"IT KEPT ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT....POWERFUL READ!" ----S.L. Shelton, author of The Scott Wolfe Thriller Series "I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK....KEEPS THE READER GLUED TO THE PAGES!" ----Kathryn Dionne, author of The Eleventh Hour Series "The child ran through the dark forest, sobbing, breathless, oblivious to the driving rain that soaked his matted hair and plastered the flimsy shirt against his skin. Jagged streaks of lightning cut across the night sky, creating a stark backdrop for the swaying black oaks silhouetted above him. He ran, stumbled, fell, and ran again, heart pounding in his thin chest, the sound of his own blood roaring in his ears. Cold rain stabbed like prickly needles at his face and bare arms, and clutching fingers of underbrush tore at his clothing. But still he ran, driven not by reason or logic but by basic primal instinct-the instinct to survive." A child vanishes on his way home from school as thunder rumbles in the western horizon. Another is abducted from his bedroom on a storm-filled night. A young mother is murdered in her bed as lightning flashes across the Valley. Who will be next? And why? When terror strikes the sleepy mountain community of Blacklick Valley, tucked into the dark forests of western Pennsylvania, with the mysterious disappearance of its children and a young mother is murdered, Sheriff Jed Tyler launches a dauntless search for the madman who threatens his Valley. In his quest, will he find an answer to the personal torment that plagues his days and haunts his nights-the answer to a dark secret hidden deep in his past? And why do the turbulent thunderstorms in these Pennsylvania mountains ignite a fury in the mind of the killer that fuels his madness? When newcomer Jenny McConnell stumbles into Tyler's life, will she capture his free-spirited heart or plunge him into greater danger? From fear-ridden Blacklick Valley to a satanic cult in the distant Sierra Nevada's, Tyler is swept across the country in his relentless determination to learn the fate of the kidnapped children as well as find resolution to the black abyss in his own soul.
About the Author: From as early as I can remember, I have always loved the mystique of the written word. My very earliest memories of books are now merely elusive images obscured in the hazy mists of childhood. However, I can clearly mark that space in time when the world of literature opened up to me in a very real and concrete way. I was eight years old, third grade, when my teacher opened a book in class one day entitled THE GHOST OF BLACKWOOD HALL by Carolyn Keene, one of the Nancy Drew amateur sleuth series. As she read, I was suddenly whisked away into a land of adventure and intrigue-a magical, mystical journey into another place and time. That was my first love affair with the written word, and that love continues even now. Creating my own tapestries with words was a natural spin-off from reading the works of others. Writing became a means of expressing my thoughts and feelings, dreams and emotions-a place where all things were possible and my imagination could run free and wild. I wrote primarily for myself, a source of self-satisfaction, from my high school graduation speech to a speech that took me to a national competition in Texas to essays to short stories, then finally to my debut novel RAIN OF TERROR. RAIN OF TERROR, a page-turning, edge-of-your-seat mystery/thriller, exemplifies the proclivity I have toward the mystery genre. The twists and turns in plot, the questions, the clues, the suspense, the final revelations, the challenge of bringing it all together captivate even me because often I'm not certain where my characters will take me. The story is set in the mountains of western Pennsylvania where I was born and raised. I tried to stay true to the authenticity of the scenery, the climate, and the culture of the area-all deeply embedded in my memory and experience. I'm now working on my next novel entitled A REASON TO KILL which should be released in a few months. Of course, the book is another mystery/suspense novel which will also address some important social issues of our time. On a personal note, I graduated cum laude from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education along with a concentration in the Social Sciences. I have taught at various educational levels, most recently at Webster College in Tampa, Florida, where I currently live. When I'm not writing or reading, my life revolves around my family, my little dog Toby, my numerous cats, cooking, and gardening-the quiet passions that seem to define me.