Posts on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform

7 Days to Launch: What Critics Are Saying About The Jacklighter With one week to go until The Jacklighter launches on Oct. 27, I’ve gathered this whole season of reviews in one place, because it’s been a lot to take in, in the best way 🥹 Six professional reviewers have now read the book. Each brought a ...

Greetings, true crime fans. I’m updating this post with more book launch events—I hope to see you later this month if you’re in Philadelphia or Northeast PA. 🎉 And my update starts with some surprise book news: if you’d like a signed copy of The Jacklighter before its official publication on Oct. 27, 2026, join me at the new Barnes ...

Who were we kidding? A woman of color to be the next U.S. President? No can do. That mountain of American racism and misogyny is just too steep. Pundits and others will debate and blame Trump’s assassination attempt, defecting Latinos, or lies about migrants eating cats that stuck and held. But it really just comes ...

Yeah. I’m gonna go there. I need to get this out of the way … In recognition of my wonderful BestThrillers.com book review going live on their website, I’m going to expand on one theme from its critique that no other reviewer has mentioned, and that is politics. But before I dive into that cesspool, I want ...

In honor of my very first — and first 5-star, no less! — editorial review from Readers’ Favorite going live this week, I’m updating my post from two months ago when it first landed in my inbox and spurred all kinds of delirium. Coincidentally, Chained Birds has held TWO #1 spots on Amazon’s Hot New ...

All print and digital editions of Chained Birds are available for pre-order … but not all in one place! The e-Book and audiobook can be pre-ordered on Amazon for instant delivery to devices on the 11/12/24 publication day! (And the eBook will remain on sale at $2.99 until launch day, when the price will go up!) But ...

Chained Birds: A True Crime Memoir continues to pop up on several of Amazon’s Hot New Releases lists, despite the fact that no one’s been able to read or listen to a sample of the eBook and audiobook that are on pre-order. Fun fact: Amazon does not offer that inside look or listen (nor allow ...

Who among us hasn’t Googled ourselves, our companies, or our beloved pet projects? And, of course, what shows up in the search results isn’t always predictable, right? So imagine my surprise to learn, after typing Chained Birds into the search engine, that somehow, my book, which doesn’t come out until November 12, 2024, has already found ...

My long-awaited cover-reveal for Chained Birds is here! And fun fact — this is actually my second cover! Let’s back up to September when WildBlue Press’ talented designer Elijah Toten produced a cover that incorporated the original artwork by Kevin Sanders (the inmate at the heart of my story), a sketch titled Chained Bird. I believe my ...

My upcoming book, Chained Birds: A True Crime Memoir, received a five-star review this week from the Manhattan Book Review, which launched squeals and gasps in my household (okay, this was just me; my husband is more measured). The reviewer, Philip Zozzaro, called my debut “a future true crime classic,” and I would like to send him a ...