CONTEST*CONTEST*CONTEST*CONTEST

So many of you have helped me, more than you can know, with your words of encouragement, and through some of your ideas and comments related to my book. Thank you so much!

 

We'd like to add some quotes to the manuscript proposal, and even though some of you have answered similar questions in the past, we wanted to collect them in one place. SO...

 

The first 25 people to complete the following mini-survey will receive a first edition, autographed copy of my book when it is released. If you'd like to participate, please put your answers in the comment section following this post. Be sure to include your name and email address, and note whether you would rather have your comments posted anonymously. Otherwise your name (not your email) will follow your quote. Also, if you are not comfortable using your email address, just say, "Respond through Facebook." Feel free to add other thoughts or questions you may have. Many thanks.

 

Survey

Name:

Email address:

 

1. What most intrigues/interests you about my story?

2. Would you, and if so, why would you buy this book?

3. What is your preferred reading format? (hard back, paperback, e-books, etc.) 

 

We'll announce the winners next week.

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY ROB WHEDBEE!!

OK, I’m a little late posting this, but it still needs to be said.

From the moment his first child was born, Rob Whedbee loved being a father. When Justin was born, he loved spending time with his baby boy, and could not wait to get home from work to spend time with him. He never minded that his wife insisted he get up with him during the night, to calm his cries or get him a bottle. Rob always says Justin was such an easy child. As he made the transition from baby to little boy, Justin was a good child…well-behaved on public outings, inquisitive about the world, and able to entertain himself when his parents made the long drive to Destin, Florida, their favorite vacation place. Being the first grandchild, Justin never lacked for love or attention, but he loved hanging out with his dad, who taught him to fish and encouraged his curiosity.

When Brittany was born almost four years later, once again the family was ecstatic, especially to have a girl in the family. The day after her birth, the news from the doctor was not good. He believed Brittany was born with Down syndrome, and they would have to do tests. Rob was upset, as any parent would be, but he thought about it and decided they would do whatever was necessary to give his little girl a good life. Through hysterics, his wife, Lisa, asked, “How do we get out of this?” She meant it. Rob calmly responded, “Lisa, I don’t think this is something we can or should get out of.” Right then, Rob stepped up to the plate, and lovingly hugged his little girl. Despite escalating medical problems, and Lisa’s refusal to accept Brittany, Rob was always there, and proudly took his little girl out and about with him. He once said she was going to be the first Miss America with Down syndrome.

After the attempt on his life, Rob became a single father. His parents gave up their retirement years to help him out as best they could, but Rob was there caring for them, watching them grow, and loving them. Of course, there were problems…Justin had some rough years, but they made it through. Brittany required total care, but Rob was always there, and never complained about the sacrifices he had made to meet his children’s needs.

It’s been 19 years since Lisa abandoned her kids. My personal opinion: They are better off.

I just wanted to recognize a good man who is an incredible father.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, ROB!

Strange Moments From the Trial of Michael Frazier

During cross-examination by prosecutor, Bill Crabtree, Michael Frazier admits buying rubber gloves after work on June 7th, in preparation for "helping" Lisa Whedbee that night.

He stated that when he returned to his car, he opened the package and put on the gloves, and wore them until after his struggle with Mr. Whedbee, some eight hours later. The discarded gloves were found in the woods behind the Whedbee house the next day.

(I don't know about you, but rubber gloves always make my hands really sweaty.)

Glimpses From the Family Album

I really appreciate the kind notes I frequently receive from people who have learned about my story. I am often asked how the kids are doing, so I thought you might enjoy some pictures from our family album. Although. Brittany requires constant care because of damage done by the Moya-moya disease and her profound Down Syndrome, she is a happy child who loves her Dad, her Moms and Pops, and her brother, Justin, and still loves to watch Barney. Justin is a grown man who has followed his dad into the insurance business and is doing very well. I am proud of both my children.

All grown up!

Me and the kids in 1992. 

 

 

Brit loves Dad.

 

 

Justin with my parents, Joyce and Lloyd.

Justin and Miss Brit.

Stay tuned for more family photos!

Rude Awakening-Story Overview

 

Rude Awakening
Story Overview

The reporters said it was “a sexy story.” Church, sex, greed, adultery, blood, a defenseless child with Down Syndrome, a geeky journalist and church organist, a manipulative and narcissistic woman, and a well-known and well-liked Knoxville businessman who didn't see it coming...all the elements that garnered column inches and ratings, spurring readership and attracting viewers.

In the early morning hours of June 8, 1994, a flyspeck of a man, dressed in black, covetous and possessed by passion, clutched a knife in his gloved hands and stood above another man who slept quietly in his own bed. In those critical seconds as the knife descended towards its target, the sleeping man suddenly awoke and somehow deflected the blade away from his throat. The cold metal sliced through his earlobe and grazed the side of his neck.

Wide awake and distinctly aware his life was on the line, Rob Whedbee engaged the black figure in a struggle for control of the weapon, and called to his wife for help. He worried, “Was she already dead, and what about his little girl sleeping down the hall?” As the battle ensued, the two rolled to the floor, and Rob, the larger man, was able to maneuver behind his attacker and clutch him by the wrists. Still the man in black continued to swing the knife, cutting and nicking the man he had planned to kill.

When Rob's wife Lisa finally appeared in the doorway to their bedroom, wielding an aluminum softball bat, he felt a moment of relief. He called to her again for help, yet she stood there, silent and ghostly in the dim light of the hallway. His brief sense of relief quickly dissipated as the man he held shouted to her, “You've got to do it. Do it now!” Stunned by disbelief, he clearly understood the betrayal at hand. He was on his own. He also knew that voice and the black figure was no longer a stranger to him.

The morning light revealed the truth of the odd tale. Lisa Outlaw Whedbee and her lover had carefully planned the demise of her husband, Rob. The case was immediately dubbed “The Tennessee Love Triangle,” and the minute it hit the AP wire, the media descended upon the peaceful, Tennessee city of Knoxville. CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and People magazine were just a few of the news outlets vying for interviews with almost anyone who might have a connection to the story.

Even when the O.J. Simpson case hit the news five days later, media interest in the attempted murder of a respected Knoxville business man remained high. Tabloid news shows saw a good story and before long the cameras were rolling for segments on A Current Affair, Hard Copy, Dateline, City Confidential, and Snapped, AND for the first time in Tennessee legal history, the doors of justice swung open for Court TV, and legal pundits were summoned to provide commentary about the convoluted proceedings.

The provocative trial was a fiasco, as a sharp defense attorney vilified the victim and wooed the jury, hoping the lies that were served up would be accepted as the truth. The prosecutor was “old school” and hammered out the facts and evidence over and over. The seven men and five women, called upon to mete out justice, were confused, and after their decision they faced the truth: Maybe they had gotten it wrong. The outcome of the case still has people across the country shaking their heads in disbelief.

It's been 19 years since that night, but native Knoxvillians remember the story. The episodes on City Confidential and Oxygen's Snapped are still broadcast frequently, and the showings always elicit a flurry of emails from across the country, and even some from Europe, all expressing empathy for the man who almost lost his life that night and for the innocent children who were forever abandoned by a cunning woman who did not deserve to be called a mother.

Rude Awakening explores the events leading up to the crime, the bizarre account of the attempted murder, and an in-depth post-mortem of the legal fiasco that followed.

Justice?

After surviving the attempt on his life, Rob Whedbee knew he had to carry on with life. There was no time for getting caught in the mire of the trauma he had suffered from the cunning manipulation of his wife and the attempt on his life. He had two children to care for and a living to make, and so he carried forward with determination, encouraged by the support of his family and friends. He believed his wife and her lover would be appropriately dealt with by the legal system and face a punishment fitting of their crimes. He was ill-prepared for what transpired in the halls of justice.

The defense presented lie after lie with no pretense of evidence. Suddenly, he was no longer the victim as he was defamed and vilified as some kind of mad monster. He beat his wife, he repeatedly raped her, he abused the children...The assassination of his character continued day after day as the jury hung on every word spewed by the defense. Rob learned that the scales of justice are not balanced, and facts and evidence are not enough. It seemed the truth didn't matter if you told a good lie. That fact would haunt him for years.

A Knife in the Night

Rob Whedbee testifies in the trial of Michael Frazier about waking up to see a black figure standing over him with a butcher knife poised to plunge into his throat. Had Whedbee awakened a few seconds later, the knife would have most likely struck a fatal blow; however, Whedbee was able to deflect the knife which cut his ear and scraped the side of his throat. Frazier continued trying to stab Rob, cutting and nicking his arms and chest, until Whedbee was able to roll out of bed onto the floor, pulling Frazier in front of him in a bear hug and grasping his wrists to ward off any serious blows.  During the struggle, the knife became slick with Whedbee's blood and he sustained a cut to the hand that severed an artery. Although his injuries were relatively minor, the trauma of the terrifying attack left a lasting impression on Mr. Whedbee. It would be years before he would ever sleep easy again. Throughout the struggle, Whedbee continued to call to his wife for assistance, and felt some relief when she appeared at the bedroom door grasping an aluminum bat. He quickly learned she was not there to help him when the figure in black shouted, "You've got to do it. Do it now." Rob knew then his only hope was to get out of that room and try to get some help.