Colleen K. Stone is currently seeking a literary agent to represent THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE, a self-improvement and inspiration reference booklet.

THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE is a self-improvement and inspiration reference booklet based on a, welcome to - or rather, warning of - the self-responsibility club, letter from a police captain to his daughter for her 18th birthday in 1997. The completed manuscript is under 2600 words, including a foreword, a preface, 12 short chapters offering 12 principles, and biographies. THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE is a digestible way to teach ethics. Readers take away a renewed confidence and trust in their gut feelings. Readers gain a set of principles to live by so they can consider the consequences of their actions and manage stressful situations.

With the rise of mis- and dis- information and politically manipulated news it is more difficult than ever to know what is true and who to trust. As people get paid to post personal details on social media platforms, the social expectations and pressures are escalating greater than ever. Along with ourselves, our spouses, best friends, nieces and nephews, and incarcerated relatives are driven into spirals of comparisons, depressions, and face multiple forms of morphea making it difficult to trust our own instincts. As high-pressure positions come with stressful social situations and people can quickly burnout on “doing the right thing” it is more important than ever to help people address the challenges of being a responsible adult while finding a healthy work-life balance and purpose.

THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE would shelve nicely next to Amanda Gorman’s electrifying and historic poem “The Hill We Climb,” read at U.S. President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration as we both encourage bravery. Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives (Crown, 2025), Dear Grad: Words of Wisdom and Encouragement for Your Next Journey (Penguin Random House, 2021) and Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis (AK Press, 2025) compliment nicely. Though, renaming this letter to 12 LIFE PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY SO THINGS DON’T FALL APART might be a “sexier” title than ethics. The book would make an excellent contribution to lists of books that make great graduation gifts such as Cool Mom Pick’s, Penguin Random House, and Bar Exam Gifts.

The principles in THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE offers a family friendly way of teaching ethics and communication skills, especially to teens and new adults, as well people in positions of power, like law enforcement and elected officials. The principles offered may, with written permission and royalties charged, be utilized in training and rehabilitation programs.

THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE, branded as a letter to a new adult, would make a great gift from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, case workers, foster parents, teachers and advisors to give to the young adults and students in their lives graduating from high school and college, scholarship and award recipients, and those aging out of systems or going through rehabilitation programs.

THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE, branded as a business or leadership resource offering guiding principles for social responsibility, would make a great gift to administrators, law enforcement and correctional officers as they graduate training courses, and public officials when taking office.

THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE has great potential to be adapted into an illustrated book as the lessons included are those we can all consider while hitting milestones, for example, facing the first day of school and pre-teens entering and surviving middle school.

• Foreword / Introduction
• Preface: To My Girl
• Chapter 1: We Weren’t Born Ethical
• Chapter 2: Do the Right Thing – When There is Such a Thing
• Chapter 3: Listen to Your Conscience – Although You Can’t Always Trust It
• Chapter 4: Talk It Out with Others – But Choose Your Others Carefully
• Chapter 5: Prepare to be Punished for Honesty
• Chapter 6: Stay Out of Ethical Debt
• Chapter 7: Sweat the Small Stuff
• Chapter 8: React to Smells
• Chapter 9: Be a Cheerleader for Ethical Champions
• Chapter 10: Permit Mistakes – So, You Don’t Promote Cover-ups
• Chapter 11: Bear the Blame for Your Behavior
• Chapter 12: Let Pride Be Your Guide

As a cross-divisional research coordinator at the University of California-Santa Cruz, Colleen K. Stone has managed hundreds of transdisciplinary research projects, conferences and events including book, podcast, game, and film launches (in person and online) that focus on building more ethical and just ways of living, working and learning together. While not yet a published author, Colleen Stone is familiar with general academic publishing processes and the author networking and presenting it takes to get a book to be used in the hands of readers, used in classrooms and cited in research. Colleen’s professional speciality focuses on faculty and student research projects that center radical justice in all facets of science, engineering, technology, and medicine; particularly through critical Indigenous, Black, feminist, and queer STS lenses sparked from community-engaged inquiries and demands.

As Colleen's step-dad, Rick, was a well respected law enforcement administrator and trainer, she is eager for the life-long journey as a published author in order to be able to share Rick's letter publicly. Colleen is currently developing an adaptation to pass "Papa's lessons" to grandnieces and nephews while querying literary agents for representation.

After serving in the U.S. Army as Military Police - stationed in Germany in the mid-1960s, Richard B. "Rick" Reed, continued his law enforcement career with the Los Angeles Sheriff Department, before a 31-year career with the California Highway Patrol, advancing through the ranks and retiring as Captain. Rick was a recognized and respected instructor of management and supervisory P.O.S.T. courses (Peace Officers Standards Training) including Concepts of Communication and Communicating for Productivity at the CHP Academy for over 15 years. 

Rick was a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy (175th session Quantico, VA) where he completed the professional 10-week course of study for law enforcement managers taking coursework in intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science. Nominated by his agency heads because of demonstrated leadership qualities, the program aimed to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide. With this, Rick helped establish the Ben Clark Training Center for Riverside County law enforcement and public safety training for emergency services, becoming the primary P.O.S.T. training facility in Southern California.

THE ETHICS NEEDED FOR EXCELLENCE is endorsed by The Reed Family Trust and its beneficiaries.