Category: Writing

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Author Interview: Sherry Knowlton

Sherry Knowlton is a fellow ITW author and I introduced her upcoming book in the previous post. Both the protagonist and the subject matter sounded fascinating and I asked Sherry if she would answer a few questions about Alexa Williams, her protagonist and her writing. Here are her answers.

Michael Niemann: How did you meet Alexa Williams?

Sherry Knowlton: About six years ago, I decided that if I was ever going to write that book I’d been mulling, I better get started.  I had retired from full time work and moved into part time consulting, so I had the time I needed to write. Choosing a female protagonist was a given. I don’t believe I ever even contemplated a man as my main character. But, I made some very deliberate decisions about who Alexa would be.

Although I was originally focused on just completing one book, I wanted to lay the foundation for a suspense series. So, I thought a younger woman would provide me with a character who could evolve and mature. I made her a lawyer – a smart, educated, professional with a job that provides some flexibility.

Friends tell me that they see some of me in Alexa. And, certainly, Alexa has some of the same interests that I’ve had in my life; for example, yoga, social causes. But, I’ve tried hard to create her as a distinct person, with characteristics and a life of her own. She’s not just a younger, more attractive and interesting version of Sherry Knowlton.

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Blog Tour: Dead of Spring by Sherry Knowlton

What’s it about?

When a beloved state senator plunges to his death at Alexa Williams’ feet in the Capitol Rotunda, the authorities suspect suicide. Although the powerful chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee was at the center of a controversial new bill to expand hydraulic fracturing, he was also rumored to be ill. Shaken, Alexa tries to move past the disturbing incident by concentrating on work. She’s leading a senate commission on sex trafficking. Plus, she’s helping an old college roommate sue a natural gas company for their role in causing her daughter’s rare cancer.
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In researching the lawsuit, Alexa becomes embroiled in the high-stakes politics of fracking. As the relationship with her state trooper boyfriend drifts onto the rocks, Alexa is drawn to a charismatic state legislator who’s leading an anti-fracking crusade. Then, the police shock Alexa with the news that she could be in danger; she’s a witness to the senator’s murder, not his suicide. When Alexa narrowly escapes a sniper’s bullet, she must discover why she’s a target ― and who she can trust—before the next shot hits its mark.
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With Sherry Knowlton’s trademark mix of feminism, history, romance, and fast-paced thrills, Dead of Spring skyrockets from the fracking fields of the Marcellus Shale to the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster of 1979 to the rolling hills of Tuscany to the halls of Pennsylvania state government. In this suspenseful tale of corruption and runaway greed, Alexa Williams proves, once again, that she’s a formidable heroine. The twists and turns keep will keep you on the edge of your seat.

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Publication Day

Legitimate Business cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday was the official publication day for Illicit Trade and the new edition of Legitimate Business. Friday was the launch day at the Schneider Museum of Art at SOU. It was a lovely afternoon with a great turnout around thirty folks showed up, listened to a short reading and had some great questions afterwards. Many thanks to Midge Raymond for the picture of me reading against the backdrop of Cody Bustamante’s painting.