Fighting the Devil - a True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder

This is a true crime story, depicted the way it really happened.

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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Author Interview on Page One Literary Newsletter



JeannieWalker:  I grew up in rural Oklahoma and later Texas. Most of the reading and writing I did was in school. Growing up on a farm didn’t leave a lot of time for anything else except tending to farm animals, feeding and watering the chickens, gathering the eggs, milking the cows, and feeding the pigs. Then there was harvest time when the entire family had to pull cotton, combine wheat, and bale hay. Any spare time I got, I spent outside sitting under a big oak tree enjoying nature and reading a good book.
My English teacher at Lone Wolf, Oklahoma was a big influence in my life. Mrs. Schreiner encouraged all her students to excel in reading and writing. I worked hard to achieve excellence and make straight A’s because of the respect I had for Mrs. Schreiner and my other teachers in school.

Here's a little about my new novel Fighting the Devil - A True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder.
Jerry Sternadel was a self-made Texas millionaire. He was poisoned to death in 1990. While hospitalized, he told nurses and doctors alike that two women, his wife and bookkeeper, were poisoning him. The hospital staff did not believe his accusations and continued to let the murder suspects have access to Jerry as he lay dying in the hospital.
He died in the hospital while strapped down to his hospital bed with restraints on his hands and feet and tubes in every orifice. Upon his death, an anonymous caller tipped off the police. The authorities quickly determined Jerry Sternadel had died from arsenic poisoning. The widow was the sole beneficiary of the million-dollar estate and a $350,000 life insurance policy. It was later learned that just before Jerry’s death a teenager had visited the Sternadel ranch and became deathly ill after he drank juice that was in the refrigerator. Two years after the death of Jerry Sternadel, a bottle of arsenic was found in a storage locker rented by a woman under an assumed name.
The sheriff asked me to help with the investigation because the small county could not afford and did not have the time or resources to do extensive research. I became a sleuth to help solve the murder.
I began my research by reading everything I could about arsenic poison and its effect on a human being. I read books about people who use poison as a weapon to kill. I started contacting toxicologists, medical examiners, detectives who had solved arsenic murder cases, District Attorneys who had handled arsenic murder cases, the EPA and even the FBI in Quantico, Virginia.
I have a lot of hobbies. I like to golf, play tennis, take walks, and ride my bike. I also like to sing, read and write. I believe being in tune with nature helps me to understand how to be happy. My main love is God. My best friend is Jesus Christ. He leads me, talks with me and walks with me. When I get too weak to carry on, He carries me. That’s why there is only one footprint in the sand.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Jeannie; I follow you on Twitter; you had tweeted me asking me to thank my husband for serving in VietNam when I replied to Nancy Sinatra. I remember this story; I think I saw it on TV on "Snapped" or perhaps just a true crime story. I can't wait to read your book; am going out tomorrow to try to find it; if I can't will order online. So sorry it happened to you but glad you did something about it. MaryHelen (mimiMH on twitter).