A Judgment of Whispers
7th installment in the Mary Crow Series.
A long-unsolved murder puts Mary’s political campaign in peril.
In Sallie Bissell’s latest, A Judgment of Whispers, due out September 8, attorney Mary Crow is in the midst of running her political campaign for DA and solving a decades-old murder.
Twenty-five years ago, ten-year-old Teresa Ewing went out to deliver a casserole to a neighbor and never came back—at least not alive. Suspects at the time included a group of four boys, the Salola Street gang—Adam, Devin, Butch and Zach. Now, Adam is a travel photographer; Devin runs a used car dealership in town; Butch is a security guard at the college; and Zach, who’s on the autism spectrum, still depends on his mother, Grace. The community blamed Zach for the murder—and still do. “Different,” they call him, and every day, they deliver their judgment of whispers.
The discovery of new evidence thrusts the four men back into the spotlight as the police demand new DNA samples. Harassment breaks out anew against Zach and Grace, who have now called on Mary Crow for aid. Now it’s up to Mary, who hopes her fresh eyes can sift through the lies and threats to discover the long-buried truth.
Sallie Bissell is the author of the award-winning Mary Crow series. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, she graduated from Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) and resides in Asheville.
Bissell is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Visit www.SallieBissell.com
If You Go: Sallie Bissell celebrates the launch of her latest Mary Crow novel, A Judgment of Whispers, Monday, September 14 at 7 p.m. Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café, 55 Haywood St., Asheville. (828) 254-6734, malaprops.com.
See, There He Is
New Memoir by Ginger Graziano
Devastating loss and the journey back.
See, There He Is is a memoir that lays bare the collapse and rebuilding of hope that local visual and graphic artist, designer and writer, Ginger Graziano experienced when her son died. Devastated, she returns with her daughter to the places where they had lived, and, like Proust’s madeleine cake in Remembrance of Things Past, the memories flow out. Each chapter in See is named for a street or place in the story and serves to create a framework for the reader to share the author’s experiences as she walks through her past.
“Could I save my son? If not, could I go on? I wasn’t going to find the answers in a book. I had to look deep into my heart. My life as a single mother had taught me to confront challenges and to fight, but they had not prepared me for what I faced in those years and the years since.”
Graziano’s visual art is stunning and imaginative and many of her sculptures showcase the mind, heart, and singular stories of women. As a mother, See is the culmination of her journey through grief. “As I grieved, I realized that I was actually going to come back to life which surprised me. I wasn’t going to stay in the grayness forever. Bit by bit, I found that I had a strong will to live both for my daughter and for myself. Part of my healing was to integrate who I had become.”
Graziano’s works have been published in The Conium Review, Embodied Effigies, The Great Smokies Review, Stone Voices, and most recently, Writing in Circles. While her contributions have included poetry and short stories, See is the most lengthy piece she has composed and certainly the most personal.
Ginger’s writing process is based in the visceral and organic, and it began with her journals. During the mid 1970’s, she began journaling to help with the decision to leave her marriage. “I wrote myself out of bed each morning.” When Jeremy was diagnosed with cancer, journaling became a way for her to cope with the shock and the emotions.
The title of See comes from the following passage, “See, there he is with his freckled face, his tall thin body, his lopsided grin and goofy humor. There he is, big-hearted and gentle, standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets, calling the dog Butthead.”
See is not only a book about death and loss, it’s a book about one woman’s unique journey that resonates with others on a universal level. Ultimately, this book is about how to move through life’s adventures and challenges while remaining joyful and positive.
Learn more about Ginger Graziano at www.gingergraziano.com
Fritz Fombie Have No Fear
Fritz Fombie Have No Fear, written and illustrated by T. E. Antonino, is a whimsical and funny account of children overcoming fear.
The middle-grade novel, perfect for ages 8-13, received The Portland Book Review’s highest five-star rating.
Local author and illustrator T.E. Antonino is a teacher’s assistant at a daycare, where he’s read kids more books than he can count. He loves reading aloud at schools and libraries, using different accents and voices to engage listening children. Antonino has worked with children in the Asheville area for three years teaching the children not only to learn to read, but also to foster a love for reading.
Fear is very prevalent in the world we live in. Fritz Fombie Have No Fear helps children to see they’re bigger than their fears. Antonino believes when a child is smiling and laughing they feel no fear and have no sense of something lacking in their life; thus, the goal of this book.
If You Go: On Saturday, September 26, 2015 T.E. Antonino will read from Fritz Fombie Have No Fear at the Waynesville library at 11 p.m. He will also give a manga art lesson for kids, and read from various picture books for younger children.
On Sunday, September 27, 2015 at 2 p.m. T.E. Antonino will sign copies of his book at Papoose Children’s Clothing & More, 21 Battery Park Ave. in downtown Asheville. (828) 505-7879.
