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Guest Post by Marlene Bell, Author of A Hush at Midnight
Today we’re sharing a guest post by author Marlene Bell, author of A Hush at Midnight, as part of her blog tour through WOW! Women on Writing. About the Book: Celebrity chef Laura Harris dwells on the horror of finding her mentor’s body in the groundskeeper’s disheveled bed—pillow and bedding half covering her open eyes—purple bruising around her mouth. A grisly snapshot in time revealing the Texas woman’s last moments during her attack. The elderly matriarch from the small town of Stenburg has left the physical world, and Laura is shattered. She is catapulted headlong into the pursuit of a casual executioner, one bold enough to come and go from the crime scene…
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When Nancy Cooper Went Missing in Cary, N.C.
October is the designated month for bringing awareness to Domestic Violence, but it is a topic I believe we should be talking about year round, as it still remains a prevalent issue in our society. I’ve discussed several cases tied to domestic violence in this podcast, including Patty Jo Pulley from Episode 45, Across State Lines, Maryann and Elaine Boczkowski in Episode 48, Two Wives, Two Deaths, and Shelby Wilkie from Episode 85. Many other missing persons cases likely have ties to domestic violence but just don’t have the solid evidence yet to back that up. On July 12, 2008, 34-year-old Nancy Cooper from Cary, N.C., went missing while out on a run.…
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The Drowning Death of Brenda Anderson in South Carolina
On the afternoon of June 19, 1965, a little girl playing on the shore of Folly Beach, South Carolina came across the deceased body of a woman wearing a two-piece bathing suit. Because there were no personal belongings found on the beach, authorities began questioning nearby residents to see if anyone could identify the young woman. When 24-year-old John Paul Anderson, a Polaris Submarine crewman from Massachusetts, returned home from running errands early that evening, he was unable to locate his wife, 20-year-old Brenda Lee Minton Anderson, who lived with him on Folly Beach. That’s when neighbors told him about the woman who had been found on the beach and he was able…
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Book Review: Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo
When I heard that author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo had begun writing a YA cozy mysteries, with Murder by Milkshake being the first in her series, I was so excited. As a teen, I was a huge fan of the Trixie Belden mystery series, as well as Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High books featuring the lives of twins Liz and Jessica Wakefield and their group of friends. In high school, I also delved into more adult mysteries with author Mary Higgins Clark. Naranjo gave an interview with WOW! Women on Writing when she launched her blog tour this week explaining how she got the idea to create a unique blend of genres she hadn’t…
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The 1995 Shooting at the University of North Carolina
On Jan. 26, 1995, around 2 p.m., twenty-six-year-old University of North Carolina law student Wendell Williamson walked down Henderson Street near campus in Chapel Hill, N.C., carrying a semi-automatic rifle and wearing a camouflage jacket. He opened fire, killing 42-year-old restaurant worker Ralph Walker near his apartment. He continued walking, shooting at bystanders. Twenty-year-old UNC student and lacrosse player Kevin Reichardt was riding his bicycle in front of the Phi Mu sorority house, and he was killed instantly when Williamson shot him. Williamson then shot at police officer Demetrise Stephenson, who was driving by in her police cruiser. Injured, she crashed her patrol car into a curb. Police officers on Henderson Street began…
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What Happened to Jeremy Grice from Aiken, South Carolina?
On November 22, 1984, a four-year-old little boy vanished in the rain from his parents’ home. Jeremy Grice lived with his mother and step-father, Donna and Nick Arrington, and his 10-month-old sister Christy. His step-father put Jeremy to bed the night before while his mom worked second shift at a local manufacturing plant that made thermostats. She arrived home from her shift around 1 a.m. and went to sleep. Her husband Nick got up around 7 a.m. to go to work. Around 10 a.m., Jeremy’s infant sister woke her mother up. Donna was surprised her son hadn’t woken her up already by that time. She searched their mobile home and the bedroom Jeremy…
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What Happened to the Dorchester Three in South Carolina?
On April 3, 1987, Linda McCord, age 33 and her friend Sarah Boyd, age 32 drove to a gospel concert in Waltersboro, South Carolina. They were traveling in a blue Lincoln owned by Linda’s husband and also took Sarah’s 2 ½-year-old daughter Kimberly along with them. Around midnight, Sarah’s husband returned home from work and was surprised that his wife and daughter weren’t back home yet, but he assumed they had stayed over at Linda’s house and would be back the next morning. When they didn’t return, he filed a missing persons report with the police. Linda’s husband found the car abandoned in Dorchester County two days later. Upon further examination, he discovered…
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Book Review of Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults
Several years ago, I watched an episode of the series “People Magazine Investigates: Cults” about a church in Spindale, North Carolina called “Word of Faith.” I was astonished at what I learned, and could see why the church is being considered called a cult by former members and other people who learn about it. The church was founded in 1979 by Sam and Jane Whaley. While Sam had formal training as a minister, Jane, who went to college to study education and eventually worked as a high school math teacher, did not. It didn’t take long before Jane declared herself a prophet and took over as the leader of the Word of Faith.…
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Year-End Review of My Writing, Podcasting, and Freelance Projects
Every year I try to take an inventory of my writing productivity and progress. It helps me stay motivated in reaching my writing goals and gives me ideas for future content. This past year has seen me writing daily, whether I’m working on copy, podcast scripts, book reviews, or revisions on my suspense/thriller novel. Yesterday I sat down and crunched some numbers to see what I accomplished in 2023, and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Here’s a look at what I worked on this past year: For my true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas: I made the decision this fall to go from a bi-weekly production schedule to a weekly…
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Book Review: Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall
Book Summary Fall is in the air, the scent of autumn leaves and apple pies, and now a brand new business is opening its doors in small-town Sutter, Georgia. But not just any business. It’s the Golden Girls meet the Ghostbusters when four women find themselves in an unlikely career: Southeastern Paranormal Investigations. Ree Lane, a stylish widow, is more cynic than true believer, while her childhood chum Elle Harper has a knack for getting sensitive info with the help of her homemade pies. The preacher’s wife, Betsy Jones, can’t be seen with SPI unless she’s in her disguise as Nora, a psychic-in-training with a gift for Tarot. And the recently-returned-home Gillian Buchanan…
