Literarily Speaking

5 Things You Should Know About Body Parts by Caitlin Rother #5Things

thewriterslife February 18, 2025 0 Comments

We are so excited to have as our guest today, Caitlin Rother, author of Body Parts. She is here to tell us five things you should know about her book!

5 Things You Should Know About Body Parts

By Caitlin Rother

1) BODY PARTS by New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother is the story of serial killer Wayne Adam Ford, who killed four women and dismembered two of them, leaving them in aqueducts and other bodies of water up and down California. After doing the rare deed of turning himself in, he tried to help authorities identify his first victim, whom he dismembered, by showing them where he buried her body parts. Twenty-five years later, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department's new cold case unit used genetic genealogy to identify that first victim as Kerry Anne Cummings. If a serial killer book can have a happy ending, this is it, because Kerry now has her name back and her family has closure, finally learning what happened to their missing loved one who disappeared all those years ago.

2) BODY PARTS originally came out as a mass market paperback in 2009. This edition is a re-issue in trade paperback with 32 pages of new developments about how the Humboldt cold case team ID'd Kerry Anne Cummings. It includes personal details gained from the author's interviews with Kerry's cousin Jeff, who sent in his DNA profile to GEDmatch with the hope of ID'ing his missing cousin, and also with Kerry's sister, Kathie, with whom she was always very close. Rother made a special effort to pay a tribute to Ford's first victim, and to show who Kerry Anne Cummings was--a talented artist, a traveler, and an independent but troubled young woman--before she became a murder victim.

3) Wayne Adam Ford was a handsome young man who joined the U.S. Marines when he was a teenager, and was stationed at the El Toro base in Orange County, where he sung karaoke, drove a school bus, and got married. While he was in the Marines, he learned first aid, and tried to help a car accident victim on the freeway who was bleeding at the neck. Ford put his hand on the man's carotid artery to stop the blood flow, when a drunk driver hit him and knocked him 40 feet down the embankment. Ford was in the ICU for nine days with a severe head injury that his family said changed his personality. But they still never suspected the polite young man, who sung a mean Elvis tune, could ever hurt anyone.

4) Ford suffered a mental breakdown while in the Marines, requiring doctors to sedate him with Haldol. Although he later sought mental help while he was working as a long-haul trucker, he never got the treatment he needed. He developed paraphilias, one of which involved a fixation on women's breasts, which explains why he had his last victim's breast in his jacket pocket when he turned himself in at the sheriff's station in Eureka.

5) BODY PARTS is Rother's second best-selling book after her very first book, POISONED LOVE, about the Kristin Rossum murder case. Rossum poisoned her husband with fentanyl, then staged a suicide scene by sprinkling red roses petals over her body. BODY PARTS was originally Rother's third title. Her 15th book, about the McStay family murders, will be released in June 2025 and is available for pre-order now!

~ Book Description ~

BODY PARTS takes a deep psychological look at serial killer Wayne Adam Ford. A long-haul trucker, Ford confessed to picking up dozens of prostitutes and troubled women along California roads. He tortured and repeatedly choked them during sex, revived them with CPR, then did it again. Only four of them didn’t survive, he said, claiming that was an accident. After dismembering two of his victims, he dumped their bodies in the California Aqueduct and other waterways in Humboldt, Kern, San Joaquin, and San Bernardino Counties. Ford’s complex death penalty case made national news because he is one of the only serial killers to turn himself in and help authorities identify his victims. He was recently transferred from death row at San Quentin to a state prison in San Luis Obispo.

Originally released in March 2009, this new edition of BODY PARTS has been updated with 32 pages of new developments about the identification of Kerry Anne Cummings, Ford’s first victim, whom he dismembered and who went unidentified for 25 years. If there is such a thing as a happy ending to a book about a serial killer, this is it. The new material takes the reader through the investigative process involved in solving a cold case like this one so many years after the fact. Kerry now has her name back and her family has closure after so many years of not knowing what happened to her, after being prevented from reporting her missing to police because she was using drugs. Rother is the first to interview the Cummings family about Kerry and her troubled life before she went missing in late 1997.

Overall, the book is based on exclusive information Rother uncovered during her extensive research and exclusive interviews with Ford’s father and brother. She also interviewed, the prosecutor, sheriff’s detectives from all four counties, the defense’s sole investigator, and a woman who survived after being raped and tortured by Ford. By obtaining a court order to release sealed court files and digging through boxes of evidence and investigators’ reports, Rother was able to paint comprehensive and compelling portraits of Ford, his family and his victims. Rother’s book shows readers how Ford’s family dynamics, his severe head injury, his bouts of mental illness, and his compulsive sexual perversions led to his tragic killing spree, tearful confessions, and dramatic trial.

This is a re-release with 32 pages of new developments about the recent identification of Ford's first victim, Kerry Anne Cummings, through genetic genealogy 25 years after her murder. So, now she has her name back and her family has closure.

BODY PARTS is available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Body-Parts-Serial-Killers-Compulsions/dp/0806543914.

~ Author Bio ~

New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 15 books, ranging from narrative non-fiction crime to thrillers and memoir. Among her recent titles is an updated edition of BODY PARTS with 32 pages of new developments about the Wayne Adam Ford case, and DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, the story of the Rebecca Zahau death case. Coming out in June is DOWN TO THE BONE, about the McStay family murders, and in 2026, DOPAMINE FIX, the first in a two-book deal for a new crime fiction series with Thomas & Mercer. An award-winning investigative reporter for 19 years, Rother’s stories have been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The San Diego Union Tribune, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and The Daily Beast. Her more than 250 TV, radio and podcast appearances include 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia’s World News, and numerous shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, HLN and REELZ. A popular public speaker, she also works as a writing-research coach-consultant and website designer. For fun, she binges on limited series, swims, and plays keyboards and sings in a jazzy bluesy trio called In the Lounge with her partner. Rother earned a bachelor’s in psychology from UC Berkeley and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ https://caitlinrother.com

Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/caitlinrother

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/caitlinrother/

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/the_real_caitlin_rother

BlueSky ➜ @caitlinrother.bsky.social

# 5 Things You Should Know

Book Spotlight | Book Tour: Nurse Dorothea Presents Why Coping Skills Work and What Are Some That Can Be Done Anytime and Anywhere by Michael Dow #spotlight #booktour

thewriterslife February 05, 2025 0 Comments

Mental health for teenagers and young adults, but older adults are saying they are learning new things too.

Title: Nurse Dorothea Presents Why Coping Skills Work and What Are Some That Can Be Done Anytime and Anywhere

Author: Michael Dow

Pages: 308

Genre: Nonfiction for Young Adults

We are starting the process of removing stigma about mental health issues. Let’s share ideas of the journey to well-being and seek to understand others as they are instead of how we wish them to be. By learning to know ourselves and trying different coping skills that are specific to the situation that we find ourselves in, we can achieve balance and peace. As we deepen our self-awareness and harness tailored coping mechanisms for diverse situations, we pave the path to equilibrium and serenity. Let’s foster an environment conducive to both individual and collective growth within our society. By doing this, we unlock potentials previously unattainable, empowering us to fully cultivate our knowledge, skills, and abilities. With gratitude in our heart, peace in our mind, and confidence in our capabilities, we can face the future with bravery, courage, and determination to help make the best lives for ourselves and others that we possibly can. If society wants something we have never had, we’re going to have to do something that has never been done.

Nurse Dorothea Presents Why Coping Skills Work and What Are Some That Can Be Done Anytime and Anywhere is available at Lulu.

Book Excerpt

“Hi everyone, my name is Nurse Dorothea. Thank you for coming to the after-school club on mental health. I hope to provide you with some tools to manage your emotions and navigate life’s challenges.Mental health is complicated because there are so many things that can affect it. This class was created to show that it is ok to talk about your mental health with others as well as to give you ideas to improve your mental health.

“We will be recording this session. People in the future will get to experience the same things you will today. Sometimes, I will speak to people watching this showor reading the future book about the class. This is an interactive class and I want you all to ask questions as you have them. We will stop sometimes and discuss things with each other. If you are watching the show or reading the book, then I want YOUall to also discuss the questions and topics with those in the room. This book is an experience, and you will only get the full experience by talking with others. Please take breaks from the show as you need to since this will be a long discussion.”

– Excerpted from Nurse Dorothea Presents Why Coping Skills Work and What are Some That Can Be Done Anytime and Anywhere by Michael Dow, Dow Creative Enterprises, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Michael Stephen Dow is married to Perla in Arizona and has 3 kids. Michael was on a path to attend medical school and then the events of September 11, 2001 occurred. Michael became angry at the terrorists and decided to join the US Air Force. He went through Officer Training School and then graduated specialized Navigator training to become an Electronic Warfare Officer. Michael deployed 6 times for the Global War on Terror between 2005 and 2009 with the EC-130H Compass Call mission. Michael medically retired in 2010 and then became an US Army contractor serving Wounded Warriors and ensuring they received all of their entitled benefits for 8 years. Michael always had a love for science and the human body so he then used his GI bill to go through nursing school and graduated in August 2020. Michael now works as a Registered Nurse at an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Michael’s education is as follows: B.A. in Psychology from Auburn University in 1999, B.S. in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2001, M.S. in Management from Troy University in 2010, Masters in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2017, and M.S. from the University of Arizona in 2020 through its 15 month accelerated Masters Entry to the Profession of Nursing program. Michael is the Founder and Manager of Dow Creative Enterprises, LLC. His books have garnered the Silver Nautilus Book award in 2020 (Nurse Florence, Help I’m Bleeding) and an Award-Winning Finalist in the Religion category for the 2021 International Book Awards (A Prayer to Our Father in the Heavens: Possibly the Greatest Jewish Prayer of All Time). Michael believes we will need the best of science and religion to successfully navigate ourselves, our civilization, through the future obstacles we will face. More information can be found at www.DowCreativeEnterprises.com and www.NurseFlorence.org. Nurse Florence® is a federally registered trademark by Dow Creative Enterprises. The Nurse Florence® series seeks to promote science and health among children and to help increase the health literacy levels of our society. With teamwork, inclusion, faith and perseverance, we can bravely face our problems and help each other reach our better selves as well as our best collective good.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ www.nursedorothea.com

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095060389625

5 Things You Should Know About Dragged Down Deep by Michael Okon #5Things

thewriterslife January 28, 2025 0 Comments

We are so excited to have as our guest today, Michael Okon, author of Dragged Down Deep. He is here to tell us five things you should know about his book!

5 Things You Should Know About Dragged Down Deep

By Michael Okon

1. I got the idea of Dragged Down Deep by watching Creature From the Black Lagoon and questioning, why hasn’t there been an updated retelling of this fanstastic story.

2. I started writing Dragged Down Deep as a screenplay first and then fleshed it out into a novel.

3. Dragged Down Deep takes place in the Hamptons, but not in the white party, big house Hamptons. This is the Hamptons where people live 365 days a year and don’t attend the rich parties.

4. I have been wanting to write a book about cryptozoology for the longest time.

5. I have four other stories planned out in the Dragged Down Deep universe with other amazing cryptids in the works.

~ Book Description ~

Logan Osborne has spent his life chasing the shadows of the past.

As a child, he watched helplessly as his father was snatched from a fishing boat by what he swore was a mermaid. No one believed him then. No one believes him now.

Determined to prove that mythical creatures exist, Logan is drawn back to the small coastal town where his nightmares began after another mysterious disappearance stirs the waters.

Teaming up with his pragmatic colleague Elliot Sheppard and his fiercely loyal friend Penny Swanson, Logan dives headfirst into an adventure packed with danger and deception. As they dig deeper, the trio faces resistance at every turn—a secretive agency with its own agenda, a suspiciously unhelpful police force, and Logan’s old flame, who may know more than she’s letting on.

What they uncover is far darker and more terrifying than Logan ever imagined: the truth about his father, the secrets of Minatuck, and the horrifying reality of the Mermaid of the Hamptons.

Will Logan and his friends expose the lies that have haunted him for years, or will they be Dragged Down Deep into the swampy, secretive underbelly of a town that guards its mysteries with deadly intent?

Dragged Down Deep is available at Amazon.

~ Author Bio ~

Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres, including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure, and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.

Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ www.michaelokon.com

Twitter ➜ https://www.x.com/IAmMichaelOkon

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/IAmMichaelOkon

# 5 Things You Should Know