Monday, November 1, 2010

Already Here and Coming Soon

I'm pleased to announce that The Skeptical Juror and The Trial of Cameron Todd Willingham is now available in print form. Click on the book cover at the upper left to land on the appropriate Amazon page.

Actually, the book has been available since last Wednesday, on the exact day The Skeptical Publisher/Spouse predicted. Initial Amazon posts, while functional, are pretty bare-bones and pathetic looking. They don't even include a cover shot, a publisher's description, or any tie-ins with other books. It was under-dressed and not suitable for public viewing. Even though the page is not yet properly attired, it at least has a house coat.

Hopefully sometime tomorrow, I will be posting "The Three-Gun-Monte, Sack O' Fertilizer Conviction and Execution of Frances Elaine Newton." Newton was an African-American female executed under Rick Perry's watch. The long post title is probably appropriate because the post is turning out to be pretty long. 

Also this week, I will be initiating a long running series on Michael Ledford, beginning with "Anatomy of a Polygraph Induced False Confession: Part I." For now, I'll provide two pieces of insight into why I might be writing about Michael.  First I'll simply quote the dedication from The Skeptical Juror and The Trial of Cameron Todd Willingham. 
I dedicate this book to Michael Ledford, John Maloney, and the hundreds of others wrongfully convicted on bad fire science.
Second, I'll note that I have accepted Michael's case as one of the few cases I work on directly to prevent or correct a wrongful conviction. Sometimes, the legal circumstances of these cases prevent me from writing about them, writing about some aspects of them, or even identifying them. Michael's case doesn't fall into that category.

I'll be trying to post at least three times per week. Given my preference for original writing and lengthy posts, this is sometimes challenging, particularly in light of my other obligations. Nonetheless, writing here is good for me, the craft I am trying to develop, and the work I am trying to accomplish. Thank you for reading.

tsj