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Living in Fear

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400

I heard an announcement on the radio this morning advising children to call their parents or someone they and their parents know and trust to let them know when they arrive home safely from school, and to stay inside and keep the doors locked and not open them no matter who comes to the door. Having studied and written about predators of various types--including murderous pedophiles--over the past 32 years or so, I find this to be very good advice. But I also find such messages deeply disturbing in that they show where humankind has gone as a society. When I was growing up such messages were never heard, and if my parents were not at home I'd go inside through an unlocked door, fix myself a snack, then go outside and hop on my bicycle to visit friends. Granted, my mother never worked until I was a teenager, but she also had no need to worry about whether she or anyone else was at home or not when I got out of school. And, of course, it is a given that both parents nowadays have to work in most cases to make ends meet, but such announcements beg the questions: Where have we gone as a society? What have we done to bring ourselves to have to live in this kind of fear? Perhaps most importantly, what can we do about this issue? Is living in fear truly the answer? Politicians every so often spin new laws promising to make us safer, but it has become clear to those who think about it that new laws and more severe punishments for crime do not seem to work--except to get the politicians more votes. So where do we go from here?

Dishonest Reviewing Practices

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Are there problems with online review processes? Do people "game" the many online book sales sites? One way to tell if a review is legitimate or not is whether the "reviewer" promotes other books or authors while trashing your own book. Here's an example of a recent one-star review I received for my true crime book, DRIVEN TO KILL, which prompted me to explore this issue a bit further: "0 of 1 people found the following review helpful 1.0 out of 5 stars I would have to be driven to read this !!!, August 24, 2012 By PBEZOLD - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Driven to Kill (Kindle Edition) I read books by Ann Rule, Kathryn Casey, MW Phelps, so I thought this one sounded interesting. This book is horrible, the other writers let you get to know the characters, this book is just sick. If you can make yourself read about sexual abuse and killing of young boys then this is the book for you." The fact that the writer of this review wrote his or her headline in the future tense begs the question of whether he or she even read the book. If the reviewer did, in fact, really read the book and truly hated it, that's fine and is acceptable; but he or she completely missed the point of the book which is to allow parents to see very clearly how the mind of a pedophile really works, information that can help them as they protect their children from such monsters. On the other hand, the reviewer did mention three other true crime authors in the body of the review, an indication that the reviewer is trying to promote other authors at my expense. Was this review written by another author, perhaps a competitor? I've heard that this is a somewhat common practice, but it is difficult to prove. We'll most likely never know. Another indication that a review is "gamed" and that the online sellers are being scammed, in a sense, is whether or not the reviewer has a background of doing reviews. All one has to do on Amazon is click the "See all my reviews" button to see the reviewer's other reviews. If there are none, that's another indication of a bogus review. In this instance involving DRIVEN TO KILL, the reviewer had no history of other reviews when I read his or her review of DRIVEN TO KILL a couple of days ago, but they did have two true crime books by other authors on their "wish list." According to a recent New York Times article, bestselling author John Locke allegedly admitted to paying for hundreds of reviews that appeared on a number of online sites. Here's a link to the article: http://goo.gl/PqRo9 Clearly, if the review process is going to work and remain honest, online retailers need to keep a closer eye on those "gaming" their system and pay heed when authors notify them of such bogus activity or alert them to the fact that there is a potential problem. I've been in this business for more than 30 years, and most of the very few reviews of my books that I've received, and believe me when I say "few," have been honest reviews, even some of the negative ones. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I would be labeled a fool if I thought everyone was going to love my books! But even though I haven't received many reviews relative to the 25,000+ eBooks I have sold in the past 12 months, I have received my share of bogus reviews, and they do stick out like a sore thumb, just like the latest one for DRIVEN TO KILL does. In the final analysis, this person's review of my book has not, and probably will not hurt sales. In fact, it will probably, albeit inadvertently, help sales by appealing to the type of person that I really don't want the book to appeal to. We all need to do our share at keeping the review process honest. Otherwise, what's the point?

Blog Tour--Kelly Sons

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Hi True Crime Readers! My name is Kelly Banaski Sons. I am a prison rights activist, inmate mentor and crime blogger at The Woman Condemned.(http://wwwthewomancondemned.com) I began in this field because of books Gary and others have written that affected me. I would read the last page and close the book and still wonder�why? As a freelance writer I am accustomed to performing deep and extensive research but no matter how hard or how long I searched I could never find my answers. I was curious about things only the killers themselves would know. The case of Judith and Alvin Neelley, serial murder and rapist couple, had began right around the corner from my house and had always fascinated me so I decided that was as good a place as any to begin and I wrote her a letter. Judy wrote me back and answered my questions. I wrote others and still others and most of the time I received the answers to my questions. Sometimes I didn�t like the things I heard, sometimes I understood and sometimes I could relate but I was always utterly fascinated. The how and the why behind the terrible things human beings can do to each other are important for more reasons than just to catch the killer. We also have to know these things so we know how to predict, deter and stop the crimes. I am a firm and resolute believer in human rights and while I face much opposition I feel the human rights of no one, not even prisoners should be taken away. To do so makes less of us as a society, as humans ourselves. With those things in mind I began to rally for prison reform and basic human rights for inmates. Prisons must be a place for inmates to learn from their mistakes, become educated on how the world works and how rewarding life can be or it�s just a place that breeds more criminals. Writing has been proven effective as therapy for inmates. A simple letter to a person who has never had anyone speak to them as a human, an equal, finds great revelation in it. Those that have had a decent life find the help and nonjudgmental ear of a stranger can be a catalyst. It takes time, patience and compassion but it does have an impact. Gary�s books are especially captivating because they delve into the personal details, the why and the how�s that I crave to know. I am inspired as a reader and a writer. It just doesn�t get any better than that. You can read about how inmate letter writing can work in my Kindle Single �Friends With benefits: How a Handful of Letters Can Change the World�. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PSYE7K You can also read about how sometimes things go bad in the world of inmate mentoring in my Single �Bitches: Lessons learned From Death Row,� http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080T1NH2

Blog Tour--Dane Batty

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Hello! I�m Dane Batty, and I�m the author of Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI�s Most Elusive Criminals. I�m thankful to be part of the True Crime Blog Tour of 2012 sponsored by Women Condemned and Kelly Sons that also includes these true crime authors: Bonnie Kernene � http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/ R Barri Flowers � http://www.rbarriflowers.com/Blog.html And my own blog http://www.nishpublishing.com/blog/ I�m pretty new to writing books compared, especially compared to Gary, but I love my new job. I also work as a designer in a small design firm, but telling stories is my new love. Personally I love to golf and race motocross when I�m not working on books although I�ve had to hang up my helmet for a while until my book sales equals the cost of riding! My first book Wanted was published in 2010 and here is a brief description: Leslie Ibsen Rogge, number seven on the FBI�s most wanted, robbed more than 30 banks without firing a shot. In Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber, Les details his adventures from Alaska to Antigua, the Chesapeake to Cancun. But it all came to a halt when a fourteen-year-old in Guatemala found Les on the new FBI web site forcing him to surrender and becoming the 1st Top Ten criminal caught due to the internet. Few felons have been as forthcoming about their successes, failures, robbery techniques, passion for sailing vessels... and love for his wife. The book isn�t exactly murder. In fact it�s the opposite of murder since he didn�t hurt anyone intentionally. Les used a gun in his 30+ bank robberies, so technically they were violent crimes. He did end up getting 65 years on four convictions, so he�s doing time in the FCI Beaumont in Texas in medium security. He�s serving the time of murderers though. The film rights for Wanted are currently being optioned by a producer, so this is real exciting. We also created a really cool video book trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?. This is a real exciting time for me because I just finished my second manuscript just this week! We have tentatively titled the book �D.B. Tuber� Armored Car Heist: A True Story of Football, Addiction and Robbery. The story is of Anthony Curcio who was a pure athlete that became an addict (from injury) and a high-profile criminal to support his habit, but he overcame his demons to win back his family and wants to give back to his community. It's a roller coaster that exposes the prescription pill problem that affects us all. The book is due May 2013. Anthony gets out of prison this coming April and has a 20/20 interview waiting for him stemming from an article that was published about him in October, 2010 in GQ Magazine, and were rushing to get the book in the stores before the interview. Gary King has undertaken telling some incredible stories about some very hard topics. My stories are much lighter, and I have shied away from telling stories about killers frankly because they scare the shit out of me! Anyone that goes into this line of work is a much daring man than I am. As an author and a publisher I get all kinds of book submittals sent to me that include stories about mafia, drug runners, murderers and bank robbers, to go along with the biographies of horse whisper people, feel-good faith stories and even a story about a famous foot-messenger in NYC. Most of the submittals are interesting but lack what I�m looking for in a story or manuscript, but the ones that stand out (I�m not interested in though) to me are the murder and murderer stories. Not all of these stories were set in the past, some were fairly new. Gulp! I read one manuscript where the guy was in prison telling me his side of the murder story, he was the one convicted, and the kicker was that the guy he was blaming for the actual murder was part of the mob and still on the loose. I asked him, �So you want me to write your story with you telling the world that you didn�t murder this fellow and it was this guy over here who is on the streets right now?� He then told me that the guy isn�t dangerous, and then I told him ten different versions of, �Hell to the no!� and ran and hid like a kid that hit a car with a snowball. So I envy Gary King and his ability to deal with the violence, crime and victims but also the possible dangerous externalities of the true crime genre. Thanks for visiting and please comment if you have questions about me or my books. I�ll be monitoring this post on Thursday, July 26th, 2012. I will stop by R. Barri Flowers�s blog on Friday, July 27th, so stop by and say hi. Be well! PS - Don�t forget to stop by Goodreads and enter to win a copy of my first book Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber � http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/26038-wanted-gentleman-bank-robber-the-true-story-of-leslie-ibsen-rogge-one. The drawing ends on July 31st! Dane Batty Nish Publishing Company dane@nishpublishing.com www.nishpublishing.com Twitter @NishPublishing

Blog Tour--R. Barri Flowers

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Mass Murder in Colorado Good day! I'm criminologist and bestselling true crime writer R. Barri Flowers. As part of a true crime blog tour that includes Gary, Kelly Sons, Bonnie Kearne, and Dane Batty, I am guest blogging on Gary's blog. You may have seen me on TV series such as Investigation Discovery's Blood,

Blog Tour--Bonnie Kernene

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400

My name is Bonnie Kernene and I am a true crime blogger. My blog is at http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/. I have been doing this since 2005 and I really like what I do. When I started out, I was just posting stories of almost any kind, and was not very focused at all. However, that really changed within a few months, and my focus about crime took a sharp turn. In July 2006, 5-year-old Destiny Norton was reported missing. She was part of my community, so it affected me. I wanted to help search but was unable to. However, I paid close attention to all news reports and posted on her frequently. Then I started to notice some patterns in comments on news forums and comment boards, and I was angry. People were commenting on her appearance and her family�s income level. I was outraged. Her family�s income should not matter. A child was missing! She turned up dead, at the hands of a neighbor, who pled guilty and was sentenced to life without parole (Yes, I wanted the death penalty for him, but the family agreed to this). It was this beautiful, innocent child that made me realize that my focus should be on the victims of these horrific crimes, not on those who commit the crimes. It seems like these killers, including serial killers, spree killers, sexual sadists, etc., are glorified by the public. They receive thousands of letters, marriage proposals, etc. But then, can these same people even remember the victims of these monsters? Probably not, nor do they care to. But the victims should be the most important part of the process. We should strive for justice for them and to keep their memories alive. We should not be glorifying these killers or predators. The focus should be on the victims, however, it seems like there are so many groups that only care about the convicted, such as the ACLU, or the anti-death penalty groups, that most of their words are about the defendants, and they usually leave the victims out, or speak a few, insincere words about them. I strive each and every day to remind people to remember the victims, remember their lives. Spread their memories and their life stories. In fact, I am writing a book about this. I am currently trying to gather stories from friends and loved ones of victims, sharing memories of the person who has been taken away so unexpectedly. Remembering high school memories, weddings, children, trips, etc. Whatever memories they have that they want to share. I want to create a book that will share these loving moments with others, so that people will remember the victims and learn about their lives. Anyone wanting to share a memory of their friend or loved one that was murdered is welcome to send me an email at: mylifeofcrime@gmail.com

Blog Tour

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400

I'll be participating in a blog tour that begins on Monday, July 23, 2012. The blog participants besides myself will be Kelly Sons, Dane Batty and Bonnie Kearne. The participants will be posting details on Twitter and Facebook, among other sites. Please join us for what promises to be some interesting conversation!

Latest Five-Star Amazon.com Reviews for TO DIE FOR!

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

New 5-Star Review for TO DIE FOR! 5.0 out of 5 stars Gary King at his utmost best!, July 20, 2012 By Gwaredd (Whitewater, WI) - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: To Die For (Kindle Edition) It is rare to find an author with such a unique ability to weave a suspense-filled novel while at the same time not getting personally involved. He possesses the rare quality in a writer to be able to stand outside of himself and describe in the words of Sgt. Joe Friday from the old Dragnet series: "Just the facts ma'am, just the facts." Unlike other true crime authors he doesn't get bogged-down with "personalities." This is not to say that Mr. King is unfeeling, for he is anything but. He demonstrates great sympathy for the family of Darren Dee O'Neall's first victim and follows the horrible emotional trials endured by the young woman's mother, Edna. A large portion of the story centers around three or four states in the northwestern part of the United States. Mustering all the latest "technology" the investigators in each of the respective states along with the FBI, who places O'Neall on their "Top Ten Most Wanted" list, they are still unable to apprehend him. O'Neall seems like a ghost who has the uncanny ability to commit his atrocious crimes and slip the law every time, all the while evading police dragnets. He is also a chameleon who changes his appearance, but the one thing he can't hide are two features: a tattoo of the name "June" across the knuckles of his hand and another tat of a tear-drop near the corner of one of his eyes. A lot of people recognize him from wanted posters and those tattoos. They telephone the police reporting the sightings but no sooner do the police arrive than O'Neall has vanished. He is constantly on the move. I will not betray the ending revealing how O'Neall is finally apprehended but truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction. At risk of using a shop-worn phrase this (true crime book) is a "real page turner." Thrilling! Absolutely thrilling! I plan on reading every single one of Mr. King's brilliant novels for I do not believe one will find a better true crime author. 5.0 out of 5 stars To Die For: Another great true crime...by the master, Gary C. King!, August 31, 2011 By Kevin Edwards (Author of Grand Duchy) This review is from: To Die For (Kindle Edition) You know what's scary about True Crime stories? They're true. Gary C. King is a master storyteller in the True Crime

Crime Library

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Please check out my stories on Crime Library:

Excerpt from MURDER IN ROOM 305

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

STONE COLD KILLER �I told her to roll on her stomach. Then, I crawled on top of her, grabbed the gag, and I twisted it. She was out in seconds. Never moved a muscle. She just laid there until I cut off her breath. Then, I twisted it tighter and just held it there

Excerpt from BUTCHER

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"A page-turner for true crime fans." Vincent Bugliosi, author of HELTER SKELTER and THE PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W. BUSH FOR MURDER, about King�s book, BUTCHER. BUTCHERED! As she walked toward the barn, following the light source, Ellingsen felt ill--either from the excessive drug use that night or the sickening odor that hung in the night air, which grew stronger as she reached the barn. She cautiously pushed open the barn door a bit when, suddenly and without warning, Willie Pickton, covered in blood, reached out and grabbed her, pulling her inside the barn. He pulled Ellingsen over to a table and forced her to look at the dead woman, naked and hanging from a hook. The woman, Georgina Papin, was just hanging there, covered in blood. Willie had placed her on a hook in the same manner that he always hung up the pigs that he was going to slaughter. The victim's feet, whose toenails were painted red, were at Ellingsen's eye level. On a "shiny table" next to the hanging body, Ellingsen saw long black hair lying there, Georgina Papin's hair, and a lot of blood. She also saw two bloody knives. It looked to her like Willie had skinned Papin, and was preparing to butcher her like an animal. Willie told Ellingsen that if she told anyone anything about what she had seen that night, the same thing would happen to her. Prologue September 1978 Summer was still barely hanging on when Lillian Jean O'Dare, thirty-four, disappeared without a trace from the rough-and-tumble streets of East Vancouver, British Columbia, on September 12, 1978. The temperature was still in the low-sixties during the day, but the nights were becoming somewhat chilly with the mercury hovering in the mid-to-upper

Excerpt from DRIVEN TO KILL

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

PREDATOR Dodd leaned up against a telephone pole near the playground of Richmond Elementary School and watched the kids for a while. His attention drifted to a cute blond boy who looked between four and five years old. He was having fun climbing up a solid, stone-covered mound called "the volcano." There were no

Excerpt from BLOOD LUST: Portrait of a Serial Sex Killer

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Prologue March 1987 Spring had arrived in northwestern Oregon again, at least on the calendar. It would be at least another six weeks, however, before the rhododendrons revealed their short-lived blossoms of pink and white, about the same time that the abounding rosebuds began to swell. It would be even longer before the warm rays

Excerpt from TO DIE FOR

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The names of some individuals in this book have been changed, though such changes have been kept to a minimum. An asterisk (*) appears after a fictitious name at the time of its first occurrence. Prologue Saturday, January 17, 1987 Fawn Creswell,* 14, shivered from the January chill the moment she stepped out the front door of her

Crime Scene

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

I've attached a possible cover for my next eBook, CRIME SCENE: True Stories of Crime and Detection, the first in a series of volumes of vintage crime stories. Your opinions are most welcome!