Interview with Gregory Gourd

Author of Crime Scene Investigation Des Moines PD

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I was born and raised on the east side of Des Moines, Iowa. My wife and I live in Johnston, Iowa now.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

My wife Grimilda and I raised our children in Ankeny, Iowa. Once the children were grown and out of the house we bought a Town home in Johnston, Iowa.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I felt that people needed to see what the real world of crime scene collection and analyzing evidence truly was. Television and movies do not show the proper protocols, and all of the work involved by a real team. Many times the Detectives on a case get all of the recognition when it is the hard working people behind the scenes that solve the crime with science. It is a very hard profession. We have to deal with death, weather, filthy conditions inside homes, cramped work areas, diseases, and very long hours. I was on call day or night for over 20 years.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

The book entails the concept of team work, and patience. Varying methods used to process items of evidence for DNA, fingerprints, and chemical processing is discussed. Ten real homicides investigated by the Des Moines Police Department Identification Section are presented. These cases were worked by myself and my team members. Color photos of homicides are in the back of the book.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Everyone I talk to about my book, and the science of crime scene investigations are always very interested in this topic. I give talks at our local Libraries, and the audience ranges from teenage to retired. There are always many questions as I go through the talks. I set up a crime scene processing curriculum, and taught a class for two years in crime scene processing for Central Campus High school in Des Moines. Each year we had over ninety students apply for 25 positions in the class.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

Getting the book put together with the online Publisher was a lot of work. It took about four months after I finished writing the book. The font size, and copying the book in it’s entirety to their server took some time. Figuring out the type of paper I wanted, and the size of the book was a challenge. I needed help with designing a front cover and back cover. The online Publisher did a great job of creating just what I wanted.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Talk to someone before taking on this endeavor. The actual writing for the book was the easy part. Setting up the chapters, editing, and creating a table of contents were the real challenges. Adding color images to the back of the book took a lot of time. This was due to sizing, and editing, and adding descriptions under the images. Build a team to help you with various tasks involved.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Everyone who is interested in hearing the true stories, and the truth for the many men and women who solve crimes this way. Sometimes the individuals who work in this field never get the recognition they deserve. This field is ever changing. It is one of the strongest arms in Law Enforcement for the future.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Time to sit and write was a tough chore. I was retired from Des Moines Police Department when I started writing the book. I was offered a job in the middle of writing. I went back to full time work. There was very little time after that to write. It took a year to finish writing the book. it was another four months before the book was published. The first printing of 25 books was done in a matter of two weeks from the Publisher.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Writing is my best strength. I am very good at research, and had many solid memories to fall back on. In my thirty one years on the job, I had to write countless reports. This helped me to write my book.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing is my weak link. I was intimidated at the process of trying to get the book up on Amazon. I researched how to do it up online. I would need to change the format, and was not sure if I could do that at the time. I think if someone could help me with that it would be up on Amazon. I belong to Iowa Authors. They have helped a little bit with Marketing. I did sell my books by word of mouth, and to family and friends. I set up sales at a local Bookstore In Des Moines who received 15% of each book sale.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I have another idea for a future book. Possibly this winter (2020) I will start doing my research. It will be a true story on an unsolved double murder in Des Moines that haunts me to this day.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Self published on the internet. Instant Publishers.com.