An Invitation From Across the Pond
When UK true crime podcaster Tom Clarke of Caught Up In Crime reached out to interview me about Chained Birds, I said yes immediately. Tom has a gift for getting to the heart of a story, and we took a deep dive into how I gained access to a whistleblower inside one of America’s most notorious federal prisons.
Tom’s brilliant documentary-style episode, “The Snowball,” dropped last week, and it has a permanent place on this blog, my social media, and Substack archive.
This cinematic re-telling of my true crime memoir, exposing federal prison gang violence and penal corruption, is the most dramatic adaptation of my work. I’m honored that Tom chose Chained Birds as one of his twice-a-month podcast subjects, and I’m pretty sure I’m his number one fan now across the pond ✨
The Mini-Documentary Begins With This Chilling Video
Watch the video above, then listen to the full 35-minute episode:
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- Listen on Caught up in Crime
- Listen on Spotify
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
(I included the complete transcript in this related post.)
🔎 Learn More: The Story Behind the Story
As a bonus, Tom offered his own deep dive into the making of “The Snowball” on his Substack, and it’s a great read. He explains why he chose to feature me on Caught up in Crime (his standard: the author has to be part of the story, not just a chronicler of it), walks through the pivotal ‘snowball’ moment that set the whole tragic chain of events in motion, and shares some of the extraordinary prison artwork that Kevin Sanders created while incarcerated — the same artwork that appears throughout Chained Birds.
Tom also reflects on why he makes narrative podcasts the hard way, with music, layered editing, and cinematic production, even when the simpler interview format would be easier. It’s a generous, thoughtful piece, and I’m grateful he wrote it.
Spoiler alert: this is probably not the last time you’ll hear about Tom Clarke and his Caught up in Crime podcast in this space … he and I plan to circle back later this year when my next true crime book, The Jacklighter, is released 🥳
Carla Conti is a journalist and the award-winning author of Chained Birds: A Crimemoir. Her next true crime book, The Jacklighter, is set for release in 2026. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, who supports her true crime habit.
