Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Guest blog: Using True Crime as Inspiration

I’m author Victoria Roder and I’m thrilled to be visiting on Criminal Minds at Work. As an author, the world around me is an endless opportunity for writing material. Everything I see, touch, taste, hear, and observe is ripe for the picking. I find the news to be a great source for storyline ideas. You can’t make up some of the crazy things people do. I wanted to share with you some unusual headlines from reputable newspapers I came across in my research.
  • Police Seek Drag-dressing Car Thief
  • Man in Superman Cape Stole Truck
  • Three Charged in Bridal Shower Brawl
  • Murder, Adultery, Witchcraft! Buffalo’s Shocking ‘Scandal of the Century!’
  • Teenager Guilty of ‘Vampire’ Murder
  • Dead Body Mistaken by Neighbors as a Halloween Display
  • US woman found guilty of killing her husband by squashing him
The woman actually sat on her husband and suffocated him! If I wrote that in my novel readers might think the plot line was too far fetched, but it is actual news. I find human behavior fascinating and I am addicted to true crime shows. Did this woman suffocate her husband to death in a moment of irrationality or was something more sinister boiling under the surface of her personality for a long time? What made this wife murder her husband when the woman next door is capable of choosing divorce over suffocation, stabbing, or shooting her husband? True crime is crazier than fiction.

Feeding into my fascination of studying why people commit crimes, writing my suspense murder mystery novel, Bolt Action was thrilling. Secrets of the past, murder, mystery, revenge, deception, sexual tension, and the “State Quarter Killer”; Bolt Action from Champagne Books offers it all. Check out the book video at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqcYL_G7h7s. The buy link is http://www.omnilit.com/product-boltaction-426568-152.html

Victoria Roder lives in Central Wisconsin with her husband and house full of pets. She enjoys riding motorcycle, camping, hiking, shooting bow, and snow shoeing in the winter. Victoria Roder is also the author of paranormal romance The Dream House Visions and Nightmares, Asylett Press 2009. Her first picture book, What if a Zebra had Triangles? will be released soon from Vintage Reflections Publishing. She can be contacted through her website www.victoriaroder.com.

7 comments:

Donica Covey said...

Were we twins seperated at birth?!? I too am addicted to true crime shows...sometimes the news stories inspire my writing.

Great blog post. Thanks for letting me know this blog was here. It's on my favorites list now!

Hugs
Donica Covey
www.donicacovey.com

Maryannwrites said...

Enjoyed the article. Like you, I love to follow true-crime stories. I have tons of clips from newspapers that I am keeping for possible plot lnes.

Rhobin said...

You are right in that many of the more bizarre and most horrific of crimes surpass what readers would consider 'real' in fiction. Interesting article; enjoyed reading.

Victoria Roder said...

Thanks for stopping and commenting Donica, Maryann, & Rhobin. I'd be lost without Investigation Discovery channel!

Tami Winbush said...

Oh, there are a few folks that I'd like to sit on. :)

I do enjoy the crime shows on TV, but Criminal Minds kinda creeps me out. They really have to get into their heads to find them. Either good acting or a horrible job!

Great blog post.

Stacey said...

As they say, truth is stranger than fiction. That one about the woman squashing him is a trip. Thanks for sharing.

Victoria Roder said...

Thanks for stopping Tami & Stacey. Working as a profiler of criminals would be a tough job to shut down at the end of the day!