About Her Family’s Secrets: “…a smooth and compelling read women will find thoroughly engrossing…an absorbing story of family connections…” Review by Diane … Senior Reviewer Midwest Book Review:
Andrea Birch Rossi inherits an old family homestead in a seaside town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Like her marriage, the two-hundred-year-old house is falling apart. When Andrea learns of her husband’s most recent betrayal, she leaves him and Boston and faces the challenge of giving the old house, once occupied by her ancestors, a new life.
She hires a contractor, and they immerse themselves in restoring the home. As she searches the attic and barn, Andrea discovers a treasure trove of artifacts and photographs belonging to past generations of the Birch family. She researches them to learn how she is related, becoming obsessed with the diaries of her great-great-great-grandmother, Abigale Birch. Abigale writes of her father’s lust for another woman, a brother who betrayed her from the grave, and the failings of her own son. Although disturbed when she reads her grandmother’s accounting of her revenge on a husband who manipulated and deceived her, the revelation of a stinging truth leaves Andrea considering the same action.
At a crossroads in her own life, Andrea must decide if she follows the path of vengeful, bitter Abigale, or has the courage to forge one of her own.
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Author Bio:
Hello Readers,
Thanks for visiting. I hope you have read or are considering reading Predator in the House, my third novel. I wrote my first book, Kitchen Canary, a Irish historical fiction novel, in 2017, after being widowed and retiring in a span of eighteen months. I followed Kitchen Canary one year later, publishing Through the Open Door. Writing proved cathartic for me as I transitioned from a married, career woman to life on my own.
I discovered my talent for writing fiction after I joined a writers’ group while spending a winter in Florida. When I returned home to Massachusetts, I stayed in touch with one of the members and we formed an alliance, helping edit each other’s work.
It took three years to write Predator in the House. I was part of a group of four authors, living in different parts of the country, who virtually read, ripped, and provided valuable input into each other’s work. The members of this group taught me to dig deep, think critically, and not stop until the work was as near perfection as I knew how to get it. I highly recommend such a group to anyone considering writing a book, poetry, and short stories.
Although writing is a solitary endeavor, selling books is not. The experience of meeting people at book fairs and festivals, speaking at libraries, and attending book club meetings has been a lot of fun. Readers love to hear about my individual writing process, which includes extensive research and note taking. Unfortunately, I can be a bit scattered and often write notes on the back of old envelopes or store receipts. It’s very time consuming trying to sort through scraps of paper all the time, so I have now disciplined myself to use a notebook. Because my first two books were based on Irish immigrants, I’ve heard many amazing stories about readers’ ancestors.
Predator in the House, my current book, is different than my two historical fiction novels. It’s fulfilling a commitment I made to myself years ago, when, through my work in healthcare, I learned of the scourge of child sex trafficking. At that time I vowed to help in some way.
I didn’t write a grim book about an abused, trafficked child because I felt it would be too hard for most people to read. Instead I created a story of a dysfunctional married couple who are bonded only by their determination to kill sex offenders. Predator in the House has many laugh out loud moments as it follows the antics of Karl and Shirley Shea. It is through their experiences the reader learns the signs of child sex trafficking. Predator in the House is also a suspenseful crime mystery, keeping the reader guessing until the very end.
I recently married a man willing to blue sky book ideas with me and suffer through many drafts. He’s pretty nice otherwise, as well. We have a bevy of adult children and grandchildren and live on Cape Cod. Our house is on a pond where our families are creating wonderful summer memories.
Thanks for stopping by. Please review Predator in the House on Amazon and recommend to parents, teachers, and others.
Best Regards,
Joanne Parsons