"You never say goodbye to a case." 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 … [Read more...]
Town of DIXIE’S famous murder trial brings Author Ferak to Iowa in August
If you've read, DIXIE'S LAST STAND: Was it Murder or Self-Defense? dev.wildbluepress.com/dixie you're familiar with Harlan, Iowa. It's the county seat of Shelby County, Iowa. It's the home of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. It's the location of the jail that once held domestic violence abuser Scott Shanahan. It's the same jail that later held his wife, Dixie, once she was charged with killing Scott and hiding his body in their home for … [Read more...]
Beach House Writing Salon II: A Unique, Intimate and Intense Experience for Everyone By Caitlin Rother
When I was in elementary school, I was constantly reading books and I thought I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up – imagining I would teach kids in the grade I had just completed. When I finally started teaching it wasn’t elementary school after all, but aerobics classes while I was attending UC Berkeley, where I was studying abnormal and cognitive psychology. My constantly evolving career goal at that point was to be a therapist, but as it … [Read more...]
Wrestling With How To Write Another True Crime About A Child Killer And His Victim
The Author Of BOGEYMAN: He Was Every Parent's Nightmare Seeks Balance Between The Crime And Remembering The Victim I recently had the distinct pleasure of sitting down to dinner with the mother, aunt and grandmother of Jessica Ridgeway to get to know each other and talk about the possibility of writing a book about Jessica and the teenager who murdered her. You may remember the story out of Westminster, Colorado. In October 2012, it was all … [Read more...]
The Iceberg Theory: Ron Franscell on Research and Writing
Life-long journalist and author Ron Franscell talks about the importance of research in the writing process: For me, the most fascinating element of storytelling, whether fiction or nonfiction, is research. A long time ago, we made photographs from film negatives. If you had a crappy negative, you’d probably have a crappy picture. The quality of your image depended entirely on the quality of that negative. That’s how I feel about research. The … [Read more...]
When The Police Need to Find A Body, They Call The World-Class Forensic Investigators Of NecroSearch International
"A fascinating journey into the trenches of crime [investigation]"--Lowell Cauffiel, New York Times bestselling author of House of Secrets A body stuffed in a car trunk swallowed by the swirling, muddy waters of the Missouri River. A hiker brutally murdered, then thrown off a cliff in a remote mountain range. A devious killer who hid his wife's body under a thick cement patio. For investigators, the story is often the same: they know a … [Read more...]
NecroSearch International Confronts Many Monsters In NO STONE UNTURNED
It takes a certain kind of person to willingly confront murderers and deal with the ripple effect of their monstrous crimes. And not just police officers or those you'd typically associate with the justice system. The members of NecroSearch International, a "membership by invitation only" group of scientists, criminalists and law enforcement officers, are those kinds of people, too. Headquartered in Colorado but operating all over the United … [Read more...]
NO STONE UNTURNED Prologue Sets The Stage For True Crime Classic Book About NecroSearch International Investigators
Here's a little taste of NO STONE UNTURNED: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators By Steve Jackson. eBook Released on Tuesday, April 28! (And Soon To Be An Audio Book) I thought I'd post the Prologue below to my true crime book NO STONE UNTURNED, a story about NecroSearch International, to give readers an early look at one of the stories featured in the book. The book details the evolution of NecroSearch … [Read more...]
Suspense Magazine: REPEAT OFFENDER By Bradley Nickell “Fascinating As Any Novel”
Another great media review for REPEAT OFFENDER: Sin City's Most Prolific Criminal and the Cop Who Caught Him, has just rolled in. Mark P. Sadler, the author of BLOOD ON HIS HANDS, had this to say writing for Suspense Magazine: "There are some criminals out there that are habitual hard-core offenders. Nickell, a Las Vegas detective in the covert unit known as the Repeat Offender Program, or ROP, shares with us one such character, Daimon Monroe, … [Read more...]
Las Vegas Columnist Calls REPEAT OFFENDER “an impressive writing debut”
Glenn Cook, the senior editorial writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, had this to say Monday, April 20, about Bradley Nickell's first true crime book REPEAT OFFENDER: Sin City's Most Prolific Criminal and the Cop Who Caught Him: "Local libraries have no shortage of Southern Nevada true crime stories, many of them written by valley journalists. But the latest book in the genre comes from a writer with a far different background. Bradley … [Read more...]
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