magic, romance, and Gothic stories. Married and living in Alabama, she roots for the Crimson Tide football team.Herbert applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Scorched Grounds, and reported the following:
As it happens, on this very page, we first see the serial killer, known only as the Corrector, applying his own test to a carefully selected victim. In his mind, he is helping weak people face their biggest fears. His chosen must confront their worst phobia and learn to overcome his 'test.' Here, he is in the middle of a lake on his boat, waterboarding Melanie who is deathly afraid of deep water.Visit Debbie Herbert's website.
This is no picnic for me, either," I assured her. "Do you think I enjoy hurting you? No ma'am. But it's my duty."The Corrector was interesting to write. I believe that we all have a motive and justification for our actions. In his case, he felt perfectly justified in 'helping' people the way he was 'helped' while growing up.
"Please," she cried, coughing up lake water.
I waited until she finished coughing and I had her full attention. "Tell me, Melanie. Are you scared?"
"Yes," she wailed. "Please let me go."
I did. The board plopped back down as I rose to my feet, and I barely managed to avoid getting splashed again. I watched the bubbles and thrashing while counting. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three...
This was so much fun to examine this one, random page! Any author would enjoy the challenge of examining page 69 to see how it fits in with the novel as a whole.
--Marshal Zeringue