Thriller Authors Robert Banfelder & Patti Ann Bengen At Duck Pond Sunday May 3rd In Wading River, Ny

April 27, 2009 - PRLog -- MR. BANFELDER IS AN AWARD-WINNING CRIME NOVELIST WHOSE NOVEL TITLED "THE TEACHER" WON BEST SUSPENSE BOOK OF THE YEAR.  PATTI ANN BENGEN IS AN AUTHOR OF SIZZLING ROMANTIC THRILLERS.  VIEW THEIR WEB SITES AT www.robertbanfelder.com & www.pattiannbengen.citymax.com.

Robert Banfelder grew up in Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, a rural community where he enjoyed hunting and fishing. Robert currently lives on the North Fork of Long Island with his lifelong partner, Donna, where they both enjoy outdoor adventures. He is the proud parent of Jason Robert Banfelder.

Robert graduated from Queens College with a BA in English, cum laude, and received his Masters in English; genre, Creative Writing, at the same institution. Robert also instructed college level classes in English, Creative Writing, as well as a myriad of Adult Education courses he designed.

As an investigative reporter for North Shore News, Robert wrote nine extensive editorials that decried the incarceration of a young man wrongly accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit. With the help of Robert’s articles, attorney Mark Baker of Barry Slotnick’s office, along with CBS News correspondent, Mike Taiibi, Richard Tchilinguirian’s conviction was overturned, and the man was released from prison. Robert also covered such high-profile personalities as John Gotti, Amy Fisher, O.J. Simpson, and Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, to name but a few.

The criminal mind has always been of fascination to Robert; hence, his first psychological thriller, "No Stranger Than I", published in 1990. The novel relates the story of an abused and battered child, whose early experiences manifest themselves in veritably horrific ways. It is a narrative of insanity in its infancy, taking the reader through a labyrinth of twisted telling, revealed by the omniscient antagonist himself. His second thriller, "The Teacher", was released in June 2006, by Port Town Publishing. The prequel to "The Teacher", entitled "The Author" was released in July 2007.  Both novels won "Best Suspense Book of the Year" from New Book Rviews.

An underlying motif in the author’s works is the New York State Death Penalty Law. Robert says, “After a quarter of a century, we finally got that law enacted, but no one has bothered to carry it to full fruition—not even after the defendant (who became fodder for and fleshed out in a subsequent thriller, Trace Evidence) was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Therefore, in essence, we do not have a death penalty law in this state. Period. Nor will we likely see anyone put to death for horrific crimes.” Subsequently, the New York State Death Penalty Law has been vacated; People vs. Stephen LaValle, June 24, 2004. The writer has very definite views on who should be executed in our land. Who? “Simply put—” says the author, “—anyone who murders with malice aforethought...not just beyond a reasonable doubt, for what is at all reasonable about doubt? How sure must we be of a defendant’s guilt? Jack Ruby sure; Colin Ferguson sure,” says Banfelder.

Robert has continued writing psychological thrillers, creating a series of novels: "The Signing" and "The Triumvirate", sequels to "No Stranger Than I", complete the trilogy. "Trace Evidence" is based on the actual Robert Shulman serial killer trial, Long Island’s first death penalty case in over a quarter of a century. "The Author", "The Teacher", and "Knots" introduce a second series. "The Good Samaritans" reintroduces characters from his earlier works.

Additionally, Robert shares his expertise on fishing and hunting in articles for Nor'east Saltwater, The Fisherman, On The Water, and New York Game & Fish.  He may be reached at contact@robertbanfelder.com.
                                                                 **********
Patti Ann Bengen has been recognized by Cambridge's Who's Who for showing dedication, leadership and excellence as an author and writer, and through work at her company, BookWorm Publishing LLC, where she is responsible for reviewing manuscripts, working with authors in both the pre and post-publishing phases, offering reviews to authors, and writing and marketing her own books.

As a writer of romantic thrillers, this talented author has the uncanny ability of grabbing the reader on page one and is relentless in maintaining the suspense until the  ink runs out on the final page. She has been writing for the past fifteen years, and created BWP in 2005. The titles of her recent releases include, "New Beginnings," and "The Devil's Dance," both published by Arbor Books.

Patti Ann Bengen describes the publishing business as, "an industry that is presently in a state of metamorphosis, where there are many independent publishers and authors, publishing almost a half-a-million books a year, and there are not enough agents to handle, or read, the amount of manuscripts that they are given." She is currently looking for an agent to expose her books for foreign rights. Her current projects involve a new romantic thriller involving a rescue mission in Afghanistan, a series of fun short stories for children with moralistic messages: something she feels children are not getting enough of, and a series of self-help, and empowerment books. This delightful author is an authority on writing and is available to speak.

There is more to this lady than meets the eye, bringing an extensive and interesting background that adds to the 'down-to-earth' nature of her writing. The author served as a medical administrator and patient care coordinator, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and providing these services to hospital in-patients, as well as on an outpatient basis, in the community. She was involved with several teams, clinics and clubs, inclusive of cardiac, stroke, cleft palate, arthritis, and amputee, as well as training all support staff. While in this position, the administrator was honored with the Community Recognition Award by radio station WICC for her community service in Bridgeport, Connecfticut, and considers this to be a rewarding aspect of her career. "I have learned a lot from my patients, over the years, and I feel these experiences have helped to develop me into the person that I am today." As she moved on in her career, she served as V.P. of Administration in her family-owned and operated soft drkink business, Seven-Up Brooklyn Bottling Company, Inc., where she specialized in time management. She has had her own businesses along the way including a typing service and a retail music store.

At present, she spends time teaching a three-fold cardio dance program entitled 'Nia,' and has this to say about the program that she is certified to teach, (and has been teaching for the past ten years), "There is nothing else like it out there. This is a cardio dance program that blends the dances, martial and healing arts to provde a total workout at YOUR level, inclusive of flexibility and strengthening training, and stressing the mind-body connection. The program grows with your fitness level." Furthermore, this dynamic lady is a certified level II Reiki practitioner, a registered medical assistant, a certified wedding and special events planner, and specializes in high Victorian teas. This author is a member of several organizations including Romance Writers of America, San Diego Writers and Editors Guild, The National Coaliation Against Domestic VIolence. She sponsors four women around the globe in war-laden countries through Women for Women International, and The Shade Tree Women's Shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a writer, a teacher of the arts and sponsor, she is devoted to women empowerment, and bringing the horrendous and ongoing issue of people abuse out into the open. She has appeared on Fox 5 in Las Vegas, on local cable television on Long Island, on several radio talk shows across the country, and is avilable to speak with the media. She may be reached via e-mail at sweetstorygirl@aol.com