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 true crime memoir with quite a few changes. You’ll notice Chained Birds: A Crimemoir has a new cover design and blessedly short subtitle (the one I wanted all along). But the real value-add for readers is the 20+ collection of new photos, sketches, and prison artwork inside this new edition. The drawings and artwork are produced by the federal inmate at the heart of this story, Kevin Sanders. His black and white sketch of an eagle with a broken chain around its foot continues to grace this third (and my favorite) book cover, and now readers can view much more from this talented artist. I’m calling this re-launch my “Author’s Cut” edition.
Look at all the new artwork inside!
It’s important to note that most of the images are in color and can only be seen in color in the eBook version. Currently, the eBook is available from Amazon, and those color images are viewable on a Kindle Colorsoft eReader and Kindle Fire tablets, or on any iPad, tablet, or smartphone via a Kindle app. Once my 90-day commitment to Amazon’s eBook Kindle Unlimited expires at the end of October, Chained Birds: A Crimemoir will come to other eBook platforms like Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and others.
The other important thing to note is that all images in Hardcover and Paperback copies only appear in black and white due to exceedingly high color print costs. This is disappointing, of course, but at least readers who like to hold a book in their hands can enjoy a monochrome version of the artwork inside. Such is the nature of printing and publishing, and this is how imprints of all stripes do it.
Speaking of imprints—I named my new publishing imprint after my subtitle, meaning I’ve re-released this new edition under Crimemoir Press. Of course, I’ve re-released my author-narrated audiobook under a sister imprint, Crimemoir Audio. (Look for an announcement soon on the wide release of my audiobook on platforms like Spotify, Kobo, and a new availability for libraries.)
“Author’s Cut” re-launch offers a sneak peek at my next true crime book: The Jacklighter
A final bonus inside the new edition of Chained Birds is a sneak peek of my current work-in-progress, The Jacklighter: Murder, Secrets, and the Hunt for Truth in Small-Town Pennsylvania. This is a true crime story I worked on decades ago and, like with Chained Birds, I have a personal connection to. It centers on a 1970s love triangle between a doctor, a lawyer, and the lawyer’s wife, a nurse, and a hunting accident that took the lawyer’s life, where the doctor was the only witness. The doctor married the nurse, raised her children, and their 20 years of bliss were coming to a screeching halt with the exhumation of the lawyer’s body and a murder trial. The lawyer’s family never did buy that accidental death story …
Newsletter subscribers can preview The Jacklighter for free
Do you know how else you can get this sneak peek at the first two chapters of The Jacklighter? Sign up for my free newsletter, choose this bonus in the welcome email, and it will be delivered right to your inbox. I have more than 3,500 newsletter subscribers and am finally migrating to Substack. New and existing subscribers can choose to read either the opening chapters of Chained Birds, The Jacklighter, or both.
I’m calling my subscribers Friends of the Flock as an homage not just to my first book, but the bird reference works for The Jacklighter as well … that hunting accident that took the lawyer’s life? He and the doctor were target practicing with clay pigeons.
So, please, come join me on Substack, where you’ll get a front-row seat to my true crime world, including more book exclusives, new release info, and newsy bits about the publishing industry. Substack is where I’ll be sharing my rights-revision journey and entry into indie-pub territory … Spoiler: publishing is a shitshow 😱
Carla Conti is an award-winning true crime journalist, storyteller, and prison reform advocate. Her debut book, Chained Birds: A Crimemoir, won multiple 2025 national book awards, including 1st Place in True Crime from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Winner in True Crime from the Indie Reader Discovery Awards, Silver in True Crime from the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), and a 1st Place Nellie Bly Journalism award from the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Carla lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, who tolerates her true crime habit.
