Some women shop for shoes; I'm always looking for true-life crime-the more diabolical the better-so one of the first things I do before starting a new book is go crime shopping. I pore through newspapers and online sources, watch Court TV-you name it, when I'm on the trail, I'm relentless.

Some of my villains have been inspired by true crime. Jim Beckett from THE PERFECT HUSBAND is loosely based on Ted Bundy, and the Eco-Killer in THE KILLING HOUR shares some traits with the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Mostly though, I'm looking for that seed of an idea. . .which is where you come in.

Have you heard of a lesser-known true crime story that you think is twisted and dark enough to become part of one of my novels? Send me the details. If I haven't previously heard of it and I use it in my next book, you'll have the option of being listed in the acknowledgments of the book as well as receiving a signed copy.

(For more on researching, read Confessions of a Research Geek in the Tricks of the Trade section. You'll see why writing the kind of books I do takes a lot of research!)

Many thanks and happy researching.

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