Writers, Have You Found Your Voice?
Voice is an elusive creature that creeps in the shadows, mocking us, daring us to find it. Voice is also near-impossible to define. I gave it a shot back in 2016 on the Kill Zone (btw, I stand by that...
View ArticleOne Word Separates Us From Psychopaths: Writer
Real life offers inspiration when we least expect it. That moment can also be awkward, especially if you forget to mention one crucial distinction between you and a psychopath: the word writer. A...
View ArticleThe Inspiration Behind SCATHED May Surprise You
Writers never know when the seed of a story idea will take root. In this post I’ll share a behind-the-scenes look at my new psychological thriller, SCATHED, and what lead to the premise. You may be...
View ArticleWriting Tips, Editing Tips, Perseverance, and More on Dying Words
Garry was crazy kind enough to invite me back to the Dying Words blog for a fun talk. We discuss writing tips, characterization, POV, the Oxford comma, self-editing, SCATHED, and lots more. Hop on over...
View ArticleBehind-The-Scenes Look at a Real Murder Interrogation
I have a special treat for you today. Danny R. Smith spent 21 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the last seven as a homicide detective, and he’s here to give us a...
View ArticlePast Trauma Sent One Writer On Admiral Quest
Our past plays a role in the person we become. Sometimes we’re so affected by a traumatic experience that it sets our life on a new path, on the selfless road to help others. Readers of this blog know...
View ArticleCanines for Conservation — Amazing Dogs!
Africa possesses a secret weapon in the war against wildlife trafficking, which I discovered in my research for an exciting new series set in Kenya. Canines for Conservation stop traffickers before...
View Article10 Building Blocks of a Psychopath
The long-standing debate, Nature vs. Nurture, will never be settled. Both sides have valid arguments whether a serial killer is “born bad” or created by their environment. In this post, let’s look at...
View ArticleShare the Love – #Writers
When an opportunity to support so many writer friends at one time presented itself, I jumped at the chance. Before I share the love, Margot Kinberg popped by to tell us about a fun project to celebrate...
View ArticleOne Writer’s Personal Struggle with Pain
This isn’t an easy post to write, because it’s so personal. I’ve received emails from many of you, asking if Murder Blog is gone. It isn’t. I love this blog and have worked too hard to build it into a...
View ArticleFemale Serial Killers — Unmasked
Most female serial killers work alone, and they’re quite good at it. It’s a mistake to underestimate a woman where serial murder is concerned. A study from Penn State reclassified the average female...
View ArticleReindeer: 10 Fun Facts
1. A Reindeer By Any Other Name is Still a Reindeer In some regions of the world, Reindeer are called caribou. In North America reindeer refers to Eurasian populations and caribou refers to wild...
View ArticleHow Could 1 Body Decompose at 3 Different Rates?
In late November/early December, something on a Discovery ID show blew my mind. On the dramatization of this real case, the detectives investigated a dead body found in the Oregon forest. Nothing new...
View ArticleWhat is Adipocere or Corpse Wax?
After deciding to use a specific decomposition process in my WIP, I called my consultant at the Grafton County Medical Examiner’s. I hadn’t spoken to her in a while. Our last conversation wound up...
View ArticleHaunted House: Crime Writer’s Research Trip
As I mentioned in my previous post, I went to a reported haunted house for research. I’m now racing toward the finish line for LURED and edits come back for SILENT MAYHEM tomorrow. Hence why I missed...
View ArticleWRECK — #TrueCrime by Harvey Stanbrough
I invited my buddy, Harvey Stanbrough — a prolific writer whose penned over 45 novels, novellas, craft books, and 200 short stories — to share an experience from his cop days. Boy, did he deliver! Wait...
View ArticleDear Serial Killer …
I read a ton of serial killer thrillers. It’s my preferred genre, as a writer, movie-goer, and reader. When authors do their homework, the books are superb. Can’t put ‘em down. The others, well, the...
View ArticleBehind the Scenes of SILENT MAYHEM + Giveaway!
In case you haven’t heard, SILENT MAYHEM went up for pre-order on Friday. Yay!!! And like every one of my books, there’s more to the story than what’s on the page. If you think you know Shawnee...
View ArticleThe Crow Continues to Astound Us
Anyone who’s spent time on Facebook has probably seen crow videos that claim these incredible birds are smarter than fifth grade children, but is that even a fair comparison? After all, humans and...
View ArticleHow Many Serial Murderers Stalk Your Streets? 2019 Stats
In 1992, Dr. Mike Aamodt started collecting and coding data on serial murderers. Today, the Radford Serial Killer Database contains 3,304 serial killers, mass murderers, spree killers, and other types...
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