Posts on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform

I’ve done more than a dozen podcast interviews about Chained Birds, and I say that with deep gratitude. But this one is different. This one stopped me in my tracks … and that was before I saw Tom Clarke’s video intro to his cinematic-for-the-ear episode called “The Snowball.” Caught Up in Crime is the brainchild of ...

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 ...

What happened to the couple in this photo? This week, I found a photo I forgot I had. It’s a 3½-inch-square, faded color snapshot of a glorious 1968 wedding party—nearly 20 people posed on a sunlit lawn in Binghamton, NY, the bride stunning in white lace and a full veil, the groom beaming beside her. Two flower ...

🎧 Win CHAINED BIRDS on Spotify — Plus Get a Free eBook Just for Sharing! I’ve always wanted to do this. 🎉 As an indie author who loves connecting with readers, I’ve dreamed of running contests and giveaways — not just as a one-time thing, but as an ongoing way to celebrate my books and build excitement ...

To add to this month’s publishing news for indie authors … Just when I thought February couldn’t get any better for Chained Birds — after celebrating the book’s availability in ALL formats on Bookshop.org — Spotify dropped a game-changing feature called PageMatch that’s giving Amazon’s whispersync a run for its money 👏 Introducing PageMatch: Your Reading-Listening Superpower ...

And Every Purchase Supports Local Bookstores! 💕 ❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day, Book Lovers! In celebration of indie authors and local bookstores, I have a shout-out for Bookstore.org, which announced some big publishing news last week about bringing eBooks to their platform. And I noticed that my award-winning debut, Chained Birds: A Crimemoir, was an immediate beneficiary. Bookshop.org ...

It’s Day 3 of THE JACKLIGHTER’s pre-launch phase on Kickstarter, and I’m thrilled to report that things are already off to a promising start. 🎉 As of this writing, The Jacklighter is trending #6 out of 206 projects in Kickstarter’s “most popular upcoming nonfiction” publishing category—and I have my fabulous first 11 followers to thank for ...

The Wait Is Over—THE JACKLIGHTER Is Now LIVE on Kickstarter! It’s happening. 🎉 After months of R&D, THE JACKLIGHTER: Murder, Betrayal, and Justice in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains is finally live on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform for creatives. This is a FOLLOW Phase … Backing with Pledges & Rewards Comes Next Month! This project, my second true crime book, is ...