Carrie Dalby’s first traditionally published works were nonfiction articles for several national and international magazines. While she has been blogging for a couple decades about life, creativity, and her literary journey, in 2025 Carrie started a themed article series for her blog intitled “Fragments Observed.” The first was a ten-part series about life in Mobile during the timeline of her historical fiction.
In partnership with Historic Mobile Preservation Society‘s archives department, Carrie paired historic photos of Mobile places and events with descriptions on how those things shaped her fictional narratives plus photos of the locations as they look today. Read the ten-part series that posted January-May 2025 here and discover some amazing images from Mobile’s Progressive Era.
Part 1: A Snowy Day
Part 2: The Battle House
Part 3: The Athelstan Club
Part 4: Bienville Square
Part 5: Real Homes in my Historical Fiction
Part 6: Barton Academy
Part 7: The Cathedral
Part 8: The Mobile County Courthouse and a Royal Street Revisit
Part 9: The 1919 Fire
Part 10: Washington Square Park
Beginning in June of 2025 and still ongoing, Carrie shares her popular “Riding with the Mobile Police Department” series. These monthly articles put you on patrol across the city with highlights from twelve-hour patrol shifts with Mobile’s finest. Experience the variety of calls MPD officers handle on an average day or night at work and gain a better understanding of what modern policing entails for the men and women sworn to protect the community.
Part One: 4th Precinct in April 2025 with Officer Wells
Part Two: 3rd Precinct in May 2025 with Officer “Z”
Part Three: 2nd Precinct in June 2025 with Officer “Vegas”
Part Four: Central Precinct in July 2025 with Officer Homsher
Part Five: 1st Precinct in August 2025 with Officer Purvis
Part Six: 4th Precinct in September 2025 with Officer Wells
Part Seven: 2nd Precinct in October 2025 with Officer Crespo
Part Eight: Central Precinct in November 2025
Part Nine: 1st Precinct in December 2025 with Officer Adams
Part Ten: 4th Precinct in January 2026 with Officer Wells
Part Eleven: 3rd Precinct in February 2026 with Officer Wahid
Part Twelve: 2nd Precinct in March 2026 with Officer Bill
Part Thirteen: Shadowing the Financial Crimes Unit in April 2026
Part Fourteen: Central Precinct in May 2026 with Officer Homsher
Carrie’s first nonfiction book is available now in paperback and e-book! A deeper dive, and much more personal than the blog series, Fragments Observed: Lessons Learned on Patrol showcases how her rides with MPD have changed her outlook on life.
A dollar from every paperback sold will be donated to the Mobile Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, a US 501(c)(3) Nonprofit committed “to promote and enhance the relationship between the Community and the Mobile Police Department.”