A WRITER'S FANFARE by Partricia Crandall

In the nineteen fifties, my interest was captured by the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene. Each holiday I would request the latest Nancy Drew title and on receiving it I would curl-up in an over-sized chair and begin reading the fast-paced adventure.

Whereby, I dabbled at creating my own mystery stories at an early age. My first effort detailed a long, frightening chase by a sinister man. A dark tunnel appeared, leading to (of course) a haunted mansion. The not-so-brilliant ending had me saved by the man of my life at the time – my father.

My parents and teachers would often tell me, “Patty, you are a dreamer. You have a vivid imagination. Put it to good use.” It was at that point, in lieu of playing with friends or watching the new small-box-wonder – TV, I sat at an old desk in the kitchen and wrote mystery stories. I also drew stick figures to illustrate the action in the stories. The discovery of boys replaced pen and paper. The telephone became my favorite instrument and I lost interest in reading and writing until a formidable nun taught me English in High School. With her teaching skills and persistence, she developed writing skills I never knew I had. I won a major writing contest at school that year shining a bright light on the school, teacher and myself.

 With a revival of interest from my childhood, I picked up where I left off, writing saleable poetry and a variety of articles, essays, and short stories. Presently, I am penning novels to include mainstream stories and my favorite, mysteries.Two favorite characters I have created for general entertainment are Gert Carver and Nina Westacott. Friends for many years, the two women pursue bottle mining and flea market quests. I was fortunate to have a close relationship with two aunts. The idea came to mind to express how their uniqueness affected me as a child. I wished to pass the essence of their warm and zany personalities on to others and I fictionalized them.

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  In writing mystery stories, I am determined to have justice served. My recent sojourn to the Rensselaer County Courthouse for jury selection impressed me that perpetrators have more rights than victims. It confirmed what I already knew; people are victimized once during the actual crime and once during the detailing of the sordid events leading to the crime at the trial. Can anyone blame a person who refuses to go through a debilitating trial? Hence, the perpetrator gets away with a plea bargain or less and walks away a free man. Often, he/she commits a similar crime. I would like to shadow dedicated professionals and put into writing the need for more honesty and integrity in the justice system.

Ideas for a writer’s fanfare are everywhere. Newspapers are a good source for material; just study the headlines. What if …?

The Red Gondola and the Cova

 Nine-year-old Caroline Wilkes slips away from her brother's ninth grade graduation party to get a free ticket for a gondola ride at Storm Mountain for his gift only to disappear. Clue by clue, the police discover it's no ordinary kidnapping and the suspect may be closer to Caroline than anyone ever realized. During a hike near Storm Mountain, Lester Cranshaw and his dogs, Paddy and Patches, are drawn into the sordid mystery by discovering an injured cat possessing a dark secret only he can make known. At once, Lester finds himself searching for an innocent child and fighting evil forces. The Red Gondola and The Cova, a chilling thriller, stirs the tempest of domestic abuse, opioid abuse, and modern child slavery and sex trafficking. One shining light is an appearance by the Blessed Mother at a Cova to one of the victims. It reveals a world where the most sacred bonds are shattered when a mother sells her child.

 Patricia Crandall has published numerous articles and short stories in various magazines and newspapers. She has eight books in print, Melrose, Then and Now, a historical volume, I Passed This Way, a poetry collection, The Dog Men, a thriller, Tales of an Upstate New York Bottle Miner, non-fiction, Pat’s Collectibles, a collection of short stories, Living to One Hundred Plus, a collection of interviews of women living past one hundred and a y/a thriller about child sex trafficking titled The Red Gondola and the Cova. A Reunion of Death is a Christmas mystery. In November 2022, she will publish Lacy O’Dunn, The Rookie, a crime/thriller involving drugs, car bashing senior citizens on icy winter roads. who retaliate with a rosary posse. She is presently working on two mysteries, Mystery at Cotswald Cottage and Welcome to Highland Springs. She lives with her husband, Art, and a rescue cat, Bette, at Babcock Lake in the Grafton Mountains near Petersburgh, New York. She has two children and three grandchildren. Visit her author site at www.patriciacrandall.com