J. Peinkofer

I have been a clinical social worker for over 20 years. My true passion has been writing. I have always been a reader and was drawn to detective stories and true crime books. Though really sad, most times, true crime allows the reader to understand how a criminal was caught and remember how the victim lived.

My writing career started with the little book 101 WAYS TO SOOTHE A CRYING BABY. I was really excited when it sold 10,000 copies and was even translated into Japanese. I wrote that book to educate new parents, because as a pediatric social worker at a local hospital, I continued to see child abuse cases solely due to parents being unable to deal with their infants crying.

SILENCED ANGELS: THE MEDICAL, LEGAL, AND SOCIAL ASPECTS OF SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME was a 5-year process. I had never seen a text on SBS before, so I sat down to write one. I got to know a lot of child abuse professionals and made friends with Norman Guthkelch, MD who wrote the first medical journal article describing the dangers of shaking infants in 1971. The book was well-received and was called "the cornerstone of child abuse" by the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE.

I continued to learn about SBS and knew of one of the major perpetrators of this crime was Virginia Jaspers from the 1940s and 50s. I spent another several years learning about her crimes, interviewing parents, meeting HER, and reviewing newspaper articles. The result was the book LILACS IN THE RAIN: THE SHOCKING STORY OF CONNECTICUT'S SHAKEN BABY SERIAL KILLER.(www.lilacsintherain.com) It is a fascinating case with fascinating players. It is a book that I am proud of and it serves as a memory to her victims.

I am continuing to write and I'm drawn to true crime cases of the past. There are a lot of secrets out there lying underground. They just need to be unearthed!

For more info - www.childabuseconsulting.com