Midwest Writers Room
Podcast from the Wisconsin Writers Association. We discuss all things writerly, with an emphasis on the unique flavor of works that originate in the Midwest.
Midwest Writers Room
Chapter Break with Patrick O'Donnell
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BIO:
Patrick O'Donnell proves there's life after retirement. Raised in Chicago by Irish immigrant parents, he later earned a sociology degree from UW-Whitewater, then spent 25 years with the Milwaukee Police Department as a street cop and sergeant during one of the city's most violent eras, handling thousands of crime scenes and major investigations. Since retiring in 2020, he's become an Amazon bestselling author of eleven books, host of the top-2% ranked Cops and Writers Podcast, and founder of an 8,500-member crime writers' community featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Wisconsin and when he isn’t riding his Harley, or smoking cigars while solving world problems with other cops, he is with his family and dog named Clark.
SYNOPSIS:
Police Stories: The Rookie Years is O'Donnell's unfiltered memoir of his early career on Milwaukee's streets during the city's 1990s crack wars. Book One in the Police Stories series, it strips away the polish of TV procedurals and takes readers straight into the 2 a.m. calls most people never hear about. A Thanksgiving stabbing (using the carving knife), a sweet little old lady with a cocked .38 aimed at his back, a mother duct-taped to a chair, a teenager executed for his sneakers, and a near-miss with friendly fire. It's a raw look at the dark humor, the partnerships, the losses, and the personal toll of a job most people only see from the outside.
LINKS:
copsandwriters.com
