Author Review Praises Tamara Ward's Debut Novel - Storm Surge, A Jonie Waters Mystery

April 13, 2011 - PRLog -- It’s fun when you run into old friends, but in this particular situation…not so much!

Where the Atlantic coast hugs the beaches of Wilmington, North Carolina, Jonie Waters reunites with her old high school friend Abby. The problem is-Abby’s dead. Brutally murdered and left floating near the campus of a popular University.

Jonie has just returned to her old hometown replete with old friends, past hurts and humiliations not to mention a highly tenuous job as a fledgling reporter for the Tribune. An anonymous phone call catapults her right back where she never wanted to be: broke, broken and down on her luck. She must confront her estranged family, an old beau, and her long-time nemesis-a stepsister from hell. Her characters are as real as the people we  all know and love: family, friends, co-workers, and murderers….

Jonie finds herself with little support, and only one comfort from her past: surfing. She strives to find her emotional and professional footing among those who would rather she go right back where she came from with the exception of one handsome Wilmington PD detective. Jonie finds herself up to her surfboard in trouble: Abby’s death and serious assaults on the local environment. Who’s determined to see that Miss Jonie Waters meets the same end as her friend?

With a rare combination of intellect and a talent for description, first time novelist, Tamara Ward moves her reader effortlessly through an entertaining and engrossing story of suspense. She becomes the tour guide as she sets her story among the contrasting landscapes of beautiful azaleas and moss draped oaks surrounding old, elegant homes, and  the salty barnacles and rust of the docks of beautiful Wilmington, North Carolina. Once you’re hooked on Jonie Waters unique approach to crime solving and Ms.Ward’s beguiling description of southern living you’ll want to join her in her next novel.

Reviewer:  Carolyn Woods, author of The Aardvark's Wife (2009 )

All Booked Up in Apex, NC will be hosting a Book Launch Party for Tamara Ward on Friday, April 15th at 7:00.  The public is invited to enjoy light snacks, beverages and a meet the author session.  Entrance is free, but sales are appreciated.

For more information, please go to:  http://www.allbookedupsalemstreet.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamara Ward, whose journalism has won awards from the North Carolina Press Association, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Tamara always has enjoyed writing. In high school, she often cut class to deliver columns to local newspapers and was called into the principal’s office for interviewing teachers about how sports programs received more funding than academics, which resulted in an article that mysteriously never was published after she submitted it.

Finally, while an undergraduate, Tamara received her first paid writing job as a sports reporter. Since then, she has held jobs incorporating writing and editing for the North Carolina Museum of Art, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the North Carolina Department of Parks and Recreation, and the town of Holly Springs.

Her writing has appeared in various magazines and newspapers, as well as in Windhover, the literary and visual arts journal of North Carolina State University, where she graduated in English with a minor in music. Today, her writing regularly appears in the Holly Springs Sun as she covers the town council beat. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Cape Fear River Watch.

A resident of a small town near Raleigh, North Carolina, Tamara enjoys wrangling with her two young boys, writing as a freelance journalist, and working on her next Jonie Waters mystery novel. She can’t believe the trouble Jonie is in this time!

Storm Surge is available in Kindle and Paperback through Amazon and All Booked Up.

List Price: $12.99
5.06" x 7.81" (12.852 x 19.837 cm)
Black & White on White paper
304 pages
Peak City Publishing, LLC
ISBN-13: 978-1935711063
ISBN-10: 1935711067
BISAC: Fiction / Mystery & Detective

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Peak City Publishing is a young indie-trade publishing company with a vision to publish the talented and aspiring authors of NC. We use local artists and professionals to bring quality products to market. More Information: www.peakcitypublishing.com

All Booked Up is located at 104B North Salem Street in Apex, NC. The bookstore specializes in buying and selling gently used books. All Booked Up is a proud sponsor of "The First Line", a community outreach program for young adults to encourage reading and writing creatively and courageously! More information: www.allbookedupsalemstreet.com