If you grew up trick-or-treating, you heard tales about strangers giving out tainted candy. But nobody could believe that a father might poison his son and blame a mysterious stranger.
Trick-or-Treating in the 1970s
In the 1970s, I lived in the suburbs, so my friends and I would go trick-or-treating…
Many writers start out by hearing people tell stories. Watching stories on TV or in movies. And then telling stories. That’s how we learn the power of storytelling growing up.
We don’t know who told the first stories, but we know it happened a long time ago. Even before cave…
In 1992, “carjacking” was a new term. Maryland residents learned about it the hard way when a mother and acclaimed scientist was dragged to her death during a carjacking. That this happened in Savage, Maryland, made it seem even more alien.
Why are scarecrows so eerie? They’re supposed to scare birds, not people. Right? Yet the creepy ones can drag me into the “uncanny valley” where my brain senses … something … is … wrong.
Halloween is full of creatures that can be scary or cute or fun, but some can…
How a Girl Went from Murder Victim to Navy Slang
You may have heard the slang expression “sweet Fanny Adams” or “sweet F.A.” Few know it originated from a gruesome murder of a little girl in the town of Alton in the coastal county of Hampshire, England.
Tired of missing out on the latest science fiction and fantasy books? Sick of reading the same old stories? Looking for something different? Travel to these fan sites to find new worlds.
These sites are like the portals in science fiction and fantasy movies. Once you step through one portal…
In June of 2018, Marylanders learned that a mass shooter had invaded a newsroom in the state capital of Annapolis. Because the shooter was just sentenced, let’s revisit this case.
What Is the Capital Gazette?
The Capital Gazette is a newspaper based in Annapolis, Maryland, that was established in 1727…
A Horrific Discovery in a Townhouse in Frederick, Maryland
On March 26, 2007, police entered a townhouse and found five bodies: four murdered children and the body of their father, Pedro Rodriguez.
The mother, Deysi Marlene Benitez, was missing. Before long, police declared that she was not a suspect. …
How an Error Haunted Residents for Years
In early 2005, residents of Satan Wood Drive in Columbia, Maryland, finally got the name of their street name corrected. It was supposed to be named Satinwood Drive. Whoops. Typo. Along the way, one letter changed.
After a lot of hard work and…
Before noon on Saturday, January 25, 2014, shots rang out at a busy mall in Columbia, Maryland. Two coworkers were murdered, and customers and employees hid throughout the mall. The shooter killed himself, leaving behind lots of questions.
The victims were Brianna Benlolo (just 21 years old) and Tyler Johnson…
