True Crime Podcasts
Two phone calls. One mysterious death.This is a true story. On July 4, 2020 Kory received two phone calls. One from her uncle, saying her mother was found dead in her bedroom from an overdose. A second from a homicide detective saying he believes it was murder—and her uncle is the suspect.
Episode 16: What Could Happen
This is episode 16 of 17. PLEASE NOTE: When I wrote and published this episode, I didn't know if there would be any further developments in this story, so it was written as a conclusion. However, MORE DID HAPPEN. So please be sure to listen to Episode 17.
Episode 15: The Aftermath
Now that Kory knows the truth, she considers her next move. You’re listening to Who Killed My Mother? a true crime + memoir podcast This episode 15 of 17. This podcast was written and produced by USA TODAY bestselling author Kory M. Shrum, who also publishes poetry under the name K.B. Marie.
Episode 14: A Conversation with the Medical Examiner
The medical examiner explains the results of the toxicology report and what it means for the case. You’re listening to Who Killed My Mother? a true crime + memoir podcast This is episode 14 of 17. This podcast was written and produced by USA TODAY bestselling author Kory M. Shrum, who also publishes poetry under the name K.B. Marie.
Episode 13: The Toxicology Report
Kory receives the final toxicology report. You’re listening to Who Killed My Mother? a true crime + memoir podcast This is episode 13 of 17. This podcast was written and produced by USA TODAY bestselling author Kory M. Shrum, who also publishes poetry under the name K.B. Marie.
Episode 12: The Cause of Death
Kory learns the official cause of her mother's death. You’re listening to Who Killed My Mother? a true crime + memoir podcast This is episode 12 of 17. This podcast was written and produced by USA TODAY bestselling author Kory M. Shrum, who also publishes poetry under the name K.B. Marie.
Episode 11: A New Witness
Someone saw something. You’re listening to Who Killed My Mother? a true crime + memoir podcast This is episode 11 of 17. This podcast was written and produced by USA TODAY bestselling author Kory M. Shrum, who also publishes poetry under the name K.B. Marie.
Summary
Two phone calls. One mysterious death.This is a true story. On July 4, 2020 Kory received two phone calls. One from her uncle, saying her mother was found dead in her bedroom from an overdose. A second from a homicide detective saying he believes it was murder—and her uncle is the suspect.
What listeners say about Who Killed My Mother?: a true story
This is a gripping story but the author is so talented that I don’t doubt that she could raise any story to more ethereal level. The level of vulnerability /strength displayed throughout this story is both striking and moving.
Transcript of Interview with Kory Shrum
Joanna: Kory Shrum is a ‘USA Today’ best-selling author of science fiction, fantasy, and thrillers. She’s also a true crime podcaster. And her latest book is a memoir, Who Killed My Mother? Welcome, Kory.
Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing
Kory: I had loved books and writing and everything about the world of literature all of my life, but I didn’t really get serious about it until college. I changed majors so many times because I had so many interests. Like you, I’m a multi-passionate, creative, and there are just so many things that I love about the world. And I love learning.
Why write this incredibly personal book, when it must have been very difficult to write?
Kory: Well, I mean, you say, ‘Why do it?’ like it was a conscious choice. But, to be honest, I was so consumed by the idea of doing it when it happened.
The connection between people is what I think makes memoir special
We read memoir, because we want to experience other people’s lives or experience other things that people have gone through. And when we do that, we’re connecting with their experience, their emotional experience.
How else did your fiction writing help the memoir in terms of both with cliffhangers and the mystery side?
Kory: Because I wrote the memoir, actually, first as a podcast, the chapter endings were a bit cliffhanger-y because I wanted you to then want to listen to the next episode. And, fortunately, it worked out that way just because the investigation was somewhat slow in the sense, so I was always kind of on the verge of a cliffhanger.
My last tip would just be, be incredibly gentle with yourself
And that’s with the acceptance. This is not something you need to bulldoze through, necessarily. A lot of indie writers, we’re on schedules, like, ‘We have to put out 10 books a year. And if I don’t put out 10 books a year, I won’t be as successful as X, Y, or Z.’
Why write it as a podcast first? And then why change the format into a book?
Kory: Another good question. I have talked about and explored trauma adjacently in all of my novels. For example, in my ‘Shadows in the Water’ series, the main character, Lou Thorne, she’s a sort of vigilante-type character who hunts down and kills this mafia family because they had killed her father, who was a DEA agent.
Kory M. Shrum
Two phone calls. One mysterious death.This is a true story. On July 4, 2020 Kory received two phone calls. One from her uncle, saying her mother was found dead in her bedroom from an overdose.
Episode 14: A Conversation with the Medical Examiner
The medical examiner explains the results of the toxicology report and what it means for the case.
Episode 9: A Tale of Two Murders
Murders like her mother's are nothing new. Strange connections between her mother's murder and Jack the Ripper's victims.
Episode 7: The Reading of the Will
The reading of her grandmother's will surprises Kory and everyone else.
Episode 5: The House Where It Happened
Kory recounts her childhood and mother's history in the house where her mother was found dead, particularly the importance of the room where she was discovered by police.
Episode 3: The Autopsy Results
Kory speaks with the detective about the autopsy results and what it might mean for her mother's death.
Episode 1: Two Phone Calls - One Death
Only July 4, 2020, Kory receives two phone calls. One from her uncle saying her mother died from an overdose. Another from a homicide detective saying he suspects murder.
