by Sue Coletta

As the temperatures rise in New England, snow melts off the half-dead grass. The days are longer now, the sun hotter. A clear signal most of us can’t ignore — the great outdoors awaits! This past winter especially, we’ve hibernated through sub-degree temperatures and faced more than one Nor’easter with bravery and stamina (I’m lying; we hated every second of it). Some of us may even need to shed “winter coats” in order to get ready to slip into a bathing suit again. Oh, the horrors of pale white skin in the mirror!

Every spring we realize we probably should’ve hit the gym once or twice during the winter to stay fit, but we had a gazillion excuses for why we couldn’t possibly leave the house. And yet, an ice cream sundae is almost impossible to pass up when you’re stuck indoors. 🙂 This is where learning how to trail an animal comes into play. What better way to exercise than to have fun while doing it?

For crime writers, remember what you’re feeling while you trail that animal through the woods, and then transfer those emotions to your killer. Humans also leave tracks of where they’ve been, what they’re doing, and where they’re headed.

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