True Crime Blog With Kelly Sons

Hello True Crime Readers!

My name is Kelly Banaski Sons. I am a prison rights activist, inmate mentor and crime blogger at The Woman Condemned.(http://wwwthewomancondemned.com) I began in this field because of books Barri and others have written that affected me. I would read the last page and close the book and still wonder…why?

The how and the why behind the terrible things human beings can do to each other are important for more reasons than just to catch the killer. We also have to know these things so we know how to predict, deter and stop the crimes.

I am a firm and resolute believer in human rights and while I face much opposition I feel the human rights of no one, not even prisoners should be taken away. To do so makes less of us as a society, as humans ourselves.

With those things in mind I began to rally for prison reform and basic human rights for inmates. Prisons must be a place for inmates to learn from their mistakes, become educated on how the world works and how rewarding life can be or it’s just a place that breeds more criminals.

Writing has been proven effective as therapy for inmates. A simple letter to a person who has never had anyone speak to them as a human, an equal, finds great revelation in it. Those that have had a decent life find the help and nonjudgmental ear of a stranger can be a catalyst.  It takes time, patience and compassion but it does have an impact.

Barri’s books are especially captivating because they delve into the personal details, the why and the how’s that I crave to know. I am inspired as a reader and a writer. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

You can read about how inmate letter writing can work in my Kindle Single “Friends With benefits: How a Handful of Letters Can Change the World”. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PSYE7K

You can also read about how sometimes things go bad in the world of inmate mentoring in my Single “Bitches: Lessons learned From Death Row,” http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080T1NH2

True Crime Blog Tour With Dane Batty

Hello!

I’m Dane Batty, and I’m the author of Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI’s Most Elusive Criminals.

I’m thankful to be part of the True Crime Blog Tour of 2012 sponsored by Women Condemned and Kelly Sons that also includes these true crime authors:

Bonnie Kernene – http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/

Gary C. King – http://www.garycking.com/blog.htm

And my own blog http://www.nishpublishing.com/blog/

I’m new to writing books true crime books, but I love my new job. I work in the true crime genre but not in the way that R Barri Flowers does. R Barri writes about very violent people and is very talented as at his job. It’s amazing to me that there are several very talented true crime writers out there that write many, many stories, but that’s not what’s amazing. What’s amazing is that there are so many violent murderers and serial killers out there living with us that these talented writers have enough material to go around. That alone scares me as much as R Barri’s stories with his tense writing ability. My books deal with the lighter side of crime, the non-violent, the people living above the fringe of society, the adventurous and the addicted, and this is as far into crime as I dare venture.

My first book Wanted was published in 2010 and here is a brief description:

Leslie Ibsen Rogge, number seven on the FBI’s most wanted, robbed more than 30 banks without firing a shot. In Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber, Les details his adventures from Alaska to Antigua, the Chesapeake to Cancun. But it all came to a halt when a fourteen-year-old in Guatemala found Les on the new FBI web site forcing him to surrender and becoming the 1^st Top Ten criminal caught due to the internet. Few felons have been as forthcoming about their successes, failures, robbery techniques, passion for sailing vessels... and love for his wife.

The book isn’t exactly murder. In fact it’s the opposite of murder since he didn’t hurt anyone intentionally. Les used a gun in his 30+ bank robberies, so technically they were violent crimes. He did end up getting 65 years on four convictions, so he’s doing time in the FCI Beaumont in Texas in medium security. He’s serving the time of murderers though.

The film rights for Wanted are currently being optioned by a producer, so this is real exciting. We also created a really cool video book trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDxB76yccZY.

This is a real exciting time for me because I just finished my second manuscript just this week! We have tentatively titled the book “D.B. Tuber” Armored Car Heist: A True Story of Football, Addiction and Robbery. The story is of Anthony Curcio who was a pure athlete that became an addict (from injury) and a high-profile criminal to support his habit, but he overcame his demons to win back his family and wants to give back to his community. It's a roller coaster that exposes the prescription pill problem that affects us all. The book is due May 2013.

Anthony gets out of prison (FCI Coleman Low) this coming April and has a 20/20 interview waiting for him stemming from an article that was published about him in October, 2010 in GQ Magazine, and were rushing to get the book in the stores before the interview.

R. Barri Flower’s has a plethora of information, blog postings, stories and books written on the most heinous criminals in history, and he has another book being released later in the year. He is as dedicated to his craft and genre as any writer in any field. I commend R. Barri on his dedication of educating the public on bad people and keeping all of us aware of what’s around us whether we enjoy it or not.

Thanks for visiting and please comment if you have questions about me or my books. I’ll be monitoring this post on Friday, July 27^th, 2012. I will stop by the Women Condemned blog on Sunday, July 29^th, so stop by and say hi. Be well!

PS - Don’t forget to stop by Goodreads and enter to win a copy of my first book Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber – http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/26038-wanted-gentleman-bank-robber-the-true-story-of-leslie-ibsen-rogge-one. The drawing ends on July 31^st!

Dane Batty

Nish Publishing Company

dane@nishpublishing.com

www.nishpublishing.com

Twitter @NishPublishing

True Crime Blog Tour With Bonnie Kernene

My name is Bonnie Kernene and I am a true crime blogger. My blog is at http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/. I have been doing this since 2005 and I really like what I do. When I started out, I was just posting stories of almost any kind, and was not very focused at all. However, that really changed within a few months, and my focus about crime took a sharp turn.
In July 2006, 5-year-old Destiny Norton was reported missing.

She was part of my community, so it affected me. I wanted to help search but was unable to. However, I paid close attention to all news reports and posted on her frequently. Then I started to notice some patterns in comments on news forums and comment boards, and I was angry. People were commenting on her appearance and her family’s income level. I was outraged. Her family’s income should not matter. A child was missing! She turned up dead, at the hands of a neighbor, who pled guilty and was sentenced to life without parole (Yes, I wanted the death penalty for him, but the family agreed to this). It was this beautiful, innocent child that made me realize that my focus should be on the victims of these horrific crimes, not on those who commit the crimes. It seems like these killers, including serial killers, spree killers, sexual sadists, etc., are glorified by the public. They receive thousands of letters, marriage proposals, etc. But then, can these same people even remember the victims of these monsters? Probably not, nor do they care to. But the victims should be the most important part of the process. We should strive for justice for them and to keep their memories alive. We should not be glorifying these killers or predators.


The focus should be on the victims, however, it seems like there are so many groups that only care about the convicted, such as the ACLU, or the anti-death penalty groups, that most of their words are about the defendants, and they usually leave the victims out, or speak a few, insincere words about them. I strive each and every day to remind people to remember the victims, remember their lives. Spread their memories and their life stories. In fact, I am writing a book about this. I am currently trying to gather stories from friends and loved ones of victims, sharing memories of the person who has been taken away so unexpectedly. Remembering high school memories, weddings, children, trips, etc. Whatever memories they have that they want to share. I want to create a book that will share these loving moments with others, so that people will remember the victims and learn about their lives.

Anyone wanting to share a memory of their friend or loved one that was murdered is welcome to send me an email at mylifeofcrime@gmail.com

Couples Who Murder

It is terrifying enough when one is confronted by a solo killer, but when killers kill in tandem it's doubly frightening...

In the Discovery Channel television series, Couples Who Kill, watch the entire episode, "Twisted Twosome," inspired by my internationally bestselling true crime book, THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS: The True Story of Serial Killers Gerald and Charlene Gallego.

In episode, I am interviewed extensively.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upl9zXs9SDE


I thought that the docudrama did a pretty good job in illustrating the sex slave fantasies of the killer couple and the dynamics of their brutal and fatal attacks on nine women and one man. One of the women was also pregnant, taking away yet another life.

Fortunately, the killers were brought to justice before they could kill again.

But was justice served???

Watch the episode and see what you think...

Then read THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS for an in depth account of the Gallegos and their deadly assaults on unsuspecting victims. Now available in eBook, audio, and print.


http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Slave-Murders-Charlene-ebook/dp/B004WXFJCU/ref=zg_bs_271635011_8


http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Sex-Slave-Murders/R-Barri-Flowers/e/2940012334909/?itm=1&USRI=the+sex+slave+murders


http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_9?asin=B00699ZSXA&qid=1322695686&sr=1-9

MASTERS OF TRUE CRIME Now on Sale

Just released, MASTERS OF TRUE CRIME: Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre, a true crime anthology I edited with seventeen amazing stories by all stars of the true crime genre. These include Harold Schechter, Katherine Ramsland, Burl Barer, Cathy Scott, Robert Scott, Carol Ann Davis, Patricia Spinger, Linda Rosencrance, Robert J. Watkins, Amanda Lamb, Michele McPhee, Camille Kimball, Lee Lofland., Phyllis Gobbell, Doug Jones, and Laura James.

My own contribution to the anthology is about campus serial killer Donald Miller, who preyed upon coeds at Michigan State University, my alma mater, during the late 1970s. Very scary and all true!

This anthology is a must for true crime fans!

It is currently out in trade paperback in online booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as many local booksellers.

Will soon be available in eBook.

Read it for yourself and see just how absorbing the tales are. Then spread the word so others can share in the chilling stories from MASTERS OF TRUE CRIME.

Click to buy at Barnes and Noble

Click to buy at Amazon

Click to buy at Indie Bookstores