The re-launch of Chained Birds: A Crimemoir is an "Author's Cut" edition with 20+ new photos, sketches, and prison artworkThe re-launch of Chained Birds: A Crimemoir contains 20+ new photos, sketches, and prison artwork, that can be seen in color on Kindle Fire tablets and Kindle Colorsoft eReaders, and in Kindle apps on tablets/iPads, smart phones, and computersThe re-launch of Chained Birds: A Crimemoir contains 20+ new photos, sketches, and prison artwork that appear in black and white in Hardcover and Paperback print editions.

How to order the new Chained Birds edition

Chained Birds Book Trailer

Praise for Chained Birds

Best Thrillers Magazine calls CHAINED BIRDS "An emotional, eye-popping, personal expose of the American prison system ... ONE OF THE YEAR'S BEST THRILLERS."Manhattan Book Reviews says CHAINED BIRDS is "Gripping ... from frustration to sadness and even awe at the events that transpired ... DESTINED TO BE A TRUE CRIME CLASSIC."Independent Book Review calls CHAINED BIRDS "A captivating true crime story ... and engrossing memoir of a journalist making a difference ... ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS WE READ IN 2024."How to order the new Chained Birds editionCarla Conti is the author and narrator of CHAINED BIRDS' audiobook. Her performance is praised by AudioReviewer.com or her captivating style. "The dialogue was rich and authentic, allowing the listener to become fully immersed ..."

The latest blog posts

Chained Birds named finalist for Page Turner Awards’ 2025 Book Adaptation Needed category

Page Turner Awards: Chained Birds has movie potential!

🎥 I’m overjoyed to announce that Chained Birds: A Crimemoir has been named a finalist in the 2025 Page Turner Awards’ Book Adaptation Needed category! 🏆 This recognition is particularly meaningful because the Page Turner Awards celebrate books with cinematic potential—an exciting prospect for any author dreaming of seeing their work adapted for the screen. 🎬 The winners will be

AubioBookReviewer.com calls Chained Birds' prison expose "eye-opening," and Carla Conti's author-narrated performance "captivating."

AudioBookReviewer on Chained Birds: an “eye-opening” exposé and “captivating” author narration

Better late than never! Seven months after receiving this one and only editorial review for my author-narrated audiobook of Chained Birds, I am finally posting it in its entirety. I’m extremely pleased to immortalize this review by AudioBookReviewer.com, even though the reviewer wasn’t so fond of the book’s political aspect. That is the reason, I suspect, for the four-star rating.

Carla Conti will appear at the 2025 Killer Nashville Writers' Conference on three author panels, followed by a book-signing session at the Killer Nashville Book Store

Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference, here I come!

I am SO jazzed to be appearing on three author panels at this year’s Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference, followed by book signings of Chained Birds after each one in the Killer Nashville Bookstore! Fun fact: all bookstore signings are open to the public 👏 So if you’re a crime fiction, thriller, or true crime fan in Nashville next weekend, come

Carla Conti has re-launched her award-winning true crime memoir Chained Birds under her own imprint with 20+ new images

Announcing: An “Author’s Cut” Chained Birds re-launch with 20+ new images

There’s a reason I’ve been missing in action here, on social media, and on the pickleball court this summer … I’ve been busy getting my Chained Birds rights reverted from my former publisher to re-launch it under my own imprint. That’s right, I’ve had a friendly divorce from my traditional publisher, and have now gone “indie” by re-launching my award-winning

Watch the Lewisburg rec cage video behind the true crime memoir Chained Birds by Carla Conti (viewer discretion advised)

VIDEO: The Lewisburg Prison rec cage fight behind Chained Birds (viewer discretion advised)

As part of my “Author’s Cut” re-boot of Chained Birds, I am making available to the public the video surveillance footage of the 2011 recreational cage fight at Lewisburg Prison that essentially launched this book. It’s grainy and brutal, and thankfully the victim survived and walked away on his own … still, viewer discretion is advised. The participants**, from left

Another prison assault video from the true crime memoir Chained Birds by Carla Conti (viewer discretion advised)

VIDEO: An Aryan Brotherhood prison “hit” from Chained Birds (viewer discretion advised)

This is the second of two prison stabbing videos I’ve made available to the public as part of my re-launch of Chained Birds: A Crimemoir. Like the first one, it’s grainy and brutal, and the victim—federal inmate Kevin Sanders—survives … but just barely. The 2013 footage from USP Florence in Colorado begins with an Aryan Brotherhood (AB) of Texas associate

Chained Birds has been recognized as a True Crime finalist in the 2025 National Indie Excellence Awards!

Chained Birds named True Crime finalist by National Indie Excellence Awards

I’m thrilled to announce that Chained Birds has been recognized as a True Crime finalist in the 2025 National Indie Excellence Awards! Thank you, NIEA, for this literary honor and for adding to my Spring collection of True Crime awards! 🌸📚🏆 The NIEA is a prestigious program that celebrates independent publishing across a wide variety of genres. With a mission

IndieReader Discovery Awards, which named Chained Birds its 2025 True Crime category winner, posted a recent author interview with Carla Conti

IndieReader True Crime winner Carla Conti interview: behind the scenes of Chained Birds

In this whirlwind year of a book launch, conferences, and awards, I’m trying to appreciate each milestone, and that includes a new author interview posted by IndieReader Discovery Awards, which named Chained Birds its 2025 True Crime category winner. I was delighted when IndieReader reached out for the interview, and told editor Amy Edelman that I love the ideology behind

Author, Editor and Blogger Christina Blyd interviews Carla Conti about true crime writing and her award-winning debut CHAINED BIRDS

Carla Conti on writing true crime, author self-promotion, and her next book

One of the key benefits of attending writers’ conferences is the people you meet, and this interview with a fellow author and blogger is a lovely example of one of those spinoffs. I had the great pleasure of meeting Christina Boyd at the April Chanticleer Authors’ Conference in Bellingham, Wash., where we both won book awards. She took home a

The CHAINED BIRDS book trailer that appeared at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards reception in Philadelphia June 27, 2025

Sneak Peek of Chained Birds book trailer for Philadelphia awards gala

Drumroll please … introducing my very first (and possibly only, ever) handcrafted book trailer for CHAINED BIRDS: A True Crime Memoir. (Note this book was retitled Chained Birds: A Crimemoir during my summer 2025 re-launch under my own imprint.) This labor of love was requested by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for their upcoming awards gala, to be held

Chained Birds takes the True Crime top prize in Indie Reader Discovery Awards

Chained Birds wins top True Crime book award from IndieReader

Oh, how I love my indie book award programs! Chained Birds has won another True Crime literary honor, this time taking the 2025 True Crime top prize in the Indie Reader Discovery Awards, announced today. I’m not sharing this award with anyone, and there are no True Crime finalists to congratulate — it’s just little ole’ me getting the top

CHAINED BIRDS wins SILVER in the 2025 Independent Publisher Book Awards category of True Crime!

Chained Birds wins True Crime Silver medal in IPPY book awards

I just got the wonderful news that Chained Birds: A True-Crime Memoir captured the Silver Medal in the True Crime category of the 2025 Independent Publisher Book Awards, aka the IPPY awards! 🎉 This is the second true crime book award for Chained Birds this month 😭😭😭 I’d like to congratulate all the IPPY winners in the contest’s 100+ categories,

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