Dear Reader…
If you are reading my book right now, Thank You! If you are
hesitating about reading it, Don’t! The tale is unputdownable but it also has
an underlying message. Alexa Wainwright, as the MC, is relatable, likable,
and vulnerable with a keen sense of humor. Her world is very small because
writing is her life and so she is an easy target for entrapment. As
I wrote this book, I realized that the underlying message in this book is that
greed is the Devil’s playground. Alexa’s pact with the Devil is an allegory for the evil
lurking in our midst. The social decay of modern society with its excessive
greed, the ignorance of our political leaders, and our indifference toward
the survival of all species from the effects of climate change,
among other environmental pressures, are perhaps brought forth by the
darkest forces of human nature. Kirkus Reviews and Midwest
Review of Books both gave very positive reviews that can be read on the Amazon
product page and at Kirkus Reviews here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-s-bell/when-stranger-comes.
Validation! A fun read with food for thought.
Love,
Karen S. Bell
About the Author
When
a Stranger Comes…is Ms. Bell’s third novel. Her debut, Walking with Elephants, was
initially published by a small publisher who went out of business.
Subsequently, she took over as an indie publisher. It went on to win the
Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence and was a top-five finalist in the Kindle
Book Review’s 2012 contest for the best indie books. Sunspots, her
second novel, was awarded the IndiePENdents.org Seal of Approval for good
writing. She holds a Master of Science in Mass Communication and for 15 years,
she was an editor/copyeditor for a "Big Four" public accounting firm.
Ms. Bell was also technical editor for an accounting industry
magazine.
Here are some reviews of her
previous work published in the Florida Times Union:
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
Title:
WHEN A STRANGER COMES…
Author: Karen S. Bell
Publisher: KSB Press
Pages: 222
Genre: Thriller
Author: Karen S. Bell
Publisher: KSB Press
Pages: 222
Genre: Thriller
BOOK
BLURB:
Achieving what you crave can
also bring the terrifying fear of losing it. For Alexa Wainwright, this truth
has become her nightmare. Born Gladys Lipschitz, the daughter of an unwed Soviet-era
Jewish immigrant, her debut novel, A Foregone Conclusion, soared to number one
on the bestseller’s list and became an international sensation. The
accompanying fame and riches were beyond her expectations. Unfortunately, her
subsequent work has yet to achieve the same reception by critics and readers.
Yes, they have sold well based on her name recognition, but she dreads the
possibility of becoming a mid-list author forgotten and ignored. She vows to do
whatever it takes to attain the heady ego-stroking success of her debut. But
is she really?
Witnessing an
out-of-the-blue lightning bolt whose giant tendrils spread over the blue sky
and city streets below her loft window, Alexa doesn’t realize just how this vow
will be tested as she’s magically transported to an alternate reality. In this
universe, the characters from her books are given the breath of life and she
meets publisher, King Blakemore, who just might be the Devil himself. At first,
she shrugs off her doubts about this peculiar publisher and very lucrative book
deal offer because the temptation of riches and refound fame is too strong. But
all too soon, Alexa realizes she’s trapped in an underworld of evil from which
she desperately wants to escape. For starters, she finds herself in an
iron-clad book contract that changes its wording whenever she thinks of a
loophole. Desperate to get her life back, she devises schemes to untether
herself from this hellish existence. She’s also aided by the forces for good
who attempt to help her. However, King Blakemore is cleverer and more powerful
than she can begin to understand. Playfully, he decides to give Alexa a second
chance to save herself from eternity with him and to be free. He offers her the
prospect of a rewrite, as most authors do as part of the writing process. Given
this chance, will Alexa make the same choices and the same mistakes again?
Alexa, as the MC, is
relatable, likable, and vulnerable with a keen sense of humor. Her world is
very small because writing is her life and so she is an easy target for
entrapment. Her pact with the Devil is an allegory for the evil lurking in our midst. The
social decay of
modern society with its excessive greed, the ignorance of our political
leaders, and
our indifference toward the survival of all species from the effects of climate
change, among other environmental pressures, are perhaps brought forth by the
darkest forces of human nature.
When A Stranger Comes is
available at Amazon.
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