"Dead is Better"

Jo Perry earned a Ph.D. in English, taught college literature and writing, produced and wrote episodic television, and has published articles, book reviews, and poetry.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist Thomas Perry. They have two adult children. Their three cats and two dogs are rescues.

Perry applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Dead Is Better, and reported the following:

From page 69:

“Detective Lee brought up the possibility that a reward posted by the family, a substantial reward, might help the police in their effort to gain information. Someone who knows something might be incentivized to come forward.”

“What about the gun?” Sheila asks. “Can’t they find fingerprints and other information from the bullets?”

Alan nods but looks at Sheila as if she’s a moron.

“Good question Sheila, but unfortunately, bullets don’t hold prints. I think you mean casings, but the police didn’t find any. Or the gun. The bullets removed from Charles’s body were distorted, but according to Detective Lee’s partner, Detective Sullivan, they came from revolver. A .32. Six shots at close range.”

I hadn’t thought about the holes in my gut until now. Six. That’s overkill, isn’t it? Whoever shot me wanted to make sure I’d never get up again. I study the living faces but their placid self-interested expressions remain opaque.

The dog sails from the table and drifts down onto the lawn like a butterfly or a feather, and then she begins to roll. There is a rustle of papers as the wind and Serena reappear, she with a silver tray holding coffee cups, cream and sugar, the wind with a filthy plastic bag that has risen from the streets far below us and positions itself in the thorny bougainvillea, then flaps around.

“The reward. How much? Five,” my shit brother Mark says. “Five” is statement, not a question.

Alan stands as he gathers the papers into his briefcase. “Fifty. Fifty might shake something loose.”

On page 69 the narrator, a dead man, is observing his relatives meet with his lawyer to discuss his estate. A reader opening this page would learn that the narrator was murdered, that he doesn't know who killed him or why, that the police don't know who killed him either, and that he isn't particularly fond of of his family, especially his brother.

The dog floating around is dead, too. The narrator isn't the only ghost. What page 69 doesn't tell you is that from the moment he finds himself in the afterlife, his companion is a dead dog. This dog is as much a mystery as the narrator is, and just as important to the story. Maybe more important.

The reader might get some faulty impressions, too--that the book is a procedural. It's not. It's a different kind of mystery.

Visit Jo Perry's website.

My Book, The Movie: Dead is Better.

Coffee with a Canine: Jo Perry & Lola and Lucy.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Rosie Effect"

Graeme Simsion is a former IT consultant and the author of two nonfiction books on database design who decided, at the age of fifty, to turn his hand to fiction. His first novel, The Rosie Project, was published in 2013 and translation rights have been sold in over thirty-five languages.

Simsion applied the Page 69 Test to his latest novel, The Rosie Effect, and reported the following:

I’d written half of this post when I realized I’d been working with the UK edition – which has a slightly different layout and thus different page numbering (the story’s the same but lifts have turned into elevators and colours have become colors). Suffice to say that in that version, Page 69 is a crucial turning point in the novel, and I had plenty to say.

But Page 69 in the US version is also an important moment in setting up the story –and perhaps more typical of what readers will find in the book as a whole. Don’s unreliable, philandering friend Gene arrives to share their apartment, having been thrown out by his wife. Let’s pick a couple of moments that tell us something of what Don’s about.

Don doesn’t wait long before offering Gene some advice. After noting that Gene has put on weight, and recommending that he schedule some jogging, Don assumes the role of marriage counselor.

“Draw up a spreadsheet. On one side you have Claudia, [your kids], stability, accommodation, domestic efficiency, moral integrity respectability, no more inappropriate conduct complaints, vast advantages. On the other you have occasional sex with random women. Is it significantly better than sex with Claudia?”

Advice is a central theme of the novel: Don dishing out his hyper-rational science-based solutions, and his friends trying to help him navigate the unfamiliar territory of human relationships. Then there’s the internet. And the social worker. And the lactation consultant.

Back on Page 69, Don’s not finished.

“I’m a bit jet-lagged. Not sure what time my body thinks it is,” says Gene.

Don suggests alcohol as a way for Gene’s body to be reminded that it’s evening. And of course, he shares a drink or two with his newly-arrived buddy. Don’s supposedly rational behavior often has an element of self-interest. He drinks quite a lot in this book, and I’ve had people say, “That’s unrealistic. People on the autism spectrum (which almost certainly includes Don) don’t drink.” Or “Okay, I guess some people on the spectrum drink, but it’s not typical.”

So what? Don is not supposed to be typical of anything. I know that many have said that The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect have given them insights into high-functioning autism / Asperger’s Syndrome, but if they want to know what’s typical, they would be better with a textbook. I feel no obligation to make my character “average” in any sense.

Don has a reason for drinking that many of us will recognize: it helps him relax in social situations. Although on a couple of occasions I’ve indicated that Don is intoxicated, I’ve avoided using it as a source of comedy: Don creates enough without needing to resort to the ‘funny drunk’ formula.

Rosie is on Page 69, too. She’s not on every page (nor was she in The Rosie Project) and I know that causes some grief to readers of chick lit who are used to never having the female protagonist out of frame. But Don’s our narrator here, and sometimes he goes out with the boys, just as our chick lit protagonists have coffee with their girlfriends.

On Page 69, Rosie is getting a bit frustrated with Don: “I suspected that her level of satisfaction had dropped.” We shouldn’t be surprised: Gene’s arrival was unannounced – forbidden even – and Rosie is not fond of Gene, who also happens to be her PhD supervisor. Don has just that day moved them to another apartment as a ‘surprise’ for Rosie. Rosie has just found out why the rent is so low: the rock band upstairs.

Rosie and Don make up quickly this time, but it’s a hint of what’s to come. Not all plain sailing, but without conflict we’d have no drama and no comedy. The drama of living together is different from the drama of falling in love. And if you’ve read The Rosie Project and want to know how The Rosie Effect is different, you have your answer, right there on Page 69.

Learn more about the book and author at Graeme Simsion's website and Twitter perch.

My Book, The Movie: The Rosie Project.

The Page 69 Test: The Rosie Project.

Writers Read: Graeme Simsion (October 2013).

--Marshal Zeringue

"Woman with a Gun"

Former trial attorney Phillip Margolin has been writing full-time since 1996. Most of his many novels have been New York Times bestsellers.

He applied the Page 69 Test to his new novel, Woman with a Gun, and reported the following:

This should be the page 68-69 test. Those two pages at the beginning of Chapter Ten of Woman with a Gun are definitely representative of the book and would keep a reader reading on. The scene is set at the beginning of a Death Penalty murder case that results in womanizing District Attorney Jack Booth’s complete humiliation at the hands of defense attorney Kathy Moran. Instead of concentrating on problems he might have with his case, Jack is focusing on getting Kathy into bed. Kathy, on the other hand, has done her homework in a case that Jack mistakenly believes to be open and shut.

Visit Phillip Margolin's website and Facebook page.

My Book, The Movie: Woman with a Gun.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman"

Tessa Arlen, the daughter of a British diplomat, had lived in or visited her parents in Singapore, Cairo, Berlin, the Persian Gulf, Beijing, Delhi and Warsaw by the time she was sixteen. She came to the U.S. in 1980 and worked as an H.R. recruiter for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Olympic Games, where she interviewed her future husband for a job. She lives in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Arlen applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman, and reported the following:

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is a mystery of betrayal, blackmail and revenge set in 1912 Britain. The English aristocracy led such privileged and protected lives I wanted to stage a murder at the country house of one of their most elite families, causing embarrassment and scandal among a class of people who gave the meaning of the term ‘double-standard’ a gilt-edge.

Page 69 provides us with a useful glimpse into how upper servants regarded their role to the family they served. To say their loyalties were feudal is rather an understatement. In 1912 English servants to the aristocracy really knew their place! The family they served came first, often before their own welfare and certainly before their own concerns and needs. They were forbidden to marry and women servants were not allowed to have what were known as “followers.” In other words a maid could be fired for having a boyfriend. This unquestioning loyalty is demonstrated in the relationship between the mistress of the house and her housekeeper when they break with convention and unite in their own under-cover murder investigation.

On Page 69 the butler and the housekeeper learn that a dead man has been found on the estate. This news adds to the housekeeper’s anxiety for a fifteen year old housemaid who has been missing for most of the day. Despite the fact that the Iyntwood servants consider each other to be family, the butler unquestioningly puts his duty to his master before that of a mere servant girl, even though she might be in very real danger.

Whatever it was that Theo told Mr. Hollyoak, it was bad news of the worst sort, Mrs. Jackson grasped, as she watched the butler shrug himself into his morning coat and make for the scullery door with more haste than he usually employed. Convinced that Theo’s waxy-white face and agitated manner had something to do with Violet’s disappearance she hovered by the butler’s pantry waiting for Mr. Hollyoak to return. Her inner panic and horror knew no bounds when twenty-two minutes later he reappeared and told her that Theo had found a dead man in Crow’s Wood.

“Did he say who it was?” She had asked the butler the question a half-dozen times until she could tell by the set of his shoulders that she should not say another word on the matter.

“You are worried about Violet, aren’t you?” She heard kindly concern in his voice and nodded her head.

“I want to send Dick to the village to see if she’s with her father,” she said.

“Not yet, Mrs. Jackson, A man has been killed on the estate, a missing housemaid is of no consequence right now. We will wait until his lordship returns to the house and then we’ll see...”

Visit Tessa Arlen's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"A String of Beads"

Thomas Perry's novels include the Jane Whitefield series (Vanishing Act, Dance for the Dead, Shadow Woman, The Face Changers, Blood Money, Runner, and Poison Flower), Death Benefits, and Pursuit, the first recipient of the Gumshoe Award for best novel.

He applied the Page 69 Test to his new novel, A String of Beads, and reported the following:

A String of Beads is my eighth book about Jane Whitefield. Jane is a Seneca Indian who lives a quiet life in Western New York with her husband, a Buffalo surgeon. But recently she has received an extremely rare visit from all eight of the Seneca clan mothers, who asked her to find a man named Jimmy who was a childhood friend. He has been accused of murder and disappeared, and they want her to find him and bring him back before he's arrested or killed. Jane has found him, but she's also noticed that the State Police are tracking them through the forest, so they've hopped a freight train heading toward home.

On page 69, Jane and Jimmy's train has pulled into a big freight yard at night, forcing them to get off. They find a Syracuse Post-Standard in a trash can, which tells them they've reached Syracuse. They're hungry and find a small pizzeria on a dark side street. Jane evaluates the place:

"Give me a few seconds." Jane stepped into the doorway, then stood still for a two count while Jimmy was still outside, partially shielded from view behind her. She scanned the people inside, saw nobody she knew, or whose face held an expression of recognition, and nobody who looked hostile. She saw a few women, which was good, because the presence of women usually discouraged the more extreme forms of male misbehavior. She saw a hallway at the back of the restaurant that led to restrooms, and another on the left leading to the kitchen. If they had to they could slip out through the exit that was sure to be at the rear of the kitchen. Jane stepped in, and Jimmy followed.

I'd say page 69 gives the reader a fair sense of what it feels like to be on the run with Jane, trying to avoid both the police and unknown enemies. It also shows how Jane thinks, and how she manages to keep her runners, if not safe, at least alive.

Learn more about the book and author at Thomas Perry's website and Facebook page.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Murder, She Barked"

Krista Davis lives and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

She applied the Page 69 Test to Murder, She Barked, the 1st book in the Paws and Claws Mystery Series, and reported the following:

This scene takes place after Holly and Holmes find a corpse. The shopping bags were dropped on the front porch before they entered the house and called the police.

From page 96:

I understood all right, but some little part of me couldn’t resist the desire to point out his folly. “What about you?” Jerry was pretty hard on you this morning at breakfast.”

His pen stopped moving.

It would have been smart to let it go, but I didn’t. “I’m just saying that you should do what you have to, but of all the people in Wagtail, the three of us are about the least likely suspects. I didn’t even know of Jerry’s existence until I met him at breakfast this morning. And Holmes doesn’t live here anymore.”

“I have a flight out tomorrow morning,” said Holmes in irritatingly diplomatic fashion.

“Better make other arrangements,” said Dave. “I’d appreciate it if you would stick around for a few days.”

“Look, Dave, you know where to find me.” Holmes sounded reasonable, not at all agitated. “I have a job I have to get back to. It’s not like I’m a suspect.”

Dave stared him down without blinking. “I’m in charge here, Holmes. Don’t make me prove it.”

The thunder of heavy boots on the porch announced the arrival of backup police.

“You two get out of here.” Dave cocked his head toward the door.

We hurried out and picked up my shopping bags before the other cops piled in.

Dave flipped the screen door open so hard I though it might have cracked. “Hold it!”

What now? I had thought Dave was a decent guy, but he was turning into a domineering terror.

“Leave those here.” He gestured toward my shopping bags.

“Excuse me? I won’t have anything to wear.”

Holmes opened one and pawed through it. “Come on, Dave. It’s just undies and dresses.

My face burned, and I knew it must have gone bright red.

Dave relented. I could see it in his face.

But at that exact moment, one of the cops inside said, “Secure the premises.”

Panic invaded Dave’s eyes. He grabbed the bags and looked through them, turning redder than me when he lifted a lacy bra. Handing the bags back, he said, “Hurry.”

Visit Krista Davis's website.

Coffee with a canine: Krista Davis & Han, Buttercup, and Queenie.

The Page 69 Test: The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Night After Night"

Phil Rickman is the author of the Merrily Watkins mysteries, the John Dee series, and several novels of the paranormal (including two for children under the name Thom Madley).

He applied the Page 69 Test to his supernatural thriller Night After Night, and reported the following:

Page 69 is the beginning of Chapter 7 of Night After Night. As good a way in as any. This is how it opens.

Grayle takes a headache home with her. Hasn’t had one in years. She swallows two paracetamol, turns out the lights and lies down on the sofa, where she has a dream about a dead person.

This is Grayle Underhill. She’s the central character in Night After Night.

Grayle is an American journalist hired by the British TV company making a reality show in which seven people - a mixture of believers and sceptics - are locked into a haunted country-house for seven days. Grayle’s job is to find out the history of both the house and the people and then to monitor their experiences night after night, while the show goes out live.

But, of course, as we learn in Chapter 7, Grayle has problems of her own.

As usual, it’s Ersula, her sister. The clever one.

Ersula is the dead person. Ersula was an an academic with a pile of letters after her name, like their father, Dr Erlend Underhill, who is not dead but still features in Grayle’s dream.

He joins his cleverer daughter and the two of them stand looking down at Grayle. Looking down on her, on account of Grayle has no qualifications worth a damn.

And is a journalist. Even worse, she used to be a kind of New Age journalist who once wrote a column for a New York tabloid under the name Holy Grayle. She’s hung out with all kinds of weirdos and ended up having a breakdown before starting again in the UK, this time working hard-news.

But now she’s being paid to go back into a world where nothing is quite what it seems, looking after a bunch of people not all of whom are entirely stable.

The title of Chapter 7 is ‘Feral.’ This is a reference to Grayle’s friend and former employer, Marcus Bacton, who’s writing a book about the need for mystery. It’s the slightly ferocious Marcus who will help Grayle discover some of the soiled history of the house. Knap Hall is linked to Katherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII. Its history is not comforting, but you’ll need to read a couple hundred more pages before the worst is revealed.

Despite what it says on Amazon, this is mystery rather than horror, although the paranormal aspects look valid to me. It’s about people and how they react to the unknown.

Personally, I like to think any page could be a Page 69. If you’ve done it right, every page should be full of interesting hooks that make you want to keep on reading. Go ahead… ask me about Page 96...

Learn more about the book and author at Phil Rickman's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Broken Bonds"

New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper is a former high-school and college English teacher. Winner of the 2005 Mary Higgins Clark Award for her outstanding novel, Dark Angel, Harper is the author of numerous romantic suspense novels, historical novels, and a series of historical mysteries.

She applied the Page 69 Test to Broken Bonds, book #3 in The Cold Creek Trilogy, and reported the following:

Page 69 of Broken Bonds is the middle of a scene where the two main point-of-view characters, the hero and heroine, get to know each other better. They are at a restaurant and he says, "No more talking about fracking, poor kids, or how we met." That picks up on the way they met, which was she saved him from being shoved off a cliff in Appalachia. She's dedicated to helping poor mountain kids. But their relationship--and the crime they try to solve together--is going to be a hard climb. The page also introduces a character who played a large part in the previous novel, but it also a possible perp in this book.

(The one time I was blessed to meet P.D. James, she told me never have more than 3 suspects or you won't be able to do them justice. Needless to say I took her advice!)

The book has a lot of action scenes, but this isn't one of them--at least not physical action, but a lot--from the author's view--is going on. Plot, character, themes--yikes, what a juggling act! Would the reader read on from this page? Probably only if it's part of the previous pages, which is the way it works.

And, oh yes, the book does claim to be romantic suspense, so there are hints of both on this page. It gives the reader a moment to breathe between the grabber opening and the "it's-going-to-be-a-rocky-ride" rest of the book.

Visit Karen Harper's website and Facebook page.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer"

Krista Davis lives and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

She applied the Page 69 Test to The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer, the 2nd book in the Paws and Claws Mystery Series, and reported the following:

Oh my! So much misery. Trust me when I say that there’s humor, too, and that The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer isn’t a sad book. Felix, Grayson, and Mark are ghost hunters. Eva is a ghost debunker who fainted when she learned that Mallory is dead.

I avoided mentioning that she fell on Mrs. Mewer’s tail, fearing that would set off more guilt and tears.

Felix inched closer, evidently feeling awkward. “Um . . . you know, Mark is a friend of mine, too.”

“He is?” she sniffled.

Grayson took a seat, his elbows on his knees, his face turned toward the floor.

Felix sat down near Eva. “We were college roommates. He’s a great guy. I can’t believe Mallory is dead. Mark must be flipping out.”

Eva nodded. Was she holding her breath?

“Did . . . did you work with Mark?” asked Felix.

“Sort of. We met when he was investigating some haunted manor houses in England.”

Felix’s eyes widened in surprise. “Cool. I’ve done a few of those. Did you know Mallory?”

“This is so tragic. Do you know her family story?” Eva sniffled and knotted a tissue.

Her face screwed up. “It’s so sad!”

Grayson wiped his eyes with his fingers. “When Mallory was fourteen, her father and brother died in a boating accident. You can imagine how horrible that was. Her mother couldn’t take it, and a month later, Mallory came home from school to find her mother had intentionally overdosed.”

“She was shipped from relative to relative,” said Eva. “I can’t believe that their family saga ended with her drowning.”

“It’s like they were cursed,” said Grayson.

Felix seemed at a loss. “I talked with her last night. She was so happy.” Felix rubbed his face with both palms. He looked at me when he said, “Mark is a trust fund baby from an Oklahoma oil family. You’d never know it. He acts like a regular guy, but he’s filthy rich.”

“Must be nice,” said Grayson. “My grandfathers were missing in action.”

“Both of them? Vietnam?” asked Felix.

“That’s not what I meant. They were just absentee. We never saw them. My parents went through a nasty divorce when I was just a baby. My mom took my sister and me, started a new life, and in the ensuing bitterness, cut off all contact with my dad’s family. Then my dad died.”

Visit Krista Davis's website.

Coffee with a canine: Krista Davis & Han, Buttercup, and Queenie.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Moment of Everything"

Shelly King is a native Southerner who packed her bags and moved to Silicon Valley at the beginning of the Internet boom. She works for a major software company as a social media strategist and information architect. Her stories have been published in the GW Review, Epiphany, Slow Trains, the Dos Passos Review, and the Coe Review.

She applied the Page 69 Test to The Moment of Everything, her first novel, and reported the following:

I think this page does represent the rest of the book quite well. It shows how the notes Maggie finds in the book are a fascination not just for her but for others. These people are longing for a little romance in their lives, just like Maggie is, and Maggie has found romance, at least someone else’s, in the pages of an old used book. The people who respond to her posting online the notes she finds represent what I hope the reader of The Moment of Everything is feeling. Who are these people? What happened to them? Can I find love in a bookstore? But the page also gives us more of a glimpse of Maggie’s friendship with Dizzy. This is a key relationship for her and this page shows that it’s not one-sided. He wants to help her get what she wants, or at least what she thinks she wants at the time. That relationship becomes one of the key points of tension throughout the novel. What happens when you change and your friend doesn't?

Visit Shelly King's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Diva Wraps It Up"

Krista Davis lives and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

She applied the Page 69 Test to The Diva Wraps It Up, the 8th book in her Domestic Diva Mystery Series, and reported the following:

On this page, Sophie has just checked up on Edith, a sour and downright unpleasant neighbor whose husband is in the hospital. Edith thinks someone wants to kill her, but Sophie is worried that Edith isn’t thinking straight, for instance about the fact that someone stole her statuette of a boy. The book takes place at Christmastime.

“I’ve spent all these years disliking her, but then something like this happens,” she snapped her fingers, “and all I feel is pity for her.”

I thanked Mabel and assured her I would call Edith later. They kept their house warm, and I felt like I would bake in my heavy sweater. It was a relief to step out into the cold air again. I wondered, though, what had prompted Edith to leave the house unattended when she knew Mabel was coming. Maybe Edith really was confused.

I probably shouldn’t have, but out of curiosity, I cut through the walkway that led past the house and into the back garden. Even though winter had ravaged the garden, it offered a private respite. Beautiful bushes and old trees stood stark against the fence, their bare branches reaching out like comforting arms around the expansive garden.

Boxwoods lined red brick walkways and a small herb garden had been put to bed for the season. Only the markers with herb names remained. Totally symmetrical, another patch of the same size and shape lay asleep on the other side. A fountain stood in the middle, surrounded by a circle of the red bricks that led like spokes on a wheel to the north, south, east and west. I imagined that it must be even more impressive from the upstairs windows. Where had the statuette of the boy been? I walked through the garden to the back gate and let myself out into the alley.

The old VW camper that had horrified Gwen was parked outside their gate on the other side of the alley. I turned left and walked by Mars and Natasha’s gingerbread garage. I paused for a minute where I’d seen Sugar and Jonah the night before. My cell phone rang, startling me.

“What are you wearing on your date?”

I recognized Nina’s voice. “I don’t know. Probably something black.”

“I have your dress and there’s a woman eyeing it. She looks like she wants to grab it out of my arms. They only have one. Get thee to Sweet Belle right now.”

“Nina, that’s thoughtful of you but—“

She spoke to someone else. “I’m trying this on.” Into the phone, she hissed, “Hurry!”

The store was only a few blocks away.

Visit Krista Davis's website.

Coffee with a canine: Krista Davis & Han, Buttercup, and Queenie.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Perfect Mother"

A journalist for thirty years, Nina Darnton wrote her first novel, An African Affair three years ago.

She applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, The Perfect Mother, and reported the following:

I have to admit I was pretty skeptical about the idea that page 69 of any novel would encapsulate enough of the idea to tell you anything important about the book or whether or not you would like it. So I turned to page 69 this morning to see whether, at least in the case of my book, The Perfect Mother, that was true.

At first glance, it seemed false. My book is about a young college student, Emma, who travels to Spain on a Junior Year Abroad program and winds up accused of murder. It was inspired by the Amanda Knox case, but only in terms of those bare facts. The murder is different, the personalities of the characters are different, even the country is different. My book centers on the relationship between the mother and daughter and the mother’s steadfast belief in her daughter’s innocence even when presented with conflicting information. On page 69 we read about a meeting between Jennifer, the mother, and Roberto, a Spanish detective she has hired to help her prove her daughter’s innocence. In this conversation we don’t learn about the crime Emma is supposed to have committed nor do we hear about the charges against her or the police interrogation of her.

However, on second look, I realized that we do learn a lot that is important in a more indirect way. We see Jennifer’s involvement in the case. We meet the detective who is the only person able to both confront and comfort her. And we learn about Seville, Spain whose customs and exotic circumstances have influenced both Emma and Jennifer. Are these revelations significant because they occur on page 69, or would any page be provocative? That’s for you to find out. I’m on the fence.

Visit Nina Darnton's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Perfect Mother.

Writers Read: Nina Darnton.

--Marshal Zeringue