Author Kevin Sullivan Reflects On The Emotional Toll Of Writing True Crime

“You never say goodbye to a case.”

KENTUCKY BLOODBATH: Ten Bizzare Tales of Murder From The Bluegrass State will debut June 2

True crime writers share some common traits peculiar to their profession, and these particular traits are not found among writers of other genres. You could say we all belong to a club, or a fraternity, if you will, although it’s one we rarely talk about it. For in this club, there’s nothing really to smile about or enjoy. There isn’t any revelry. It’s just the unspoken emotional toll produced in those of us who delve into the world of true crime.

It doesn’t have to be a heavy feeling, but there is a constant “something” attached to each piece we write. It doesn’t matter if we’re writing a story for a magazine, newspaper, or a full-length book. It’s impossible to enter the lives of murder victims, their grieving families, and the people who destroy them, without being changed just a little bit every time we enter that world. Forever after (especially if we’re writing a book), we’ll feel a special linkage to the case, the people, and the terrible events.

Having written an in-depth biography of Ted Bundy, I will always feel a connection to that case and those days, simply because I lived with all of this day and night for over two years. I think of the victims often, and when I do, there is present that same sense of regret. Their lives were cut extremely short, their families were forever changed, and there’s nothing we can do about it. There’s no happy ending here, it’s just the way it is.

Of course, some cases affect us more than others. This is especially true when certain aspects of the cases vary; depending on how the victims died, for example. I once wrote about a sweet teenage girl, a popular cheerleader, who was killed in the most horrendous of ways, the result of which was that I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. It was weighing on my mind in ways I had not anticipated, such was the nightmare I was writing about.

And so it is with my forthcoming work, KENTUCKY BLOODBATH. Within the pages of this book you’ll discover some of the most bizarre and unsettling murders one can encounter. Indeed, each case was specifically chosen from my files for their egregious and strange nature. To say that you’ll be entering a world that will leave you feeling like you’ve taken a creepy ride through a carnival’s House of Horrors, is really an understatement. What you’re about to read, when you turn that first page, will so astound you, that you’ll be thanking God you’re reading about these strange tales rather than experiencing them.

And this, my friends, is my job as a true crime writer. I am your guide into this terrible world, to guide you safely in and then out again. So fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the ride of your life…