Hello, and new .com alert!

I must confess: Before I decided to create this new blogger account, I did a web search ... "Is it even worth it to start a blog these days?" Yes, the AI and the search results said, people do still read blog posts. I've had a blog for about 20 years for my other writing projects, which are in the pop-culture realm. I know it still gets hits, even though these days blogs have been around so long that you really have to wonder about their effectiveness, in this very fast-moving, social-media-oriented culture. 

 So here I am! I would like to talk more about the true-crime books I've been working on, give more of a behind-the scenes look at them and the work that goes into them, and above all else, I want to honor the victims. This blog is going to be all about honoring the victims. I'm doing to do a series specifically on that in the coming weeks, highlighting the life of each and every female who lost her life to the two convicted Detroit serial killers I have researched, John Eric Armstrong and Benjamin ("Tony") Atkins. So thanks, in advance, for coming along. I appreciate every reader, frankly, particularly in an age where the Internet is getting more and more packed with content and it's harder to fight for what I call "market share" -- readership. 

 Along the way, I've created a new website for my true-crime work. I've had a few other domains over the years, from my other writing projects that are the total *opposite* of true crime, but I decided to stake a claim last Thursday on this one. Can you believe there was no other "BR Bates" who had this one? Come on over anytime:

BRBates.com