Olsen, who began his writing career as a freelance public relations writer, wrote his first nonfiction true crime book in 1989. He notes that there are interesting differences between writing true crime and fictional crime that go beyond the obvious. "With true crime, it was always about the crime, never about the author. I was on the New York Times Bestseller List in 2003 and 2004 so I've had some success with true crime, which is great. But with fiction the focus is on the author instead of the story. I feel like, with true crime, each time out I was starting over. I had a little bit of a leg up if I'd sold copies with my last book, but with fiction it's easier to build a readership."

Olsen is not giving up on true crime. Although more novels are in the works, he also has a true crime book coming out in 2009. "The litmus test of writing true crime is: 'Do I want to spend a year or more of my life on this story? If the answer is yes, for whatever reason, then I'd want to do it. There are a lot of reasons not to, though--the people might be so distasteful, you don't really want to get involved with this for a year of your life. We don't have that many years."

Olsen notes an interesting dichotomy in writing true crime when asked how the families felt about his writing about them. "The families have been through so much. They've been through the legal process and they've found it doesn't allow them to tell their side of the story. They've heard the prosecutor's version of what they think happened. In general, I'm welcomed with open arms by most of the victims' families. On the other hand, on the killer's side the door is often slammed in my face because these people would rather just forget what their uncle or their brother or their dad did."

An old hand at book promotion, Olsen has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post. Because of his true crime books, he has appeared on CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Early Show, FOX News and others. He notes, however, "that you almost never seen novelists on these shows." The trick, he says, is, "I have a sort of advantage over the regular novelist because I've been on so many of these shows promoting the true crime. If I can think up a new 'thing-of-the-day' I can usually get on TV or radio. A week or so before the book comes out I'll try to determine what's hot or e-mail my friends in the media and see if I can get airtime."

For his previous novel, A Wicked Snow, Olsen says, "The story that I pushed last time was a female serial killer, so I pushed 'bad women' because so much of the true crime I've written about was about bad women. I was basically talking about 'bad girls' and then tying it into my novel, which was about another bad girl. I don't know if it'll work again, but I'll try."

Despite his obvious expertise in working the media and promotion, Olsen wryly notes that the ultimate marketing tool may be outside his control. "I feel now that what really matters is the co-op money the publisher pays for bookstore placement. That's what's really going to sell a mass market book."

So why jump into the land of make believe? Olsen answers, "I thought I could do it and found it to be so liberating compared to true crime. Wow, I don't have to invest a year-and-a-half figuring out what the story is, or earning the confidence of the people I need for the story. I can just sit down at my computer and make it up. It's a rush."


"A great thriller that grabs you by the throat and takes you into the dark, scary places of the heart and soul." -- Kay Hooper

"Dark, atmospheric, riveting suspense . . . Gregg Olsen is one of the best. You'll sleep with the lights on after reading Gregg Olsen's dark, atmospheric, page-turning suspense . . . if you can sleep at all. Suspense that grips you from the first page to the last." -- Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Fear No Evil

"A stunning thriller - a brutally dark story with a compelling, intricate plot. The rare bonus is a heroine so genuine and engaging you'll immediately connect and root for her against a dark, evil character who's bound to scare the hell out of you." -- Alex Kava, New York Times bestselling author of Whitewash

Contributing editor Mark Terry is the author of the Derek Stillwater thriller series. His newest thriller, THE SERPENT'S KISS, is available in stores and online.