Jody Ewing ... author and freelance writer

Frequently Asked Questions

How did you get involved with writing about cold cases?
I'd just gone from working as a full-time Weekender staff writer to freelance status with them, and my editor (Thomas Ritchie -- now with The Sioux City Journal) called me at home to see if I'd be interested in writing about Sioux City's cold cases. Once the two of us met with Lt. Lisa Claeys from the Sioux City PD's Investigative Services Bureau and I began work on a triple homicide story, I never looked back.

In December 2005 I launched the Iowa Cold Cases website, having absolutely no idea at the time that less than two years later, my beloved stepfather (of 25 years) would himself become a victim of a (yet unsolved) crime.
      
Since these cases are technically still open, how do you go about collecting information when the victims are all deceased and police can only say so much?
It starts by having a good -- and respectful -- working relationship with any law enforcement officials involved with the case, both past and present. From there on out, one better love research. Whether it's combing public records, digging through newspaper archives, or tracking down, calling and talking to every [living] person whose name shows up in files or is brought up during other interviews, one learns to pay very close attention to the smallest of details, regardless of how insignificant they first might appear.
  
Do you really think you're going to solve any of these crimes?
Absolutely. But not without using the groundwork others laid before me and sharing what information I find with LE officials. Even with my Criminal Justice Studies education, I'm still a writer; any official proceedings, charges or arrests would all be processed by specifically trained professionals.
 
Who is the most interesting person you ever interviewed?
Everyone has a fascinating story, and the right questions asked at the right time will almost always bring it out into the open. Some of my favorites, though: The Waltons' Earl Hamner, Jr.; pianist/composer Jim Brickman; author J.A. Jance; U.S. Navy Lt. Shane Osborn; [murder victim] Jesse Hanni's brother, Ray Hanni; memoirist Barbara Robinette Moss; Dear Abby writer Jeanne Phillips. #1? Earl Hamner, Jr. -- though the article's not here. Yet. Long story. But it will be. Hopefully, soon.
 
Why have you waited so long to write another book?
Another long story. (Aren't they all?) The truth is, I have written other books. A few, in fact, which now are in various stages of editing or completion. The short answer is my tendency to over-edit my own work -- something I think carried over from my days as a Sioux City Journal correspondent, Weekender staffer and freelance editor -- where my work usually ran as submitted unless cut in length for space. With books, there's always new research to uncover or more stories to add to a memoir. I've finally realized, though, that books--like lives--often have endings we'll always wish we could rewrite.
  
So what's next? A novel? The cold case book? A memoir?
The next is the memoir, "Kids, Dogs and Democrats Running Wild: Campaigning for Sanity in Iowa."
 
With all the time you've put into politics and campaigns, have you ever considered running for office yourself?
I did. Iowa House. 2002. But after three personal tragedies and losses that year (my election being the least of them) I rediscovered the reasons I'd run to begin with and responded by getting back to what (I think, anyway) I do best: writing about it.