Undoing Evil: True crime podcast’s initial episode features me, ‘Murder in Wauwatosa’

Well, we finally did it.

A few months after being asked to be interviewed for a podcast centering on true crime, Undoing Evil‘s first episode went live last night (Aug. 13) featuring me and my first book, Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher. That book tells the story of an 8-year-old boy who went missing in 1925 from his home near Milwaukee and all the odd details surrounding his disappearance and the subsequent investigation into his killing.

The process from my end was fairly simple: Talk to host Scott Stick at length about such topics as:

• Researching true crime.
• The tragic story of Buddy Schumacher and how I came to become aware of it.
• The allure of finding answers to questions and how one might go about doing that.
• My transition from journalist/author to author/publisher.
• And a lot more related and semi-related material.

Scott had the hard job. From reading my book to come up with great questions to ask me to setting up a recording studio, editing hours of audio to make me sound fairly intelligent, and coming up with his introductory segment and various appropriate music beds to slide under the talking bits, he spent loads of time preparing this episode.

The process wasn’t 100 percent smooth. Scott did forget to hit the record button once on one of our Skype chats. We can laugh about it now (well, I can. He might still be a bit sensitive about it). And once, I couldn’t hear him (video chat technology isn’t perfect as I’ve learned through all the pandemic-induced video meetings I’ve had with others). But we adjusted and moved along and ended up with a product that I think will entertain and inform.

A few things listeners may find  of interest in this podcast, whether they’re fans of true crime or not, are:

• The discussion on why people such as Scott and I research these topics (Scott has studied the Zodiac killer in California).
• What sorts of sources of information are out there to find answers to long ago events?
• Can any good come from unearthing details of sometimes painful events?
• How did I find out where Gene Wilder lived in Milwaukee in 1940?
• What did my fifth-grade teacher say about me in my report card?

Some of these topics may seem somewhat tangential to the main thrust of the interview, but assure me, there is a rhyme and reason.

I hope you enjoy the episode. The first part of it is Scott introducing his Undoing Evil podcast, what it’s all about and what he hopes to accomplish with it. Then, he gives a synopsis of the story of Buddy Schumacher and how I came to find out about it. If you’re in the mood to skip all that, go to the 10:06 mark of the podcast, where the interview begins. There’s a fast forward button to the right of the play/pause button that will allow you to skip a segment that you think may not interest you.

Scott’s also got a website, so if you’re interested in seeing what topic he talks about next, feel free to check it out here.

If this is the first you’ve heard of me, you can find more info on me and my books at the following links:

• My biography on this site: click here.
• More blog posts and tons of other info, including my monthly newsletters, at the home page of my website.
• Murder in Wauwatosa on Amazon (It’s available in print and ebook all sorts of other places, too): click here.
• My second book, Wicked Columbus, Indiana, is also available various places in print and ebook. For the Amazon link, click here.
• Other options for purchasing my books, including getting autographed copies, click here. I would love if you’d order it from your local independent bookstore to help keep them in business.
• I became owner of PathBinder Publishing, a hybrid publisher, in May 2020. To see what we’re all about, click here.

If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, true crime, research, writing, or publishing, feel free to email me at paul.hoffman.author@gmail.com.

 

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