The True Story Behind America's First Modern School Shooting In 1979, Brenda Spencer, a seemingly average teenage girl living in a nice suburban neighborhood, made and executed plans that would place her in infamy and set a violent and terrifying national precedent. She received a rifle for Christmas and a month later set her sights and opens fire on the elementary school across the street. The event is forever glorified by the song 'I Don't … [Read more...]
N. Leigh Hunt
WildBlue Press Author I am a South African born crime historian and broadcaster living in the United Kingdom. I am a member of the American Society of Criminology and considered an expert on the "I Don't Like Monday's" school shooting in 1979. My formative years were spent in sunny California after moving from the UK. I started my career at a small radio station in the Bay Area, Northern California after attending university in San Diego … [Read more...]
The Strange Case of Wilma Frances Minor and Cora Mickle-Hoffer
A key prosecution witness in the Fritzie Mann murder case of 1923 in San Diego was a woman named Wilma Minor, who five years later became the most famous person involved in the case due to her involvement in a bizarre hoax. Nobody in San Diego would’ve predicted this any more than they would’ve believed that Wilma had been involved in a very different but even more bizarre episode ten years before. Judging by the news coverage of the case, she … [Read more...]
James Stewart
I always wanted to be a writer. But the first time I attended college, in the 1970s at Louisiana State University, I chose a “practical” major that would’ve opened the door for certain jobs in my hometown. I should’ve followed my instincts and taken a step toward my ultimate goal—to become a professional writer—by majoring in English or Journalism. I didn’t follow those instincts and instead joined the Navy after college. I didn’t plan to make … [Read more...]
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Jazz Age
1. Colleen Moore, Clara Bow, and Louise Brooks became famous for portraying flappers in silent films, but the first was Olive Thomas in the 1920 film “The Flapper.” Thomas died later that year in Paris after ingesting husband Jack Pickford’s syphilis medicine (mercury bichloride) in what was officially ruled an accident, though some believe it was suicide or murder. 2. Olive Thomas’s death was the first of five notorious Hollywood scandals … [Read more...]
How I Came To Write About The Mysterious Death Of Fritzie Mann
Like so many others, I got hooked on crime nonfiction back in the mid-70s when Helter Skelter came out. The best-selling true crime book of all time begins with a warning: “This book will scare the hell out of you”—the best introductory teaser for a book I’ve seen and absolutely true. Over the years I developed a fondness for narrative nonfiction books in the tradition of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, particularly those about vintage crimes such … [Read more...]
Ends Sunday! Get NAKED ADDICTION By Caitlin Rother For 99 Cents, Register to Win A Free Audio Book, And Listen To Shattered Lives
Rother Discusses True Crime vs. Crime Fiction New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother joined the host of Shattered Lives With "LadyJustice" Donna Gore Saturday, January 21, as this week's guest for the WildBlue Press Authors Series. They talked about Caitlin's first crime fiction novel, NAKED ADDICTION, as well as her true crime books. In addition to such great true crime reading as Lost Girls, Caitlin discussed her new book, THEN NO … [Read more...]
Beach House Writing Salon II A Great Way To Jump Start Book Writing Career
The first salon went so well, we're going to have another one! Come join established authors Laurel Corona, Steve Jackson, Chip Jacobs and Caitlin Rother for a full day of tips and advice on the craft and business of book publishing in an intimate setting. We will offer workshops, one-on-one critiques, and a panel discussion, followed by a beach cocktail party and book signing with live music by BREAKINGTHECODE at a beautiful bayfront locale. … [Read more...]
NY Times Bestselling Author Caitlin Rother Says ‘Writing Is Rewriting’ For Success
Known Best For Her True Crime, Rother's First Book Was NAKED ADDICTION, A Crime Fiction Mystery Now Out With WildBlue Press I can’t even count how many times I wrote and significantly rewrote NAKED ADDICTION. But because it was my first book, I was riding the learning curve, and as I tell my students, writing is rewriting. Back in the 1990s, when I started this crime novel, I decided that rather than stick the early drafts into a drawer … [Read more...]
Caitlin Rother podcasts NAKED ADDICTION
New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother spoke with the hosts of WMKT in Michigan, Tuesday, December 2, about NAKED ADDICTION. Best known for her true crime and memoir writing, NAKED ADDICTION, published by WildBlue Press, was Caitlin's first mystery novel. Listen to the discussion by clicking here. … [Read more...]
