Small-Town Newspaper Covered Dixie's Crime And Now The Book Small town newspapers know the pulse of their communities inside and out. Over in western #Iowa, The #Harlan Newspapers have a rich tradition for exhibiting excellence in small-town journalism. The paper's history dates back to 1870. The Harlan Newspapers are the fifth largest twice weekly newspaper in Iowa. Harlan's journalists have won more than 250 state and national awards, as … [Read more...]
The True Crime Writer As An Adventurer
Deciding To Become A True Crime Writer Came With Risks, Work And Reward From what I can tell, there’s a bit of the adventurer in most writers. Indeed, this term can be applied to writers of both fiction and nonfiction. It can be clearly seen in the life of Ernest Hemingway who, after reporting for the Kansas City Star for several months after graduating high school, traveled to Europe during World War One where he transported by … [Read more...]
A crime of national news intrigue, a book for cops, mystery readers
In about ten days, true-crime readers from across the globe can become acclimated with a tiny western Iowa community that captured the national spotlight a decade ago: https://wildbluepress.com/dixies-last-stand-john-ferak-true-crime/ This was a murder case that ultimately generated incredible public awareness on hot-button topics such as domestic violence and murder in self-defense. How big a deal was the murder case involving Dixie … [Read more...]
Ron Franscell: Should crime writers profit from somebody else’s tragedy?
Every crime writer has heard this little heckling voice, usually from the cheap seats, but sometimes from inside his own head. It isn’t always loud, but it’s often piercing. My 2008 true crime, The Darkest Night, recently enjoyed a revival on bestseller lists when its long-awaited digital edition was released a couple weeks ago. It's an intimate story of a monstrous crime against two of my childhood friends in the small town where we grew up … [Read more...]
Meet the prosecutor in DIXIE’S LAST STAND: WAS IT MURDER OR SELF-DEFENSE?
In DIXIE'S LAST STAND, readers will follow the turbulent lifestyle of Defiance, Iowa, resident Dixie Shanahan, but nobody had a more pivotal role in the outcome of the case than Iowa prosecutor Charles Thoman. Thoman drew the assignment from his bosses at the Iowa Attorney General's Office to handle the criminal proceedings against Dixie. In DIXIE'S LAST STAND, you will learn how Thoman was almost bypassed for the assignment, based on his own … [Read more...]
True Crime Author Reflects On Cold Case
Woman's Powerful Courtroom Statement About Sister's Murder Shows Slow Justice Still Important To Families As I listened this afternoon to a weeping woman explain as best she could the impact the unsolved murder of her sister thirty-five years ago had on her and her family, I reflected once again on the fact that justice is not always about punishment. It is also about people such as that woman, and her family, having their day in court and … [Read more...]
A small Iowa sheriff’s office comes up big in Ferak’s new book, DIXIE’S LAST STAND
(Seated: Shelby County Sheriff Gene Cavenaugh, with chief deputy Mark Hervey ) Photo Courtesy of The Harlan Newspapers As I set out to produce this story as an original True-Crime Feature for WildBlue Press, there was no shortage of angles. Questions about self-defense, justification and mandatory sentencing laws. The crime was bizarre given the length of time that Scott Shanahan's body was left in his bedroom. A body in the bed. A … [Read more...]
BOGEYMAN’S Jackson covers another heartbreaking Cold Case
The idiom "got away with murder" has come to mean something other than its literal definition. Figuratively, it's used to describe someone who was allowed to do something that others would be criticized or punished for--such as "he gets away with murder just because he's so cute." But to a true crime writer, especially one who often delves into Cold Cases, the original definition takes back it's original meaning with all of its brutality, sorrow, … [Read more...]
VAMPIRE’S Sullivan Never Meant To Write About Bundy
Several days ago I wrote an article about real evidence, and how those personal items of murder can have an impact on the one holding and viewing such evidence. Mostly, the reaction will be positive, but there will be times when a sense of repulsion will surface based solely on what is confronting you. In the case of Richard Chase, there was one item that really turned me off. But most of it was interesting and contributed to my … [Read more...]
VAMPIRE Author Recounts Personal True Crime Story
“Follow that blood trail” I thought as I got out of my car. I was attempting to visit my brother in a downtown Louisville care facility (Ken had damaged his mind in the late 1960’s through the use of hallucinogenic drugs), but as soon as I pulled up to the curb of this three-story brick fortress-looking building, I spotted several small pools of blood, and a trail of blood leading inside. Being young and feeling invincible, I didn’t give it a … [Read more...]
