Please Welcome Author M. William Phelps!

[DarkMinds]

I've tackled several historical cases already. My latest involves Sam Colt's brother, who nearly beheaded somebody: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-right-hand-m-william-phelps/1101745432?ean=9780762763795

The other is the true story of Arsenic and Old Lace: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-rooming-house-m-william-phelps/1100754812?ean=9781599216010

Great historical true crime stories.

[DarkMinds]

Becke, there's a book in what led me down this road. To make a long story short, I found true crime and journalism in general just a better fit for my personality. Fiction didn't come easy to me; whereas, true crime did.

The first case that grabbed me was what became my book PERFECT POISON--a serial killing pretty young blonde, who volunteered at the homeless shelter, ran a Secret Santa program, had a husband, two kids, a dog, and a nice house in suburban Northhampton, Mass. Incredible story.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perfect-poison-m-william-phelps/1100068352?ean=9780786015504

[becke_davis]

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DarkMinds wrote:

I've tackled several historical cases already. My latest involves Sam Colt's brother, who nearly beheaded somebody: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-right-hand-m-william-phelps/1101745432?ean=9780762763795

The other is the true story of Arsenic and Old Lace: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-rooming-house-m-william-phelps/1100754812?ean=9781599216010

Great historical true crime stories.

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Thanks, Mathew - I'll check them out!

[becke_davis]

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DarkMinds wrote:

Becke, there's a book in what led me down this road. To make a long story short, I found true crime and journalism in general just a better fit for my personality. Fiction didn't come easy to me; whereas, true crime did.

The first case that grabbed me was what became my book PERFECT POISON--a serial killing pretty young blonde, who volunteered at the homeless shelter, ran a Secret Santa program, had a husband, two kids, a dog, and a nice house in suburban Northhampton, Mass. Incredible story.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perfect-poison-m-william-phelps/1100068352?ean=9780786015504

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With so many murders (a scary thought!), what is it that hooks you? The psychology of the crime, the character of the murderer or something else?

[eadieburke]

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DarkMinds wrote:

I've tackled several historical cases already. My latest involves Sam Colt's brother, who nearly beheaded somebody: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-right-hand-m-william-phelps/1101745432?ean=9780762763795

The other is the true story of Arsenic and Old Lace: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-rooming-house-m-william-phelps/1100754812?ean=9781599216010

Great historical true crime stories.

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I think I will definitely have to read these two stories!

[DarkMinds]

Edie ... Not most bizarre, but most gruesome would be CRUEL DEATH. It's what happens after the murders that really bothered me for a long time afterward.

[eadieburke]

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DarkMinds wrote:

Edie ... Not most bizarre, but most gruesome would be CRUEL DEATH. It's what happens after the murders that really bothered me for a long time afterward.

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Ok thanks! I'll check that book out!

[becke_davis]

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eadieburke wrote:

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DarkMinds wrote:

Edie ... Not most bizarre, but most gruesome would be CRUEL DEATH. It's what happens after the murders that really bothered me for a long time afterward.

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Ok thanks! I'll check that book out!

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Cruel Death  

Overview

A life gone murderously wrong…

Erika Sifrit was once a high school basketball star and an honors student. Then she married Navy SEAL Benjamin Sifrit. Some say Erika was abused by “B.J.” Some say she pulled his strings. But by the time they reached Ocean City, MD, Erika was packing a gun in her Coach bag and was caught in the grip of a new American death ride…

A trail of blood and body parts…

In the sun-kissed, sea-swept resort town, a loving couple crossed paths with Erika and B.J. Sifrit. Shortly thereafter, Erika was wearing a bloody wedding ring on her necklace, while what remained of two dismembered vacationers was buried in a Delaware landfill, and a modern-day “Bonnie and Clyde” story was being written – a lurid tale of madness, money, sex and murder…

“[Phelps] shockingly reveals that unimaginable evil sometimes comes in pretty packages.” — Gregg Olsen

“One of our most engaging crime journalists.” — Katherine Ramsland

[becke_davis]

Mathew - I just watched this video. Your sister-in-law was murdered? How awful! I can see why her unsolved murder would inspire you to write about other crimes.

A friend of mine lost her daughter in a seemingly random murder. She's spent most of her life trying to deal with that, including writing a book about it:

Who Killed My Daughter?  

[becke_davis]

Mathew - What's up next for you? Have you already completed your next book? Can you give us any hints about what you're working on now or is it too soon to say?

[DarkMinds]

I do follow the national crime stories, but often I lose interest in the overexposure or lack of an exciting case to cover. The media blows things up and saturates these cases with talking heads and their often stupid opinions. Most "experts" on crime don't know what the hell they're talking about. It gets really frustrating and uninteresting for me.

Fans of my Tv series and readers often write in great cases for me to look at, so that keeps me busy. And I also look for specific cases.

[DarkMinds]

I have a toal of 8 books out this year, three new titles. KISS OF THE SHE-DEVIL will hit stories this fall. That book covers the case of Martha Gail Fulton in Michigan. I am also working on several other books as we speak. And preparing to go back into production on my TV series, DARK MINDS.

[DarkMinds]

Not really the result, but some of what ocurred during an investigation or other part of the story. I guess one of the things that I am known for is putting a sense of myself into the narrative. When I don;t like something, or it strikes me as funny, or particularly strange or abnormal, I have no trouble voicing an opinion as sarsasm in the narrative. For me, it makes the experience for the reader a bit better and more personal. That whole journalists staying objective business is nonsense. It's impossible. I stay nuetral maybe, and allow the facts of a case to tell me the story, but I won;t stand back from saying somethi when I think the reader is either thinking the same or is frustrated with what's happening in the story.

[Fricka]

Thanks for answering my question, Mathew. I guess some of those criminal cases that catch the attention of the national press do get pretty saturated.

Now, do you use material from your books for the TV production of Dark Minds? How much control do you have over the scripts for that show?

[becke_davis]

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DarkMinds wrote:

I have a toal of 8 books out this year, three new titles. KISS OF THE SHE-DEVIL will hit stories this fall. That book covers the case of Martha Gail Fulton in Michigan. I am also working on several other books as we speak. And preparing to go back into production on my TV series, DARK MINDS.

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Good grief! When do you sleep??

[becke_davis]

Mathew at Murder by the Book 2012