Author Interview: “Cold: The Unsolved Murders of Seven Young Women” by Kevin Damask

I recently helped Kevin Damask revamp his book “Cold: The Unsolved Murders of Seven Young Women” and thought you might like to meet the author of this interesting book.

Kevin Damask has worked as a writer and journalist for 20 years. Damask earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. His work has been awarded nine times from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Since 2022, Damask has worked as a writer-editor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ My Life, My Story program. He lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin with his wife, Jenny, and son, Jackson. 

  1. What is your background in writing and editing?
    I’ve always enjoyed writing but really didn’t get serious about it until the summer after I graduated high school. I started doing some sports writing for fun. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, but then it dawned on me: I love sports and enjoy writing. Why not be a sports writer. I went to UW-Oshkosh, earned a degree in journalism and started my career at a small newspaper in South Dakota. I spent about 18 years in journalism, covering just about everything. In 2022, I left media for a writer-editor job with the Department of Veterans Affairs. I work for the My Life, My Story program. We interview military veterans and write about their lives. I love my job!
  2. Your first book “COLD” covers several unsolved murders of young women in Madison, Wisconsin. Why did you choose this topic?
    I’ve always been fascinated by cold cases and I think it’s amazing when decades old cases finally get solved through DNA testing. I wrote a longform feature story for Capital Newspapers on local cold cases a few years back and it was well received. I thought that would be a good topic for my first book. People love true crime. And the more I dug into these cases, the more they piqued my curiosity. I also wanted to learn more about the victims. Who were they? What kind of lives did they lead? 
  3. What was the most challenging aspect while working on “COLD?” Most enjoyable?
    The aspect challenging was locking down interviews with sources. Most family members of the victims didn’t respond to my request for comment and many of the detectives who worked on these cases back in the 1970s and ’80s are now deceased. I had to rely a lot on research and secondary sources. But the interviews I did get provided a lot of good information. On the flip side, the most enjoyable part was digging into all the research and discovering fascinating tidbits. The writing process was fun but daunting at times. 
  4. Besides finishing your book, what other projects are you working on?
    I used to do some freelance journalism on the side, but unfortunately it doesn’t pay much, and I came to the realization I wanted to do more writing for fun. Choose my own assignments. I started a Substack to help promote the book and also sort of continue a blog I had going for the past few years. I pretty much write about whatever moves me and if people want to subscribe and support my work, great! You can follow me at kevindamask.substack.com.
  5. What do you enjoy doing outside writing?
    Spending time with my wife and two-year-old son, for sure. He’s learning new things every day. Such a cute, fun age! Otherwise, I still follow sports quite a bit. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more health conscious so working out nearly every day is important. I like to read. Love to find old magazines like LIFE at some antique mall and read them cover-to-cover. Same with classic Sports Illustrated. The writing and photography blows my mind. So good. I’m not a big TV watcher, but I do like to relax after a long day and watch an old show or true crime documentary with my wife. 

You can pick up Kevin’s book at indiebound or amazon. for those true crime lovers in your life.

And don’t forget to leave a review online at your favorite book seller. Reviews are the lifeblood of indie-authors.

The White Lady by Jacquelin Winspear

I saw the author name on this audio book at my library and didn’t remember she’s the author of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, but I picked it up anyway. I knew it was familiar.

Stats: Published in March of 2023, print book is 321 pages, audio book is 8 discs/10 hours read by Orlagh Cassidy.

Blurb:

A reluctant ex-spy with demons of her own, Elinor finds herself facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, and exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government.

Post-World War II Britain, 1947. Forty-one-year-old “Miss White,” as Elinor is known, lives in a village in Kent, England, so quietly and privately as to seem an enigma to her fellow villagers. Well she might, as Elinor occupies a “grace and favor” property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor’s war work had been, or how deeply their mysterious neighbor continues to be haunted by her past.

It will take the child of Jim Mackie, a young farmworker and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White’s icy demeanor—but Jim has something in common with Elinor. He, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie, who reminds her of the darkest day of her life.

Elinor’s wartime training and instincts serve her well, but as she endeavors to neutralize the threat to Jim, Rose and Susie Mackie, she is rapidly led along a tunnel of smoke and mirrors in which former wartime colleagues – who know the truth about what happened in 1944, and the terrible event that led to her wartime suicide attempt – are compromised by more powerful influences.

Ultimately, Elinor will hold a gun to the head of a Mackie crime lord to uncover the truth behind the family’s pursuit of Jim, and in doing so, reveal the far-reaching tentacles of their power—along with the truth that will free Elinor from her past.

What I liked: It was fun how Winspear slowly revealed Elinor’s true nature. Makes you think a bit about the people you meet. Not that you’d expect an elderly neighbor of having such a past, but one never knows. It also made me think about how it really was after the WWII in England. I didn’t realize that prisoners were let out to fight, and when they came home, they had earned their freedom and learned some new skills along the way. Cassidy does a good job with the narration.

What I didn’t like: I’m not sure a friend (and someone who had feelings for Elinor) would have kept secret related to a trauma she underwent in the war. (I won’t say what so as not to give anything away). Keeping secret the operation, yes, but not what happened during the operation that significantly effected Elinor.

Rating: 4/5

Educated by Tara Westover

This was available in my local library as an audio book (my favorite way to “read”) and I had wanted to read this for a while. (non-fiction)

Stats: First published in 2018, print book is 352 pages. The audiobook is 12’10” narrated by Julia Whelan.

Blurb: Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag”. In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard.

Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

What I liked: What a story! I am just amazed that Ms Westover was able to save herself, and like most stories like this, she had to do this herself. It also speaks of how strong family bonds can be – good or bad. She is an amazing young woman. Luckily, (or was it more than luck), she had people along the way to show her a different way to live. It’s just very hard to read her struggle, especially the verbal and physical abuse. The story is laid out in such a way that it’s hard to put down. Very well-written. Julia Whelan – the narrator – did a wonderful job, as well.

What I didn’t like: The abuse by the brother, Sean, seems like it could have been shortened a bit. We get the point what kind of person he is and what he does to Tara. But maybe Tara had to keep repeating this abuse for herself vs for the reader.

Rating: 5/5

Haven by Emma Donghue

This was one of my blind picks at my local library.

Stats: Published in 2022, audio book is 7 discs – 8′ 30,” narrated by Aidan Kelly, hardcover is 272 pages

Blurb: In seventh-century Ireland, a scholar and priest called Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. Taking two monks—young Trian and old Cormac—he rows down the river Shannon in search of an isolated spot on which to found a monastery. Drifting out into the Atlantic, the three men find an impossibly steep, bare island inhabited by tens of thousands of birds, and claim it for God. In such a place, what will survival mean?
Three men vow to leave the world behind them. They set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them. What they find is the extraordinary island now known as Skellig Michael.

What I liked: This is an interesting book. I have never read any of Donoghue’s other books but the reviews say this is different than her others (she has 9 others). It isn’t a page turner, per se, but it did keep my attention through most of it. It is an interesting perspective/commentary on religion, faith, and humanity. Even though it’s set in the 7th century, it made me think of my own beliefs. Aidan did a nice job with the narration. Each character felt very distinct, which, of course is partly do to the author as well.

What I didn’t like: I’m not sure I understand the point of the whole story; it wasn’t obvious to me, though that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad read. It made it an “it’s all right” read for me. I was just left with a “Huh…” thought when I was done. It’s definitely not for everyone.

Rating: This one is hard to rate, maybe 3.5/5