe I’d made a mistake because, other than Bill, I was the youngest person there, someone spoke.

"Who are you?”

It was a guy sitting with his back to a low concrete wall, his arm around a woman’s shoulder, their feet stretched toward the fire.

I looked around, not sure if he was talking to me.

“Yeah,” he said, “you. Who are you?”

Now, I have to admit that I was perhaps a little cocky. I worked in Englewood which was a fast district, full of gung-ho coppers and they had rubbed off on me . . . maybe, a little. I detected an edge to the seated cop’s voice and I found myself getting irritated. Didn’t he know I was a cop?

I guess I wasn’t answering fast enough, because he stood.

“I asked you a question,” he said.

He was short, like five foot seven or eight, and was heavy, carrying most of his weight in a pear shape and his breath was redolent with booze.

“I’m the fuckin’ life guard,” I said, admittedly not helping the situation.

This cop pulled his snubbed nosed revolver from his waistband, and pointed it at my face.

Only a few feet separated us.

I saw the deep darkness of the barrel, the silver colored hollow point tips of the rounds in the adjacent chambers of the one in battery. I saw the hard eyes of the man holding the gun out at arm’s length. He was wearing a jean jacket too.

And I felt the heaviness of my Smith and Wesson .45 caliber semi-automatic, having not purchased an off duty weapon as of yet, weighing down the back of my jeans (How I hate to admit wearing denim over denim, a fashion faux paw to be sure, especially in the big city, maybe not as much in 1987 as now, lol).

But this was a cop pointing a gun at me. And I knew he was a cop. I don’t remember thinking about getting shot. I only wanted to get my hands on this asshole who had the audacity to pull a gun on another officer of the law.

He pulled the hammer back on his snubie.

The ominous click sent a chill up my spine. The revolver was in single-action mode now, and only the slightest pressure on the trigger would cause it to discharge.

“I fucking asked you a question, smart ass. Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?”

Somewhere off to my right, a woman screamed.

Apparently, this little drama had caught her attention. Maybe his companion was used to his behavior, maybe she was shocked, I don’t know, but she’d been quiet.

People started yelling at him to put the gun away. His drunken expression slackened slightly and his hand with the gun slowly lowered.

I was flooded with relief and a boiling anger.

As I started around the fire to break the son of a bitch’s neck, I felt arms circle my waist and Billy was talking to me and trying to hold me back, with little success. I’m Six three, two hundred twenty-five pounds, NFL tight end size.

“It’s not worth it,” Billy said. “He’s not worth your job. You’re on probation.”

Like a beacon cutting through a fog of anger, I managed to take a breath and allowed myself be led away. My blood was boiling.


Years Later

This was many years ago, but the memory dwells inside my skull and occasionally resurfaces. It’s something I’ll never forget.

Be careful what you wonder, because sometimes you get thrown a curve.

I’d had my first experience of having a gun drawn and pointed at me, and by the grace of God I got through it.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be my last, but it was a life-lesson that kept me on the right road.

Justice will be served . . .

In less than 24 hours, the long-awaited Macbeth thriller “Chicago Justice” launches. Dave Case continues the “Out of Cabrini” saga bringing to the page the heart-pounding realism one can only get from patrolling the streets of Chicago and dealing with the gangs of Cabrini Green and their spreading influence.

How quickly do you read? Read the saga from the beginning: Out of Cabrini

Free "Out of Cabrini" Chapter download: www.DaveCaseBooks.com

Justice is coming . . .
Out of Cabrini's sequel Chicago Justice debuts in two days - June 28, 2025!

Stacey Macbeth lives for fast-paced chases and even a brawl or two. But when an old foe re-emerges on the scene, he remembers just how perilous things can become.

How quickly do you read? Read the saga from the beginning: Out of Cabrini

Free "Out of Cabrini" Chapter download: www.DaveCaseBooks.com

The countdown begins . . . Chicago Justice drops June 28th!

In just three days, return to Macbeth's world in a thrilling sequel that proves that sometimes, danger really is around every corner.

That means there is still time to read the first in the series, Out of Cabrini

Free "Out of Cabrini" Chapter download: www.DaveCaseBooks.com