Amanda Howard's Blog, page 6
December 29, 2013
The Man Behind The Serial Killer
It was in 1989 that my life collided with the world of the serial killer.
At the time I was in high school, dreaming of performing on the world's stage as a dancer and singer. I was a lot smaller then compared to now but then my life was one of adrenalin and music. Every waking moment was spent dancing, singing, playing instruments, or anything that came under the umbrella of performing.
Dance, drama and performance would remain part of my life for another four years, but it was slowly consumed by a darker world, I guess you could call it the world behind the curtain. I lived in Sydney. One of the most beautiful places on earth and a place that will always be home, but in 1989 it was also the home to a serial killer.
In early 1989 an elderly lady was found bludgeoned to death. Her murder was reported in the media, as most cases of murder in Sydney are, but she was the first of at least six women who fell prey to the killer known as The Granny Killer. At the time, criminal profiling in Australia was in its infancy and an attempt was made to profile the serial killer. The profile claimed that the killer would be a young man, probably a skateboarder. However when the killer, a 50 year old man, was captured, my whole world seemed to circle in around me.
The idea that the serial killer was a genial older gentleman was incredulous. I could not believe it, he looked like my own father. He actually was a father, to two teenage girls. I was hooked at that very moment. No more did I believe that killers were the Freddy Kruegers of this world. They were the fathers, the brothers, the uncles and even the mothers that walked among us.
This was how my 'life of crime' commenced. Gone went the dancing costumes and performance ideas, and instead, in their place were criminology exams and interviews with serial killers.
Since my new career path started I have interviewed dozens of serial killers, but nothing I have done will ever compare to that done by the serial killer expert himself Robert Ressler. Along with another hero of mine, John Douglas, Ressler has interviewed the most infamous serial killers in America. He has, as he put it, looked into the abyss. His numerous books taught me more than my university degree ever could regarding the criminal mind and the way it worked.
I have had some pretty exhilarating experiences with serial killers over the years, including death threats and recipes where I was one of the ingredients, but had it not been for Ressler, Douglas and their co-horts, would I be looking into the abyss now? Would my life be the one it is with eight books on true crime published and many more to come? Serial killers have always been a part of history, and always will, but it was the need and ability to understand the mind of a killer that has compelled many of us to peer over that edge and to see what stares back.
Ressler passed away earlier this year, but for those who walk in the shadow of serial killers, he will forever live on.
Photo credit: criminalminds.wikia.com
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
At the time I was in high school, dreaming of performing on the world's stage as a dancer and singer. I was a lot smaller then compared to now but then my life was one of adrenalin and music. Every waking moment was spent dancing, singing, playing instruments, or anything that came under the umbrella of performing.
Dance, drama and performance would remain part of my life for another four years, but it was slowly consumed by a darker world, I guess you could call it the world behind the curtain. I lived in Sydney. One of the most beautiful places on earth and a place that will always be home, but in 1989 it was also the home to a serial killer.
In early 1989 an elderly lady was found bludgeoned to death. Her murder was reported in the media, as most cases of murder in Sydney are, but she was the first of at least six women who fell prey to the killer known as The Granny Killer. At the time, criminal profiling in Australia was in its infancy and an attempt was made to profile the serial killer. The profile claimed that the killer would be a young man, probably a skateboarder. However when the killer, a 50 year old man, was captured, my whole world seemed to circle in around me.
The idea that the serial killer was a genial older gentleman was incredulous. I could not believe it, he looked like my own father. He actually was a father, to two teenage girls. I was hooked at that very moment. No more did I believe that killers were the Freddy Kruegers of this world. They were the fathers, the brothers, the uncles and even the mothers that walked among us.
This was how my 'life of crime' commenced. Gone went the dancing costumes and performance ideas, and instead, in their place were criminology exams and interviews with serial killers.
Since my new career path started I have interviewed dozens of serial killers, but nothing I have done will ever compare to that done by the serial killer expert himself Robert Ressler. Along with another hero of mine, John Douglas, Ressler has interviewed the most infamous serial killers in America. He has, as he put it, looked into the abyss. His numerous books taught me more than my university degree ever could regarding the criminal mind and the way it worked.
I have had some pretty exhilarating experiences with serial killers over the years, including death threats and recipes where I was one of the ingredients, but had it not been for Ressler, Douglas and their co-horts, would I be looking into the abyss now? Would my life be the one it is with eight books on true crime published and many more to come? Serial killers have always been a part of history, and always will, but it was the need and ability to understand the mind of a killer that has compelled many of us to peer over that edge and to see what stares back.
Ressler passed away earlier this year, but for those who walk in the shadow of serial killers, he will forever live on.
Photo credit: criminalminds.wikia.comThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
September 11, 2013
Books 9 and 10
I think that 2013 has seen me write more than I have in any other year. So far this year I have
completed Ritual: The Elements of Murder,written A Killer in the Family,about complete Ritual: A Thousand Cuts,I have written a dozen short stories,started a new book on capital punishment,and revisited and commenced editing a book on serial killers. In all that writing, I think I've written about one million words. No wonder my poor fingers hurt :)
By Christmas you will be able to purchase A Killer in the Family and Ritual: The Elements of Murder, they are my ninth and tenth books respectively. I never thought I would make it there. When I commenced writing my first book, I thought I might end up writing a second book one day. Yet, here I am, ten years later, book 9 and 10 are done and at the publishers, I am about to complete book 11, book 12 is ready for a dramatic edit, book 13 is already in the pipeline and I am planning a trip to London to help me with book 14.
I guess with all that work still to do, I should really get off my blog and back into writing.
Thanks for reading!
AmandaThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
completed Ritual: The Elements of Murder,written A Killer in the Family,about complete Ritual: A Thousand Cuts,I have written a dozen short stories,started a new book on capital punishment,and revisited and commenced editing a book on serial killers. In all that writing, I think I've written about one million words. No wonder my poor fingers hurt :)
By Christmas you will be able to purchase A Killer in the Family and Ritual: The Elements of Murder, they are my ninth and tenth books respectively. I never thought I would make it there. When I commenced writing my first book, I thought I might end up writing a second book one day. Yet, here I am, ten years later, book 9 and 10 are done and at the publishers, I am about to complete book 11, book 12 is ready for a dramatic edit, book 13 is already in the pipeline and I am planning a trip to London to help me with book 14.
I guess with all that work still to do, I should really get off my blog and back into writing.
Thanks for reading!
AmandaThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
May 1, 2013
A Killer in the Family - Cover Art
After emailing the publishers today with an update on how the book was coming along and I soon got a response from them with several cover art options. It is always my favourite part of writing. That is, seeing how my work translate in someone else's imagination.
I was quite thrilled with what they had done for me and the various different ideas. It certainly gives a boost to the poor old writer sitting alone away from the world. It shows that others are working on the same project.
I can't wait to show everyone the final artwork once it's all final.
Cheers
Amanda
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
I was quite thrilled with what they had done for me and the various different ideas. It certainly gives a boost to the poor old writer sitting alone away from the world. It shows that others are working on the same project.
I can't wait to show everyone the final artwork once it's all final.
Cheers
Amanda
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
April 27, 2013
A Killer in the Family - My next book
It is with great excitement that I received news from a publisher, New Holland, with a commission to write a book for them regarding how killers become killers. The book will examiner what makes a killer, whether that be a sexually motivated killer, a serial killer, a bomber, or a homicidal cult leader.
So far my investigation has shown some interesting points and clues as to what makes a killer.
A Killer in the Family (working title), will be released in time for Christmas.
Signing off,
AmandaThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
So far my investigation has shown some interesting points and clues as to what makes a killer.
A Killer in the Family (working title), will be released in time for Christmas.
Signing off,
AmandaThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...
April 23, 2013
Serial Killers - Have they lost their Fame?
I have been researching serial killers for twenty years. I have spoken to some of the most heinous humans across the world. There was a time when serial murder was a main focus of pop culture. With killers such as Dahmer, Gacy and Bundy taking up news space, many people could not get enough of hearing the gruesome details of murder. Yet I am finding that slowly, the interest has waned. Yes there are prime television shows such as Dexter and The Following that still propagate the serial killer genre, but killers themselves have fallen from the news.
Serial killers are being recognised and/or caught often, yet the interest in such cases is no longer there. Recently the next big thing in crime circles has been the locked away woman, taken as children by their fathers or strangers they were hidden from the world and raped for decades.
Serial murder is not what it once was. Of course this is a good thing, but one has to wonder about what else is happening out there when a multiple murderer no longer shocks.
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
Serial killers are being recognised and/or caught often, yet the interest in such cases is no longer there. Recently the next big thing in crime circles has been the locked away woman, taken as children by their fathers or strangers they were hidden from the world and raped for decades.
Serial murder is not what it once was. Of course this is a good thing, but one has to wonder about what else is happening out there when a multiple murderer no longer shocks.
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
April 22, 2013
Websites... are they worth it
As struggle and fight with updating my website, I wonder if they are still relevant. With more and more people moving everything to Facebook and Twitter, is a website still relevant?
Well I think that perhaps my questioning is a result of my frustration with building my new site. I guess I should really get back to it.
Cheers!
AmandaThank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
Well I think that perhaps my questioning is a result of my frustration with building my new site. I guess I should really get back to it.
Cheers!
AmandaThank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
January 24, 2013
Time to start posting once more
Wow, 2009 was my last post. My how time flies. Since then, I have done quite a lot of writing. I have published four books in various ways. All of them are available on Amazon.
Check out my author page for everything I've done: here
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
Check out my author page for everything I've done: here
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
August 4, 2009
Nostalgia - A Sign of Getting Old
Growing up, I always promised myself that I would stay cool, I would always be up on the latest fashion, music, whatever was cool, I was going to be doing it, wearing it or listening to it. But, and that is a big but, that was then and this is now.
I am in my mid-thirties, an age that even I sometimes have to think if it's 34, 35, 36, again something I thought I would always know for sure. But now I hear my mother's voice coming out of my mouth more and more, the older I get.
To me, most of the popular music is too loud, ripped off from my era, or just plain repetitive and boring. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of the "new bands" like Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park but it is with a little sadness that stars from my era are starting to age a little less gracefully than they had been in the past. I saw a picture of Madonna today, she looked more like a leg of mutton after it had been carved than the queen of pop. Her face also looks like she is in a constant state of surprise. Sad really, she would have done much better to just let the years age her.
But more than that, I find myself looking back at the good ol' times. The local markets, that have since disappeared, used to be full of bargains and crafts, not just stall after stall of cheap imitation knock-offs. There used to be a guy on the back of a truck who with the gift of the gab used to do deals and bargains, telling the eagerly awaiting crowd to hold on to their money while he doubled or even trippled the deal for the same money.
The local shopping mall, where as a high school student, I unwisely spent a lot of my time, is now a giant haven of $2 junk shops with the building looking as though it should be condemned. Sad, really. And the same can be said for the main street of my home town. As stores move to the larger shopping malls to survive, cheap junk stores are opening with their knock-off toys and clothing. Don't get me started of the number of people who stand outside these stores and smoke as well. As a parent of two asthmatic children, we avoid street shopping, and cafes for this reason.
Speaking of cafes it would be nice as a non-smoker to be able to sit outside in the sunshine at a nice cafe and have coffee or cake, yet these places seem to always be where the smokers congregate. They don't care about fresh air, so why do they monopolise it from everyone else?
Well enough grumbling for tonight...Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
I am in my mid-thirties, an age that even I sometimes have to think if it's 34, 35, 36, again something I thought I would always know for sure. But now I hear my mother's voice coming out of my mouth more and more, the older I get.
To me, most of the popular music is too loud, ripped off from my era, or just plain repetitive and boring. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of the "new bands" like Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park but it is with a little sadness that stars from my era are starting to age a little less gracefully than they had been in the past. I saw a picture of Madonna today, she looked more like a leg of mutton after it had been carved than the queen of pop. Her face also looks like she is in a constant state of surprise. Sad really, she would have done much better to just let the years age her.
But more than that, I find myself looking back at the good ol' times. The local markets, that have since disappeared, used to be full of bargains and crafts, not just stall after stall of cheap imitation knock-offs. There used to be a guy on the back of a truck who with the gift of the gab used to do deals and bargains, telling the eagerly awaiting crowd to hold on to their money while he doubled or even trippled the deal for the same money.
The local shopping mall, where as a high school student, I unwisely spent a lot of my time, is now a giant haven of $2 junk shops with the building looking as though it should be condemned. Sad, really. And the same can be said for the main street of my home town. As stores move to the larger shopping malls to survive, cheap junk stores are opening with their knock-off toys and clothing. Don't get me started of the number of people who stand outside these stores and smoke as well. As a parent of two asthmatic children, we avoid street shopping, and cafes for this reason.
Speaking of cafes it would be nice as a non-smoker to be able to sit outside in the sunshine at a nice cafe and have coffee or cake, yet these places seem to always be where the smokers congregate. They don't care about fresh air, so why do they monopolise it from everyone else?
Well enough grumbling for tonight...Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
July 31, 2009
Meeting Evil
I walked into the unfamiliar room, security was paramount and to get to this point, I had to pass many check points. I wondered how many additional checkpoints the person I was here to meet had to also endure.
I entered the final room, there was a low murmur from other visitors talking to the people they had come to visit. Mentally I try to profile both the visitors and the prisoners. Who were the murderers or rapists? These were not your pedestrian criminals, these were the men deemed the state's worst.
I was here to meet the worst of the worst.
I sat at one of the empty tables and waited for my visitor. I knew he would be here soon. We had arranged this time and now would be that moment. I felt like Clarice Starling, going into the bowels of the mental hospital to interview Hannibal Lector.
The prisoner entered the room and I stood to shake his hand. I had studied human behaviour and non-verbal communication and knew that I could not allow him to stand over me, gaining a dominant stance. His grip was strong, but not harsh, it was hindered by a broken and damaged finger, several injuries he had sustained in protest against his sentence.
Our eyes met, and I subconsciously searched for the evil that I knew hid behind them. Instead I saw a smile. He wanted to maintain a warped-kind of friendship with me. He believed I was here to help. His height was only an inch or two higher than my own 5'4" stature. The skin of his face and neck hung slightly, he no longer represented the muscle-bound killer from the happy snaps produced at his trial for serial murder.
We sat and chatted for quite some time. His semi-rural upbringing belied his European heritage and his simplistic vernacular proved his lower-range intelligence. He was a manual labourer, a teetotaller and a non-smoker. He complains about his conditions in prison, I just nod in a non-committal answer. I believed he was where he belonged. Through my mind echoed the names of his victims, he had killed at least seven backpackers.
He was extremely polite, always listening to my questions, pondering them for a moment before choosing his answers wisely. When our time was up, he thanked me for my visit and asked that I return again soon.
I looked one more time into the eyes of a killer, I saw the edge of the abyss in those eyes. I wondered about the victims, he was the last person to see them alive. Those eyes were the last thing they ever saw as they met with evil.Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
I entered the final room, there was a low murmur from other visitors talking to the people they had come to visit. Mentally I try to profile both the visitors and the prisoners. Who were the murderers or rapists? These were not your pedestrian criminals, these were the men deemed the state's worst.
I was here to meet the worst of the worst.
I sat at one of the empty tables and waited for my visitor. I knew he would be here soon. We had arranged this time and now would be that moment. I felt like Clarice Starling, going into the bowels of the mental hospital to interview Hannibal Lector.
The prisoner entered the room and I stood to shake his hand. I had studied human behaviour and non-verbal communication and knew that I could not allow him to stand over me, gaining a dominant stance. His grip was strong, but not harsh, it was hindered by a broken and damaged finger, several injuries he had sustained in protest against his sentence.
Our eyes met, and I subconsciously searched for the evil that I knew hid behind them. Instead I saw a smile. He wanted to maintain a warped-kind of friendship with me. He believed I was here to help. His height was only an inch or two higher than my own 5'4" stature. The skin of his face and neck hung slightly, he no longer represented the muscle-bound killer from the happy snaps produced at his trial for serial murder.
We sat and chatted for quite some time. His semi-rural upbringing belied his European heritage and his simplistic vernacular proved his lower-range intelligence. He was a manual labourer, a teetotaller and a non-smoker. He complains about his conditions in prison, I just nod in a non-committal answer. I believed he was where he belonged. Through my mind echoed the names of his victims, he had killed at least seven backpackers.
He was extremely polite, always listening to my questions, pondering them for a moment before choosing his answers wisely. When our time was up, he thanked me for my visit and asked that I return again soon.
I looked one more time into the eyes of a killer, I saw the edge of the abyss in those eyes. I wondered about the victims, he was the last person to see them alive. Those eyes were the last thing they ever saw as they met with evil.Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
July 29, 2009
Reality Programming - Blurring the lines between entertainment and child abuse
Yesterday, on the Kyle and Jackie O radio program on Sydney's 2DayFM, a young girl was dragged on, by her mother, to submit to a lie detector test. It was evident from the get go that the girl did not want to be questioned and being on live radio made it all the more stressful.
And then the worst happened. Asked about her sexual history, the fourteen year old turned to her mother and cryptically said, "you know about that". The young traumatised teen then admitted to being raped at the tender age of twelve. Yet the interview was allowed to continue, with Kyle asking if she had any other sexual relationships, and her mother admitted to knowing about it, but had obviously not taken her child seriously or did not understand the effect such an attack had on the young child.
Her mother had brought her to the radio station because she was concerned about her teenager's wayward behaviour in recent years. She was unaware, or unconcerned that the behaviour she had exhibited was typical of a young person trying to eradicate the mental torture she obviously still enduring following the attack.
The unfolding events on 2DayFM was nothing less that child abuse, yes, I believe that they had no idea where the segment would go, but at the same time, asking a child such revealing questions, against her wishes is illegal and offensive. By the time they stopped the segment, it was too late.
So one has to wonder, has reality program crossed a line? This writer believes it has. How can anyone, the stars of the radio program, the producer, the mother believe that listeners would find the interrogation of a young girl entertaining?
It was appalling and shocking, not entertaining.Even if the girl had not revealed the horrible truth about the attack, listening to her beg not to be put through the lie detector test was heartbreaking enough. There is a saying, that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but I don't know how those responsible could feel anything but guilty.
The Department of Community Services (DOCS) and the police are now investigating the matter. I can only hope that their first duty of care is to ensure the young girl is safe and that she is offered intensive therapy and counselling to help her manage the emotions this has unearthed and to help her from the spiral of dispair that can occur following a sexual assault.Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
And then the worst happened. Asked about her sexual history, the fourteen year old turned to her mother and cryptically said, "you know about that". The young traumatised teen then admitted to being raped at the tender age of twelve. Yet the interview was allowed to continue, with Kyle asking if she had any other sexual relationships, and her mother admitted to knowing about it, but had obviously not taken her child seriously or did not understand the effect such an attack had on the young child.
Her mother had brought her to the radio station because she was concerned about her teenager's wayward behaviour in recent years. She was unaware, or unconcerned that the behaviour she had exhibited was typical of a young person trying to eradicate the mental torture she obviously still enduring following the attack.
The unfolding events on 2DayFM was nothing less that child abuse, yes, I believe that they had no idea where the segment would go, but at the same time, asking a child such revealing questions, against her wishes is illegal and offensive. By the time they stopped the segment, it was too late.
So one has to wonder, has reality program crossed a line? This writer believes it has. How can anyone, the stars of the radio program, the producer, the mother believe that listeners would find the interrogation of a young girl entertaining?
It was appalling and shocking, not entertaining.Even if the girl had not revealed the horrible truth about the attack, listening to her beg not to be put through the lie detector test was heartbreaking enough. There is a saying, that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but I don't know how those responsible could feel anything but guilty.
The Department of Community Services (DOCS) and the police are now investigating the matter. I can only hope that their first duty of care is to ensure the young girl is safe and that she is offered intensive therapy and counselling to help her manage the emotions this has unearthed and to help her from the spiral of dispair that can occur following a sexual assault.Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard at www.thecrimeweb.com
