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| 10/29/05 |
Saturday Night:
I truly did mean to write today, but first I went to get flu and pneumonia shots, and then I had to mail some bills, and then I had to go pick out paint for my outside doors as the purple doors really don't match the new colors of my house and writing cabin. And, of course, you should never, ever to to the grocery store hungry. But I went. Now, it's 7 p.m. and I haven't had a bite to eat all day--but I sure managed to spend four hours wandering around Fred Meyer buying stuff! (For those who don't live in the Northwest, Fred Meyer is kind of like Walmart. There's so much stuff there that you didnt' realize you really have to have until you get there.) And Freddie's is so good to me. They always have at least 14 of my book titles for sale, so I do like to patronize them.
It took me half an hour, but I finally picked out a soft green--kind of a moss green--for the doors. I should have stayed home and painted; it turned out to be a great sunny day, even though the weathermen said it was going to storm. I've been fixing up my house; the more I do, the more I see what needs to be done next! But it's fun and things look so nice now.With all my pets, my floors are muddier, my furniture is more ragged, and there's more dust and hair around my house than those of people who don't have pets or children. But their company means more to me than an immaculate house!
In just a little more than two months, I'll be heading to Augusta, Georgia for Bart Corbin's first murder trial. As far as I can tell, there are NO extended living suites for rent for a month or so in Augusta. Usually, my best friend and I--and my daughter Leslie (who takes all my photos for me) find a place with two bedrooms, a living-dining area, and a little kitchen to stay in during trials--but not a thing in Augusta. I can't tell you how exhausting trials are. For one thing, the emotions in the courtroom are, deservedly, very intense. I try to take notes of all the testimony, and Donna or Leslie note what people are wearing, how the jury looks and what they may be thinking, and the general atmosphere. In essence, I just have to BE THERE so I can describe it to you later in a book. I hope nobody laughs, but I swear I'm going to take a foam rubber cushion to sit on this time. Those courtroom benches are so hard!
I'm not sure, but I think the Gwinnett County trial will follow right after the Augusta trial. I have found some suites there where we can live. I am going to schedule booksignings in both Augusta and the Atlanta area just as soon as I know what dates I will be there. Once I do all the research and her from both the prosecution and the defense, then I come home and sit down in my office and write the book. People ask me what part of my job I like the best--and I can never decide. I am fascinated with the trials, and with my interviews with witnesses and family members after the verdict, but I am one of the few authors who actually enjoys writing. I think the hardest part might be the nation-wide tours when the books come out. Last year, I caught the flu in NYC and did the whole tour from the East Coast to the West Coast with that $$##@&&& virus clinging to me. Some nights, I don't know how I even had a voice to give a talk, but something came out when I opened my mouth. Now, more and more publicity about books is done through the Internet. Personally, I truly enjoy meeting my readers in person, but sometimes it's a hard row to hoe. Last tour, I would go back to my hotel room and catch naps between interviews. But that was because the flu bug was undercutting my energy! Sometimes, all I get to see of a particular region is what I glimpse from the taxi I take from the airport to the hotel, but at least I get a sense of what it is like in that area. My wish has always been to find a really nice man who wants to drive the "blue highways" with me-- all the back roads of America, far off the free-ways, and get to see the little towns. No, I'm not taking applications!!! When I was newly married, my ex-husband and I crossed America 7 times in one year, and we got to see what it was like for people all over this country. I would like to do that again at a slower pace. I do have an invitation to speak at the library in Des Moines, Iowa and I hope I can do that next April. It all depends on whether the Corbin trials are over by then.
Someone asked what the difference is between my readers and people like Dr. Debora Green who read true crime books. Well, I think the answer is that the vast majority of my readers read my books because you, like I, are trying to find out WHY anyone would grow up to have no respect for the rights of others to live their lives. When you get a Debora Green or a Ted Bundy (who always was interested in my articles for True Detective et al), they are reading true crime for entirely different reasons. They were "researching," I think, trying to find out how "successful" killers got away with murder, and also what mistakes "unsuccessful" killers made. So it is isn't a contradiction when I say my readers are almost all kind people who wouldn't hurt anyone or any creature. Most of us read true crime to find out WHY people become sociopathic and what caused them to kill without conscience. A very, very, small percentage of readers are looking for the HOW of murder. So those of you who have brothers and husbands and neighbors who think you are weird for reading true crime should exhale. You are not at all strange. Chances are that you are far more caring than most people. If we don't find out the causes of violent sociopathy, we're not going to figure out how to stop it. My books are not focusing on the gruesome or the grisly, and as I've said before, I am trying only to do psychological autopsies of the killers, and, sometimes, of the victims. I would dearly love to put myself out of business, and never again have a murder case to write about!
Green River, Running Red remains at #3 on the New York Times' Bestseller list. My secret wish is to have it stay there and then be joined by Worth More Dead, which will be out at the end of November.
I need to remind you that you can ALWAYS order by books in any bookstore or through http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ or from http://www.poisonedpen.com/ or http://www.auntiesbookstore.com/ or http://www.seattlemysterybookstore.com/ or any bookstore. Just because books aren't on bookstore or library shelves does NOT mean they aren't available. They may just be sold out. I looked for Green River, Running Red today in vain at Fred Meyer, and then realized it was just temporariliy sold out. If you're watching your pennies, go to http://www.email.com/ and enter my name in the search slot ther. They have lots of good deals on used books. No, I don't make any royalties on second-hand books, but I want you to be able to read them whether I make money or not. All 25 or 26 of my books are still in print and available. The titles are listed on this website if you will click under "Ann's Books."
Before I hand up my computer, I hope to have at least 40 books out there.
This website is the place to go if you want to quit smoking. We will not only encourage you enthusiastically, but we have shining examples of those who did it! Liz, the "Queen of Pink Lungs" is our prizewinner, and she has to keep clean now as we'll hold her to that! I quit smoking on December 7, 1983 and never looked back, and I am so thankful that I did. I note that lots of you are jumping on the No-Smoking bandwagon, and we're proud of you.I can't even believe now that I was once a smoker. Believe me, you will get over the impulse to light up. If nothing else, with the cost of cigarettes today, think of what you can buy with the money you save. My favorite trick was to take deep breaths of fresh, good air, and think that my lungs were turning pink--and I also said aloud, "Why do you feel sorry for yourself because you can't have a cigarette. YOU ARE A NON-SMOKER!" It worked for me.
Your posts on my Guestbook and your emails to me are wonderful! How lucky am I to start my days reading such gracious comments from people who understand why I write true crime, and what matters to me--and that it matters to you, too! I am a very fortunate woman.
Soon, I will have a second website as part of Amazon.com's new plan to connect authors to readers. We all know that we already have that connection, but this will add more readers, I think, who feel the same way we do.
Remember that you get an extra hour's sleep tomorrow morning as we go back to Standard time. The dark months are upon us. . .
And have a happy and safe Halloween!
Ann
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| Posted by Ann on Saturday, October 29, 2005 at 19:47 |
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| Tuesday Night |
Tuesday Night.
What a typical October day it was today. It began as warm as May, only smelling like fall and feeling that an extra dividend to summer. I thought I would go outside and paint my new steps leading to one of my gardens--as soon as I finished writing and paying bills. But, of course, the sky clouded over and the wind whipped up, blowing dead leaves in the air and dumping them, finally, on my deck. So no painting today. I always have plans to do so much, knowing that I will need about four extra hours in the middle of the afternoon. If days were only 28 hours long . . .
For anyone interested in the Dr. Sam Shepard case, the very best source is a very well-researched and fascinating book called THE WRONG Man by James Neff. Neff is the first author I've found who tells the whole story, including information about a handy man who was working around the Shepard home during the time period that Marilyn Shepard was killed. I certainly was left with doubts that Shepard was guilty after reading THE WRONG MAN.
As for Albert DiSalvo, the alleged "Boston Strangler," I feel that he was not guilty of all the murder attributed to him, but guilty of some; the victims fit entirely different profiles. Please read A ROSE FOR MARY by Casey Sherman, the nephew of one of the victims alleged to be one of DiSalvo's for more thoughts on this one.
Unless I have actually researched cases for books that I'm going to write, I'm hesitant to say whether I think alleged killers are guilty or not, although I have opinions like anyone else does.
It's great to see a bunch of new readers logging on to our Guestbook! The time is drawing close when I'll have to do most of my correspondence through my weblog; I got 350 emails behind again while I was on vacation--just when I had the list down to less than 50! I really enjoy reading emails--and I read them all--and I like answering, but I'm going to have to start "writing like the wind" if I'm going to meet both deadlines looming ahead--one for TOO LATE TO SAY GOODBYE and the other for NO REGRETS. So please understand if you don't hear back from me for awhile? I'll always be here on the weblog.
Leslie's popping into the Guestbook was a surprise to me! She and I have different writing schedules, although we tend to write in the same style as far as sentence structure--probably a genetic thing with daughter and Mom. I write during the day,a nd Leslie is a night owl. But I'm sure not one of those writers who gets up at dawn and writes from 5 a.m. until noon and then goes out for a brisk jog! I get into gear about 10 a.m., halfway through THE PRICE IS RIGHT, and then work until 7 or 8 at night. I have to remind myself to get up and stretch or do something briskly, but too often I get so interested in the story that is filling the computer pages that I forget. And then my joints ache from being in the same position too long! Leslie can write all night and sleep until noon. But we both understand deadlines, and that editors are always looking at their calendars. :*) This is her "busy season." Interviews with those who write about ghosts are popular around Halloween! If you haven't read her Coast to Coast Ghosts or Ghosts Among Us, this week is a good time to do it.
The candy-throwing incident that Leslie mentioned? It was kind of dumb, but startling. I was having a birthday lunch Saturday with three girlfriends when I got smacked hard in the face by something. A waitress-who should have known better- was throwing peppermints, wrapped in cellophane, at the bartender and she was throwing them like a baseball pitcher. Only her aim wasn't very good. Luckily one hit my glasses and didn't go in my eye, but it scratched my face. Pretty dumb behavior for a supposedly adult waitress. She didn't apologize until the bartender made her, and then she didn't sound serious. And I didn't have anything to drink at all--only a diet Coke. Sometimes you have to wonder how people can be so oblivious. No, I didn't report her to the manager but I was tempted.
Willow went over to Mike's house to have a sleepover with his dogs, Cooper and Yoda, so Lucy is enjoying being the "Only dog" tonight. I have a cat (Buns) on top of my desk, and another (Fluffbutt) underneath it. They "allow" me to write, as long as I don't disturb them.
Hope you all have a great evening and a good day tomorrow!
Ann
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| Posted by Ann on Tuesday, October 25, 2005 at 19:32 |
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| 10/23/05 |
Back Home Until January!
It's time for me to accept that my vacation is over, but I have had a really good time over the past seven to ten days! I went to Oregon for three days, and then drove up to Anacortes, Washington, to take the ferry to one of the San Juan Islands. This past week--except for today when the rains are coming down with a vengeance--has been just perfect October weather, and I felt grateful that I could take a train trip and a long drive and enjoy it. I did squeeze in one blog posting for you, although I couldn't begin to answer all the emails that had come in. I also did an interview for #11 of my true crime files, No Regrets, while I was up on Orcas Island. Tomorrow, I go back to writing and work begins on Too Late to Say Goodbye and No Regrets. I'm actually more tired from my vacation than from working. Maybe it's just the knowledge that I COULD take a nap if I wanted to--although I never really did.
Reading over the Guestbook posts, I feel a lot older. I'm not the same age as the one gal who said we were contemporaries and I'm not about to retire as another poster expected! It's a woman' perogative (sp.?) to keep her age to herself after she passes 40. Right? I've fibbed so much that I'm not really sure anymore HOW old I am. :*) Parts of me are a little achy, but my head still seems to work well, and so do my typing fingers, so I'll settle for that.
Every so often someone asks if I keep all my money greedily to myself? Is that because I'm an author, and therefore not entitled to be a private person? I would never dream of asking someone how much they earned, or how much they gave to charity and other good causes? And it always seems as if the question of how much I might give to victims is asked in an accusatory way. Debbie P., my dear friend and the subject of one of my books, supported me with vigor and thanks for that Deb! I am now writing my 26th and 27th books, and I have supported victims' groups, victims, their survivors and their children, battered womens' shelters, counseling and shelters for children at risk, food banks, Christian Childrens' Fund, and a dozen other charities over the past 30 years--both emotionally and financially.It sure wasn't very much at first because charity DID begin at home, and with five children, my own family needed everything I could earn. I don't usually talk about what I give away because it's really nobody's business. But I could not make a living writing about tragedy and death without giving something back. So, Dan, yes I do give money to many of the victims. I don't promise it ahead of time; I like it to be a surprise AFTER my books are written so there is no question that I am somehow paying survivors to talk with me. And mostly, it goes to the children who have suffered such great losses. Nuff said about that, except to ask Dan how much of his income he donates to charity?
And isn't it nice to have Debbie P. from Buffalo joining us on the Guest Book. I hope that some of the other families I've met through the years will come on and talk about their feelings and how they're doing now. It helps readers to realize that they're all real people who dealt with real loss and came out the other side because they were courageous and determined not to let the evilness of others destroy them. I'm so impressed with Debbie. She survived what doctors said was impossible to survive. If you haven't read Last Dance, Last Chance, that's Debbie's story. And as you'll see from my newsletter--on the way to you soon--both of her children have distinguished themselves in school and as people. Her son, Ralph, graduated as Valedictorian of his class last spring and got a full scholarship to college, and her daughter, Lauren, gets straight "A's."
This week, the paperback of Green River, Running Red, is #3 on the New York Times' bestseller list. Only two books above it, and one is a book that Oprah talks about on her show all the time. Bless Oprah, when she has your book on her show, it's a sure winner on the Times' list. I've been on her show four times, and I could always count on jumping on to the list with eight days. Lately, she hasn't done many crime shows (except for her sensational new war on sex offenders which is going to catch so many people who are still out there, harming children) so you are the ones who have helped me climb up that very important list. My editors call me every Thursday to tell me where I am on the Times' list, and I always wait with my fingers crossed. I'm not really competitive about much, but I have to admit that I'm a dedicated competitor when it comes to selling books! I suspect that most authors are.
Thank you for all the birthday wishes I received! And many of you sent me some fun presents. I'll thank you privately. Hope I have all of your email addresses? And I think every single one of you who sent money for Karen's "plight" have written to tell me that you don't want it back. That is really sweet of you. I've donated the money instead to a battered woman's shelter and to a no-kill pet shelter--where I know it will go to good use.
Halloween is almost here. I miss the years when I had little kids to take around trick or treating. One year, my son, Andy, had a broken foot. He was about nine and I carried him to every house. In fact, I carried him everywhere for about three weeks until he could put weight on his foot. And I lost 15 pounds. Maybe now I should find somebody else's kid to carry? Definitely a calorie burner! But I'm not sure I'm strong enough to do that now!
My friend, Donna Anders, has just about finished her new book, and my daughter, Leslie, is doing the proposal for her next ghost book. Leslie's article is in the November issue of Readers' Digest that should be on the stands now.
Have to trudge through the rain now to be sure Beanie and Bunnie are safely tucked into my writer's cabin for the night, and that the raccoons will tuck themselves safely in their den--which I think is under my deck. The raccoons are as picky as my animals about what they will eat. But I discovered last night that they really like grapes--they ate a couple of pounds of grapes that got kind of soft and old while I was gone. And the seagulls really went for some chili that was decidedly past its prime. I guess if you eat clams, oysters, crabs and other beach stuff (and they sure do), chili might be pretty tasty. Not too spicy, though; I don't cook it too spicy. I always pride myself that nothing goes to waste around here. Whatever is turned down by all species ends up in the mulch pile!
I'll be adding some new recommended reads to my Home Page here, so check it out next week. Also, I realize why it's taking soooo looonggg to reach our millionth "hit" on my website. Are you all going directly to the Guestbook or Weblog without going to the home page first? We are so close to that magic number, so would you mind going there first? I told my editors we were almost there, so I know they're watching it, too.
I think I sound kind of dull today, but it's that kind of lazy, rainy, Sunday afternoon.
All my best,
Ann
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| Posted by Ann on Sunday, October 23, 2005 at 18:48 |
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| I'm Back. . .well, kind of. . . |
Hi Everyone!
This is just a drop-in visit, as I'm leaving in the morning to take the ferry to Orcas Island, and won't really be back until Thursday afternoon. Once I started on vacation, I really got to like it! Actually, I'll be doing some interviewing for the new book in the Crime Files series tomorrow, and having dinner with a dear friend, too. It's quite a jaunt up there, though--a long drive and then an hour and a half on the ferry. The new book is called--at least tentatively--NO REGRETS. What do you think? I'll be writing about people who commit unbelieveably cruel crimes and walk away without feeling anything at all. It's hard for most of us to imagine there are people like that--but we all know there are. . .
My Oregon trip was great. I met my old friend from college and went to her daughter's cottage for some R and R on the Pacific Ocean coast. The "cottage" turned out to be a super-dooper cottage: five bedrooms, six bathrooms, leventy-seven TV's, an elevator, fireplaces, and every modern convenience you can think of. We slept late, remembered our girlhood, went to the Goodwill AND to the Outlet Mall, ate pizza, read tabloids and tried to figure out how we suddenly are grandmotherly ages. (Remember, that can happen pretty young! :*)) There's nothing like being with someone who knew you way before "When!"
I rode the train down,a nd the train and bus back. Train travel is a wonderful way to go. Smooth ride, a diner, and no driving. I met a lot of really nice people while I was in Oregon. I think sometimes we tend to forget how sweet people are in smaller towns; they don't rush around as much or suffer from road rage the way big city dwellers do. We would all be wise to slow down to about "35 miles an hour" and be more polite, more thoughtful, and notice the way the leaves change and the wind blows off the ocean. What's the hurry, really?
Today, I got all new windows in my writing cottage--and , yes, mine IS a cottage. But the new windows are wonderful, and I know they'll keep the place warmer as winter comes. I won't even tell you how much windows cost these days, but it will be worth it.
When I got back from Oregon, I went to my first movie in a theater for about 8 years. Why I stopped, I don't know. Just got too busy writing. We saw "Flight Plan" and I liked it, and I did NOT guess the ending. It reminded me of "Sixth Sense" a little--and that was the last movie I saw in a theater. The sound system seems kind of overpowering to me, but the popcorn is still good. Why, oh why, do they serve drinks large enough to send you to the Ladies' Room every 15 minutes if you drink them all? I was smart, and didn't drink mine!
It's almost November, and I still have geraniums, petunias, dahlias, cannas, hydrangeas, roses, and almost everything blooming. If I get time and my poor back holds up, I want to plant a couple hundred tulips and daffodils, even if I may be in Georgia when they bloom. When you're waiting on trial dates, your life is up in the air. I never know where I'm going to be.
I have finished the new newsletter, and it will be mailed out and emailed out over the next month. It is shorter than before because so many of them will be sent via email, and we'll have our photo album and constant updates on-line.
If you sent me books to sign, and you have not gotten them back, please write to me at AnnieR37@aol.com? Without my trusty assistant (who is allergic to my critters), the office work can pile up, even though she does a mountain of work from HER home office. Getting books signed and back to you sometimes is difficult for me. I don't want to overlook anyone!
I am still trying to answer all emails personally, but I can see the time coming as I start writing TOO LATE TO SAY GOODBYE and NO REGRETS when I won't be able to, and this weblog and the website itself with all its many sections will have to be my main vehicles of communication. I can either write long chatty replies to my emails, or I can write books. It's so tempting to do the former, and so necessary to do the latter!
Thanks to all of you who have answered one another's questions while I've been gone. A lot of you know the answers as well as I do!
My daughter Leslie's Readers' Digest article on ghosts just came out in the November issue. I'm so proud! My other daughter, Laura, just finished her Master's Degree in Early Childhood and Family Counseling and I'm so proud of her, too! I have a new grandson, Logan, who is my foster son Bruce's (and his wife, Machell's) third baby, and he is, of course, adorable and very smart! His big sisters, Olivia and Tyra are thrilled with him. Families are full of pride and pain, happiness and hopelessness, good stuff and bad stuff. But I would not miss the journey for anything. And, sometimes, people you have no blood ties with become as dear to you as your own genetic relatives. Isn't that true? When I took my oldest home from the hospital, I can remember thinking, "I will be responsible for this little person for the next 18 years," and wondering if I was capable of it. I didn't know then that once you're a mother, you feel responsible for them until they're 75! Well, I feel responsible for all my pets, too. And Fluffbutt, the part-Himilayan cat, turned 18 this month. He sleeps a lot, has a good appetite, and he's still the sweetest cat personality I've ever known.
Have to go and pack a few things for my venture up into the San Juan Islands.
All my best,
Ann (Almost done vacationing)
P.S. Elizabeth, good for you! A whole month without cigarettes! It isn't easy, but I know everyone on here is proud of you. Keep taking deep breaths of good air, and enjoy all that money you're saving!
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| Posted by Ann on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 at 21:35 |
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| P.S. |
I meant "big leaf Maples"--not just big lead! Washington's leaves on the coast aren't as brilliant and colorful as New England or the mid-west, but our vine maples are a lovely coral color, and larches turn golden.
Ann |
| Posted by Ann on Monday, October 10, 2005 at 17:26 |
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| October 10 |
Monday Afternoon:
Now the big-leaf outside my windows are definitely turning yellow, and the nights are crisper and crisper. Today is wetter and wetter, too! I love October, my birthday month, and yet I am already sad to see my summer flowers growing paler and droopier. The seasons seem to come closer and closer together, don't they? Time does go by faster once you pass middle age. Remember "But the days grow short when you reach September?" When I was in the "April years" of my life, I thought that was a song for old fogies. Ahh well . . .
This will be on my Guestbook, too. But I want to be sure you read it so I'll put it both places. A few weeks after Karen admitted that she had lied to us, I still feel guilty about the money you sent to me to send to her. So I will be sending checks to all of you who contributed to what you thought was an honest and desperate need. I am sure I saved all the envelopes and notes with the amount you sent written on them. Not one of you has asked for your money back, but it is not fair that you got conned because I vouched for Karen. They should start coming back by the end of next week because I'm leaving tomorrow for a four day vacation trip. I realized, finally, that if I didn't go now, I'd regret it when I started back to writing seven days a week. I am not going to file charges against Karen. She has written to me, and I believe she is sorry for what she did, but I cannot help her figure out her life. For all of us,it's a matter of taking control of our own lives. She should seek out professional counseling to see why she has such a great need for attention and for telling lies--personality flaws that she admits. It is not the job of our Guestbook, my weblog, or me--or you--to fix her. Many of us have had trauma in our lives and yet we choose to go on instead of letting the past rule us. So many tragic stories come to my desk, and the world cannot stop because of Karen. Let's all help who we can, who we know personally, and where we know we are helping people take charge of their own lives.
We're getting tons of addresses for both our mailed newsletters and the emailed notices and newsletters. That's great! I'm pressing various people I have given birth to into service as typists to copy them all onto disks so we'll have a well-organized mailing list. If you haven't sent your addresses to me yet, please do. You don't have to say anything: just send me an email? No charge, of course.
One thing I wanted to mention to you. Today, I got a long forward that was just full of nasty remarks about the black people who were evacuated from New Orleans after Katrina, a really vicious letter that was purportedly sent by a doctor from Jackson, Mississippi. He said he had gone to Houston to help people, but the luxurious conditions in the Astrodome weren't good enough for the refugees and they laughed at the food he was handing out. I was instantly suspicious that it was a fake forward, written by someone who was very racially prejudiced. So I called the home phone number of the doctor that was at the bottom of the forward. (His cell phone and work phone were also printed there.) I wanted to ask him if he had really written this.
Well, I got his voice mail, and his message was that he DID NOT write this, that he was never in Houston, that he did not share the thoughts of whoever wrote it, and he was trying to stop the spread of hate email. I wanted to leave a message but, nor surprisingly, his voice mail was full. If you should get a long, rambling and nasty forward about how lazy and ungrateful black Katrina refugees are, please let the person who sent it to you know that it's a fake. Don't send it on. This is one of the worst things about the Internet; it gives despicable people an opportunity to spew their hatred across America. Let's do our best to stop it in its tracks!
Boy, one for the books today! A person from Florida wrote to me, asking me to intervene in a murder case that ended in an acquittal. Said that "Jeb Bush gave us your address." I didn't know Jeb Bush knew my address. :*) ! As you all know, I can't solve crimes or change the decision of juries or judges. Only fictional true-crime writers--like Jessica Fletcher--can do that. I do like to read your suggestions for book topics, but I probably won't be in a position to pick another case for about a year. I have two books in the hopper now that I'm working on--in various stages of completion: Too Late to Say Goodbye (the Jennifer Corbin, Dolly Hearn (victims) and Dr. Bart Corbin (defendant) cases in Georgia, and #11 of my True Crime Files series (as yet untitled.) I'm doing some writing, some research, awaiting trials, and generally occupied and about to plunge in full speed ahead. Wish I COULD finish a book every two months, but I'm afraid they wouldn't be very good. I know I feel so disappointed when I finish a book by authors I like and know that it will probably be at least two years before there will be another. But I get suspicious of authors who bring out too many books in too short a time. Some use co-authors so you never know for sure what you're getting, and others seem to re-write the same formula over and over. The work suffers. You probably know my favorites: Anne Tyler, Wally Lamb, Michael Lee West, Garrison Keillor, Edna Buchanan, Fannie Flagg, and any biography or autobiography. Right now I'm reading Alan Alda's autobiography: Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. It's really good.
Again, please don't write to me asking for me to give you a crash course in writing books. Just can't do it because it's taken me 30 years to figure it out in the school of hard knocks, of trying and failing and trying and succeeding. If you're just starting out, please buy a book called The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published by Sheri Bykofsky. Sheri is my daughter's literary agent and knows her stuff. The title is insulting, but that's because this bookis part of the "The Complete Idiot's Guide to. . ." series. I wish I had had this book when I ws beginning. Also, take a course in creative writing at a college near you, read everything you can find written in the genre you want to write for, and subscribe to THE WRITER and THE WRITERS'DIGEST. They will both list writers' conferences coming up in your area, and you should attend them if at all possible. It isn't easy to break into publication, but those of you who keep trying and work hard--and have a spark of talent--will make it.
Catching a train south tomorrow. It's an old-fashioned--but very relaxed way--to travel. You can sit there and watch the autumn colors flash by, and not have to worry about fighting traffic. When I was a lot younger--in college--I often took the train all the way from Seattle to Michigan, sitting up all night and not minding because my joints were young and limber and I could sleep anywhere. On one trip, a waiter accidentally spilled a whole tray of beer on me, and I smelled like a brewery--even though I didn't drink. To make up for it, the Union Pacific said I could have all free meals for the rest of the trip. The other passengers loved that. They would go in the dining car first and come back and tell me what was the most expensive thing I could order. I did that--but for only one meal. Then I felt as though I was taking advantage of the railroad line, so I ate modestly.
I'm so glad that many of you recognize that the Green River Killer's victims were all individuals whose lives mattered, a lot of them sad girls who had lost their connection to home or to anyone who truly cared for them. They were not "scarlet women" or worldy-wise prostitutes. Is anyone ever? It's such a difficult life for women of all ages. I wanted my book to show how valuable their lives were, and how cruel it was for their killer to use them up and throw them away--and never even remember their names or faces. Your mail shows me that you really care about those lost lives.
Well, I'd better get to work. I probably won't be able to post anything or respond to email until next weekend, but I'll be back.
Ann
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| Posted by Ann on Monday, October 10, 2005 at 17:22 |
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| Friday Night |
Friday Night:
Before I start scanning a bunch of photos to my webmaster to put in the upcoming Photo Album, I'll write a short post.
I'm trying to remember some of the recent questions. Duhhh. They slip right out of my mind. Re: Diane Downs--The father of the baby Diane deliberately conceived after she shot her children didn't seek custody of the baby girl, but I think I understand that. He was a young professional man who only met Diane once or twice: she used him, quite frankly, only as a sperm donor. But then she tried to make him feel guilty over her pregnancy, as if he was walking away from a real relationship. She delivered his mail, and seduced him once. He didn't really know her at all. It was much better for the baby to be adopted, I think. Yes, I have heard from a 20-year-old woman who says she is Diane's last baby, but I don't believe her. Her story didn't match the facts that I knew. And, of course, Liz, almost every mother would rather die than to lose our babies. Mothers don't even think about themselves when their babies are endangered--unless they are amoral socoipaths like Diane Downs or Susan Smith. Small Sacrifices was one of the most difficult books I ever wrote--because I got so angry with Diane as I wrote it! Had to fight to keep my opinion out until the very end of the book!
My idea of male movie stars? Well, the current crop are pretty uninspiring--maybe because they're all too young and callow for me. When you think of the male stars back in the day, who wants a bunch of kids that don't even shave yet? Or a macho punk like Russell Crowe?
Of the new crop, I think the only one who might inspire a naughty thought or two is Matthew Maconnaughy (mispelled, I'm sure.) I thought Christopher Reeve was magnificent in my all-time favorite movie, "Somewhere in Time," and he sure showed that he really was a strong and courageous man despite his tragedy. I like Harrison Ford. Maybe I don't go to enough movies these days to even be able to think of who's who. Used to like George Clooney, but he's gotten kind of silly and I don't admire men who don't marry or become fathers and stay in permanent boyhood. I'm glad he's good to his pig, though. I like Donald Sutherland. See I'm of an age where men with white hair and blue eyes and have some scars from living life on them. And I like Gene Hackman. The rest of them all look alike to me, and heaven knows how Tom Cruise got anyone pregnant! If he really did???? All the leading ladies look alike to me, too. If I could look like any one of the Desperate Housewives--and I asked myself this a couple of weeks ago--it would be Felicity Huffman. She has a real face with intelligence and character. The absolutely, best-looking, sexiest, man I have seen in the past six years was an FBI agent in Texas. Sort of a combination of John Wayne and Cary Grant. With a deep Texas drawl.
Enough of that musing.
They passed the law in Oregon that will prevent killers from gaining financially not only from the people they have killed but to the victims' heirs. It's basically "The Liysa Northon Law," to protect her son, Bjorn, when she gets out of prison. His murdered father, Chris Northon, left more than a million dollars to care for Bjorn and it will all be his one day. Having his father would have meant so much more to him.
My thoughts on mediums and psychics when it comes to solving crimes? This is really my daughter Leslie Rule's department, but I'll answer. Leslie writes books with true ghost stories as most of you know, and she confers with psychics all over the country. She is particularly interested in the Doe Network and in identifying the unknown dead, and hopes to have a syndicated column about this. (I hope so, too). We both watch "Medium" and "Ghost Whisperer," and call each other up during the commercials to discuss what we've seen. Leslie (Llrule30@aol.com) or www.ghostygirl.com knows many psychics who have worked successfully with the police. I have known a few who are right on target. My friend in Seattle, Barbara Easton, has been very accurate. She was the one who read my cards and told me that there was a woman who loved Ted Bundy and wanted to marry him. That was before I knew about Carole Ann Boone--who did love Bundy and married him during his last trial. The late Dorothy Allison of Nutley, N.J. was also known for her ability to give police actual signposts to look for when they were searching for bodies. She didn't charge for anything but her travel expenses and police respected her. The real woman that "Medium" is based on--Allison Dubois--is another person who gives specific clues that help detectives. She has been tested by Arizona college professors and found to be accurate. Now, Sylvia Browne is someone I do not believe. I see her often on the Montel Williams Show, but I've never seen any proof that her "visions" have proved to be true. I met her years ago when she was just beginning, and I wasn't impressed. She just spins things off the top of her head, but who can say that she's right? James Van Pragh is for real. And I spoke to someone who said that John Edward focused right in on a friend of hers who was murdered, even though she hadn't asked him any questions about it.
Some psychics are frauds, and some are for real. The real ones don't charge outrageous prices, and they aren't vague--like saying "I see the body near water and trees, and there are mountains in the distance." Gee, that could be almost anywhere. Most good detectives will try anything to solve cases and keep open minds. I happen to believed that human beings see only the top of the ice-berg and that there are, indeed,many things in heaven and earth that we do not know.
But do not trust psychics who offer to bless your money or tell you something terrible will happen or someone will die if you don't keep coming to see them. Those are the people I arrested back in the day when I was a detective working Bunco.
Last night, on Dr. Phil, they had women whose husbands had battered and tormented them. I am probably wrong, but there was a young blonde woman on who said she had cancer of the liver and her husband was so cruel to her, and she looked a lot like the photo of herself that "Karen" sent me. I'm probably just paranoid now. I have heard othing more from her, and I suspect that many of you have blasted her with your opinions about her duplicity. As disappointed as I am in her, I'm still relieved that she isn't suffering her "final days" with cancer.
Dave Reichert's opinion on further murders by the Green River Killer echoes what I have said for months. The ex-sheriff parlayed his celebrity from the case into a political career, leaving a number of unfortunate messes behind that he didn't address while in office. Although I can't talk about it, I am still working on the GRK investigation.
To the reader who asked how I pick my subjects, I have addressed this a couple of times way back in my blog, but I'll say what I look for again. I want killers/suspects who are charming , charismatic, successful, physically attractive, wealthy, talented, popular, and well-thought of--people who have all those things that most of us believe would make us happy and fulfilled. But these people have a dark side behind their masks, and they never get enough money, love, popularity, fame, etc. etc. When they are exposed, almost everyone who knows them is shocked. That makes for an automatically interesting book. I want good detective work on cases that were not solved right away so an element of suspense remains. I don't want cases that are saturated in the media--like JonBenet Ramsay's, O.J. Simpson, Scott Peterson, et al. I don't want cases that were slam-dunk easy to solve or cases that are grisly and gruesome with decapitations and torture. I don't want to write about murderous teenagers--who are already lost when they aren't 18 yet, or kids who kill their parents. Those depress me! And, for a long time, I don't want to write any more serial killer books. They get to me emotionally, too. I'm looking for recent cases--within a few years ago. Sometimes, I do use older cases in my True Crime Files series, but those are cases that I investigated thorouglhy when they happened and I re-write them and update them. I can't do much with unsolved cases because we all want to know how it all ended. Sometimes, with cases like Julie Weflen's disappearance (Kiss Me, Kill Me), I do write them because there's a chance that publishing them will help solve them. I can't write cases where the killer has already served his or her time and has been paroled. Too risky legally. A lot of people want me to write a case where there is a prime suspect but the police haven't been able to bring charges, or they think the police aren't trying. Again, I could get sued for even suggesting that people are guilty although they haven't been arrested. That is too early in the game for me to interfere and write about. I'm no "Jessica Fletcher!" And I want cases in America because I'm not familiar with publishing law in other countries. Knowing all this, I still have to winnow about 2,000 suggestions each years down to 2 cases! Choosing the cases to write about probably is the most important part of true crime writing!
And, yes, every single case I pick--I still worry that I will never find out enough to fill a book, and how I am going to tell the story.
This has been a very long post. Congratulations to Liz, the "Non-Smoker!" We're all proud of you and we want you to live a long, long, healthy life!
All my best,
Ann
I finished the newsletter, but I think they will have to cut it down quite a bit. They've asked me to keep it to only four pages this time. In the long--and short--run, this website will be the longest, most complete, most updated, place to find out what I'm writing, where I'll be signing or traveling, and what I am doing. Remember: keep sending me your email addresses. I can't find your emails on your posts in the Guestbook. We've designed it that way to protect your privacy!
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| Posted by Ann on Friday, October 07, 2005 at 18:46 |
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| Quick Note |
I don't think I ever said that Morning Glory seeds were poisonous. The poison is in Castor Bean seeds. When these are ground up, they make Ricin, the second most deadly poison in the world. Debora Green used Castor Beans to poison her husband three times and I write about that in my book, Bitter Harvest.
If Morning Glories were poisonous, I'd be in trouble. In Seattle, we have white flowers, not heavenly blue Morning Glories, and we call them "bind weeds." They are as take-over as the Kudzu vines in the South, and they swarm over everything. You have to unwind them to get them off your real flowers!
Back to work. . .
Ann |
| Posted by Ann on Wednesday, October 05, 2005 at 15:49 |
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