Dead on the Delta by Sherry Knowlton

Please welcome my friend, Sherry Knowlton to my blog. I love how her books are located in a part of the control well known to me. And who hasn't heard of Three Mile Island and Carlisle, PA? Thanks for being here, Sherry.

Going Beyond the Seasons

As I began to write my latest book, Dead on the Delta, I was confronted with a dilemma of my own making: how to approach and title Book Five in the Alexa Williams series. The first four books could be grouped together as the Seasons of Suspense with their titles: Dead of Autumn, Dead of Summer, Dead of Spring, and Dead of Winter. But now I’d reached the end of the seasons. What to do?

 The first four books are set primarily in the Carlisle area of South-Central Pennsylvania and feature thirtyish attorney Alexa Williams. Alexa has a tendency to stumble across dead bodies and dangerous situations, exacerbated by her boundless curiosity and passion for social causes. Each of the books deals with current hot news topics, like sex trafficking or terrorism, but contains a parallel historical story that intersects with the present-day mystery. The historical fiction plots range from a child murder during the Great Depression to the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster.

 Although I’d run the course of seasons, I wasn’t ready to stop writing about Alexa. I’m still exploring her story and those of her close friends and family. Thinking about Book Five, I had two decisions to make, which ended up growing to three.

 What’s the focus and where does it take place? My husband and I have gone on safari to Africa multiple times, and I’m passionate about preserving the dwindling populations of many wild animal species on the African continent. In the books, Alexa’s boyfriend Reese works for a wildlife advocacy organization, so I decided to break away from the previous books and base the new novel in Botswana.

 What’s the historical story? This is where the surprise third decision came into play. Although there is some important history that plays a prominent role in this new book, a full historical plot just didn’t seem to work with the contemporary story I wanted to tell in Botswana. So, I dropped my parallel story format altogether.

 Where to go with the title? For continuity, I wanted to keep the DEAD part of the title, even though I’d exhausted the seasons. I toyed with times of day (Dead at Dawn), African seasons (Dead in the Dry Season), and even weather (Dead Wind) among many other concepts. In the end, I thought, why not reflect the book’s wonderful, exotic setting, Botswana’s Okavango Delta? Thus, the new book is Dead on the Delta.

 I’m anxious to find out whether my readers think I made the right decisions with book number five in the Alexa Williams suspense series, Dead on the Delta. I’m looking forward to the feedback.

Dead on the Delta

When Alexa Williams agrees to spend four months doing lion research with boyfriend Reese, she looks forward to witnessing the elemental life and death struggle of the African wild. But she never imagines she’ll become one of the hunted on the famed Okavango Delta. In the latest Alexa Williams suspense novel, the kick-ass lawyer tangles with elephant poachers and conservation politics on the African continent.

Sherry Knowlton is the author of the Alexa Williams series of suspense novels including Dead of Spring and Dead of Winter.  Passionate about books at an early age, 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. When not writing the next Alexa Williams thriller, Knowlton works with her health care consulting business or travels around the world. She and her husband live in the mountains of South Central Pennsylvania.

 Praise for Sherry Knowlton’s Dead on the Delta

 “Every page of Dead on the Delta radiates Knowlton’s love and knowledge of this unique part of our planet and highlights its potential for disaster. Knowlton’s suspenseful book sets the beauty of the Okavango against the dangers that lurk there.” – Michael Stanley, author of the Detective Kubu series, also set in Botswana

Dead on the Delta is a gripping new adventure for Alexa Williams. Set against the backdrop of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Alexa faces brutal poachers and a frightening conspiracy that reaches all the way to the top of Botswana’s elite. The situation comes to a head in a terrifying confrontation that requires all of Alexa’s strength as she fights for her own survival. A satisfying read set in a gorgeous landscape. – Michael Niemann, award winning author of the Valentin Vermeulen thrillers

 A well-balanced and intelligent thriller…Suspense and thriller fiction fans have plenty to look forward to with Dead on the Delta.- Independent Book Review

 ★★★★ – “full of action, adventure, politics, and, of course, animals” – Manhattan Book Review

 ★★★★★- “great cast of characters and a fantastic female lead. Now I want to read the other books in the Alexa Williams series.” – San Francisco Book Review

Dead of Winter: Sherry Knowlton

I'd like to welcome Sherry Knowlton today. She writes in one of my favorites genres, mystery and suspense with a bit of romance. 

Thanks, Susan, for inviting me onto your blog today. 

My Alexa Williams series is mystery/suspense with a nice dollop of romance.  My stories are set in the present day but are somewhat unique in that they contain a parallel historical story that intersects with the contemporary mystery at some point in the book.  So, it’s particularly important that each story contains a few key elements that help ground it in the correct era.

In the newest book, Dead of Winter, I looked to drone technology to provide that sense of early 21^st century setting.  The heroine, Alexa, and her friends discover a disturbing image on the video footage they’ve just filmed with their drone.  That discovery leads Alexa into big trouble. In contrast, the parallel story is set in pre-Civil war days and follows a young slave in his escape from a Virginia plantation. The most cutting edge technology in that story is a horse and wagon.

Of course, there are many things an author can use to ground a story in an era or a region. For example, I used style of dress, slang and music to help bring the hippie era to life in Dead of Summer. Speech patterns and entirely different set of slang helped me set the stage for the Depression era subplot in my first book, Dead of Autumn.

In some ways, I find it easier to capture bygone eras by emphasizing a few of that time’s most distinctive characteristics than I do to depict the current day. Perhaps it’s because we are so immersed in our everyday environments that we must be especially keen observers to predict the items that will make future readers think, “Oh, this book is set in the early 21^st century.”

But, my books also use issues that are ripped from today’s headlines as the background or key components of the plot.  So, those issues provide much of the contemporary flavor.  I guess you’ll need to read of one the books to discover whether I’ve been successful in nailing the proper sense of time and place. Dead of Winter is the newest with a release date of February 19^th.

Dead of Winter

“With riveting suspense and vivid details, Dead of Winter by Sherry Knowlton brings the towns and forests of Southcentral Pennsylvania to vivid life as cultures and beliefs clash in a searing tale of murder, love, and communal fear.  From flying drones to police investigations and legal wrangling, Dead of Winter will keep you guessing and glued raptly to your reading chair.” 

-          Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author of The Assassins

A lighthearted trip to test a new drone turns deadly for attorney Alexa Williams
and two close friends when they find a stranger’s bullet-riddled body in a remote field in
rural Pennsylvania. Next to the dead man is a note that declares: Allahu Akbar.
When a second man is executed near Harpers Ferry, Alexa’s old flame, Reese, becomes a suspect, leading her to question just how much he changed while working in Africa. Fear of Islamic terrorism spreads like wildfire through Alexa’s small town after a third murder. After police arrest the oldest son of her Syrian refugee clients, the family becomes the focus of mounting anti-Muslim rage, and a dangerous militia group turns its sights on Alexa.

One dark night in the dead of winter, Alexa discovers who is behind the murders and must race to stop an attack that could kill hundreds. If she fails, she could lose everyone she loves.

Buy links:

·         https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-Alexa-Williams-Novel-ebook/dp/B07MLNCHT2/

·         Available at most online retailers and bookstores.

About Sherry: Sherry Knowlton is the author of the Alexa Williams series of suspense novels: Dead of Autumn, Dead of Summer, Dead of Spring and the most recent release, Dead of Winter.  Passionate

about books at an early age, 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. When not writing the next Alexa Williams thriller, Knowlton works on her health care consulting business or travels around the world. She and her husband live in the mountains of South Central Pennsylvania. 

Connect with Sherry at:

www.sherryknowlton.com

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42968171-dead-of-winter (Goodreads)

@sherry.knowltonbooks (Facebook)

@KnowltonSBooks (Twitter)

https://www.pinterest.com/knowlton0706/ (Pinterest)

Do you think drones can help solve crimes or perhaps discover crimes? Is that title hitting right in the cold spot for this time of year? 

Thanks, Sherry, for visiting today.