Observers of the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre may have seen a familiar name crop up within the field of talking heads: Dave Grossman, a former Army ranger and now a successful public speaker on the etiology of murder in society.

Grossman came onto the scene during the height of the controversy over the effects of violent video games on children with his Pulitzer-nominated first book On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society (Back Bay Books, 1995). Some of us within the horror industry may well recall how he lumped horror movies into his analysis of violent media.

Matthew Warner is the author of Eyes Everywhere, Death Sentences: Tales of Punishment & Revenge and The Organ Donor. He frequently gives presentations on horror literature and writing to public schools and libraries. He lives in Virginia with illustrator and web designer Deena Warner. Stop by his website and say hi.