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...]
Readers Asked To Decide “Was It Murder Or Self-Defense?” in DIXIE’S LAST STAND
A WildBlue Press True Crime By Award-Winning Journalist John Ferak Dixie Shanahan had a terribly troubled and abusive marriage in the sleepy little town of Defiance, Iowa. Then one summer day in 2002, Dixie's mean and wicked husband was gone. Some of the local residents presumed that Scott packed his bags and left town. But others were skeptical. After all, Scott's brown Ford pick-up truck was still parked in his driveway. The disappearance … [Read more...]
Mobsters On True Crime Uncensored
Saturday 2pm PT/4pm CT/5pm ET CHRIS CIPOLLINI IS BACK WITH MURDER, INC. When the Big Four of crime - Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Frank Costello - essentially reshaped the structure of the New York underworld in 1931 – a new era of mobster was born. Details Saturday on True Crime Uncensored on Outlaw Radio, 2pm PT/4pm CT/5pm ET. Listen in at http://truecrimeuncensored.com to Burl Barer, the author of MAN … [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...]
DIXIE’S LAST STAND: Reviewer Gives True Crime Thriller 5-Stars
DIXIE'S LAST STAND: WAS IT MURDER OR SELF-DEFENSE? Below is Carol Tilson's unedited FIVE STAR review of my true crime book, DIXIE'S LAST STAND, a soon-to-be newly published true crime feature-length book at WildBlue Press: Reviewer Carol Tilson says "I had a hard time putting the book down" Whenever I review a book, especially non-fiction, I always read it a second time to pick up whatever I missed. Before that second reading, I make a … [Read more...]
BOGEYMAN Serial Killer Focus Of ID Show
True Crime Author Steve Jackson And Heroic Texas Lawman Gary Sweet Interviewed For Discovery Channel Show To Air February 26 The episode of “Most Evil” about serial killer David Penton will air at 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 25. @discoveryID #mostevil. The show is called "Predators." As many of you know, Penton, was the subject of a nearly twenty-five year cold case investigation into the murders of three young girls pursued 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...]
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...]
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...]
