Welcome!
My love for all things literary began when I was a child and my mother would read to me the Alice stories by Lewis Carroll, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, and Peanuts by Charles Schulz. Once I learned to read and write on my own, I started writing stories for my own amusement. I first started writing for others in my teens when my nephew and I exchanged our own sci-fi stories modeled after Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who.
In college, while studying chemical technology, I discovered the awesome power of the written word when the love letters I wrote to my girlfriend grew into novellas complete with exotic locals, conflicted characters, multi-layered plots, and -- of course -- suitably steamy situations. The stories worked and my girlfriend soon became my wife.
After college, writing took a back seat to earning a living and I held a number of jobs, eventually moving into computer technology. But I continued to dabble in writing, mostly non-fiction articles and commercial business pieces. Now that I'm once again focused on fiction, this site serves as a showcase for some of my work.
Trial by Fear
Simon Jacks is an idealistic young attorney with a prestigious Chicago law firm, about to start the most important case of his career, defending the accused in a series of grisly sex slayings dubbed The Toolbox Murders. But in a moment of stress Simon throws a punch at another attorney and is ordered to take some time off. Retreating to a secluded island cabin near northern Michigan with his family and friends, Simon hopes for a relaxing vacation. Instead he encounters conflicting ideologies, jealousy, and betrayal.
And more. Someone is stalking them.
Soon, childish pranks turn deadly in an episode of terror. To survive, Simon may have to sacrifice his most precious conviction: that everyone deserves a fair trial.
Imagine thousands of people behind bars, some for theft and arson, some for rape and murder, some facing years in prison, some facing the death penalty, all wrongfully convicted of crimes they didn't commit. Now imagine the people who did commit those crimes still at large, living among us, free to attack again. This is the frightening picture painted by organizations like Truth In Justice and the Innocence Project.
Trial By Fear is a fictional account of what happens when the wrong man is arrested for a series of grisly sex slayings. It's now available in pocket paperback and download from Lulu.com, and in trade paperback and hardcover from Amazon. Find it at numerous other online retailers or order it through your local bookstore.
Read an excerpt.
Facts Behind the Fiction
My blog on serial killers, rapists, and wrongful conviction. Yes, it's a bit dark.
Pickton: Conviction Stands, More Charges Stayed, Unheard Evidence Revealed
In 2007, Robert Pickton, a pig farmer from British Columbia, Canada, was found guilty on six charges of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Of course, his defense attorneys appealed. This past week, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the convictions and soon afterward the B.C. Supreme Court stayed the remaining charges in 20 other murders.
Now that the due process of law has run its course, other evidence, unheard during Pickton's original trial, has been unsealed and is being revealed.
A couple of facts:
- A Vancouver prostitute claimed Pickton tried to kill her in 1997, five years before his first murder charge.
- Meat found in Pickton's freezer was contaminated with human DNA.
Should the jury in Pickton's original trial have been allowed to hear this evidence? Might they have reached a different verdict if they had? Would they have found Pickton guilty of first-degree murder?
It's impossible to know if the outcome would have been any different had additional evidence been presented. Nor is it unusual for evidence to be withheld from a jury if it's not directly related to the charges at hand, and if it may prejudice the jurors one way or the other.
If you were on trial for some crime, would you want the jury to know about every other misdeed you may have committed in your life?
More ...
Covert Maneuvers
It is 2375. The war with the Dominion is over, the Bajoran wormhole is open, and beyond it lies the Gamma Quadrant, just waiting to be explored. Ready to do what Starfleet has always done, Captain Angus McTavish and the crew of the U.S.S. Symphony are eager to seek out new life and new civilizations.
But there's been a change of plans.
Unknown to McTavish, his ship has become a pawn in a deadly game of treachery and deceit between rival factions, extremists who'll stop at nothing to achieve absolute control of the Federation.
Meanwhile, the disparate crew of the Symphony have their own problems: jealousy, prejudice, and passion. They'll have to set aside those issues if they're to have any hope of fighting the forces that threaten all they hold dear.
Covert Maneuvers is my first foray into the world of Star Trek fan fiction. It's an ongoing series that begins just after the Dominion war in 2375 and features an original group of characters. All is not well in the Federation ...
Episode One: In Harm's Way
Episode Two: Between Friends
Episode Three - Coming soon!
Incursion
This started out as an experiment in episodic fiction for a friend's site at www.randomnotions.com, where I'm a Contributing Editor. In the beginning I had no idea how the story would develop. I had no outline or even an overview. Well, that has now changed. I've figured out what the story is about and who the characters are, and I'm quite excited about it.
I would describe Incursion as a sci-fi suspense thriller, a cross between The X-Files and 24, with some Lost and StarGate thrown in. I'm looking forward to continuing it, as soon as I get some pesky client work taken care of.
Frequently Asked Questions. Let me know if you have more.
I enjoy hearing from my readers, but please use a meaningful subject line or your message may not make it past my spam filters. Write to me at jonathan@jonathanmycroft.com