Posts on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform

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 ...

Last week I had the pleasure of joining the legendary Ron Chepesiuk for a full hour on his award-nominated show, Crime Beat—and it was the best conversation I’ve had about The Jacklighter so far. We covered a lot of ground: how I first stumbled onto this story nearly 30 years ago in my husband’s hometown of ...

To say I’m grateful for my growing list of Chained Birds book reviews on Amazon and Goodreads is a huge understatement. I always hoped — but didn’t know! — that everyday readers would find the book as compelling of a page-turner as my editorial reviewers have. It’s especially grand to hear from those who listened ...

To say that book award season has been good to Chained Birds is an understatement! I’m humbled and honored that Chained Birds has been chosen as the 2025 Gold/1st Place winner by the Feathered Quill Book Awards Program for the Debut Author category. At the time of this blog post, the finalists for this award and ...

I had the pleasure of appearing on Larry Davison’s final 2024 episode of his podcast, The Artful Periscope, which just dropped on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms this week. I was the first of Larry’s two interviews for his non-fiction-focused episode and was followed by best-selling author Daniel de Visé, who talked about his latest ...

We are in the End Times. I am aware. Just because I don’t write, tweet, or engage socially about it doesn’t mean I don’t know or care. I’m just trying to preserve my mental health. To that end, I have submitted my request to Lumon Industries to be severed like Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan, the courageous ...

I am ecstatic to report that Chained Birds has been short-listed for CIBA’s 2024 Nellie Bly Book Awards! So naturally, I’ve done a deep dive into all things Nellie Bly … get ready for a primer. 😁 Sponsored by the Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs), this award recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding ...

Winnie Schrader, host of YouTube’s Mysteries, Mayhem and Merlot, was destined to become a true crime podcaster, even if she didn’t know it. Her show, which dives into all things true crime, is the product of a radio background, a love of journalism, a family podcasting mentorship, and a personal experience within the genre. She credits ...

I’m not sure which is more exciting — getting a trio of book prizes for Chained Birds or my new gorgeous cover with a shiny fresh award sticker … do I have to choose? I’ll tackle my prizes first and say I have a lot of love for BestThrillers.com, Independent Book Review, and Literary Titan. I’ve ...

Like with so many worthwhile things, it really did take a village to publish and promote Chained Birds. It feels more than appropriate, in this last blog post of the year, to reflect upon my 2024 publishing whirlwind and all the folks who helped bring Chained Birds into the world and shout it from the bleachers. It ...