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Australian beauty queen used fixation on Ted Bundy to write a book

by Darwin Camden (2021-01-26)


An Instagram beauty queen and Miss World Australia finalist has used her fascination with notorious rapist and murderer Ted Bundy to pen a novel about a sadistic female serial killer. 

Kanika Batra, 26, said she first developed an interest in serial killers when she was in high school, choosing to write about a female murderer for Ayo ributlah kelen kontol her final Year 12 English exam.   

The Sydney-based model always knew she wanted to expand on her high school piece - and decided to use her fixation with Bundy as a parallel for her main character. 

Bundy confessed to murdering 30 women across seven states of America in the 1970s, although the true number of deaths is probably much higher. 

Instagram beauty Kanika Batra used her fascination with notorious rapist and murderer Ted Bundy to pen a novel about a sadistic female serial killer

Ms Batra poses with her debut novel 'Honeytrap' at its book launch in Sydney on December 10

The notorious killer died 32 years ago strapped to an electric chair in Florida on January 24, 1989. 

Ms Batra said she found Bundy - a seemingly normal passing and charismatic young man who even worked for a suicide crisis hotline - to be 'so fascinating' and full of 'contradictions', she quickly began to research every facet of his life.  

'It was something that was so fascinating, I couldn't comprehend it. I was fixated,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 

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'I bought every single book [on Bundy], I watched every single documentary, I listened to hours and hours of his rambling.'

The Instagram glamour researched Bundy for two years, interviewing police involved with his case, families of victims and even one of the killer's relatives.

She also dived deep into journals on psychopaths and narcissists and extensively examined what life was like in the 1970s. 

The 26-year-old said she first developed an interest in serial killers when she was in high school and she even choose to write about a female murderer for Year 12 English

Ted Bundy confessed to murdering 30 women across seven states of America in the 1970s, although the true number of deaths is probably much higher

Ms Batra then spent five years putting pen to paper. 

Her book, Honeytrap, is a psychological thriller which intersects with historically accurate true crime. 

It focuses on bisexual serial killer and hotel heiress Maris Caldwell who develops a relationship with Bundy, during his reign of terror in the 70s.  

'I didn't want to glorify him in any way,' Ms Batra said.

'I wanted to give a perspective into his mind.'

Ms Batra said she wanted to create a female character 'so sadistic' she could challenge Bundy.  

'I was always really interested in writing about a female serial killer. The way they've always been portrayed in the media is weak,' she said.

'People don't picture a woman when they think of Ted Bundy.

'I thought the intersection [between the two characters] was interesting, it's something no one has done before.' 

The model's book is a psychological thriller which intersects with historically accurate true crime

Ms Batra said readers may 'absolutely' be taken aback by her choice to link a fictional character with a murderer who claimed the lives of more than 30 young women. 

'I think people will be quite repulsed by the idea because it's not so much glamourising Ted, but it is humanising him,' she said.

Ms Batra, who first began modelling in magazines when she was ten, is currently writing a similar book linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

'I'm very passionate about these sorts of topics. I love the complexity of the human mind,' she said.  

The 26-year-old said readers who enjoy a lot of plot twists should be sure to pick up her book.   

'I feel like my book is to another level in terms of twists and gore and violence,' she said. 

'People should definitely check it out if they don't want to sleep at night.'

The actress, model, operatic singer and author has been a finalist in Miss Universe New Zealand and Miss World Australia and boasts more than 180,000 Instagram followers.  

Honeytrap is out now, retails for $29.95 and is available at The actress, model, operatic singer and author (pictured) has been a finalist in Miss Universe New Zealand and Miss World Australia and boasts more than 180,000 Instagram followers