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.
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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?
Some updates on writing in my Lizzie Borden world: * Dr. Bowen Novella Update: The Dr. Bowen novella, a supernatural-flavored mystery featuring the Borden family's neighbor and doctor is done! Well, almost. I'm editing now. Then I'll figure out the formatting and cover end of things. This is a short, 27,000 word book so I'm thinking of having it come out as a mini book size. I love the size of James Patterson's BookShots. Neat little books! * Working on the back blurb (harder than the whole story!). And... have to figure out the title... I have something in mind to test out with my writing group. I've really come to like the doctor and his wife. The book is a kind of ghost-history-mystery and love story! * Writing - Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter 2: Once I finish editing, it's back to writing Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter 2. I took a look at it again after setting it aside, and the good thing is I still like what I wrote. ha! So, I'll be getting back to that with the goal of finishing it in the next few months or so I hope! * Audio Book Update: Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter is in the audio book production stage. The hunt is on for a narrator. Hope it goes fast! * Other Potential News: Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter: There may be other news concerning the book, but I can't say yet until/when I get some confirmation on this. I don't want to say anything until I get word on whether it works out or not. So, you'll have to wait with me to find out! :) * Coming Soon: A new Lizzie Borden zombie story! Yay! I also have a new short zombie story with Lizzie Borden almost done! Just tying up a few ends on it... Fun story and the neat thing is it has a little surprise twist in it. Stay tuned for details!! ** Btw, if you subscribe to my monthly newsletter (sign up here at my website front page!) this will all likely be repeated there, but good news is worth sharing more than once, don't you agree? Plus, get in on some deals, prizes and more! ** 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? Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them. ***I love lists for the fact that you can see what's going on. Stay tuned for more details! * This week's events:
* Brain to Books Cyber Con & Book Expo starts Thurs, 4/7! See all events on the B2Bcycon home page. - visit the Book Expo! * See genre events: I'm in the Horror and Fantasy blog hops * Check my blog for horror scavenger hunt details See all Blog Hop stops: * Check out WJ Howard's views on Horror Best Believable - * And check out my Real Life horror post on her blog * Rosemary Johns talks about urban fantasy and her Rebel Vampires series * My Lizzie Borden and Dark Fantasy post Other recent events: * Check out the Haunt Jaunts show recap from my recent appearance on Courtney Mroch's radio show on ParaMania Radio. * Talking horror in Women of Horror: A Celebration at Justin Hamelin's Mangled Matters blog It was so much fun chatting with Courtney Mroch on the new Haunt Jaunts show on ParaMania Radio! Tuesday, March 21, 7 pm Central/8 pm Eastern! (See HJ show link). Please listen in and stop by. Maybe she'll even have a question time! ** You can listen to the show here - see Chris Verstraete link on show page. You can download the mp3 too (it's 54 mb.) ** ** Check out the cool video promo above! ** UPDATE: See the show recap on Courtney's Haunt Jaunts site. NOTE: Grab your Kindle copy of Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter - Buy it HERE. Horror - Fantasy - All Genres - Scavenger Hunt, Giveaways, Blog Hops, and More!
*** April 7-9 - See the Brains to Books - events page. ** I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Genre Tours. http://b2bcycon.com/genre-tours/ BLOG HOPS: ** I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Blog Hops http://b2bcycon.com/blog-hop/ HORROR: ** See WJ Howard's post - Horror Best Believable with a Daub of Blood * Visit Carol James Marshall's"Cooked Beast " Blog (who can resist a title like that?!) FANTASY: * Check out the Fantasy blog stops and articles * I'll be writing about a real life horror - the Lizzie Borden Murders * View all the books at the Book Expo! http://b2bcycon.com/showcase/ * *I'll be having a scavenger hunt here on the website. You'll have to find the small matching horror button and answer: What does the miniature Mr. Skellie like to read? ** Submit answer to Horror page - HERE only. An Annual Event You Can't Afford To Miss This is an annual event you just can't miss. An entire weekend devoted to books, with events happening for all genres. |
Blog by Chris Verstraete - author, award-winning journalist, miniaturist. I love dogs, too. It's all good.
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