Social Media and the Daisy Zick Murder

Daisy Zick near the time of her murder 

Now that I’m done with my Cuban Missile Crisis book, I’m turning my attention to my true crime book on the Daisy Zick murder in 1963.  The working title for this is: A Special Kind of Evil. I’ve spent a good six hours going back over the police case file and my notes on the case.  

Unlike my previous books, I’m leveraging social media (Twitter and Facebook primarily) to solicit information on the case and people.  I’ve made some postings simply letting people know I’m working on the project.  I wasn’t sure what kind of response I would get. 

The reaction has been incredible.  First off, there have been two tips that were solid enough for me to pass onto the State Police.   This is fantastic.  Secondly, a significant number of people came back with memories they had of the crime or of Daisy herself which I have been able to include in the book.  Some were unsure if their information was of interest or use – but it was.  Even the rumors they heard are part of the myth that has built up around this case over the decades. 

Social media like Facebook is changing the way authors connect with communities.  I’ve been able to leverage pages like “You know you’re from Harper Creek if you…”  same with Battle Creek, etc..   I have connected with Historical Societies via Facebook, as well as some people directly.  It never ceases to amaze me how connected we’ve all become.  I have been able to link up with relatives of some of the officers involved with the Zick murder over the years too.  I find with my true crime projects that people want to know about the men investigating the case almost as much as the victims and killers. 

So has this led to a resolution of the case?  Time will tell.  It has helped me produce a better book, and for that – I’m grateful.  And for those of you that weren’t sure about contacting me – don’t hesitate.  My email is at bpardoe870@aol.com  

Researching The Daisy Zick Murder

If you are unaware at this point, I am writing a book about the unsolved murder of a Calhoun County woman in 1963 – Daisy Zick.  I got drawn into this case while working on Secret Witness.  When I would tell someone I wanted to interview them about a crime in the 1960’s in Calhoun County they would almost always respond, “Ah, the Zick case.”  After about four of these responses, I knew I needed to look into this murder. 

Daisy lived in Wattles Park outside of Battle Creek, only a mile or so from where I was raised.  She worked at Kelloggs on the line.  Her murder was 50 years ago next January and was exceedingly violent – she was stabbed over 25 times.  The struggle with her killer took place in three rooms of her house.  Whoever killed Daisy planned it; they came to her house specifically to murder her.  They fled in her car, abandoning it in a bitter cold snow on Michigan Avenue. 

This crime remains unsolved to this day.  That doesn’t mean that that police haven’t had good theories over the years.  I obtained a copy of the police reports through a Freedom of Information Act Request and have pieced together not only the crime but the theories. 

In terms of cold cases, this one is almost frigid.  I considered walking away from this story because of that but I couldn’t.  Too many people still talk in hushed whispers about Daisy Zick, her rumored little black book, the marriages at Kelloggs that were allegedly shattered because of the investigation of her death.  It struck me as odd how the rumors sometimes outlived the reality.    

Were there mistakes in the investigation?  Let me say there are mistakes made in almost every murder investigation and you have to remember that 1963 was a long way from CSI-style investigations.  Having said that, yes, some mistakes were made.  Daisy was not a faithful woman, she had numerous affairs in her life and even at the time of her death.  As one person put it to me, “If you worked at Kelloggs back then you were the exception if you weren’t having an affair.”  Daisy’s lifestyle seemed to draw the focus of the investigators time and efforts – and with good reason.  Yet for every path they explored, few offered any tangible results. 

Every so often the case was taken up by a new generation of investigators who tried to stir public interest in the crime, perhaps surface a new clue.  Each time, the results were more disappointing. 

As a writer of history and true crime, you may be wondering if it is possible to write a book about an unsolved case.  The answer is yes.  Mark Fuhrman wrote Murder in Greenwich about who killed Martha Moxley and that led to an eventual conviction.  Mardi Link wrote the inspiring and brilliant, When Evil Came to Good Hart, which was a great story about an unsolved murder of a family in Michigan.  Yes, it can be done, and in this case, I intend to do it. 

I have interviewed a number of investigators on the case over the years.  Furthermore, I have had some tips come in which are interesting and potentially helpful.  I have been fortunate to get to interview Daisy’s son who gave me an incredible amount of information on the background of his family and about his mother.  I didn’t get to know Daisy, but I feel like I know her…if only a little. 

This case deserves to be resolved.  Fifty years does not mean that her son doesn’t deserve some closure, as does the rest of the community.  Someone out there has heard something that is tangible – something that police could use today.  Someone bragged or revealed what they did.  Fifty years have passed – the threat of retaliation is gone.  Someone got away with murder…but they had to have made mistakes.  The time has come for the truth to come out.  

If you’ve heard something that might help – please reach out to me at bpardoe870@aol.com    Who knows – you might help bring closure to this vicious murder after half a century.  

The Writing Process – Incorporating Reader Comments and Changing the Title

I just finished a very minor rewrite of Secret Witness – my first true crime book.  The acquisitions editor sent it out to another author to gather comments about the book to improve it.  The reader (I don’t know who it was but they have my thanks) had one comment/suggestion.  The editor and I discussed it and I have gone through and made the change. 

I also had to go through and tell the editors where I wanted the photographs placed in the book.  The publisher of this book (The University of Michigan Press) does a great job of production and puts the photos throughout the book rather than in a section in the middle of the book.  Personally I’m a big fan of putting the photos where they relate to the text rather than being lumped together in the middle. 

This is all part of the writing process.  If you have an ego, this isn’t the business for you to consider.  Sometimes you have to be objective and in this case, I think the author that provided the comments may have been right.  The net result is a better book. 

The next step is that a copy-edit will be done on the book.  This is to clean up grammar and spelling.  The book then moves into production.  Somewhere along the line I will get a “blueline” copy of the book to review.  Back in the old days a blueline copy was a printout of how the book was laid out and is my final chance to make changes.  Nowdays this is a PDF file of the book as it appears in final form.  Generally you get a ridiculously short amount of time to review this copy – some publishers have hit me with 48 hours turnaround time.   

Then the book is gone.  Months will pass. As an author you move onto other projects.  Then suddenly the book is available.  I have sometimes seen my books in a bookstore before I get my author’s copies or before anyone informs me it’s out.  No problem – as long as the book is out and people are reading it. 

This book, re-re-renamed Secret Witness, went through several title changes.   When it pitched the idea to the acquisitions editor I used this title.  When we finished the book the suggestion came up to change the book title.  I’m game.  The running joke I use is, “you can call this book Free Beer if it will sell copies.” 

We bounced around two other titles – In the Shadow of Fear and Grip of Terror.  I used Facebook to float the titles out there and everyone favored In the Shadow of Fear.  I liked Grip of Terror because I think books that have short titles are better for readers to wrap their hands around.  Based on my informal market survey (Facebook comments) I went with In the Shadow of Fear, but I found out two days ago that the marketing people wanted to go back to Secret Witness.  It worked for me – that was the original title to begin with. 

The marketing folks also told me some general ideas they are bouncing around for the cover.  I can barely draw stick people so I’m excited to see what they eventually come up with. 

The reason I go over this is to explain a little bit about some of the background work as a writer that I go through.  Some of this has nothing to do with writing or research, but it has everything to do with the business of writing. 

So there you have it – another weekend as a writer.  Secret Witness, the story of the Nola Puyear bombing murder in Marshall Michigan in 1967, will be out next spring.  Until then, I’ve got two other proposals I’m working on, and another book I am writing. 

Life is good…

Starting work writing a new true crime book

A little over a week ago I received a response to my Freedom of Information Act Request from the Michigan State Police.  It was the case file on the murder case that I am starting to work on for an upcoming book.  Yes – another Calhoun County Michigan murder.  It seems that my own past (I lived there for 21 years) is tugging at me, begging for another book or two. 

This is fascinating material.  First off, police deal with facts and the police reports, while somewhat cold and impersonal, paint a picture of the crime and the people potentially involved.   When you read these reports, you have to get into the heads of the men that wrote them.  They had reasons for pursuing the leads they did – usually founded on strong police work and experience.  This crime took place in 1963 meaning that all of the over-played CSI techniques didn’t exist.  What did exist was good old fashioned police work. 

This book is different in that the guilty party was never brought to trial.  It is still an open investigation.  That doesn’t mean that the investigators didn’t know who did it.  That is what makes this book different for me.  My first book had a defined closing for the reader.  This one may too, but not only that went to trial.  The victim in this case never got her day in court where justice was served.  I find that compelling.  Maybe, just maybe, I can bring some closure to this.  If nothing else, I will get a chance to tell the public something they have never heard of this vicious murder    

I’m in the process of tracking down some of the key parties who worked on the case, asking them what they remember – hunting down clues in their memories.  It’s going to be a lot of fun – that much I can tell.   And I’m reading, and re-reading over and over the case materials until they are imprinted in my head.  To write this book, I will need to put myself there – back in Battle Creek Michigan in 1963, and try to follow the trail of bread crumbs that leads to the killer(s).  While a lot of these men have died, some of them are still with us.  Perhaps they will get a chance to tell what they knew.

For now, all I can say is, “I’m on the case.”