Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. During her tenure, she served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics officer, advanced accident investigator, tactical officer and the first female sniper on the Dallas SWAT team.

 

1) First, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me!  When did you know that writing is what you were called to do? What is it about being a writer that you love the most? What about being a writer frustrates you the most? 

Hello Jimmetta. Thank you so much for this marvelous opportunity. I love to talk about writing and books, and they don’t always have to be my own.

Writing is my third career. The first was in the telecommunications industry, the second was a cop, and now a writer. After I retired from the Dallas Police Department, I started an accident reconstruction business. My website led to a project about the death of a witness to the Kennedy assassination. My project led to a book, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy. I found out writing was a lot more fun than accident reconstruction. The rest, as they say, is history.

What I love most are the connections to other authors and readers. My world has expanded beyond anything I could imagine. This interview is a good example. As for frustration, if there is any, it’s the lack of time to write all the stories I have in my head.

2) Can you tell us a little about your book(s) and where our readers can find out more about them and you? 

I’ve written and published ten fictional novels—thrillers, paranormal suspense, and cozy mysteries—and one non-fiction. I write about what I know, cops and crime. My twenty-two years with the Dallas Police Department provide endless inspiration for my plots and characters. Many of the incidents in my books are based on personal experiences.

More information can be found on my website. https://www.anitadickason.com/

3) What projects are you currently working on?

Oh! Wow! The answer covers a lot of ground. In addition to writing, I am a publisher with my own business, Mystic Circle Books & Designs, LLC. I am a graphics designer and half of Mystery Review Crew, LLC.

As a writer, I am working on book #3 in my Tori Winters Mystery Series. I plan to publish the book in June/2025. As a graphics designer, I format books and design book covers, eBooks, hardbacks, and paperbacks. I create images for social media advertising, bookmarks, bookplates, tote bags, coffee cups, and much more. I produce videos for my two YouTube channels and the Mystery Review Crew channel. I am also a columnist for Mystery Review Crew, publishing articles about writing, publishing and investigative reports. 

4) What has been your most significant achievement as a writer thus far? Where do you see yourself within your career in the next five years?

Tough question. There have been many milestones as my books have won numerous awards. But if I had to choose, it would be the Editors of Kirkus Review selecting Operation Navajo, a Tracker novel, and Deadly Keepsakes as their choice of Great Indie Books Worth Discovering and featuring my books in their magazine. That was a real, make-my-day type of recognition. As for five years down the line, I hope to have added five more books. 

5) Do you have a schedule for when you write?  Do you outline your novels? 

This will make the plotters cringe—no schedule and no outline. When I first started writing, I took several online writing courses. One of the instructors hammered the importance of an outline. As I was writing my debut novel, Sentinels of the Night, A Tracker Novel, I thought, okay, if I need an outline, I’ll do an outline. I spent more time revising the outline than I did writing the book. I ditched the outline.

I treat my stories like an investigation. I have a starting point and a pretty good idea of the ending. But to get there, I go where the clues and characters lead me. Instead, I make a mini outline of significant events in each chapter using the headings in the navigation bar. It helps me keep track of all the pesky details. I have the mini outline to verify who knew what and when, without searching the pages for a particular conversation or incident.

How about you—plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between?

Oh, I’m a hard-core plotter. I wouldn’t even dream of starting a draft without an outline.

6) Do you believe that there is ever a point in life where it’s too late for an aspiring writer to become successful in this industry?  Do you feel a late start would hinder their chances?

Jimmetta, what an absolutely awesome question. I was a late bloomer. I wrote my first book when I was 69 years old. When I started, I didn’t even have a social media account and was clueless about how to publish a book. I’ve now been doing this for twelve years. It’s never too late. Many authors I’ve worked with didn’t start writing until after they retired. While there are many hurdles for authors, age isn’t one of them.   

7) Are you an avid reader and have you always been? What’s the first book you ever read that really touched you emotionally and moved you?  Who is your favorite author? What book are you currently reading?

I am definitely a bibliophile. I love books and have since childhood. Back then, the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Perry Mason, and Sherlock Holmes mysteries dominated my reading. I have often wondered how those books influenced my life-long desire to be a police officer. I have never moved far from that center. I love a good mystery. The last series I read and loved was by Melanie Snitker. 

8) Given the recent shake-ups in publishing, what are your thoughts about how the publishing industry is being represented today?

I’d be interested in hearing your take on this question. There’s no doubt the constant state of flux is creating additional challenges for authors. The AI technology is a game-changer. I find it interesting that Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s publishing division, and YouTube are tracking the use of AI. Users are required to acknowledge if AI was used for text and/or images. How that will play out down the line for authors and video creators is anybody’s guess.

Personally, I don’t advocate using AI to write or design images. 

9) Do you lean more towards traditional publishing or self-publishing as a preference? Does being a hybrid author interest you? 

I am solidly in the independent author’s camp. As an Indie author, I own my books, including distribution rights, cover copyright and content copyright. Most authors don’t realize that they don’t own their books with a traditional publisher or self-publishing/hybrid companies. They may also not own the copyright if they signed away the rights in a contract, which happens more than most would realize. Far too many self-publishing/hybrid companies are eager to take an author’s money to publish their book and then give them little to nothing in return. Once the author signs the contract, they have no control over what happens to their book. I know because that’s the route I took with my first book, a non-fiction, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy. This is one of the hurdles I referenced earlier. There are advantages and disadvantages to whichever path an author elects to take. 

10) I feel like writing is a remarkable tool to help people not only express themselves, but also to cope emotionally and mentally. I know for me I write to be and feel more authentic. What unique quality is there about you, about your art, that you feel represents your authenticity? How does writing help you to be more empowered in your purpose?

Intriguing ideas. I’ve found that writing is not so much an empowerment but an avenue for creative expression. I write because I love to create. I create because I love to write. By extension, the creativity has spread to other mediums, images, and videos. I have been described as a synergist. Someone who thrives on blending diverse elements, whether a story, image, or video, to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.