Keven McQueen Stories
News & Updates
Check back often for the latest news and updates!
October 29, 2022: Had a great day at the Kentucky Book Festival at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington! Sold stacks of copies of Kentucky Book of the Dead, Bizarre Bluegrass, Murderous Acts:100 Years of Crime in the Midwest and every copy of Murder in Old Kentucky (Revised and Updated). Interesting side events always occur at book fairs. For example, I met the prosecutor who put away KY's
most notorious serial killer, Donald Harvey. Also met a young woman who said she saw a "well-worn copy" of Murderous Acts in a Chicago library, read it and liked it, and then as coincidence would have it, she met the author at the KY Book Fair months later. She even wrote a fictional story based on one of the stories in the book. Life is full of weird happenstances! Should you want to read these books, you can get Kentucky Book of the Dead and Bizarre Bluegrass from Arcadia Publishing and Murderous Acts and Murder in Old Kentucky (Revised and Updated) from Indiana University Press Thanks to Joseph-Beth and all organizers of the KBF!
September 24, 2022: I have signed the contract for my 22nd book, the long-awaited sequel to Kentucky Book of the Dead! It will be published next year by Arcadia Publishing / The History Press and likely will be titled Creepy Kentucky. I will pass along release date, cover art, etc., as I hear them! But if you are Jonesing for some eerie and true stories from the Bluegrass State right now, why not check out the original book or Bizarre Bluegrass, both of which can be found at the link?
August 6, 2022: Today my wife Amy and I went to Daviess County [KY] Public Library to discuss my 2020 book Bizarre Bluegrass, published by Arcadia Publishing/The History Press. It was my third appearance there and great fun, as always. The audience had a good sense of humor (always helpful!) and made very interesting comments. I'd go there every week if I could! Thanks to Wesley Johnson for asking me over. Follow the link to purchase Bizzare Bluegrass and other fine books! https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?
searchtext=Keven%20McQueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks
July 15, 2022: Spoke with the Governor's Scholars at Morehead State University today on the topic of creepy Kentucky subjects in general! This was one of my favorite things I've ever done. The students were intrigued, very smart, and had great questions. Evil twin and noted cartoonist Kyle McQueen, purveyor of Borderline Artistic cartoons, accompanied me and we were astounded at the campus's beauty.Thanks to Clay Johnson of MSU for the invitation! Follow the link to see more of Borderline Artistic! https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?
q=borderline%20artistic%3A%20cartoons%20by%20kyle%20mcqueen
June 18, 2022: I will sign copies of Bizarre Bluegrass, published by Arcadia Publishing / The History Press (and possibly other books as well) at the Kentucky Book Festival held at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY. on October 29! I may also be at the Authors' Reception in the store the night before, but I am not sure about that yet. I may have Kyle McQueen of Borderline Artistic: Cartoons by Kyle McQueen in tow!
June 14, 2022: The interview I did with Timothy Templin's Criminal Behaviorology page a while back has reached 1000 downloads on the Anchor.fm site! You can hear it there or at YouTube!
March 27, 2022: Timothy Templin of the Criminal Behaviorology podcast has posted an interview I did with him a few days ago! Here is the link, and also his description of the contents: Indiana’s Mayhem & Murder: Historical True Crime in the Hoosier State Author Keven McQueen has written books for decades now, and has taken an interest in what he calls “historical true crime.” In this interview we discuss his book on crimes in the Hoosier state before 1940. In addition, some of Keven’s musings on history, society, and the particular sources he has found most helpful in finding these unique stories.
Show Highlights:
- Keven’s journey in becoming a non-fiction author.
- His moral and ethical concerns writing about criminal cases.
- The reason for his cutof of 1940 as the last year he will draw stories from.
- Thoughts on the popularity of true crime. An explanation of “historical” true crime.
- Hazel Triumphant! A young mother is accused of the murder of her infant twins. She was the sole caretaker of the
two children, until it was discovered they were not real.
- Hypothetical Questions in Abundance. An outspoken, pro-German, minister shares his views in the World War I
period. Did this result in his murder? Or was there something more to the story, like espionage?
- The Boy Bandit. A young man goes on a crime spree. Was he influenced by “dime-store novels,” or was he just
bad? Many twists and turns in this story.
- Three Ways to Escape Punishment. What appears to be a simple murder-for-hire scheme certainly has an
elaborate defense strategy. First the wife didn’t have anything to do with it. Then it was she had to do it because
her husband was insane. No, she had to do it because of her own insanity!
- Grave robbery as a common crime in Indiana. Behavioral economics and the reduced frequency of some crimes
over time.
- The best ways to research crime stories. Why local papers, and ancestry.com, can be great resources. The
conversations Keven has had with descendants of some of individuals in his books.
- Future books Keven is working on.
https://www.facebook.com/1689031797878392/posts/4977739285674277/?d=n
February 19, 2022: Here is the YouTube link to a Zoom talk I did recently with the St. Joseph County Public
Library in South Bend! Topic: Historic Indiana true crime. Lots of very good questions from attendees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty-vgojLARE
January 3, 2022: First book news of the New Year! I recently did an interview on the Kentucky History Podcast with host Jameson Cable. Topic (ironically, considering the horrific tornadoes that hit the state a couple of weeks ago): my book The Great Louisville Tornado of 1890. Also ironic: A few days after the interview, I unwittingly drove out of Richmond, KY, just five minutes before a large tornado struck. Here is the interview on Apple. And here is the YouTube link, which means you can see me talking with my hands as usual.And you can get the book here:
December 14, 2021: Wow, tornado expert Tom Grazulis and Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore mentioned one of my books in a Twitter post! I'm not on Twitter, so I didn't know.
October 1, 2021: Great review in Nuvo, the Indianapolis magazine, mentioning my new book Murderous Acts: 100 Years of Crime in the Midwest! Read it here! And you can find the book here.
September 16, 2021: Ah, that new book smell! My second historical true crime book of the year, Murderous Acts: 100 Years of Crime in the Midwest, is officially released by Indiana University Press on October 5--but you can get it now! I heard that they had 450 pre-orders on the first day. If you, or any friends or relatives are from (or live in) IN, IL, MI, MN, IA, NB, WI, OH or KS you may find this book of interest—or if you are just interested in history or true crime. Personally, I think this is one of my best books, and if you have never read any of my stuff, this is a good place to start. You can order the book from any number of online retailers, but buy it from the publisher and you can have free shipping if you enter the code word FREESHIP at checkout! Get it here. And yes, this book (and my last one, and several others as well) is available in eBook format! If I had my way, it would also be in scroll form!
September 6, 2021: Got a request from Notre Dame (the university, not the cathedral)! They want me to review a manuscript about the notorious Rufus Cantrell, who robbed graves, snatched bodies—and possibly murdered—for Indiana medical schools in the early 1900s. (There is a lengthy chapter about him in my Arcadia Publishing/History Press book Forgotten Tales of Indiana.) Yessir, when it comes to grave robbers and body snatchers, the world of academia knows who to call!
July 15, 2021: It's back and better-er than ever! My third book (and first historical true crime book), Murder in Old Kentucky, has been out of print for a while but Indiana University Press has brought it back in an updated, revised edition with SEVEN NEW CHAPTERS and a slightly bizarre new
introduction! In fact, it has eight new stories since once was added to the end of an already-existing chapter. Also, almost all the chapters from the old edition include information I discovered after the book was published. Not only that, while it was scheduled for a September 2021 release, it's coming out almost two months earlier! It's available now from IUP as well as Amazon and other online retailers. It also can
be specially ordered at a Mom and Pop bookstore near you. And yes, it is available in those eBook forms that I barely comprehend! Hey, when you order use the code FREESHIP and your shipping is free!
June 5, 2021: The My Favorite Murder true crime/comedy podcast's co-host Karen Kilgariff mentioned the story I wrote about the Rev. Carmichael murder in Rattle Run, MI, during episode 277! She even mentioned my website! How big is this? My Favorite Murder is regularly on the top 10 on iTunes’
comedy podcast chart and averages 35 million listeners per month. This is like a garage band getting a shout-out from Paul McCartney. The podcast is located here:
https://myfavoritemurder.com/episodes, and
Horror in the Heartland, the Indiana University Press book which contains the Carmichael story, and so many others, can be found here:https://iupress.org/search-results-grid/?keyword=Keven+McQueen
April 25, 2021: Here is the YouTube link last night's interview on the Parnanormal View podcast! There were some unavoidable technical difficulties at the beginning but it turned out really well.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqvL71nREvVv2Fyh5L8O74A/playlists?
fbclid=IwAR1mwYNNB_RrZg5qNlkCMprzFBvxWSW8sHiMhMx0m1Z54GtlOQQnE3XeqMI
December 13, 2020: On November 8, 1969, California's still-uncaught Zodiac Killer sent a 340-letter cipher to the San Francisco Chronicle. Despite attempts by many, the cipher was never solved--until a few days ago, as confirmed by the FBI. You may have seen it on the news. If not, this was Zodiac's message:
I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING LOTS OF FUN IN TRYING TO CATCH ME THAT WASN’T ME ON THE TV SHOW WHICH BRINGS UP A POINT ABOUT ME I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE GAS CHAMBER BECAUSE IT WILL SEND ME TO PARADICE ALL THE SOONER BECAUSE I NOW
HAVE ENOUGH SLAVES TO WORK FOR ME WHERE EVERYONE ELSE HAS NOTHING WHEN THEY REACH PARADICE SO THEY ARE AFRAID OF DEATH I AM NOT AFRAID BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY NEW LIFE WILL BE AN EASY ONE IN PARADICE DEATH.
Here are a couple of thoughts on the subject: (1.) The first sentence refers to the fact that a couple of weeks before he wrote the cipher, an anonymous caller phoned in to Jim Dunbar's San Francisco TV show and claimed to be the killer. He said, "I don't want to go to the gas chamber." (The call later was proven to be a hoax.) Zodiac, a notorious braggart, must have been miffed that someone falsely had
stolen his thunder and wanted to set the record straight. (2.) Many have tried to paint Zodiac as a criminal mastermind and a genius at writing code. In fact, he was undoubtedly an amateur, at least when it came to creating ciphers. His first one, in August 1969, was solved within a few days. Obviously, Zodiac was bothered that his first cipher was solved so quickly, so he made his 340-letter one more complex. Surely he wanted to get his message out to the world but tripped himself up by making it too hard, with the result that it wasn't cracked for 51 years. (3.) So did Zodiac really think his victims would be his slaves in the afterlife? I doubt it. My guess is that, being a pretty cagey guy, he was laying grounds for an insanity plea in case he ever got caught.
December 8, 2020: Here are the covers of my next books, due out from Indiana University Press next
year! Murder in Old Kentucky (Revised and Expanded), with seven new chapters, is due out in the spring.
Murderous Acts: 100 Years of Crime in the Midwest is due out in October. While I'm on the
subject...Christmas is right around the corner! Why not get one of my already-published books for that
weirdo you love (and you do love one)? You can find almost all of them at Arcadia/History Press
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?
searchtext=keven+mcqueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks , Pelican Publishing
https://www.pelicanpub.com/search.php?
pg=1&stext=keven+mcqueen&sprice=&stype=&scat=&sortby=1&sfil0= , and Indiana University Press
https://iupress.org/search-results-grid/?contributor=keven-mcqueen !
October 25, 2020: Check out Gabriella Martinez-Garro's mostly positive, very balanced review of Weird Wild West, which appeared on the Cleveland Review of Books website:
https://www.clereviewofbooks.com/home/2020/9/27/mcqeen-weird-wild-west-true-crime
October 16, 2020: Had a fun podcast with Alistair Cross and Tamara Thorne on last night's Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights Live! podcast. Somehow the topic of beheadings just kept coming up. Here's the Soundcloud link, in case you missed it. Interview lasts about 30 minutes!
October 3, 2020: Next year looks like it will be exciting as far as publishing goes! As noted earlier, Indiana University Press will be reprinting my now out-of-print 2004 book Murder in Old Kentucky in a revised and expanded edition, with seven new chapters, for a probable spring 2021 release. And as Billy
Mays used to say, "But wait, there's more!" IUP will also publish a collection of new Midwestern true crime stories, likely in fall 2021. Working title is Midwestern Murders but that may change. Keep checking here for updates, book covers, and so on! Hopefully COVID will be under control by then and I will be able to attend some book signings.
August 17, 2020: Bizarre Bluegrass is out from Arcadia/History Press and you can get it here! It’s my
first collection of all-Kentucky based material since 2012. I wrote it in a half hour on the back on envelope while riding the train to Gettysburg—no, wait, that wasn’t me. That was someone else. Anyway,it’s out and running around like Benny Hill after drinking a carton of Red Bulls. I wish it had illustrationsby Kyle McQueen à la Kentucky Book of the Dead, but the ones it has are really cute. The book includes
strange but true stories from Kentucky’s past including hoaxes; ghost towns; missing persons; a brain-teasing (some would say brain-tormenting) puzzle designed by professor/magician Tobin, who taught science at Eastern Kentucky University back when it was called Central University; the mystery of Pearl Bryan’s missing head; a mass hallucination; Abraham Lincoln stories you’ve never heard, and more. The final chapter, titled “Charles Manson Surprises an Idiot,” is about the time I wrote to Manson when I was a college freshman, more or less as a joke, and then to my great discomfiture he actually wrote back—four times. I haven’t told many people about it over the years, but when Manson passed away I figured it was time to go public with the story. Anyway, as the Beatles (Manson’s favorite band!) would say, “a splendid time is guaranteed for all.”
July 28, 2020: Here’s my conversation with Jonny Foster of Arcadia Publishing/History Press about the upcoming book Bizarre Bluegrass (emerging like a three-headed baby in mid-August)! The chat is only about 10 minutes long. https://authorconversations.podbean.com/e/bizarre-
bluegrass/
July 19, 2020: Here is the permalink to last night's podcast on The Paranormal View in case you missed it. Topic: The book Weird Wild West. Thanks to Henry Foister, Barbara Duncan and Geoffrey Gould for another fun and rollicking interview. Listen to the show here: https://theparanormalview.podomatic.com/?
fbclid=IwAR3hBe41DMML3O1Y0uh06qLt1Sz_soT2GVq8uJD6v_g_43SXuOxF1coLVgs
And get the book here: https://iupress.org/search-results-grid/?contributor=keven-mcqueen
I'll be back on the show on August 22 to discuss the new book Bizarre Bluegrass.
June 22, 2020: I will be on the Paranormal View podcast twice within a month! First show is July 18 from 8:00-10:00 EST and the topic will be Weird Wild West. The second show is August 22 from 8:00-10:00 EST and will cover the release of Bizarre Bluegrass. The hosts are Henry Foister, Geoffrey Gould,Barbara Duncan and Kat Klockow. I know from past experience that their shows are a blast! I will post
reminders. links, etc., as the time draws near but in the meantime: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Paranormal/The-Paranormal-View-p345246/
June 13, 2020: A while back I found out that the publisher of three of my earliest books (the Offbeat Kentuckians series and Murder in Old Kentucky) had gone out of business, and no one had bothered to tell me! So the books are officially out of print. However, "weep no more my lady, weep no more today,"for Indiana University Press will be reprinting MIOK! And it won't be a mere reprint of the original--it will be UPDATED and EXPANDED with nuggets of info I discovered after the book was in print, and EIGHT BRAND NEW CHAPTERS! It may be out as soon as spring 2021. Keep looking here for release date, new cover, etc. Meanwhile, I am scouting out ways to get the Offbeat Kentuckians books back in print, preferably with Kyle McQueen's original illustrations.
May 21, 2020: Here is a brand new Yahoo News/Daily Beast article that mentions a story fromMore Offbeat Kentuckians (illustrated by Kyle McQueen). The author, Tarpley Hitt, found a lot more information than I did and was kind enough to mention my book! https://news.yahoo.com/kentucky-miner-scammed-americans-claiming-082544034.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb
May 14, 2020: Hey, remember that panel discussion I had at Daviess County Public Library with the great JD Wilkes of the Legendary Shackshakers back on March 7--a week before all this COVID craziness came down? Well, if you missed it (or even if you didn't), here it is on Soundcloud! With musical interludes! Thanks a million, Wesley Johnson!
https://soundcloud.com/dcplibrary/an-afternoon-with-keven-mcqueen-jd-wilkes
March 28, 2020: I wrote Kentucky Book of the Dead in 2005. It has a chapter about people predicting their own deaths with uncanny accuracy, including this little story: "Louisvillian Henry Kremer took ill on March 19, 1903. He remarked that it would be strange if he died on March 25, the fifty-year anniversary of the day he lost his right arm in a hunting accident. On March 25, the Death Angel proved to have a sense of historical irony." So look at what I just found in a Louisville newspaper dated March 28, 1853! (I checked; "last Friday" would have been March 25.)
March 8, 2020: The informal discussion at Daviess County Public Library last night was an incredible experience! Made many new friends, and the other speaker was someone I've been corresponding with for more than a decade but whom I never met in person before: world famous JD Wilkes,frontman of the Legendary Shackshakers, a band whose fans include Stephen King and Robert Plant. I've long suspected JD's the coolest guy in the state of Kentucky just by listening to his songs, reading his books, watching his documentaries, and enjoying his comics. Now I know it for sure. It's amazing that one person can encompass so many talents and be great at all of them. The whole thing started off with the GasLight Boys, who provided music that made every foot in the room
move. (Check them out on YouTube!) I even got to introduce my twin/illustrator Kyle McQueen to the audience. Thanks to Wesley Johnson making it all happen, and I hope I get to go back sometime! If only JT Oglesby and Chris Schweizer could have been there...
February 11, 2020: I will be speaking at the Daviess County Public Library in Owensboro on Saturday, March 7, at 3:00 p.m.! The best part is that there will be a live performance by the GasLight Boys, and—and!—JD Wilkes, frontman of the band Legendary Shackshakers (he counts Stephen King as a fan) will be there too, promoting his new book The Vine That Ate the South! He has referred to my books in a couple of his songs (“The Ballad of Speedy Atkins” and “Hills of Hell”). I am pleased that I will finally get to meet him in person. Thanks, Wesley Johnson of the DCPL! Behold this poster by comics artist Chris Schweizer….and click the links
to hear the two JD Wilkes songs referred to above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_b5drfJe3E and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeTx2JlN6bs
February 8, 2020: Check it out! The Yesterday's America website ran one of the ghost stories from Forgotten Tales of Indiana (one of my personal favorites of my books), complete with two of Kyle McQueen's illustrations! Check out the site here:https://yesterdaysamerica.com/an-indiana-ghost-story/
January 6, 2020: I just found to my unrestrained delight that "Kentucky Book of the Dead," with unforgettable illustrations by Kyle McQueen, s in the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science library! Right where it ought to be! Thanks, future mortician Emily Corinne McAlister!
January 1, 2020: My first big news of the year—and the decade for that matter! My 19th book (a.k.a. my 19th
nervous breakdown) will be published later this year by History Press/Arcadia Publishing.
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?
searchtext=keven%20mcqueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks. The title is Bizarre Bluegrass, and it will be my first book of all-Kentucky material since Louisville Murder and Mayhem in 2012. And as the immortal Billy Mays used to say, “But wait, there more!” Kyle McQueen will illustrate it! Watch this space and in a couple of days I will reveal one of his illustrations in advance. Later: the
release date, a picture of the cover, and more.
December 7, 2019: Just got in from a book signing at Mercer County Public Library! Readers of Forgotten Tales of Kentucky (find it here: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchtext=keven+mcqueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks ) may remember the story of the rain of knitting needles that fell on Harrodsburg in 1856. At the library I met a local historian who
also had heard of the event. I hope to pin down the exact date for the occurrence during my current wave of research. ALSO: A while back Texas Christian University Press asked me to contribute a chapter about Louisville's outlaw/lovers Mattie Mahoney and Howard Clark in an upcoming book featuring the stories behind old wanted posters from the Fort Worth Police Department collection. I told the story of Mattie
and Howard in some detail in Louisville Murder and Mayhem (see same link as above). The TCU book, Wanted in America, is out and very interesting indeed! I recommend it highly. You can find it here:
https://www.tamupress.com/book/9780875657301/wanted-in-america/
November 16, 2019: Went to the Kentucky Book Fair at the Horse Park in Lexington! Sold a number of copies of Horror in the Heartland and every copy of Weird Wild West except one. Hopefully I will be back next year with a book of all-Kentucky weird yet true tales. Here are two photos by Kyle McQueen; a very existential one shows me as a solitary figure (what else is new?) setting up my table.
November 15, 2019: If you missed my interview on the Mind’s Eye podcast, you can hear it at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21mqW9T6n-g&t=9s Other archive versions,such as Stitcher, iTunes, etc., can be found at the Mind’s Eye website:
https://www.themindseyemedia.com
November 13, 2019: Well, I made it into the New York Times without dying first. The NYT did an online article overviewing the bizarre, seemingly impossible 1929 murder of laundry owner Isidore Fink, a case covered in my book New England Nightmares. The reporter, Esther Haynes, interviewed me for her article—and she proposes a solution to the mystery that is so clear and logical that I feel like a complete schlub for having not thought of it. You can read the NYT
article at this link:
https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/facebookwatch/limetown-fink.html#
And you can find New
England Nightmares here:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=1hdfsrarb11obs22ocltj2oud2
November 7, 2019: Two Target stores in Louisville and Evansville, IN, will be selling some of my History Press/Arcadia Press books for a few months as a test! If they sell well, other Targets may sell them too. Target at 4174 Westport Rd, Louisville KY, will be selling The Great Louisville Tornado of 1890, Louisville Murder & Mayhem and Murder & Mayhem in Indiana. Target at 6625 E Lloyd Expy,
Evansville, IN, will be selling Strange Tales of Crime and Murder in Southern Indiana (with illustrations by Kyle McQueen--including one on the inside that the publisher was too nervous to put on the front cover). If you live in or near Louisville or Evansville, you can get these books at Target! And if you don't live in or near Louisville or Evansville...ROAD TRIP!
October 26, 2019: Had a wonderful time, yet again, at the Books by the Banks festival at Duke Convention Energy Center in Cincinnati! These folks know how to put on a book signing and I wish I lived in the building. Here is a candid shot of me hiding behind a stack of books. Next up: The Kentucky Book Fair in Lexington on November 16!
October 18, 2019: Thanks to Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross of Thorne and Cross Haunted Nights Live for having me on their podcast again! Weird Wild West was the main topic but of course many other subjects came up. It is always so much fun guesting on their show. If you missed it, never fear, for here is the permanent link: https://soundcloud.com/authorsontheair/101719-keven-mcqueen-joins-thorne-cross-
haunted-nights-live
September 26, 2019: Had a wonderful time, as usual, speaking at the Laurel County [KY] Public Library tonight. The topic was the book Weird Wild West, and I used examples from the book to show how western movies get some details about life in the Old West wrong, and others horribly right. The audience had great questions. I hope I get to return when my next one is out.
September 2, 2019: The Under Assistant Vice Principal of Kentucky literature is back with a new book from Indiana University Press: “Weird Wild West”! Full of bizarre yet true stories from the western USA! As a bonus, you can improve your poise by walking around with the book on your head, as they do in charm school! You can get it straight from the publisher here: http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=1hdfsrarb11obs22ocltj2oud2
July 28, 2019: Last night's interview on the Paranormal View podcast, on the Para-X Radio Network, covered New England Nightmares and many other topics, including my newfound graveyard cats! Henry Foister and Barbara Duncan are great interviewers (you can tell they are really hvaing fun). The podcast was heard by listeners across the USA, the UK, Colombia, and a few other places I don't immediately
recall. I hope they have me back on soon.
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/theparanormalview/episodes/2019-07-28T06_26_13-07_00
And if you're looking for New England Nightmares, you can get it here:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?
keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=njqlsqp5tcg74qanfur72dvv27
April 28, 2019: The Southern Kentucky Book Fest at WKU campus in Bowling Green was a wonderful experience! I got to meet EKU’s President Michael Benson, saw some authors I haven’t seen in a while, and even touched base with friends from college. One attendee was such a fan of Kentucky Book of the Dead that he came to my table before the festival even started. Plus I sold a good number of my newest books, Horror in the Heartland and New England
Nightmares. Looking forward to more signings this fall when Weird Wild West is out!
March 29, 2019: I had a wonderful time at the Laurel County [KY] Public Library moderating a discussion on one of my favorite authors, Edgar Allan Poe! A couple of my former students attended, as did a friend from high school whom I haven’t seen in years. The audience asked excellent questions and I was surprised to find that I know more about Poe than I realized. One gentleman brought a very small leather-bound volume of Poe’s poems, dated 1845. I told him
that collections published after Poe’s death are easy to find, but collections printed during his lifetime are rare and valuable. All in all, a Poe-riffic time and I have been invited back to the LCPL in September when my next book, Weird Wild West, comes out.
February 26, 2019: Jeff Belanger of the New England Legends podcast interviewed me about the Indiana University Press book New England Nightmares (which covers all of the northern USA in addition to New England)! Jeff is a great interviewer. Listen to it at this link: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/campfireside-chats-2-new-england-nightmares-with-keven-
mcqueen/ . It’s also on iTunes in case you’d like to dance to it. And you can buy New England Nightmares, and other books besides, here:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=1hdfsrarb11obs22ocltj2oud2
January 30, 2019: David Flora of the very popular Blurry Photos podcast had me on for an enjoyable interview. (Just check out the website’s main page to see how many awards the podcast has won: http://www.blurryphotos.org/about/ ) To hear the interview and see a cool graphic, just click here: http://www.blurryphotos.org/ep-224-keven-mcqueen-bizarre-kentucky/
January 15, 2019: I will be the facilitator at a discussion of one of my favorite authors—Edgar Allan Poe!—at the Laurel County Public Library at 6:00 on March 28. If you live in the area, mark your calendar!
December 29, 2018: Whoooaaaa, scared my mule! My next book from Indiana University Press is Weird Wild West and the cover art has been released! I really like it, think it has a vaguely 1960s paperback look to it. It comes out in September 2019, but--chuckle!--you can preorder it if you want to: http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?
keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=njqlsqp5tcg74qanfur72dvv27
December 17, 2018: I received two very interesting and gratifying emails last week. The first was from a
woman whose great-great-grandmother, Selma Larsen Bennett, was murdered in New York in 1927. She
said that her own 87-year-old grandmother knew little about the case since the family kept the circumstances hidden from her. My correspondent found the rather grisly details in the section "A Disgruntled Employee" in my new Indiana University Press book New England Nightmares. Far from
being upset, she was glad to finally have the whole story, which she shared with her grandmother who also was relieved and "got some closure about this part of her family history." My correspondent even sent a picture of Mrs. Bennett taken in her younger days. The other note came from Nathaniel DeSpain, a geospatial technologies student at the University of Louisville. He is working on a senior thesis titled "Re-creation and Spatial Analysis of the 1890 and 1974 Tornadoes in Jefferson County, Kentucky," to be completed in March. Mr. DeSpain writes: "The objective is to create the March 27, 1890 and April 3, 1974 tornado paths into ArcGIS polygons through historical data collection. The purpose is to identify the estimated affected areas and examine the possible impacts to today's growing population and building
units." One of his primary sources is my 2010 Arcadia/History Press book The Great Louisville Tornado
of 1890. I am happy to have helped one family solve a personal mystery and to have perhaps aided
science in my small way! If you would like to read either book, you can find them at
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?
keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=njqlsqp5tcg74qanfur72dvv27 and
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?
searchtext=keven+mcqueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks
December 11, 2018: How cool is this??? JD Wilkes, genius frontman of the band Legendary ShackShakers, likes Kentucky Book of the Dead so much that he had a copy specially hardbound by Thesis Books, complete with an extra illustration by Grace Yocum. Go to my non-author Facebook page and scroll down to see a video he made showing it: https://www.facebook.com/keven.mcqueen
November 17, 2018: Had a great time at the Kentucky Book Fair in Lexington today selling New England Nightmares and other titles! One young woman said "Thank you so much for writing Kentucky Book of the Dead." I'm not sure why she likes it so much but glad she does.
October 25, 2018: For the first time I was asked to lead a discussion on a book by someone else: Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic horror novel Frankenstein. We had an interesting time comparing the novel with the famous movie version. Thanks to the Laurel County [KY] Public Library for its Great American Read series, and thanks especially to Gwen Stivers!
October 21, 2018: I had a great time yesterday at the Books By the Banks festival at Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati! They do such a wonderful job organizing the event. I hope I get to go back next year when Weird Wild West is out.
October 12, 2018: If you missed my half-hour interview on "Thorne and Cross Haunted Nights LIVE!" last night, here is the permanent link: https://soundcloud.com/pam-stack/ghost-story-night-with-keven-mcqueen-on-thorne-cross-haunted-nights-live
October 10, 2018: Tomorrow evening I will be a guest on on horror authors Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross's internet radio show "Thorne & Cross Haunted Nights LIVE!" The show is part of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network, with over 3 million listeners worldwide. The show is described as being "about all things horror with the biggest names in the business, from fiction writers and paranormal investigators to haunted spots and true ghost stories..." It will be my fourth time on and it's always a delight. The topic tomorrow is ghosts and it starts 8:00 p.m. EST. (7:00 p.m. CST, 6:00 MST, 5:00 PST.) Here is the link to hear the half-hour show:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair/2018/10/12/ghost-story-night-with-keven-mcqueen-at-thorne-cross-haunted-nights-live
October 9, 2018: I will make an appearance at the Jackson County [KY] Library in McKee (which happens to be constructed on the site where my mother grew up) on Monday, October 15, between 4:00-6:00! Drop by if you’re in the area. Here is their Facebook page, with some very
cute artwork:https://www.facebook.com/jacksoncountypubliclibrary/photos/a.669073209831808/2244575255614921/?type=3&theater
October 8, 2018: Here is the link to hear my interview with EKU Voices from a few days ago! Thanks to Carrie Lewis and Co. for a fun interview that covered a lot of territory.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/easternprogress/eku-voices-season-2-ep-3-final
October 3, 2018: You can see my recent talk at the Daviess County Public Library at the following (thanks, Wesley Johnson): https://soundcloud.com/dcplibrary/author-visit-keven-mcqueen-kentucky-book-of-the-dead
September 30, 2018: Had a great time at the Daviess County Public Library yesterday!! The audience certainly seemed to enjoy a good old-fashioned creepy ghost story with comic overtones. Here's a photo of me speaking with attendees after the event.
September 27, 2018: Here is a link to an article in the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer about my upcoming visit:
http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/local/mcqueen-to-bring-dark-history-to-life-saturday/article_0efd627d-a231-553a-bdca-8bba7162b4f8.html
September 26, 2018: On October 3, at 5:30 p.m., I will be interviewed on Eastern Kentucky University's EKU Voices podcast! I will be discussing teaching, my books, growing up in Richmond, and apparently I may be asked to do my famous Droopy impersonation. You'll be able to hear it on the EKU Voices Spreaker page and on iTunes (don't panic, I'm not going to sing). I will post the link after the interview!
September 15, 2018: My 17th book, New England Nightmares: True Tales of the Strange and Gothic,
has been released by Indiana University Press! As you can tell by the title, it would make an ideal wedding gift or birthday present for a small child. Order it here! Buy it; read it; obey it! http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=809099
September 11, 2018: Lots of personal appearances, events and interviews coming up!
* September 29: Discussing Kentucky Book of the Dead, among other things, at the Daviess County Public Library at 3:00 (CST). Address: 2020 Frederica Street, Owensboro, KY.
* October 11, 4:00 EST, 3:00 CST, 2:00 MST, 1:00 PST: Another podcast interview with two of my favorite interviewers, Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross of "Thorne and Cross Haunted Nights LIVE!" More details coming soon.
* October 20: Books by the Banks at Cincinnati's Duke Energy Center, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Address: 525 Elm Street.
* October 25: Discussion of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein at the Laurel County [KY] Public Library, 6:00-7:30.
* October 28: Signing of Kentucky Book of the Dead at Barnes and Noble on Man-O-War in Lexington, KY, 1:00-3:00. Address: 1932 Pavilion Way.
* November 17: Kentucky Book Fair at the Kentucky Horse Park's Alltech Arena! Address: 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington.
August 29, 2018: Tonight I was interviewed by Rob McConnell, president and CEO of the “X” Zone Radio Show! It podcasts out of Hamilton, Ontario, making it my first talk with an interviewer outside the USA. The show airs on numerous stations including Simul TV andiHeartRadio. Due to unforeseen circumstances I got cut off toward the end (in case you wonder why I abruptly stop talking), but at least it was at the very end. Here’s the link! https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv/xzrs20180829ep2emkevenmcqueen
August 16, 2018: Back in April I was interviewed by the radio station WIBC 93.1 FM in Indianapolis for their “Indiana Cold Case” series. The topic was the Greenfield picnic poisonings, a story in my Arcadia/History Press book Murder and Mayhem in Indiana. The interview is now available via podcast and is less than ten minutes long. Here’s the link to the podcast: https://www.wibc.com/blogs/news-specials/indiana-cold-cases-complete-series. And here’s the link to the book:https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchtext=keven%20mcqueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks.
June 29, 2018: I had a great time speaking for the Bluegrass Confidential series at the Warren County Public Library (Kirby Branch) last night! The crowd was large, they had a great sense of humor, and they asked good questions. Thanks to Rob Hankins for arranging it! ALSO: Indiana University Press has accepted the latest book in my "American Gothic" series, covering the Western states. It will be out in fall 2019. Watch for updates on title, cover, release date, etc.!
May 31, 2018: I will be speaking at the Bob Kirby branch of the Warren County Public Library on the topic of historic Kentucky true crime as part of the "Bluegrass Confidential" series on June 28 at 6:00. Tickets are free and are available at 270.781.4882 or at www.warrenpl.org
May 20, 2018: Had a highly enjoyable podcast interview on May 19 with Henry Foister, Barbara Duncan,and Geoffrey Gould on "The Paranormal View," via the Para-X Radio Network/CBS Radio! The topic was Creepy California, which can be found here:http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=njqlsqp5tcg74qanfur72dvv27 The interview has been archivedshould you want to hear it: http://geoffgould.net/180519_paranormalview.htm . Also, Indiana University
Press's official release date for New England Nightmares in September ! It's not too early to pre-order it,though: http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?
keywords=keven+mcqueenosCsid=njqlsqp5tcg74qanfur72dvv27
April 12, 2018: I will be doing an interview with radio station WIBC in Indianapolis on the topic of the unsolved Simmons family poisonings for their “Indiana Cold Cases” special. You can read about the case in the Arcadia/History Press book Murder and Mayhem in Indiana. Watch this space for the broadcast date and a link when the show is
posted online.
February 28, 2018: Horror authors Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross have asked me to be a guest on their internet radio show Thorne & Cross Haunted Nights LIVE! The show is part of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network, with over 3 million listeners worldwide. The show is described as being "about all things horror with the biggest names in the business, from fiction writers and paranormal investigators to haunted spots and true ghost stories..." Sounds like fun! The show will air live this Thursday, March 1, at 8:00 p.m. EST. (5:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 p.m. Central.) Here is the link, but keep in mind that the link is inactive until show time. After the show it will be a permanent podcast link: https://tinyurl.com/y6vc68k4
February 4, 2018: I had a wonderful time during my podcast interview with Henry Foister and Barbara Duncan on the Para-X Radio Network, concerning the book Horror in the Heartland (Indiana University Press, 2017). They were very gracious hosts and asked great questions. I certainly hope they have me back on again. You can find out all about their show here: http://www.paraxradionetwork.com/chat/ And
the specific podcast with my interview can be heard here:
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/theparanormalview/episodes/2018-02-03T19_27_43-08_00
December 27, 2017: I will be doing a two-hour live online interview about the book Horror in the Heartland (Indiana University Press, 2017) on the Paranormal View show, via para-x.com/CBS Radio. It will be held from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, 2018. Watch this space for updates as the date draws closer and feel free to check out the websites for The Paranormal View https://theparanormalview.com/ and IUP: http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?
keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=njqlsqp5tcg74qanfur72dvv27
December 1, 2017: Here's a sneak preview of the cover of my next book, New England Nightmares, coming from Indiana University Press most likely in summer 2018! This one covers New England and the other Northern states.
November 26, 2017: I am very pleased to announce that the supermarket chain Giant Eagle will be selling my book Murder and Mayhem in Indiana, published by Arcadia Publishing/History Press, in one of their stores! If you live near Carmel, IN, you can buy it at the Market District store at 11505 N Illinois St. And if you don't live there you can get it here: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchtext=keven+mcqueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks
November 18, 2017: Had a wonderful time at the 36th Annual Kentucky Book Fair! And for now that concludes my book signing world tour. (Okay, it was three states, but still.) This was one of the best book signings I ever had, with 34 books sold among four titles, one of which sold almost completely out. Several people whom I hadn't seen in a while came to the Book Fair specifically to see me. I also discovered that Kentucky Book of the Dead has gone into its third printing. Thanks to the Book Fair organizers and patrons for making it a great day!
November 15, 2017: Charles Schmid, the so-called “Pied Piper of Tucson,” was a mid-1960s serial killer whose notoriety was such that Joyce Carol Oates wrong a famous short story about him called “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Schmid’s friend Richard Bruns—who turned him in!—has written a book called I, a Squealer, to be released in March 2018 by Twin Feather Publishing. I have read an advance copy and can attest that it is a very
interesting read; in fact I provided a blurb for it. Check out the YouTube ad for Mr. Bruns’s book!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H1Ora1c0Ko&t=8s
November 9, 2017: I am very pleased to announce that three Cracker Barrel restaurants in Kentucky and Indiana are now selling three of my History Press/Arcadia Publishing books! The franchise in Corbin, KY (84 Adams Road) is selling Forgotten Tales of Kentucky. The one in Mayfield, KY (33 Brian Drive) is selling Kentucky Book of the Dead. And the Cracker Barrel in Fishers, IN (9700 N by Northeast Blvd) is selling Forgotten Tales of Indiana, which happens to
be one of my own favorites. Might I add, all three books have cute illustrations by Kyle McQueen, which alone are worth the price of the books. If you are in the vicinity of these
restaurants, check it out! And you can find all three books, plus several more, at
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchtext=keven%20mcqueen&searchmode=anywo
rd&searchoption=allbooks
October 28, 2017: I had a wonderful time at the Books By the Banks signing at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati! The organizers did a fantastic job; hope I get to go back another time. I even got to meet some friends I haven't seen in many years.
October 22, 2017: One of my former students, Trevor Sherman, recommended "The Kentucky Book of the Dead" in a Halloween episode of The Eastern Standard, a weekly program broadcast on Eastern Kentucky University's radio station, WEKU. To hear the show just click on the following link and go to "Kentucky Ghosts, Creepy Tales." The reference to KBOD comes about 15 minutes into the program. http://weku.fm/programs/eastern-standard
September 14, 2017: The title of my next book from Indiana University Press has been changed! It is now New England Nightmares: True Tales of the Strange and Gothic. Watch for it next fall!
August 30, 2017: I have signed the contract for my next book, the latest in what I call the American Gothic series! It will cover stories from the Northern states (New England and Pennsylvania) and will be released next year by Indiana University Press, most likely in the fall. Stay tuned for details such as finalized title and release date!
August 25, 2017: JACK THE RIPPER? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! Perhaps you've been watching "American Ripper," the new series on the History Channel, which seems to be more concerned these days with UFOS, conspiracies, and Bigfoot than history. The show is attempting to prove that the Chicago serial killer H. H. Holmes, hanged in 1896, was also London's Jack the Ripper. They're going to try to prove it by comparing DNA from Holmes's remains with DNA on a dress allegedly belonging to one of JTR's victims. Here is a list of reasons why Holmes wasn't, and could never be, Jack:
1. JTR was a disorganized serial killer who found his victims by happenstance and avoided capture chiefly due to sheer luck. Holmes, on the other hand, was the epitome of the organized serial killer. He even built a hotel to make killing people easier. They don't come more organized than that!
2. JTR killed women only; Holmes killed men every once in a while if there was money to be made from it.
3. JTR's motives were obviously sexual; Holmes, while he enjoyed murdering, was chiefly in it for the money. In fact, I would argue that Holmes was a mass murderer rather than a serial killer because his eye was always foremost on financial gain.
4. The victimology is radically different for each man. JTR exclusively preyed on prostitutes. Holmes's female victims, while too gullible for their own good, were not prostitutes.
5. JTR always strangled his victims, then mutilated them. That was his obsession. Holmes, on the other hand, employed a wide variety of methods. It could be argued that Holmes also cut up certain victims, but note the difference: he didn't sexually mutilate them as JTR did. He dissected them professionally (he had a medical degree) and then sold their skeletons to medical schools (see no. 3 above).
6. About this dress allegedly belonging to a Ripper victim, which made a splash in the news a couple of years ago: what is its provenance? Do we know for certain that it belonged to a JTR victim? Even if that could be guaranteed, was the dress kept in climate-controlled storage since 1888? If not, any DNA found on it would be highly suspect. And how would the Ripper's DNA get on the dress in the first place? He didn't sexually molest his victims, so unless he slobbered on the dress or accidentally cut himself while committing the murder, it seems highly unlikely his DNA would be on it.
7. The Ripper intimately knew the alleys and streets of Whitechapel, suggesting that he was a longtime resident. If the "American Ripper" folks are correct and Holmes went to Whitechapel, he could have stayed there only a few weeks at most. How did he become so familiar with the area so quickly?
8. The show argues that Holmes resembled the very few fleeting glimpses eyewitnesses had of the Ripper. News flash: London was teeming with short guys with moustaches in 1888. The show also argues that JTR's notorious "Dear Boss" letter must have been written by an American since it includes American slang phrases. Unfortunately for that thesis, the letter was almost certainly a hoax concocted by a contemporary British journalist. The "American Ripper" people are making the same fundamental mistake crime author Patricia Cornwell made several years ago when she based her theory about the Ripper's identity on the assumption that the letter was authentic. It might be added that at the height of the Ripper panic, an American in Whitechapel would have stood out and been instantly suspected--in fact, several were.
9. After Holmes was arrested he bragged incessantly about the enormity of his crimes to the point of writing an autobiography. He even confessed to murders he didn't actually commit. I think if he actually had been Jack the Ripper he would have boasted about it. What did he have to lose? He was about to be hanged anyway!
August 11, 2017: I was the facilitator at the Murder and Mayhem in Kentucky series at the Laurel County Public Library last night and had a great time! The source book we used was Appalachian Murders and Mysteries, a 2016 anthology published by the Jesse Stuart Foundation.
The audience was interested in the subject matter and had great questions. I think we must have covered a hundred subjects at least. Thanks to Gwen Stivers for inviting me to speak at a couple of the series’ meetings. Looking forward to my second chance to facilitate on October 12!
August 7, 2017: Creepy California and Horror in the Heartland are both now available from Indiana University Press! To quote Jack the Ripper, “Double event this time!” Click here:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=keven+mcqueen&osCsid=1hdfsrarb11obs22ocltj2oud2. For high-tech readers, they are available in e-book form. For those of you who (like me) are old-fashioned, the books are available in paper. And for those of you who are REALLY old-fashioned, I am lobbying to have them produced in scroll form!
August 3, 2017: Marlene at Miami Ghost Chronicles has posted a YouTube interview with me! We discuss many eldritch topics including the New Orleans Axman, and perhaps most peculiar of all I'm wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Check it out, my friends! https://youtu.be/izwC6UiTwXk
July 20, 2017: I will be signing copies of "Horror in the Heartland," one of my two new books from Indiana University Press, at Books by the Banks: Cincinnati Regional Book Festival on Saturday, October 28, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Duke Energy Center! The book is full
of creepy but true Midwestern stories so if you live in Ohio--or anywhere in the Midwest--come and see me!
July 4, 2017: Max Dawson of Rockport, IN, has sent a photo of the gravestone he purchased to mark the grave of Mattie Belle Mahoney and her child, unmarked since her death in a shootout in 1898. Readers may be familar with her story in my chapter "Louisville's Bonnie and Clyde." The other side of the stone features roses and John 3:16. I would like to compliment Mr. Dawson for doing such a nice thing! You
can read Mattie Belle's full story in the book Louisville Murder and Mayhem: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchtext=keven+mcqueensearchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks
June 30, 2017: I will be attending the 36th Annual Kentucky Book Fair at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday, November 18th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I will have copies of Horror in the Heartland, coming out from Indiana University Press this August, and probably some other titles as well. More details as I get them!
June 17, 2017: Max Dawson of Rockport, IN, heard about Louisville's Bonnie and Clyde (Howard Clark and Mattie Belle Mahoney, as discussed in a chapter in Louisville Murder and Mayhem) and was struck by the fact that Mattie is buried in an unmarked grave, probably as a mark of disgrace. Mr. Dawson did some research, found Mattie's gravesite, and has purchased a tombstone for her and her unborn child.
What a wonderful thing for him to do! The stone will read "Mattie Belle Mahoney and Unborn Child Shot Oct. 9, 1898 Aged 16 years" and will also feature roses and John 3:16. Mr. Dawson will send pictures of the monument when it is set and I will post them. Meanwhile, if you would like to read the book with that story, click this link: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchtext=keven+mcqueen&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks
June 8, 2017: I am VERY pleased to announce that one of my favorite restaurants, Cracker Barrel, is now selling Forgotten Tales of Indiana at their branches in Fishers, IN, and Shelbyville, IN! I consider that one of my best books, plus it has very cute and funny illustrations by Kyle McQueen. If you happen not to be passing through Indiana you can find the book at a discount price here at the Arcadia/History Press website: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781596297715
May 25, 2017: I have been interviewed by Brandon Patterson of the online literary zine With Candlelight. Great questions! Go here to see it: https://withcandlelight.com/
May 20, 2017: Today I spoke before The Legacy Hand Club, a group of Midwestern hand surgeons (!), at the legendary West Baden Springs Hotel, a beautifully restored 19th-century resort near French Lick, Indiana. I was a little apprehensive about my choice of a topic-- the history of medical school body sntaching in Indiana-- but the surgeons had a great sense of humor and it went over very well. It was a wonderful experience and the hotel's enormity and beauty beggars all description. Thanks to Dr. Jim Strickland for arranging it!
May 8, 2017: I will be the scholar/facilitator at Laurel County Public Library’s “Murder and Mayhem in Kentucky” book discussion series! It will be held on two separate nights, August 10 and October 12. Be there or be square!
January 21, 2017: If you are interested in that gut-wrenchingly frightening serial killer The Axeman of New Orleans--who terrorized New Orleans in the 1910s and was never caught--then you will certainly want to read Miriam Davis's new book on the topic, The Axeman of New Orleans. It is lavishly detailed and clears up many misconceptions about the crimes. Click the link to read about the book! http://www.axemanofneworleans.com/
November 21, 2016: The “American Gothic” book series continues. Here is an advance peek at the covers of my next two books, Horror in the Heartland: Strange and Gothic Tales from the Midwest and Creepy California: Strange and Gothic Tales from the Golden State, both to be published by Indiana University Press in summer 2017!
September 30, 2016: I don't have any new books out this year, but I have been anthologized! Four of my Kentucky-based historical true crime stories are featured in the Jesse Stuart Foundation's Appalachian Murders and Mysteries, compiled by James M. Gifford and Edwina Pendarvis. It's a great collection and would make an offbeat Christmas gift. You can order it here: http://www.jsfbooks.com/search?type=product&q=murders+and+mysteries#sthash.SBEvEeVw.dpbs
August 12, 2016: Horror in the Heartland: Strange and Gothic Tales from the Midwest is scheduled to be released by the University of Indiana Press in August 2017. Check this website or my Facebook author page for updates!
August 3, 2016: Indiana University Press is changing the title of my book to Horror in the Heartland: Strange and Gothic Tales from the Midwest. Keep checking here for updates!
June 30, 2016: Another book in my American Gothic series, tentatively titled Midwestern Gothic, will be published late this year or sometime in 2017 by Indiana University Press! My friends and readers who live in the Midwest will be getting their own collection of bizarre true stories about body snatchers, historical murders, monsters, strange deaths, and other improbable events that I like to call “real-life surrealism.” I am especially excited because this is my first book from a university press. If you haven’t seen the first book in the series, Gothic and Strange True Tales of the South (Pelican, 2015) then hasten to repair this gap in your edification. Don’t feel slighted, readers in the North, the West, and the Pacific Northwest states—there will be books covering your regions soon!
April 20, 2016:This morning I spoke to the middle school and high school English classes at Berea Community School in Berea, KY, on the topics of writing and having autism. The talk went very well and the students asked good questions! Thanks to everyone who organized it and invited me over.
June 12, 2015: Those who are interested in tornadoes may be interested in Robert Hubbard's new book about that rare meteorological phenomenon, the New England tornado. It is called A History of Connecticut's Deadliest Tornadoes and you can buy it at this link.
March 17, 2015: My thirteenth book Gothic and Strange True Tales of the South--which I consider my best book to date--has been released by Pelican Publishing! It's like Kentucky Book of the Dead only it covers the entire region of the South! (If you're a fan of KBOD, this book contains lots of material that didn't fit in the earlier book.) Upcoming books in the “American Gothic” series will cover the entire USA by region. Folks, this book is so strange that the other books on your shelf will ostracize it! Makes a perfect birthday gift for a child you don't like! You can order it at the Amazon link below, and also from any number of booksellers both online and in the real world; I’m sure it will be available as an e-book and I am trying to persuade the publisher to release it in scroll form for those who want a truly retro reading experience. You can purchase it from Amazon.com
February 24 2015: My next book is due March 16, 2015! You can pre-order it from Amazon.
October 26, 2014: Gary Krist’s new book is Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans (New York: Crown). It concerns (in part) that notorious uncaught serial killer, the New Orleans Axman, and mentions my book “The Axman Came From Hell”! Somebody out there thinks I’m an authority on something! Click here to buy Mr. Krist’s very interesting book:
September 24, 2014: My next book, Gothic and Strange True Tales of the South--which I consider my best (and strangest) book to date--will be released by Pelican Publishing on March 16, 2015! If you liked Kentucky Book of the Dead you’ll like this one too; it’s a KBOD-style book that covers the entire South. In fact, it contains a lot of material that wouldn’t fit in KBOD. (It’s the first in a series of four planned “American Gothic” books that will cover the entire USA by region.) You can pre-order it at the link below; I’m sure it will be available as an e-book too. I am trying to persuade the publisher to release it in scroll form for people who are technologically backward like me.
August 10, 2014: Readers of my book Louisville Murder and Mayhem might remember the chapter "Louisville's Bonnie and Clyde," concerning the criminal career of lovers Howard Clark and Mattie Mahoney. In the chapter I referred to a wanted poster that made some amusingly invidious comments about Mr. Clark. I have just heard from Mr. Thomas Kellam, an archivist at Tarrant County [TX] College. The college has a collection of original wanted posters-- and one of them is a poster for Clark and Mahoney! My guess is that it's the only one left in the world.
JULY 23, 2014: Speech on the books Louisville Murder and Mayhem and Murder and Mayhem in Indiana (and on writing history in general and methods of historical research) at the Jefferson County Public Law Library in Louisville!
MARCH 17, 2014: My account of the famous Ashland Tragedy (the grotesque Christmas 1881 murder of three teenagers in Ashland, Boyd County, KY) will be narrated by Joe Sammarco on the Crime City Central podcast! The story, “A Little Fun,” originally appeared in the book Murder in Old Kentucky (McClanahan Publishing). Part one will be podcast on Monday, March 24, and part two will be podcast on Monday, March 31. Listen to it here http://crimecitycentral.com/ and buy the book here: http://www.kybooks.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=18 !
JANUARY 28, 2014: Click the link to read to my interview with Jane Ammeson at the Northwest Indiana Times website!
ALSO: On February 17, I will be speaking live with Pat and Carol Daniels on their "The Fringe Radio Show" on KTKK AM630 in Salt Lake City, Utah. KTKK is the third oldest talk radio station in the country, which I (ever the history buff) find interesting. We will be discussing topics such as ghosts, murders, and paranormal stuff--these are a few of my favorite things! The show will air at midnight Mountain Standard Time. Afterwards the interview will be archived on their website, www.TheFringeradioshow.com , so you can still hear it if you don’t live in that time zone.
JANUARY 15, 2014: I will be appearing on Jeff Belanger’s Massachusetts cable/web talk show “30 Odd Minutes” on Tuesday, February 4, 8:00-8:30 EST. The show is streamed online live at www.30oddminutes.com for a global audience. Within 24 hours, the episode will be available on the 30 Odd Minutes Web site for free on-demand viewing and is uploaded to iTunes for free downloading. It will also be available on Roku, YouTube, and Blip.tv. Additionally, the episode will be uploaded to a special Web site where over 100 public access stations reaching over 5 million homes across the USA can download the show for their channels. (You can see a partial list of stations at http://www.30oddminutes.com/wheretowatch.shtml .) The show is also broadcast on Sky TV’s Channel 200 “Controversial TV” in the UK and in Ireland reaching another 2 million homes. In other words, I’d better not screw this up!
JANUARY 11, 2014: My New Year’s Eve interview with the great Dave Schrader on Minnesota’s Darkness Radio show has been posted in three parts on the DarknessRadio website! Just click on the link, scroll down to the date December 31, 2013, and listen to “The Axe Man Cometh,” “Cruelly Murdered,” and “Book of the Dead.” http://podbay.fm/show/294988529
JANUARY 4, 2014: My newest historical true crime book, Murder and Mayhem in Indiana, was originally scheduled to come out in April. Instead, History Press is releasing it within the next couple of weeks! It will be available directly from Historypress.net, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and lots of other online retailers—also at your local bookstore if you request it. It will also be available as an e-book, if not now then in the near future. Makes a great wedding present or a gift for small children!
December 30, 2013: I will soon be discussing all sorts of dark topics with Dave Schrader, host of the Minnesota radio show “Darkness Radio.” The interview will air New Year’s Eve on KTCN AM 1130. If you don’t live in Minnesota, you can catch the interview or find out more about it at these websites:
www.Facebook.com/DarknessRadioDave
www.Facebook.com/DarknessRadio
December 19, 2013: In Louisville Murder and Mayhem I told the story of Mattie (Maymie) Belle Mahoney and Howard Clark, Louisville's answer to Bonnie and Clyde. Like their more famous counterparts, they were lovers who went on
a crime spree and died in a hail of bullets. Readers of the chapter will remember that Mahoney's mother refused to pay for her burial. When I wrote the book I had no idea what became of Mahoney's remains, but reader Janet Mackey-Bodine informs me that Mahoney was simply buried by the side of the road near the spot where she died! She has a page at the FindAGrave website with a photo of the location. Click here if interested.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=120463504
August 18, 2013: The Crime City Central podcast is airing one of my true crime stories, "The Case of the Killer Coroner" from the 2008 book "Cruelly Murdered." It is the first time any of my stuff has had a professional reading! Click on the link to hear it narrated by Maurine McClean. http://crimecitycentral.com/
June 23, 2013: I am happy to announce that Forgotten Tales of Indiana (one of my personal favorites of my books) is now availible as an e-book, and will be availible for sale via Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), and Apple's iBookstore (iPad). Free hula lesson with purchase!
October 25, 2012: Come to the Kentucky Book Fair at the Frankfort Convention Center on Saturday, November 10, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Books make good Christmas gifts (hint, hint). This is very possibly the last Book Fair I will attend, for various reasons, so I hope to see you there.
October 25, 2012: Kentucky Book of the Dead is now available as an e-book, and will be available for sale via Amazon (on the Kindle), Barnes & Noble (on the Nook) and Apple’s iBookstore (on the iPad). Buy it and I promise I will autograph your gadget’s screen witha magic marker!
September 6, 2012: Strange Tales of Crime and Murder in Southern Indiana (the History Press, 2009) is now available as an e-book, and will be available for sale via Amazon (on the Kindle), Barnes & Noble (on the Nook) and Apple’s iBookstore (on the iPad).
July 8, 2012:Click on the link to read about my appearance at the Clarksville Writers' Conference back on June 8. Yes, I bought that spiffy coat just for the occasion.
July 1, 2012:Yippee skip! The Great Louisville Tornado of 1890, The Axman Came From Hell, Louisville Murder and Mayhem, and Kentucky Book of the Dead are now available as e-books. Truly, the age of the Jetsons is upon us. If you get them in this format, they won't collect dust on your bookshelf.
June 8, 2012: Been to the Clarksville [TN.] Writers’ Conference and it was a blast, my friends!
June 4, 2012: Col. JD Wilkes, frontman of the band The Legendary Shack Shakers, has taken to reading excerpts from Kentucky Book of the Dead from a lectern during his concerts. Way to spread refinement and culture throughout Europe, JD!! (By the way, folks, KBOD is about to go into its third printing!)
May 10, 2012: I'll be signing books at Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville, 2720 Frankfort Avenue, on Saturday, May 12, at 4:00. I wants to see you there!
