The Tipoff by Morgan Mandel

When my dog, Rascal, sees me brushing my teeth at night, that's the tipoff to her that it's time to go to bed. She heads for the hallway to watch me go upstairs, where she's not allowed.

Once in a while, I brush my teeth early, try get a few things done on the computer or watch TV, instead of going to bed right away. That bothers her to no end. She already has the mindset it's time to go to bed. To show her displeasure, she'll whine, tug at my sleeve, sometimes even grab objects in the room like a piece of paper, or anything to grab my attention. Sometimes her efforts work and I decide I really would prefer to go to bed after all. Other times, I'm not ready for it and I stick to my guns. She usually settles down then and rests on her cushion.

When you're writing a book, it's fun to insert little tipoffs or hints to show the character of the person you're writing about. These tipoffs can be real or red herrings to throw the reader off.

In my debut mystery, Two Wrongs, the boyfriend of a murdered girl is on the witness stand testifying against the person accused of the murder. The boyfriend sits on the edge of his seat, steals glances at the door, acts as if he's the one on trial. Is this a tipoff as to his true character or a red herring?  That's for the reader to discover.

What tipoffs have you used, or plan to use in a book? Or maybe you particularly liked one someone else used. Please share with us.

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/