Enjoy this insightful interview featuring Richard L. Carrico, a distinguished historian, anthropologist, and the author behind the highly anticipated historical true crime novel MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE: The True Story of Three Unsolved Murders in Prohibition Era San Diego. Dive deeper into Carrico's extensive research and writings by visiting pastshadows.net, an exclusive platform dedicated to his scholarly pursuits. Q&A Q: What book has left … [Read more...]
Author Ron Chepesiuk Discusses Writing BAD HENRY: The Murderous Rampage of ‘The Taco Bell Strangler’
When I finished my last book, THE REAL MR. BIG: How A Refugee Became The UK's Most Notorious Cocaine Kingpin, also published by WildBlue, I really didn't have another book project in mind. I have been focusing on writing screenplays and was enjoying it, but I still have the itch to write another book. If you are thinking about making money from writing, there is no comparison between writing a book and a screenplay. Writing a low-budget … [Read more...]
Author Margery Metzger On The Importance of True Crime Writing
A true crime writer walks a tightrope. Brutal crimes may be sensational, but most of all they are traumatic. The writer must balance facts of the crime about the perpetrator, the witnesses, law enforcement, the judicial, and the survivors. It is not easy to research this material and to sort through events to try to determine what is fact and what has been distorted either through time or one's own perspective. Perpetrators should be held … [Read more...]
Reader’s Guide For Ron Franscell’s DEAF ROW
Visit ronfranscell.com for the latest from the author including a download of this guide for book clubbers! … [Read more...]
Ron Franscell Answers “Which is harder to write: true crime or crime fiction?’
DEAF ROW will be available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats on February 14, 2023! … [Read more...]
Beach House Writing Salon III Offers Stimulating Day to Aspiring Authors
It was a stimulating and inspirational day at our most recent salon in Cardiff-by- the-sea (or so I’m told). I was thrilled that a couple of repeat attendees said they got even more out of this one than the earlier ones. Apparently, we are improving over time, so that’s great to hear. As usual, I keep the salon small so it is an intimate and personal day, which allows the attendees to get to know each other and also ask questions of the … [Read more...]
Recording History While We Can
When I was a teenager, my father said he wanted to introduce me to a man who went by the nickname of “Irish”. He was originally from Ireland, my father explained, but he'd joined the Canadian Army and fought the Germans in the First World War. Prior to our meeting, dad told me some of the stories Irish told him about fighting in the trenches, especially about the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France in April 1917. Being a voracious reader of military … [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...]