By Caitlin Rother When things get rough or tough, I sing. When I want to stop thinking about writer’s block or the rejections I’m getting on the new book proposal, I sing. When I want to bring some light into the darkness, I sing. When I just want to be happy, I sing. And now, after singing in organized groups since I was a teenager—chorus, college glee club, community theater and a capella at the Bread Loaf Writing Conference—I am … [Read more...]
Q & A Session #2 With Sin City Cop and Author Bradley Nickell
Sin City Cop and author Bradley Nickell is back with another installment of his Q & A about his wildly popular true crime thriller, REPEAT OFFENDER. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLXfAs-1FgA REPEAT OFFENDER is the #1 customer-rated true crime book on Amazon. That's right, readers have pushed it to #1 out of over 31,000 true crime titles available. That's better than Helter Skelter from Bugliosi, In Cold Blood from Truman … [Read more...]
Why is victim’s truck in his driveway 13 years after his grisly murder?
At least 50 residents with ties to Shelby County, Iowa heard one of my book presentations on Thursday, Aug.6, at the downtown library in Harlan, Iowa. During a break between my 2 p.m. event and the 7 p.m. talk, I made the 12-mile drive up Route 59 to Defiance, which is where the famous murder involving Scott Shanahan happened at his home on Third Avenue. While in Shelby County, I took a number of photos and videos to give readers of WildBlue … [Read more...]
My Inspiration for ‘Identity Crisis’
Mistaken and false identity aren’t new topics in the mystery fiction realm. One of my favorite authors, Ross Macdonald, often explored the complications that arise over identity issues. Macdonald’s wife, Margaret Millar, based the solution to the mystery in How Like an Angel on mistaken identity, revealed in a stunning twist in the very last line of the book. Since false or mistaken identity is a great device to use in mystery novels, it … [Read more...]
IDENTITY CRISIS Author Debbi Mack on The Loneliness of the Long-Form Writer
"This is why we tell fictional stories. To connect with others at some level by creating worlds that express truths that facts alone cannot." Like many work-where-you-want professions, writing can have an isolating effect on one’s life. Many people may assume that being free of annoying bosses/co-workers and able to set your own hours would be a perfect way to live. The truth is that people are social animals. This is why we tell … [Read more...]
Q & A Session With Sin City Cop And Author Bradley Nickell
Lifelong cop and WildBlue Press author Bradley Nickell will be periodically doing a Q & A session, speaking about his wildly popular true crime thriller, REPEAT OFFENDER, police work in Las Vegas, writing in general, and anything else you're interested in knowing. Check out the first installment of the series, right here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C52k-d0dHC0 Bradley is asking you to come up with more questions. Please submit … [Read more...]
John Ferak in Dixie’s Hometown: New Video Interview with Iowa Sheriff Gene Cavenaugh
As Dixie Shanahan, central figure in John Ferak's true crime, DIXIE'S LAST STAND: Was in Murder or Self-Defense? anticipates the possibility of being released from prison, John is in Iowa corresponding from Dixie Shanahan's hometown, Defiance, and the prison where she has been held since 2003 for the murder of her husband, Scott Shanahan. Here John interviews sheriff Gene Cavenaugh about Shanahan's upcoming appeal hearing and what he thinks … [Read more...]
Dixie Shanahan’s release from prison is nearing: Author Ferak predicts
HARLAN, Iowa -- Months after the release of my best-selling book, DIXIE's LAST STAND: WAS IT MURDER OR SELF-DEFENSE? I visited the hometown of Dixie and Scott Shanahan and gave a pair of PowerPoint book presentations in the same community where Dixie's momentous 2004 murder trial occurred. wildbluepress.dixie Thursday's presentations at the Harlan Community Library was a trip down memory lane. Back in 2003 and 2004, I covered the criminal … [Read more...]
John Ferak’s New Video Series from the Hometown of Dixie Shanahan
John Ferak, author of hot new release BODY OF PROOF, is in Iowa corresponding from outside the prison where Dixie Shanahan lives since she was convicted for the murder of her abusive husband. John documented her story in DIXIE'S LAST STAND: WAS IT MURDER OR SELF-DEFENSE and now he returns to her hometown of Defiance Iowa to document the latest chapter in DIXIE'S story. Will the court hear Dixie's appeal? Will she remain in prison? Was it … [Read more...]
Who’s the popular Omaha news commentator featured in BODY OF PROOF?
Tom Becka of Omaha's FOX 42 Midway through writing my draft of BODY OF PROOF: Tainted Evidence in the Murder of Jessica O'Grady? an idea popped in my head. Why not interview a journalist with strong familiarity with the tragedy? Sure, I lived in Omaha, Nebraska, for nine years, but I don't have the same pulse in the community as I did from 2003 through 2012. Nowadays, I live in Appleton, Wisconsin. For BLOODY LIES, I interviewed Nebraska … [Read more...]
