You’re going to Pelican Bay State Prison. Can you handle it? My supervisor said some version of those words to me eleven years ago. When I was (gasp!) still in my twenties and only one month into my job as a forensic psychologist, assessing violence risk for life term inmates. Not wanting to show her […]
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“But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begin.” –Mitch Albom One of my best lifelong friends […]
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When I began my writing journey nearly six years ago, I knew I would write under a pseudonym or pen name. As a forensic psychologist working in a high-stakes role, I imagined the inmates I evaluated Googling my name, only to find out I’d written thrillers inspired by my day job. Thrillers about psychologists who […]
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I hope you all are in the midst of a merry holiday season! Christmas came early for me this year in the form of some very exciting publishing news I can’t wait to share with all of you. A few months ago, I was contacted by Jessie Botterill, Associate Publisher with Bookouture, about the possibility […]
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I have a confession to make. I love Hallmark Christmas movies. Unexpected viewing for an author who spends most of her time writing about the dark side of humanity, these sweet and sometimes schmaltzy movies have taught me a lot about the art of the thriller. Don’t believe me? Well, you’ve clearly never spent two […]
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I’ve always wanted to write a serial killer book. That probably sounds a little strange, but it’s true! From Dexter to Hannibal Lecter to James Patterson’s Kyle Craig, it’s safe to say these guys are fascinating. Deadly and deranged but fascinating nonetheless. As a psychologist and author, I’ve long had a yearning to take a […]
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Serial killers age. They turn into old men. Though that fact may seem obvious, most of us probably conjure the infamous Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer, both of whom were around age thirty when they were apprehended. But within the last few years, with the advent of forensic genealogy, there’s been an uptick in the […]
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As all our stories do, my story begins with my mother’s. An English teacher and closet poet, she gifted me her love for words, and her uncanny knack for stringing them together. Words are the thread, the stitches that bind the fabric of all my memories of her. Five years old, her reading to me […]
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As an author, there is nothing more exciting than hearing your work come to life, especially when there are talented voice actors like Kristin James (as Evie), Eric Stuart (as Butch), and Brad Oxnam (as Sebastian) involved. This amazing group of voices gave life to some of my favorite characters in The Hanging Tree audio […]
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“I knew you were having an affair on me, when you started ordering off the diet menu at King Wok’s.” –Lyle Mitchell, Escape at Dannemora February is the month of love, and though Valentine’s Day may be over, I’m willing to bet you’re still nursing a chocolate heart hangover. I recently finished the riveting Showtime […]
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“I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous.” –Hippocratic Oath “It turns out crazy people […]
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“If a plot is a novel’s skeleton, and characters are the muscle, then theme is its soul.” —Janice Hardy Like a forensic anthropologist analyzing human remains for clues, writers piece together a story bit by painstaking bit, taking inspiration from the world around us. A gripping headline; a conversation, overheard; a look exchanged between strangers. […]
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