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by Mike Watkiss (Author)
"A guy that grabs the throat of a story and hangs on to it." That's how veteran TV reporter Mike Watkiss was described in the Arizona Republic-"a grizzled TV Icon" who has been at the forefront of some of the World's biggest stories for more than four decades. From OJ Simpson to Michael Jackson--from serial killer Richard Ramirez to polygamous prophet Warren Jeffs-from figure skater Tonya Harding to Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss, Watkiss' career reads like a road map of American history. "Story Hustler"-Murder-Mayhem-PTSD are the raw stories behind the the headline-grabbing stories-a pedal-to-the-metal thrill ride through scandal and tragedy-terror and triumph.Watkiss was one of the first reporters at the crime scene the morning the bodies of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson were discovered in Brentwood. He was ringside for O.J. Simpson's so-called "Trial of the Century."Watkiss' fiery jail house interview with notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez and his ambush-interview of actress Elizabeth Taylor onboard an airplane are the stuff of TV legend.Watkiss, often described as "fearless," is best known for his decades of covering the practice of polygamy in America and focusing specifically on the large FLDS community on the Utah/Arizona border and it's notorious Prophet Warren Jeffs. Watkiss' 2004 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary "Colorado City and the Underground Railroad" helped start a revolution against the generations of abuse of women and children in polygamous communities. Through his relentless work, Watkiss played a major role in landing FLDS Prophet Warren Jeffs in a Texas prison cell."The entire country and probably the world know this story because of" Watkiss, wrote journalist and friend Claudia Rivero."He let America in on a nasty little secret--many secrets," AZFamily.com wrote of Watkiss at the time of his retirement from TV news.The pages of "Story Hustler"-Murder-Mayhem-PTSD are full of events that shaped history and the names of some of the most famous and infamous characters on the Earth--names like Marlon Brando, Princess Diana, Sylvester Stallone, Nicolas Cage, Tonya Harding, Robert Mueller, O.J. Simpson, Baby-Face Nelson, Joe Conforte, Charlie Manson, Tex Watson, Heidi Fleiss, Harry Reems, Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski, Kirk Cobain, Patrick Duffy, Larry Flint, Vernon Jordan, Jerzy Kosinski, Sharon Stone, Ali McGraw, Robert Evans, Dave Dave, Maury Povich, Connie Chung, Joe Arpaio, Jodi Arias and many more.Azfamily.com wrote that Watkiss "is known not only for his excellent story-telling but also for telling stories that matter, ones that changed lives in very real ways."Watkiss now brings his passion and story-telling ability to the pages of his memoirs, "Story Hustler"-Murder-Mayhem-PTSD.
