As a true crime fan, I’m familiar with this case, what drew you to this story? As a fan of Truman Capote, I was mostly familiar with his in-depth research for In Cold Blood.  But I learned several years ago that he had a fascination with other crimes, especially high-society crimes. This one drew him in because it took place in his milieu, the glitzy, glamorous world of New York, and Ann Woodward could have been one of his “swans”, if not for the fact that he could not stand her.  I was surprised by how much he could not tolerate her, and by how similar the two actually were.  By how hard the two had worked to pursue similar goals – the achievement of a better life within New York’s society, wanting to be surrounded by a “better” class of friends, trying to erase their pasts in order to build a new persona.   How much research went into writing DELIBERATE CRUELTY, and what was the process like? Quite a bit of research goes into such a book.  While Truman Capote is an author who has been studied and deeply researched, the life of Ann Woodward is less well-known,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A LOVELY GIRL: THE TRAGEDY OF OLGA DUNCAN AND THE TRIAL OF ONE OF CALIFORNIA’S MOST NOTORIOUS KILLERS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A Lovely Girl is the true story of a scandalous 1958 murder case filled with eccentric people, bumbling killers, and dark humor, set against the backdrop of 1950’s family life. Think Dave Berry meets Ann Rule in Fargo! 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Because my book is a true-crime memoir, I didn’t have a choice about the setting. The story takes place in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California where the murder and trial occurred. I liked time traveling back to my 1950s hometown and reliving a part of my childhood while researching the book. My father was a crime reporter and columnist for the local newspaper, so his stories about the murder and columns about our family helped bring the 60-year-old murder back to life for me. As I wrote the book, I heard my father’s voice speaking to me from his old, yellowed news clippings authenticating that wonderful 1950’s coastal town I remembered so well. 4–Would you hang…

Unless you’re a certified saint, you’ve done things that weren’t very nice. Maybe you pulled your sister’s hair as a kid or shoplifted a Mars bar or two. Cut people off in traffic? You might have done worse. But why do most of us keep our antisocial urges more or less under control, while others go on to rob, destroy, and even kill?  I’ve always been fascinated by what motivates nasty characters, both real and fictional. My latest novel, KILLER COIN, explores the dark impulse of greed. I’m not talking about an extra slice of cake but greed so greedy it kills. Worst of all, that sort of greed often involves the people we trust most – relatives, lovers, and spouses. I’ve rounded up five of my favorite true crime podcasts about greed:  1) Criminal – The Money Tree At just 26 minutes long it’s a quick listen and involves no deaths but is guaranteed to shock you. Who can you trust? No one, after hearing this podcast! Bonus: you might feel better about your family. 2) Dateline – The House on the Hill  If you thought things couldn’t get worse after listening to the previous podcast, you were wrong….