It was in one of my first successful years as a director that I - a new father - sat in front of the television with my freshly born baby and watched a report on one of the most horrific child murder trials in European criminal history.

Belgian Marc Dutroux sexually abused 11 children and adolescents aged 8 to 19 and murdered one of his accomplices and two young women aged 17 and 19 whom he had abducted. Two kidnapped eight-year-old girls starved to death hidden behind a wall in a celar shack while he was in prison.

Watching this news, I looked at my little boy and couldn’t help but think that this incredibly cruel and inhuman man had once been just as small and innocent. The question of where evil begins has occupied me for a very long time since that moment and ultimately led to my first novel KINDER DES BÖSEN / CHILDREN OF THE WICKED, which published in 2012 and was nominated four times for the best German debut of the year.

I have since written numerous screenplays as well as two more novels and two children’s books, which I would now like to gradually self-publish in English. Furthermore, I teach storytelling and character development in several film workshops and mentoring programmes.

The internet has become more relevant than any other book market. And I find it deeply exciting to leave my niche in the bookstore and mingle with you, wherever you may be in the world. That’s why I am very thrilled to bring my work to the attention of an English-speaking readership.

Starting with a relaunch of the German version in June 2025, I intend to publish CHILDREN OF THE WICKED in English as soon as possible this year. Until then, I’d like to use this BLOG to share insights into my stories with you, publish first advance chapters and talk about forensic issues and the daily life of a writer. You can also subscribe to this newsletter on my SUBSTACK.

In my next letter, I’ll share some facts about the probably most heartbreaking of all criminal cases in German post-war history, involving a man who was nearly a child himself at the time of his murders. Through conversations with his persecutor, a German chief inspector, I was able to gain deep insights into the psyche of a young human being who has hardly had a good day in his life.

Sincerely

Jan