What if Lizzie Borden's doctor was haunted by what he saw that morning in 1892, and by Fall River's past? My novella, The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, is on sale for Kindle - only 99 cents, Dec. 11-18. * BUY HERE. Get the details here. (Paranormal, some light horror, mystery, alternate history) Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter - What if everything you heard about the historic Borden murders wasn't true? (See details here.)
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Yes, I started Nanowrimo, the write-a-book-in-November project. I had written some already on Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter 2, so I wanted to use it as a quasi-schedule to keep going.
I slacked off a bit, but got some done yesterday. I'm at just over 19,000 words, so not bad. I'll keep going to see where it leads. I am almost thinking of a shorter, novella length, which I really like. The Haunting of Dr. Bowen turned out to be a nice, readable length and a neat little book... But we'll see... Left off at a good, exciting point... Lizzie going out late at night, alone, to meet someone who sent her a mysterious note... Whatever could go wrong?? heh-heh-heh... I have a new nonfiction story, "Lizzie Borden: Murder and Mistakes?" in the Big City Cops I issue of the Mystery Readers Intl. journal. Get it in pdf or hard copy. Good journal. It includes essays on assorted topics by various authors.
Release Week Continues!
It's release week for my latest, The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden’s Fall River: This one is a bit different - a supernatural story that shares how Lizzie Borden's doctor and neighbor might have been affected by the gruesome Borden murders.... and how she influenced him... * NOTE: Please buy your Kindle copy here on release day, Friday, 8/4. Or get it on Kindle Unlimited! I'd appreciate your reviews, too. * Visit some blogs this week to learn more, read excerpts and comment at the blogs to be entered to win a Kindle copy: * Tuesday, 8/1: I'm over at Courtney Mroch's Haunt Jaunts * Wednesday, 8/2: See Jean Rabe's blog * TODAY: * Thursday, 8/3: Thoughts on Dr. Bowen and Lizzie Borden - Here. * Friday, 8/4: RELEASE DAY! Buy here! - Visit Erika Mailman's blog. (postponed) * Monday, 8/7: Jacqueline Seewald's blog Today - A few thoughts on Dr. Bowen: I found him to be an interesting man, seemingly full of contradictions. What really struck me was reading one newspaper report on how he seemed to have a special connection with Lizzie. You can read many of the past news reports on the Borden trial in The Lizzie Borden Sourcebook by David Kent. There are some good newspaper scans of the Borden trial also at the Library of Congress site. The good doctor did seem to be protecting Lizzie. Was he? Was she guilty - or innocent? I've gone back and forth on this, especially since it still seems so incredible that a woman of her standing would commit such a brutal, horrible crime. Yet, these were murders of rage. Personal? Maybe from someone who felt they were not getting what they deserved or able to live how they thought they should? Like many young women of her time, Lizzie did go on a "grand tour" of Europe and may have come back more discontented than ever. But everything - any clues, any witnesses, any reports - all of it was circumstantial. Was she a selfish, greedy, angry woman nearing middle age who felt life had passed her by? Maybe. Maybe other unknown visitors supposedly heard arguing with the father committed the crime. Or maybe that was a convenient lie, too. But it still seems probable that she could have done this - if she was the planning mastermind that could pull it off. If everything fell into place. It's a case that even 125 years later still has many more questions than answers. I recently wrote an article on some of the various elements of the murder and the police role in the investigations for an upcoming issue of Mystery Readers Journal. Stay tuned for details. *** For now, I'd love to hear what you think: Was Lizzie Borden guilty or not guilty? Why? (Share your thoughts in the comments to be entered to win a Kindle copy of Dr. Bowen's story.) * * * About The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden’s Fall River: The short supernatural-flavored mystery (141 pages) is on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and coming in print. http://getBook.at/HauntingofDrBowen Author website: http://cverstraete.com Gruesome deaths haunt the industrial city of Fall River, Massachusetts. Dr. Seabury Bowen—physician to the infamous Lizzie Borden—swears he’s being stalked by spirits, though his beloved wife thinks it’s merely his imagination. But the retired doctor insists that neither greed nor anger provoked the recent sensational axe murders in Fall River. Rather, he believes the city is poisoned by bad blood and a thirst for revenge dating back to the Indian and Colonial wars. Now, two years after the Borden murders, Dr. Bowen is determined to uncover the mysteries stirring up the city’s ancient, bloodthirsty specters. Can he discover who, or what, is shattering the peace before Fall River runs red? Or will he be the next victim? Part mystery, part love story, The Haunting of Dr. Bowen reveals the eerie side of Fall River as witnessed by the first doctor on the scene of the legendary Borden murders. Yay! It's been a long haul, but it's release week for my latest, The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden’s Fall River: This one is a bit different - a supernatural story that shares how Lizzie Borden's doctor and neighbor might have been affected by the gruesome Borden murders.... and how she influenced him... * NOTE: Please buy your Kindle copy here on release day, Friday, 8/4 (or you can get it on pre-order NOW!) Or get it on Kindle Unlimited! I'd appreciate your reviews, too. * Visit some blogs this week to learn more, read excerpts and comment at the blogs to be entered to win a Kindle copy: * Tuesday, 8/1: I'm over at Courtney Mroch's Haunt Jaunts * Wednesday, 8/2: See Jean Rabe's blog * Thursday, 8/3: Come back to the blog here. See my website's Write News blog. * Friday, 8/4: RELEASE DAY! Buy here! * Monday, 8/7: Jacqueline Seewald's blog About The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden’s Fall River: The short supernatural-flavored mystery (141 pages) is on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and coming in print. http://getBook.at/HauntingofDrBowen Author website: http://cverstraete.com Gruesome deaths haunt the industrial city of Fall River, Massachusetts. Dr. Seabury Bowen—physician to the infamous Lizzie Borden—swears he’s being stalked by spirits, though his beloved wife thinks it’s merely his imagination. But the retired doctor insists that neither greed nor anger provoked the recent sensational axe murders in Fall River. Rather, he believes the city is poisoned by bad blood and a thirst for revenge dating back to the Indian and Colonial wars. Now, two years after the Borden murders, Dr. Bowen is determined to uncover the mysteries stirring up the city’s ancient, bloodthirsty specters. Can he discover who, or what, is shattering the peace before Fall River runs red? Or will he be the next victim? Part mystery, part love story, The Haunting of Dr. Bowen reveals the eerie side of Fall River as witnessed by the first doctor on the scene of the legendary Borden murders.
Up for your reading pleasure, a new post on the always-interesting UK-authored site, GreyDogTales.com about Lizzie Borden - "Skipping the Dark Fantastic." If you don't know the full Borden story, there's some good stuff here. Great background and some talk on the upcoming Lizzie Borden movie - and there's also an interview with me talking Lizzie, her supposed guilt, and all that good stuff. Looking for some fun summer reading? Readers shared their favorites in the Liz's Book Club 2017 edition in the Kenosha News - and Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter is included! (see paragraph 8) Yay! "D.L. Stever recommends “Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter,” a book by local writer (and Kenosha News correspondent) Christine Verstraete. “Did you ever wonder why Lizzie ‘gave her father 40 whacks and her mother 41’? Lizzie Borden has been elusive for the past so many years we still wonder why she did it. Lizzie never told. This book explains all. If you like zombies along with a little romance, you will enjoy the story. It’s a fun and gory read.” About Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter: Every family has its secrets… One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?
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Blog by Chris Verstraete - author, award-winning journalist, miniaturist. I love dogs, too. It's all good.
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