My latest romantic suspense, The Silver Shadow, is ready to release on May 1st! I’m so excited to share this story with everyone. Before you begin to read, though, there are 3 things you should know about the book.
- The story of The Silver Shadow is based in truth. Some of the events detailed in the book come from fact. This was my hardest true crime novel to write because there isn’t much information about the crimes, but I used what I could glean. There really was a man whacking women over the head in Denver in 1900 and 1901. There really was a Denver Post newspaper. Many of the actual crimes happen the way I tell them.
Because there wasn’t much information out there, I did have to use my imagination quite a bit. Even when I did try to do research, I had trouble. Would you believe that the Denver Police Department just got back to me today to answer some of my questions? I had to tell them that the book is about to release! I hope I did it justice and that you’ll forgive me when I had to fill in some of the murkier details and maybe got them wrong.
2. The story of The Silver Shadow didn’t start out to be about women’s rights. I knew Polly Blythe would be a strong female lead. I knew she would be fighting for her place in the world. What I didn’t know was the silver shadow’s motivations. Nothing is known about them. (That’s all the spoiler you’ll get from me.) I had to try to deduce why he would do what he did. So the story that the shadow has to tell is one that I gave him. But it’s one that I hope resonates with women even today.
No one has the right to mistreat a woman, no matter what. No one has the right to belittle or put down a woman. No one has the right to harm or kill her. I’ve known women who were victims of domestic abuse. I watched one leave and go back and almost lose her life. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic or spiritual abuse, please contact your local police or the domestic violence hotline at 800.799.SAFE. You can also find them at thehotline.org.
3. The story of The Silver Shadow is my last romantic suspense – for now. Barbour will be completing its True Colors Crime series with the release of The Scarlet Pen by Jennifer Ularik on June 1st. Don’t worry – I have plenty of other books coming soon. Be sure to be subscribed to my newsletter to keep up with the latest on that. And if you’ve read any of my books, you already know that all of them contain a degree of suspense, especially my WWII books.
I’m sorry to see the series end. It’s been so much fun to write The Pink Bonnet, The Green Dress, The Gold Digger, and now The Silver Shadow. I didn’t know what to expect when I started The Pink Bonnet. I didn’t even know if I could write romantic suspense. I guess I could, because Barbour purchased three more of them from me! I hope you’ve enjoyed each and every one of them, and as you start reading The Silver Shadow, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
