Kathryn Casey
Mystery and True Crime Author

It won't last long, just through September (2012), but right now A DESCENT INTO HELL is on sale, the ebook edition only, for a mere ninety-nine cents. Yup, .99. Pretty amazing for a book that took me more than a year to write.

Why? HarperCollins, my publisher, is hoping to introduce more readers to my books. (Don't you love that? I do!) So, if you haven't read DIH, it's time to buy the ebook. If you don't have an iReader, don't worry. You can download the Kindle app off of Amazon to your smartphone, your PC or MAC, and read it there, for less than a buck. Folks, that's less than a pack of gum. About the price of a candy bar.

DESCENT is a fascinating case. Colton Pitonyak was a kid who had it all. He had the world on a string, but threw it away. It's the tragic murder of Jennifer Cave, a Corpus Christi girl who walked for a while on the wild side, then tried to turn her life around but found it hard to walk away from a friend. Laura Hall, a troubled but bright young woman, fell in love with Pitonyak and was willing to do anything for him, including help him flee a murder charge. The book is a look into campus life today, gangster worship, and a chaotic world that mixes drugs, sex, and violence.

So this is your chance. Buy A DESCENT INTO HELL today for just ninety-nine cents, and save the penny for the copper. I hear it's worth more than the face value of the coin now. Isn't that a strange thing? Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/A-Descent-Into-Hell-ebook/dp/B0013TXA2C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1348001254&sr=8-7&keywords=kathryn+casey

I don't usually do this, and I apologize if it offends anyone, but I have a favor to ask. I just read an article about the importance of on-line reader reviews. I'm not surprised that people take them seriously when deciding what to buy. I've always believed that word of mouth is the most important factor in selling a book. And that's really what on-line reviews are, advice from readers to readers. Now it appears that on-line reviews have a lot more importance than I'd ever imagined.

As many of you know, I have a new book out, Deadly Little Secrets. It's doing very well, but I'd so like to get it higher on the bestseller lists. It took me forever to write. (I know. I'm a bit slow.) And I really believe in this book. It has such an incredible message to tell. It's an important story, one of tragedy and redemption.

I would sincerely appreciate it if those of you out there who've enjoyed the book would take the time to write a review on an on-line retailer: Amazon, BN.com, iApple, Goodreads, any of those available on the Web. It would help in getting the word out. Anonymously or with your own name works. No preference. Thank you either way!

A few weeks back I wrote a post that ran on Forbes about the wildly popular book Fifty Shades of Grey, the first in the mega-hit 50 Shades series. My premise was that I find the book troubling because the main character, Christian Grey, reminds me of many of the abusers I’ve reported on over my decades as a crime writer. I’m concerned that women and men (more…)

Hi, All!

We just finished Easter dinner, and it was so good, and I simply have to share another recipe with you. The high point was dessert. We made Bananas Foster ala Brennan's, the New Orleans/Houston restaurant that's synonymous with this amazing dessert. Oh, my gosh, so good. So whenever you're up for (more…)

So what do two true crime/mystery authors talk about when we get together at a crime convention? Well, this may shock you but when Diane Fanning and I roomed together this past week in St. Louis, we weren't discussing autopsies, DNA, or forensic psychology (at least not all the time). Instead, we talked about writing, books, and how lucky we are to be living our dreams.

Why St. Louis? (more…)

Today I made one of my favorite recipes, and it turned out so well, I thought it would be fun to share the recipe. I can't take credit for it. This recipe for crayfish etouffee came from a friend in Louisiana.

Ingredients:

1/4 pound butter (more…)

It's been a busy summer, but all four of my true crime shorts are now available on Kindle and Nook. This has been a real labor of love. I covered these cases back in the Eighties and Nineties, as a magazine writer. They're fascinating studies of the dark side of human nature, and I've never been able to forget any of them. Now with ebooks, I've been able to resurrect my best work and make it available once again to readers.

So take a look at the newsletter for a run down, or click on the ebook link at the top. Either way you'll end up on a page that will give you a brief synopsis of each of the ebooks. After you've read them, I'd love to hear from you. Post in the guestbook or email, let me know what you think happened in each case. Do you believe Hurley Fontenot shot Bill "Mac" Fleming because (more…)

Lately, I've had a hard time concentrating on work. I keep wondering what the heck is going on in Florida.

Of course, you all know what I'm talking about. I'd bet the majority of folks in the U.S. have at least heard of the tragic death of two-year-old Caylee Anthony. We first learned in July 2008 that this precious child was missing, when her grandmother, Cindy, called police, saying Caylee hadn't been seen in a month. For the past three years, we've been mesmerized by the search for the child, the discovery of her body, and the bizarre behavior of Casey, little Caylee's mom. Now our attention has turned to the courtroom drama as Casey is tried for her daughter's murder. A guilty verdict could bring the death penalty.

Apparently I'm not the only one (more…)

Last week my post addressed those of you who envision yourselves writing true crime books. If I didn't dissuade you from that endeavor, let's take this a step further.

Now that you've decided you're up for the research and the seclusion of sitting at your computer day after day, the first thing you have to do is pick which case to cover. I bet that sounds easy. In a sense, unfortunately, it is. There never seems to be a dearth of sensational murders in America, perhaps the world. That's a bad thing, obviously.

Unfortunately, we can't change the reality that murders do happen. We're just reporting what's already taken place. So let's talk about how to pick (more…)