Blog Tour: Dead of Summer by Sherry Knowlton

dos_preview_2 copyWhat’s it about?

In a tale of suspense that travels from South Central Pennsylvania to Africa to the iconic Woodstock Festival of 1969, Dead of Summer embroils attorney Alexa Williams in the dangerous world of sex trafficking.

With help from friends, family, and her yoga practice, Alexa Williams is finally starting to recover from last autumn’s trauma of finding a dead body and the violence that ensued. The young attorney can’t believe that her summer has begun with the discovery of another body. This time, the dead woman was famous for her worldwide campaign against sex trafficking. The murder hits close to home: the late activist was a friend and mentor to Alexa’s best friend, Melissa.

Searching for answers, Alexa becomes entangled in a web of deception and danger that puts both her heart and her life at risk. By the time she discovers that the key to the present lies in the halcyon days of peace and music, it may be too late.

What do reviewers say?

Amazon review by Tina: Sherry grabs your attention from the first two pages and doesn’t let go. I loved the main character, having gotten to know & love her from Sherry first book, Dead of Autumn. 

Who wrote it?

Sherry Knowlton (nee Rothenberger), author of Dead of Autumn and Dead of Summer, was born and raised in Chambersburg, PA, where she developed a lifelong passion for books. She was that kid who would sneak a flashlight to bed at night so she could read beneath the covers. All the local librarians knew her by name.Sherry Knowlton ITW

Sherry spent much of her early career in state government, working primarily with social and human services programs, including services for abused children, rape crisis, domestic violence, and family planning. In the 1990s, she served as the Deputy Secretary for Medical Assistance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The latter part of Sherry’s career has focused on the field of Medicaid managed care. Now retired from executive positions in the health insurance industry, Sherry runs her own health care consulting business.

Sherry has a B.A. in English and psychology from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA and now lives in the mountains of South Central Pennsylvania, the setting of Dead of Summer.

Where can I get it?

Sunbury Press and Amazon.

Blog Tour: A Second Hand Life by Pamela Crane

A Second Hand Life coverWhat’s it about?

After receiving a heart transplant from a young murder victim, Mia Germaine is plagued by nightmares. Are they clues to solving a murder case, or grim phantasms leading her further into danger? More than a page-turning thriller, A Secondhand Life weaves a tale of second chances and reclaimed dreams as this taut, refreshing story ensnares and penetrates you.

What do reviewers say?

Southern Editor: A spellbinding thriller that will twist you into its grip until the last mind-blowing page…

Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More: …a thriller that messes with the readers mind… If you’re a fan of psychological suspense novels, I recommend it…

Who wrote it?

Pamela Crane is a North Carolinian writer of the best-selling psychological thrillers The Admirer’s Secret, A Fatal Affair, and A Secondhand Life. Along with being a wife and mom of three rug rats, she is a wannabe psychologist, though most people just think she needs to see one.

Pamela Crane with Tinkerbell_author picShe’s a member of the ITW, ACFW, and EFA, and has been involved in the ECPA, Christy Awards, and Romance Writers of America. Along with delving into people’s minds—or being the subject of their research—she enjoys being a literary reviewer and riding her proud Arabian horse, when he lets her. She has a passion for adventure, and her hopes are to keep earning enough from her writing to travel the world in search of more good story material. Grab a free book on her website, or check her out on Facebook.

Where can I get it?

Wherever fine books are sold.

What Mystery Writers can learn from Aristotle – Part 4

Early Islamic Portrayal of Aristotle with Alexander the Great. Wikipedia

In this, the last blog post on Aristotle’s Poetics, I’ll focus on the remaining aspects of his treatise. The most important of those is character. And here, contemporary writers have to pick and choose with more care. Some of Aristotle’s points are straightforward, “any speech or action that manifests moral purpose of any kind will be expressive of character: the character will be good if the purpose is good” (Poetics, chapter XV). As are his statements that characters must be true to life and consistent in their behavior and reactions.

But ancient Greece was a patriarchal and stratified society. One of the reasons its democracy worked was that slaves did all the work so the Greeks could engages in politics. The role of women was also seriously proscribed. So when he says, “Even a woman may be good, and also a slave; though the woman may be said to be an inferior being, and the slave quite worthless;” or “There is a type of manly valor; but valor in a woman, or unscrupulous cleverness, is inappropriate;” we should actively disregard his advice (ibid.). Although our society has by no means rid itself of the kind of mindset represented by Aristotle, we as writers have a responsibility to nudge our readers toward a world where status, class, or gender are no more important than the color of one’s eyes.

Continue reading “What Mystery Writers can learn from Aristotle – Part 4”

What Mystery Writers can learn from Aristotle – Part 3

Statue of Aristotle in Freiburg. Wikipedia

The last post ended with a summary of what makes a good plot–arouse fear and pity in the reader through reversals of fortune from good to bad caused by error or personal frailty rather than vice. But how is the writer supposed to achieve this?

Aristotle grants that fear and pity can be aroused through spectacular means, but he considers that the weaker form. “A superior poet” will achieve the same result through the structure of the plot itself. Or, to use a modern example, movies can achieve this effect through massive explosions and CGI, but it’s a weak substitute for an intricate series of events that cause the protagonist to act in ways that cause the reversal of fortunes. That’s the heart of Greek tragedy, the unfolding of individual actions, all seemingly logical on their own, leading to an outcome that is disastrous. Of course that takes good writing. No wonder many films take the cheap way out.

Continue reading “What Mystery Writers can learn from Aristotle – Part 3”