Derek Armstrong's Blog: Author of THE GAME "hugely cinematic thriller" and The Last Troubadour

Did Drew Peterson Tell the Truth? Sun-Times story

2008-10-05T21:27:51Z

Drew Peterson Exposed Polygraphs reveal the shocking truth about Stacy Peterson and Kathleen Savio In today's Sun-Times, journalist Lisa Donovan wrote:
"The new book Drew Peterson Exposed about the former Bolingbrook police officer and his dead third wife and missing fourth wife is billed as a 300-page news story. And it does have some news.

Peterson -- under a cloud of suspicion after his third wife Kathleen Savio's mysterious death was finally ruled a homicide and his fourth wife Stacy Peterson vanished nearly a year ago -- agreed to take separate polygraph tests to address questions about both cases..."

Peterson failed on three questions out of the ten crucial questions, and these directly related to the timeline he provided for the book—the first time he's publicly disclosed his whereabouts in detail on the day of October 28, 2007, when Stacy Peterson dissapeared. This does not look good for him.

Does this mean I blindly believe the results of Peterson's polygraphs? Or that I think they should be admissible in court?

No, I do not. Polygraphs are only a good tool for investigators. They cannot, and should not, be used as evidence. For this reason, the polygraphs represent only two chapters in the book, Drew Peterson Exposed. The balance of my investigation involved recorded testimony from Drew Peterson, a man who has not allowed many to interview him in-depth. Polygraphs, timelines and hundreds of hours of interviews with Peterson—for the first time, going inside the mind of the suspect. I will be releasing excerpts of these tapes to the media over the next few weeks.

I end the book with a challenge to investigators, rather than a conclusion of guilt or innocence:

"There is enough in the way of disturbing circumstances to concern any investigator, myself included. Polygraphs go a long way to reassuring myself and other investigators, but not to the point where we’d want to stop pursuing the truth...

Can I make a call on his guilt or innocence? No, I cannot. I do believe in “innocent until proven guilty.” I’ve presented findings, some evidence, new interviews, polygraphs, challenged the time flows, picked apart the public testimonies—but it is for a court to judge, if charges are ever preferred...."

"Based on this, my conclusion as an investigator: case—not quite closed."

"Did you physically harm your wife?"

2008-10-04T15:34:01Z

Drew Peterson Exposed Polygraphs reveal the shocking truth about Stacy Peterson and Kathleen Savio

Excerpt from Drew Peterson Exposed, copyright Derek Armstrong 2008, introducing the first polygraph session with Drew Peterson. Out of the ten "relevant" questions, Drew Peterson lied three times:

The first of Drew Peterson’s polygraph examinations took place in a thirty-second-floor boardroom of Chicago’s historic Willoughby Towers, on a cool and clear Sunday, May 18, 2008. The elevators rattle and wheeze alarmingly as visitors climb some four hundred feet from the street, a grim reminder of two brave firefighters who died in this very elevator shaft in the 1980s, fighting a fire in a burning elevator car.

The view from lawyer Joel Brodsky’s conference room, high atop one of the buildings that made Chicago famous as a living museum of architecture, is of unobstructed park and waterfront.

Though this was cool sweatshirt weather in Chicago, the heat in the lofty boardroom was about to shoot up a few degrees as Peterson, a suspect in the disappearance of wife Stacy Peterson and in the death of third wife Kathleen Savio, was “wired up” by examiner Lee McCord, a thirty-four-year expert in the polygraph.

After nearly ninety minutes of control questions, designed to test physiological responses to known true and false questions, McCord got right down to business.

“Did you have any involvement in the physical removal of your wife Stacy from your home on Sunday, October 28, 2007?”

Perspiration-free and unflappable, Peterson says, “No.”

Showing no emotion at all, pen poised over the chart, McCord asked, “Did you in any way physically harm your wife Stacy during the time that she disappeared?”

Without hesitation, Drew Peterson answers, “No.”

Lee McCord turns up the heat as the examination continues, the results of which are potentially explosive.

Yes, I was a private eye.

2008-09-21T21:49:31Z

Yes, I was a private eye. At the time, I admitted it with some shame. It was a way to pay the bills. Now, I remember that time in my youth with some affection. I was in my twenties, licensed to investigate in Ontario, Canada.

Like most licensed private investigators, the majority of my work involved working for large insurance companies to disprove frivolous claims of neck and back injuries. Most of the time, it simply involved a photograph of a claimant, now on disability, slipping out of his or her neck brace long enough to dive into a swimming pool or enjoy a night of tenpin bowling. My photographs were not admissible in court, of course, but combined with my sworn affidavit, usually resulted in a lower settled claim.

Less wholesome, I was also engaged to follow wayward spouses, and take pictures of lascivious rendezvous. Of course, this often occurred at night and I couldn’t use flash. This was long before the advent of digital cameras. Telephoto lenses cut the light too much, and this often meant I had to be close to my subjects. Too close, in many cases. I would a lot of time in the darkroom, trying to rescue my photographs by pushing the film and hoping they revealed a recognizable face.

The glamorous part? Well, at the time, I’d say there wasn’t one. I was never caught as a paid, licensed Peeping Tom. I was never involved in major crimes, of course, but I did save insurance companies a lot of money. I also learned how to “trap” my subjects, to go unnoticed, to rent cars instead of driving my own (having a subject write down your license plate can be very inconvenient!), to use the agency’s camera equipment where possible. When on the run from an angry subject, your car or your camera equipment can be quite susceptible to damage.

So, there was no glamour, at the time, although I now remember those night shifts, the slow-chase in a rental car as I followed my subject to the motel, bribing the motel clerk, and the anxious moments as I developed my film, as somewhat exciting today. It served me well later as I took my cameras on the road as a freelance journalist, and later as an author of mysteries. And it certainly served me well as I arrived in Chicago as I investigated Drew Peterson.

The intrigue was immediate. Removing batteries from cell phones to avoid a record of my meetings (cell phone pinging, or even over-hears), parking a few blocks away to avoid having my license plate photographed. I even drove a circuitous route through oil tank storage facilities outside of Bolingbrook to “shake off” a car. A shot of adrenalin and paranoia had convinced me I was being followed. After three turns, he finally went the other way. Of course by then I was lost.
It brought back memories of my youth, of my rather adventurous days following amorous lovers and fraudulent insurance claimants.

And the real fun? Being the first to break new evidence in the case of Drew and Stacy Peterson in the investigative book Drew Peterson Exposed (Kunati, Oct 1, 2008, 140 photos)

Blog Marketing Articles of Interest on Blogertizing

2008-03-14T15:29:58Z

In a recent blog article I wrote:

“Savvy marketers focus on two-way relationships, social marketing, blogging strategically. Many brands and companies turned to online simply because of cost factors. Traditional media, especially television, has become highly fragmented and difficult to plan effectively. Print media is rapidly declining as a valid choice for advertising. Online targeted reach comes in at pennies per thousand reached rather than dollars."

Rather than repeating entire blog posts here, I encourage you to visit the growing knowledge base of Blog Marketing Articles at Blogertize.com and Persona.These articles—together with daily short tips at Brainbrunch.com and Blogertize How-Tos and Podcasting How-Tos—hint at the content in the forthcoming book Blogertize — A Leading Expert Shows How Your Blog Can Be a Money-Making Machine, and are well worth the read. I'll synopsize the article headings here with links:

• Advertising and PR, the Money Pit

• Author Brand, Book Trailers and the Ultimate Secret of Book Sales Online

• Staggering Statistics in Book Publishing can Read Like a Stephen King Horror Novel. Is There Any Hope for Authors and Publishers?

• What do librarians, book publishers, O.J. Simpson, Steve Jobs and Amazon have in common?

• Blogging How-To for Book Publishers and Authors, A Proven Web 3.0 Approach Designed for Novels and Non-Fiction Books

• Just Do It, the Podcasting Mantra, a Podcast How-To

Staggering Statistics in Book Publishing can Read Like a Stephen King Horror Novel. Is There Any Hope for Authors and Publishers?

2008-02-18T01:13:31Z

Latest ForeWord Magazine Publisher Insider Blog by Armstrong

Warning — May Cause Nightmares.

Book industry numbers are cold-sweat terrifying for publishers and authors alike. According to Nielsen Bookscan, 3,000 books are published per day in the United States alone (as reported on www.deadlyprose.com ). ForeWord can review at most a few thousand per year. Publishers report an average of 2,100 submissions per year, totaling 132 million submissions. Just under one percent are accepted for publication.

In the face of these staggering odds, is there any hope for authors and publishers?

The Majority of Books Sell Fewer than 99 Copies
Of the 1.2 million titles tracked by Bookscan in 2006, only 2.1% sold more than 5,000 books, 16.6% sold fewer than 1,000, and a terrifying 79.6% sold fewer than 99 copies. The 99 copies are no doubt the reason only one percent of authors’ submissions make it through the arduous publisher-review process.

This is all the stuff of wake-in-a-sweat nightmares: 63,000 publishers vie for readers with their wonderful author lists (according to Dan Poynter’s ParaPublishing.com).

The terror is no less for authors: only six conglomerate publishers publish fewer and fewer debut authors and less and less fiction. Then the real horror story commences as a book makes it into distribution. The bestseller dreams of authors and publishers are splashed with the cold water of real numbers.

Negative or Naïve?
Am I being negative or naïve? Perhaps both. The naïve part of the equation is my firm belief there are ways to break through these barriers to success. Kunati was founded with this goal in mind, and has proven it can work.

Heather Shaw touched on one important element of the success formula in her insightful Blog on book covers. When competing with 1.2 million titles, first impressions (impact) and credibility are vital. These are the twin functions of a cover.

What Works for Selling Books?
Websites, book videos and novel trailers, author critique groups, social marketing, author Blog tours, old-fashioned but still-important book signings, and publicity are the proven methods for marketing. I hope to focus on these in future Publisher Insider Blogs in a more how-to format.

Innovation begins with a study of what works. Read every Blog in the ForeWord archive and every article in the magazine. Visit the sites of successful publishers—the innovative publishers who lead with new ideas such as novel trailers, Blog touring, online publicity. (hint, hint, Kunati). Read every page on sites from innovative publishers.

Getting Noticed is the Primary Goal
My message is simple. With these horrifying numbers, being noticed is almost the only thing that matters—for both authors and publishers. Many authors are creative, even brilliant, yet if they can’t market their “author brand” no publisher is interested.

The publisher faces an epic battle analogous to a Tolkien quest to get attention in the marketplace. The publisher must build the authors’ brands, edit the manuscripts for the market, arrange distribution, obtain reviews from magazines (which choose from millions), then sell to wholesalers, retailers and finally readers.

The Retailer
How does a retailer choose which titles to carry? The average retailer chooses to stock a few thousand copies per year, far less than 1% of the titles available—similar in numbers to the reviews published annually by ForeWord. That’s not a coincidence.

Publisher and author success relies on buzz, which is a combination of review exposure, social networking, book cover designs, author activities such as Blogs and signings (the two types of touring, virtual and tangible). The last part of the equation is wonderful content.

Innovative Authors Look Beyond Good Prose... read the rest of the blog post here

Read Publisher Insider on ForeWord Magazine weekly here.

What do librarians, book publishers, O.J. Simpson, Steve Jobs and Amazon have in common?

2008-02-11T23:18:43Z

This week, a “close friend” of O.J. Simpson offered Kunati—a publisher focused on “controversial and provocative books”—a tell-all book project: “O.J. told me that I was the only man he was comfortable enough to talk openly with. Web of Controversy will remove the public facade of O.J. Simpson.” Nice friend. More O.J. controversy. Will it sell? Almost certainly.

Condemning Controversy?

Why are readers receptive to controversy? Judging from a report I received this week—the Library Open Access report “Tracking Challenges in Libraries: 2007 Results”—the opposite is true. Patrons are vocal in condemning anything notorious or contentious. It seems that some library patrons would bring back book-burning. So, why do Kunati’s provocative books sell so well? Why do controversial books such as The Da Vinci Code become bestsellers? How is it that publishers can turn controversy into bestsellers and provocation into opportunity when some readers seem vocally in favor of censorship?

Violence, Racism and Promoting Witchcraft

The easy answer seems to be the power of the silent majority—enlightened readers—voting for freedom and fun with their wallets. Librarians, publishers and booksellers continue to offer these books despite a vocal minority. Among the condemned titles from library patrons in the “Challenges” report were: Oliver Twist (for violence), Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby Girl (for racism), and—of course—Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass for religious viewpoints. I recall Harry Potter being on a previous list for “promoting witchcraft.” The list of 36 “patron condemned” books in the 2007 list included my favorite classics, making me wonder if this is indeed a 2007 report. Fortunately, the librarians—stewards of free thought—denied all requests to “burn” or remove books.

What’s so Controversial?

A quick analysis of this most entertaining report from librarians shows the most common reasons for requests to “pull” books off library shelves, in order of prominence, were: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit language, violence, offensive language. Thank goodness for librarians, otherwise all of my own novels would be burned:

The Game: let’s see, explicit violence, offensive language—it is a thriller, after all
The Last Troubadour: ah, religious viewpoint for its portrayal of the Cathars as heroes and the Inquisition as evil?
MADicine: oh, probably everything on the no-no list.

I suppose I’d be in good company with nearly all of Kunati’s popular books—including a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a NY Times bestseller. Not to mention the rest of the “challenges” list: Exit to Eden, The Monkey King, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Rainbow Boys, Fly on the Wall, and the entire religion-based bestselling Left Behind series.

Steve Jobs says, “No One Reads Anymore.”

It seems that Apple’s Steve Jobs believes “people don’t read anymore.” The computer guru declared in his keynote at MacWorld 2007 that Amazon’s new e-ink reader was “dead on arrival” with a sweeping, and inaccurate, statistic: “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.” Good to know, Steve. I guess Job’s forty percent only read controversial books?

According to a landmark study of 10,800 Americans by Persona Corp in 2007: 30.6% “Can’t live without books”; 23.4% “LOVE books”; 20.9% “Read regularly”—totaling 74.9% of all Americans. I guess it depends on whether you make phone gadgets or publish books which survey you trust, although a quick look at actual book sales indicates Persona’s study is closer to the right number.

Book Sales Over 36 Billion Net in 2007

Net revenues on book sales, according to The Book Standard, were up another billion dollars to $35.69 billion net sales in 2006 and another 1% up in 2007....

HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR READERS!

2007-12-31T18:01:17Z

  The Game

Thank you, dear readers, for your support, and your patience as you await the sequels to The Game and The Last Troubadour. I haven't had time to reply to everyone who has written -- I promise to be in touch soon! Very busy with the publisher's last minute proofs for MADicine (sequel to The Game -- MADicine is now on its way to the press!) and The Last Quest (sequel to The Last Troubadour, due out in Fall 08. I beg you to be patient!

  The Last Troubadour: Song of Montsegur

Meanwhile for Bane fans, here's a sneak peak at MADicine. Bane is at his satirical and sarcastic best as he heads up a new UN agency with the unfortunate acronym of WART. Think of it as The Bourne Identity meets House M.D., as Bane saves the world with his new "angels" -- a satirical nod to Charlie's Angels of course. MADicine is already buzzing:

"In his follow-up to the excellent The Game (2007), Armstrong takes on a whole new set of challenges....Armstrong blends comedy, parody, and adventure in genuinely innovative ways. An ambitious attempt from a writer of abundant talent."Booklist

  MADicine

"Escaping a facility in California, a virus intended to help cure the world of violence unleashes an epidemic of rage infecting every nation on earth. A relief organization with the unfortunate acronym W.A.R.T. is the world's only hope of salvation. Enter Alban Bane, an acerbic, outrageous detective, and his new partner, Dr. Ada Kenner of the Center for Disease Control, who detects a pattern in the mysterious pockets of rage. The unlikely duo chase the virus from Los Angeles to France, Hong Kong, and Africa in a global race against time in the company of a ragtag cast of allies and enemies. This robust adventure satirizes medical thrillers and zombie stories in one suspenseful sweep, delivering equal measures of satire, thrills, suspense, and comedy." IPG

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hey, The Last Troubadour has a Fan Club!

2007-09-27T00:22:14Z

Part one of The Last Troubadour Fan Club!
Way to go, Ramon Troubadour!

"I'm a big fan!" C. Gerus

"This is the best book I've read. I mean the best ever." Jenine

"I sat down to savor. I gobbled it up in one weekend. Amazing." D. Carus

"Magnificent. Wise. Bawdy. Funny. Exciting. Tarot. What more could anyone ask?" Wise Tarot Magazine

"Don't miss this book! Derek Armstrong, get writing!! I'm ready for the sequels to this book. Very well written, engrossing, and just enough humor to balance the rather graphic description of people burning at the stake. I heartily concur with the jacket: "An author to watch"... and worth waiting for, although I want them NOW!! Great history, wonderful characterizations. So, Derek, are you ready to publish the next two books yet? This avid fan is very eagerly, but not so patiently, waiting." S Otis

"Wow!" S Fastow

"My only regret, next fall is a long time to wait for the sequel! I'm telling everyone to read!" E. McGee

"My only complaint is the ending. I didn't want it to end." B Cunningham

"I can't wait for the second book." M. Ross

"The Last Troubadour was amazing!" Ana

"Life is myth and archetypes and Armstrong depicts both with brilliance." K Harrington

"I love The Last Troubadour. It's thrilling!" S. Francis

"The Inquisition, a crusade, tarot, Cathars? I'm in! As soon as I found there was a quest for a holy relic, I was hooked, and stayed hooked until the conclusion." D. Diotalevi

"I really enjoyed it! More, please." Leslie

"if you're smart you'll get it. And love it." T Sentell

"Is it historical fiction, thriller, epic, romance, adventure, biting satire? All of the above." R Carter

"All the colors of humanity into his characters, among them duty, compassion, and humor." K Harrington

"This novel is like a house on fire. This story moves!" R. Metcalf

"Intriguing!" C Hawkes

"I have just had the emormous luck of having "The Last Troubadour - Song of Montsegur", by Derek Armstrong, cross my path. The key to this book ... at least in the eyes of most Tarotists, is that Armstrong has chosen to model his major characters after Tarot archetypes. His writing is superb, and his characters full blooded people, not two dimensional works of art on paper.

The setting for the novel is 13th century Europe, in the city of Carcassonne. The plot is one of cunning and intrigue. Part humor, history, part mystery, this rowdy, bawdy book is a marvelous read! "Bonnie

Comments from one of the biggest Tarot Forums online:
"Put this on your wish list for Christmas!"
"I loved your book!"
"My favorite character is Death. It helped me visualize the card. The whole novel is like a journey through the Tarot. Thank you."
"My only criticism is your Devil character. I have to wait for book two for the Devil? I loved it."
"Reading your book helped me overcome a block in designing my own deck. Your archetypes are perfect!"

Oh, from the mainstream reviewers:

•    "...brilliance in which Armstrong blends comedy, parody, and adventure in genuinely innovative ways."

    — David Pitt, Booklist Magazine

•    "The Last Troubadour is a must read, a sizzling blend of satire, adventure, historical romance and comedy. The tarot-based characters are inspired. This is definitely an author to watch."

    — Films & Books Magazine

•    "Kudos to Derek Armstrong ... this is a wonderful work of art, and I highly recommend it to all who are interested in the Tarot, in the history of the 13th century, and in a mystery that crosses many boundaries!"

    –Bonnie Cehovet, TE, Aeclectic Tarot Book Review

I hope you'll visit me on MYSPACE

2007-07-25T02:37:38Z

Please drop in to my space at myspace! I have a lot to share with my friends, and it's a hip place to hang out. Visit me, read my latest blogs, send me a message (yes, I'll answer!) find out the latest, check out my friends, hang out, invite me. Addictive place, isn't it? http://www.myspace.com/lasttroubadour

Speaking of God-Killing in books...

2006-12-28T17:04:46Z

Well, not really! But I have to point my sarcastic wit at something, and that's usually politics, religion, sex or the stupidity of television. My fall release from Kunati, The Last Troubadour, is almost certainly my funniest and most thrilling work. From my website:

"In The Last Troubadour, three absolutely outrageous and funny historical characters—the Troubadour, the Templar and the Temptress set out on a wild quest to rescue the Holy Grail from the crusading French armies of King Louis of France.

Based on a true history, but told with stinging Armstrong humor and thrills, The Last Troubadour is set against the early years of the Inquisition. The cast of characters are as daring and colorful as this amazing twist on the religious thriller."

Early Reviews:

“A rousing epic, yet the main character, Ramon, has normal human doubts. He is likeable, especially in his relationship with is dog, Mauri.”
Anne Montagnes, author of Mumsahib and Jade Slash

“This novel starts like a house on fire. This story moves!”
Rory Metcalf, novelist

“The real and symbolic destruction of an entire people hope is very forcefully recreated. A totally believable picture of Carcassonne in the Middle Ages.”
Mary Bird, novelist

“Very entertaining fascinating historical event with important issues presented through an immediate intrigue and varied characters.”
M.J. Smart, novelist

“I like the whimsical manner with which you tell this story. It like reading a mystical tale rather than a history. I like the smells and sounds. I greatly admire the degree of research.”
Diane Whitehouse, author

From Kunati's website:

"Armstrong quills a laugh-out-loud historical thriller that is at once genuine, amusing, tragic and exciting. The last living troubadour, condemned by the church as a heretic, must rescue the Holiest Christian relic from a crusading Sainted King and "flaming" Pope Innocence. With him are a disgraced Templar and a lucious Temptress. Together, the Troubadour, the Templar and the Temptress are the last hope to save the Holy of Holies from powerful men who would exploit it to provoke a new crusade to Jerusalem.

Armstrong somehow retains his trademark "prose style that keeps us chuckling" while pointing his satirical wit at a Church that believes the answer to faith is to burn any who do not believe. With larger-than-life characters that manage not to become caricatures, Armstrong sets his heroes against the Diableteur, a witch hunter who resembles the archetypal "Death and his sickle", a lecherous archbishop who believes the relic can make him the next Pope, and a Pope who knows the true nature of the relic will destroy the Church. With Ramon Troubadour and his Templar/Temptress duo are an ecclectic cast of characters—the one-eyed "black" knight who falls in love with the virgin Holy Lady, the deaf-mute pagan farm girl who can communicate in ways that frighten even her family, and famous rebels, Doré the Dandy and Audric the Hammer. Oh, not to foget little Mauri, a "rat-like" mongrel of a dog who often "saves the day", and Izzy and Wizi, two "nearly human" horses.

If you enjoy your thrills and history—crusading knights, magical troubadours, fighting damsels, evil archbishops and roasting "heretics" on the pyre—mixed with a genorous dollop of humor, large dashes of historical tragedy, and a big splash of satire, you'll adore The Last Troubadour, a genre-bend if there ever was one."