Ask the Author: Dave Cullen
Answered Questions (44)
Dave Cullen
Thanks for thinking about that and asking about that Ryan.
2 big reasons:
1. I'd already done that. I have so many books to write and no interest in repeating.
2. Yes. I actually made a firm agreement with my shrink that I'd never go back--and potentially dire consequences if I did.
The only reason I went to Parkland was that I was so amazed by those kids--wrote a piece about them for Politico the first night, and was on a slew of TV the 1st 24 hours increasingly excited and hopeful. So when my Vanity Fair editor asked me to fly down the 2nd day, I was still very leery, but agreed to go briefly to see.
I agreed to 5 weeks only, up to/through the DC MFOL, to write several online pieces and co-produce a video. I agreed ONLY to cover the kids' movement, not the killer/killing or the grief.
So I never intended anything like Columbine.
By then I was so taken by them, I agreed to stay on to do a big piece for the print mag, and considering a book. I asked David Hogg and a few of the others how they felt, and they were all for it.
So I pitched a short/quick book half the size of the final book to HarperCollins also on the kids and they loved it. I pitched it with the final subtitle as what I was proposing: "birth of a movement."
I also said in the proposal I refused to name the killer. My editor said let's keep an open mind on that, and decide once you finish. I said that was a dealbreaker, but I'd see how I felt once I drafted it. I was more firm than ever, and she said Oh, it was fine.
Maybe she assumed I would go into the crime somewhat. I ended up deciding to write 1 page summarizing the killers' lead up and the crime itself, for context. I hadn't planned to do even that, but decided the bare bones were necessary, and readers could look elsewhere for that.
I was shocked that the whole year with them, getting to know them well, helped cure me. I knew Columbine was still weighing me down and under a dark cloud, but I had no idea THAT much, until so much lifted. (Not all or close, but a ton.) I couldn't believe how happy I felt, and had forgotten what it felt like after 19 years. I was like, Oh yeah! I used to be a bubbly, happy guy! It felt amazing to meet a version of pre-Columbine Dave again. Don't think I'll ever get the full version back after 26 years, and also growing much older. I gave that guy up as the price of that book. I appreciate you asking.
2 big reasons:
1. I'd already done that. I have so many books to write and no interest in repeating.
2. Yes. I actually made a firm agreement with my shrink that I'd never go back--and potentially dire consequences if I did.
The only reason I went to Parkland was that I was so amazed by those kids--wrote a piece about them for Politico the first night, and was on a slew of TV the 1st 24 hours increasingly excited and hopeful. So when my Vanity Fair editor asked me to fly down the 2nd day, I was still very leery, but agreed to go briefly to see.
I agreed to 5 weeks only, up to/through the DC MFOL, to write several online pieces and co-produce a video. I agreed ONLY to cover the kids' movement, not the killer/killing or the grief.
So I never intended anything like Columbine.
By then I was so taken by them, I agreed to stay on to do a big piece for the print mag, and considering a book. I asked David Hogg and a few of the others how they felt, and they were all for it.
So I pitched a short/quick book half the size of the final book to HarperCollins also on the kids and they loved it. I pitched it with the final subtitle as what I was proposing: "birth of a movement."
I also said in the proposal I refused to name the killer. My editor said let's keep an open mind on that, and decide once you finish. I said that was a dealbreaker, but I'd see how I felt once I drafted it. I was more firm than ever, and she said Oh, it was fine.
Maybe she assumed I would go into the crime somewhat. I ended up deciding to write 1 page summarizing the killers' lead up and the crime itself, for context. I hadn't planned to do even that, but decided the bare bones were necessary, and readers could look elsewhere for that.
I was shocked that the whole year with them, getting to know them well, helped cure me. I knew Columbine was still weighing me down and under a dark cloud, but I had no idea THAT much, until so much lifted. (Not all or close, but a ton.) I couldn't believe how happy I felt, and had forgotten what it felt like after 19 years. I was like, Oh yeah! I used to be a bubbly, happy guy! It felt amazing to meet a version of pre-Columbine Dave again. Don't think I'll ever get the full version back after 26 years, and also growing much older. I gave that guy up as the price of that book. I appreciate you asking.
Dave Cullen
Definitely anything external.
It's been 26 years, and I can't recall what happened 17 minutes in. I think they left the library, correct? If so, we have no way of knowing for sure, but yes, all the experts I consulted*, it's highly likely that Eric got bored, as psychopaths do.
* I worked with some of the top experts in the world, most brought in to the case by the FBI, so they knew it well. This included Dr. Robert Hare, who literally wrote the book on psychopathy, and created the current definition/conception of what it is, including the famous Psychopathy Checklist. I spent a few hours with him, and discussed this very situation at length. Very little doubt in his mind.
It's been 26 years, and I can't recall what happened 17 minutes in. I think they left the library, correct? If so, we have no way of knowing for sure, but yes, all the experts I consulted*, it's highly likely that Eric got bored, as psychopaths do.
* I worked with some of the top experts in the world, most brought in to the case by the FBI, so they knew it well. This included Dr. Robert Hare, who literally wrote the book on psychopathy, and created the current definition/conception of what it is, including the famous Psychopathy Checklist. I spent a few hours with him, and discussed this very situation at length. Very little doubt in his mind.
Dave Cullen
Hey Ty. Good question.
I assume you mean mass shootings, which for me gradually morphed into gun safety, for the most part. (We some stops along the way broadening out to other types of murderers, briefly.)
I've tried to leave this story so many times, and thought I had. Haha. Publishing Columbine after 10 years was the last time I was delusional. haha. Because it keeps pulling me back.
Every tragedy I became the mass murder guy the the cablenets, regular nets, other countries, documentaries, etc. pulled in. Kind of felt like an obligation to convey what I could. For the first decade, that often meant checking in with a network of some of the world's leading experts on an email chain, who would educate me on the latest, how it fit in, etc, and I was the messenger to take it to the public.
That in turn kept drawing me in deeper, and giving me a more complex understanding that made the media turn to me more. Etc.
Frankly, I never worried about heading in the right direction, because I had no desire to stay on it, and gradually moved in directions that seemed right. Especially:
I got to the point where I was fed up studying killers, and ceased to give a shit about those assholes. My only concern was how to get out of this.
That led me to get back in immediately after Parkland to meet the MFOL kids, which led to a year with them, and an unintended book. Then to Gabby Giffords, and also learning a ton from Shannon Watts.
Meanwhile, 98% of my time has been on my long-term project following 2 gay soldiers for 25 years and counting now. (They've retired.) We're editing now, and HarperCollins will publish Valentine's Day 2026.
Does that help?
I assume you mean mass shootings, which for me gradually morphed into gun safety, for the most part. (We some stops along the way broadening out to other types of murderers, briefly.)
I've tried to leave this story so many times, and thought I had. Haha. Publishing Columbine after 10 years was the last time I was delusional. haha. Because it keeps pulling me back.
Every tragedy I became the mass murder guy the the cablenets, regular nets, other countries, documentaries, etc. pulled in. Kind of felt like an obligation to convey what I could. For the first decade, that often meant checking in with a network of some of the world's leading experts on an email chain, who would educate me on the latest, how it fit in, etc, and I was the messenger to take it to the public.
That in turn kept drawing me in deeper, and giving me a more complex understanding that made the media turn to me more. Etc.
Frankly, I never worried about heading in the right direction, because I had no desire to stay on it, and gradually moved in directions that seemed right. Especially:
I got to the point where I was fed up studying killers, and ceased to give a shit about those assholes. My only concern was how to get out of this.
That led me to get back in immediately after Parkland to meet the MFOL kids, which led to a year with them, and an unintended book. Then to Gabby Giffords, and also learning a ton from Shannon Watts.
Meanwhile, 98% of my time has been on my long-term project following 2 gay soldiers for 25 years and counting now. (They've retired.) We're editing now, and HarperCollins will publish Valentine's Day 2026.
Does that help?
Dave Cullen
Whose? Sue Klebold's? I haven't read most of it. I read the opening and had PTSD issues and had to stop. But I also helped her fact-check the short part on the murders, and greatly approved of her approach to that and the opening. And I've been impressed by her interviews, TED talk, etc, and of course talking to her. She and her co-author spent about 6 hours with me interviewing to sort things out, and said they used my book as the starting point factually.
So I'm planning to get back to it soon, and all things look good, but I can only say so much about a book I've mostly not read. I hope that helps. Others have highly recommended it.
So I'm planning to get back to it soon, and all things look good, but I can only say so much about a book I've mostly not read. I hope that helps. Others have highly recommended it.
Dave Cullen
Hi, thanks for asking about Soldiers First. I'm still working on it, so it will probably be a year after I finish writing. I'm shooting to finish by summer of 2021, but lots of things at play. The Parkland situation and unexpected book interrupted my work, along with a few other things I can't talk about quite yet.
I started Sue's book, but had PTSD issues pop up (for various reasons--a bad time), and had to stop. I plan to go back to it. I helped her fact-check the short section on the murders, and really admired her approach.
Some people are private, and the Harris family clearly so. All reports I get are they are both introverts (along with Tom Klebold, who did not want to be part of Sue's book. Sue is actually the outlier--the only 1 of the 4 who did speak--and after well over a decade. And she is actually a rarity among parents of mass killers. So the question is more why she did. And as she makes clear in the book and interviews, she wanted to help other parents in that situation, and warn them.)
I started Sue's book, but had PTSD issues pop up (for various reasons--a bad time), and had to stop. I plan to go back to it. I helped her fact-check the short section on the murders, and really admired her approach.
Some people are private, and the Harris family clearly so. All reports I get are they are both introverts (along with Tom Klebold, who did not want to be part of Sue's book. Sue is actually the outlier--the only 1 of the 4 who did speak--and after well over a decade. And she is actually a rarity among parents of mass killers. So the question is more why she did. And as she makes clear in the book and interviews, she wanted to help other parents in that situation, and warn them.)
Dave Cullen
Hi Corey. The response was overwhelmingly positive, which was a huge relief. (That is always my biggest apprehension, before an article or book hits. It's rarely an issue, though, because I tend to work with my sources a LONG time, and repeatedly, so we understand each other. In this case, I'd literally spent years with most of them.)
One of the most common responses I got was that they had obviously known their own part of the story, but were unaware of many of the other points of view--what it had really been like for others. Some of those most deeply affected, turned out to be least aware of some other aspects, which makes sense when you consider: if you've lost a close family member, or you've got a child in the hospital undergoing difficult recovery for years, you are so deeply focused on just recovery. You don't have the emotional bandwidth to experience the other kinds of pain of others in different situations. So I had a lot of them telling me they had wondered over the years, and it helped to see the wider picture.
(Also, SO many of them said they'd really wondered about the killers, and it greatly clarified for the first time.)
The most rewarding part for me was being contacted by some of the people I did NOT write about--or only in passing--like teacher Kiki Leyba, and Coni Sanders, who have turned into good friends and confidants. And getting to know them and become friends has really deepened my understanding of what it's like for the community.
Of course it wasn't everyone. There were a few vocal dissenters, mostly notably the Brown family. They embraced a certain narrative, and they're sticking with it.
One of the most common responses I got was that they had obviously known their own part of the story, but were unaware of many of the other points of view--what it had really been like for others. Some of those most deeply affected, turned out to be least aware of some other aspects, which makes sense when you consider: if you've lost a close family member, or you've got a child in the hospital undergoing difficult recovery for years, you are so deeply focused on just recovery. You don't have the emotional bandwidth to experience the other kinds of pain of others in different situations. So I had a lot of them telling me they had wondered over the years, and it helped to see the wider picture.
(Also, SO many of them said they'd really wondered about the killers, and it greatly clarified for the first time.)
The most rewarding part for me was being contacted by some of the people I did NOT write about--or only in passing--like teacher Kiki Leyba, and Coni Sanders, who have turned into good friends and confidants. And getting to know them and become friends has really deepened my understanding of what it's like for the community.
Of course it wasn't everyone. There were a few vocal dissenters, mostly notably the Brown family. They embraced a certain narrative, and they're sticking with it.
Dave Cullen
Wow. You can't imagine how happy that makes me. Sometimes, it takes awhile.
Congratulations. What an achievement. How has the launch been?
Congratulations. What an achievement. How has the launch been?
Dave Cullen
So much reading this summer! Just finished "Washington Black," "Tess of d'Urbevilles" (sp?), and "Frankenstein." Loved them all.
Aborted on "Unforgiven" and "Everything that Rises Must Converge."
Aborted on "Unforgiven" and "Everything that Rises Must Converge."
Dave Cullen
Thanks, Alison. I'm glad you liked it. "Parkland" is primarily about the kids fighting for gun reform.
Hopefully, that's the last I will ever have to write (at book-length) about guns and murder--though I've said that before.
Hopefully, that's the last I will ever have to write (at book-length) about guns and murder--though I've said that before.
Dave Cullen
Yes, I do.
And I come to NYC pretty much every morning when I wake up. Haha. I live in Hell's Kitchen. And I'll be doing at least one in town in February 2019, when my "Parkland" book comes out.
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, FB, etc (or here) for info as it approaches. Links to all my social media at the top right corner of my web pages, davecullen.com
And I come to NYC pretty much every morning when I wake up. Haha. I live in Hell's Kitchen. And I'll be doing at least one in town in February 2019, when my "Parkland" book comes out.
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, FB, etc (or here) for info as it approaches. Links to all my social media at the top right corner of my web pages, davecullen.com
Dave Cullen
Thanks, Elaine. I have been working literally around the clock finishing the draft of my next book, "Parkland," and might have missed your response. Goodreads sets the parameters of how space limitations. You can email me with a longer comment: dave@davecullen.com
Dave Cullen
There is a whole killer fandom out there. (They used to call themselves Columbiners, but now it's TCC for True Crime Community--which also includes people just obsessed with true crime, but few of those want to stay among the fandom, gore, love poems, etc.)
I am enemy number one there, for many things, including the audacity to portray murderers as murderers. (Some also chafe at Eric as a psychopath, there is a whole contingent furious at me for (in their view) denigrating their idol Dylan for reporting on Eric as the driver (how dare I not give their love Dylan full credit!), and on and on.
Occasionally I engage them, and it's clear that only a tiny fraction have bothered to read the book. It's comical when they scold me, asking who could I possibly say . . . and quote phrases or sentences they really believe come from my book, but are actually paraphrases by their that gained traction years ago. These are mostly high school kids who cycle in/out quickly, so I'm on my 4th or 5th generation of kids "quoting" each other "quoting" my book, and they get further away from what's in it every passing year.
The whole "lie" thing actually makes me chuckle. I could get it if they called me a moron or simpleton for botching it really badly. Sure, I could make mistakes and get it all wrong. But why would I put so many years into the project to make up a bunch of lies? I've never quite understood what motivation they are imagining for that.
I am enemy number one there, for many things, including the audacity to portray murderers as murderers. (Some also chafe at Eric as a psychopath, there is a whole contingent furious at me for (in their view) denigrating their idol Dylan for reporting on Eric as the driver (how dare I not give their love Dylan full credit!), and on and on.
Occasionally I engage them, and it's clear that only a tiny fraction have bothered to read the book. It's comical when they scold me, asking who could I possibly say . . . and quote phrases or sentences they really believe come from my book, but are actually paraphrases by their that gained traction years ago. These are mostly high school kids who cycle in/out quickly, so I'm on my 4th or 5th generation of kids "quoting" each other "quoting" my book, and they get further away from what's in it every passing year.
The whole "lie" thing actually makes me chuckle. I could get it if they called me a moron or simpleton for botching it really badly. Sure, I could make mistakes and get it all wrong. But why would I put so many years into the project to make up a bunch of lies? I've never quite understood what motivation they are imagining for that.
Dave Cullen
There's a Notes section in the back. It runs 20-30 pages. (I can't recall for sure: it's been 20 years now.) I also can't recall whether I listed every major interview back there, but I hit the high points, for sure. And I think I probably summarized. I spoke to literally hundreds of kids in Clement Park that first week alone, and then many more students parents, etc along the way. I imagine I said that in the intro part of the Notes, but I'm traveling and don't have the book in front of me. I definitely didn't attempt to compile a list of all of those.
Dave Cullen
Hey Maddie James. Well you're definitely on the right track by reading all you can, at an early age. I guess my advice would be to study a wide breadth of subjects, because you would be surprised what areas of your brain they stimulate. In high school, my best subjects were math (especially proofs) and debate, and I found them oddly similar--both grounded in logic. To me, every proof in math was a little detective job: figuring out a complex logical path from point A to B. And so many math questions are mental-problem solving exercises. (Not we called the plug-and-chug calculation stuff, but the problems which are little brain teasers.)
Many of the investigators I know had a similar experience: that is honing the essential part of your brain.
But everything comes into play. Agent Fuselier was reading the complete works of Shakespeare, for example. So many great insights into the human condition and human behavior in literature and anthropology, etc.
So just gobble up everything you can, especially at this stage, but also in college. I would avoid specializing too much in any one thing too soon: be a generalist, dive into as many disciplines as deeply as you can.
And good luck!
Many of the investigators I know had a similar experience: that is honing the essential part of your brain.
But everything comes into play. Agent Fuselier was reading the complete works of Shakespeare, for example. So many great insights into the human condition and human behavior in literature and anthropology, etc.
So just gobble up everything you can, especially at this stage, but also in college. I would avoid specializing too much in any one thing too soon: be a generalist, dive into as many disciplines as deeply as you can.
And good luck!
Dave Cullen
I heard good things about it, but didn't have a chance to read it.
I was trying SO hard to move on from these school shootings and spectacle murders. I was/am working on a book on 2 gay soldiers, immersed in that, and trying to let the murder stuff go on without me. Unfortunately, it keeps pulling me back.
Luckily, Parkland pulled me back in for the right reasons: someone finally making a difference, maybe beginning to lead us out. So I'm back in it, but have not read all the books, or even close.
What did you think of it?
I was trying SO hard to move on from these school shootings and spectacle murders. I was/am working on a book on 2 gay soldiers, immersed in that, and trying to let the murder stuff go on without me. Unfortunately, it keeps pulling me back.
Luckily, Parkland pulled me back in for the right reasons: someone finally making a difference, maybe beginning to lead us out. So I'm back in it, but have not read all the books, or even close.
What did you think of it?
Dave Cullen
Thanks, Casey.
It will be about a year after I finish the manuscript--so awhile now. My Parkland work will delay it a bit, but won't stop me!
It will have a pre-order. I have instructions on the bottom of this page on how to get on a list to be notified when the pre-order is ready:
https://www.davecullen.com/gay-soldie...
It will be about a year after I finish the manuscript--so awhile now. My Parkland work will delay it a bit, but won't stop me!
It will have a pre-order. I have instructions on the bottom of this page on how to get on a list to be notified when the pre-order is ready:
https://www.davecullen.com/gay-soldie...
Dave Cullen
Thanks. I've not seen such research--can you link to your source? Thanks.
If your assertion about most shooters is correct, then the evidence here--which is overwhelming--shows Columbine was an outlier on that.
We never a whiff of those attitudes from Dylan, and the only time that comes to mind from Eric was that rape fantasy. That may sound like a huge "but," but it's crucial to put all their rants in context. Eric viciously maligned "niggers," "spics," "fags," every minority I can think of and every conceivable group, down to slow drivers, people who say acrost and people who watch the WB network. He gets to every group you could name and countless you would never think to name, so each one of them could cite that as evidence that Eric had antipathy toward that class. But you would be wrong. Stepping back, it's clear that Eric's real animus was captured in the first line of his journal: "I hate the fucking world..." (And everyone and every group in it.) Context is vital here.
If your assertion about most shooters is correct, then the evidence here--which is overwhelming--shows Columbine was an outlier on that.
We never a whiff of those attitudes from Dylan, and the only time that comes to mind from Eric was that rape fantasy. That may sound like a huge "but," but it's crucial to put all their rants in context. Eric viciously maligned "niggers," "spics," "fags," every minority I can think of and every conceivable group, down to slow drivers, people who say acrost and people who watch the WB network. He gets to every group you could name and countless you would never think to name, so each one of them could cite that as evidence that Eric had antipathy toward that class. But you would be wrong. Stepping back, it's clear that Eric's real animus was captured in the first line of his journal: "I hate the fucking world..." (And everyone and every group in it.) Context is vital here.
Dave Cullen
Hi Jeff. It's far too early to say, because while the cops have probably discovered a lot about him, and perhaps found some writing, only scraps have reached the public. Psychopathy is a definite possibility to keep an eye on, but not nearly enough info to make a call. (And just scanning down the checklist, most of the items, I respond with "Not nearly enough info to know.)
BTW, for what it's worth, psychopaths are not nuts, and very aware of what they're doing--though maybe you're using "nuts" a different way than crazy or insane.
I do think it's interesting that his father was diagnosed a psychopath by someone (not clear who--last I read), since it seems to be inborn. However, this was long before Dr. Hare created the Psychopathy Checklist, or anyone had come up with anything close to an agreed-upon criteria for what a psychopath was. (Hervey Cleckley's book was still the basis.) So any diagnosis at that time is a bit dubious. They may have applied the same word to a different understanding of what it meant. So I would not throw this info out by any means, but treat it with a grain of salt.
BTW, for what it's worth, psychopaths are not nuts, and very aware of what they're doing--though maybe you're using "nuts" a different way than crazy or insane.
I do think it's interesting that his father was diagnosed a psychopath by someone (not clear who--last I read), since it seems to be inborn. However, this was long before Dr. Hare created the Psychopathy Checklist, or anyone had come up with anything close to an agreed-upon criteria for what a psychopath was. (Hervey Cleckley's book was still the basis.) So any diagnosis at that time is a bit dubious. They may have applied the same word to a different understanding of what it meant. So I would not throw this info out by any means, but treat it with a grain of salt.
Dave Cullen
I'll take the easy one first, #2:
I didn't get the impression they did. Where did you sense that he/they did?
Scroll through Eric's "What I Hate!!!" website page, and you'll see him ripping on every category imaginable.
Be careful not to cherry pick phrases that might jump out at you like niggers, spics and fags. For most people, hearing that one time indicates their racist/homophobic/whatever. But Eric was lashing out at everyone. He uses every demeaning term to insult everyone he can--including people who like "cuntry" music and star wars, drive slow in the fast lane ...
Agent Fuselier counseled me many times to step back at the big picture, which Eric actually verbalized perfectly in the first line of his journal: "I hate the fucking world." That is not a one-off. It's not a cherry pick, because it is extremely representative and summarizing of all the rest--and telling that when he sat down to capture it, he began with that.
I have the whole "I Hate" page scanned onto my new Columbine Guide here: https://www.columbine-guide.com/colum...
I didn't get the impression they did. Where did you sense that he/they did?
Scroll through Eric's "What I Hate!!!" website page, and you'll see him ripping on every category imaginable.
Be careful not to cherry pick phrases that might jump out at you like niggers, spics and fags. For most people, hearing that one time indicates their racist/homophobic/whatever. But Eric was lashing out at everyone. He uses every demeaning term to insult everyone he can--including people who like "cuntry" music and star wars, drive slow in the fast lane ...
Agent Fuselier counseled me many times to step back at the big picture, which Eric actually verbalized perfectly in the first line of his journal: "I hate the fucking world." That is not a one-off. It's not a cherry pick, because it is extremely representative and summarizing of all the rest--and telling that when he sat down to capture it, he began with that.
I have the whole "I Hate" page scanned onto my new Columbine Guide here: https://www.columbine-guide.com/colum...
Dave Cullen
I don't know that I have one in my own life, but I have a great-grandfather with an amazing Irish-in-America story that I plan to make into my next screenplay and/or novel.
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Sep 14, 2025 08:48AM · flag