Following
the success of her first novel Facing Evil, author
CL Hart is back with another nail-biting suspense thriller in From
A Distance (2010; PD Publishing). Bio: CL Hart writes what she
would like to read. About characters who aren't perfect, who maybe
didn't make the best or wisest decisions in their lives before the
twists of fate and the timing of an author, turn their lives into a
snow globe. Maybe for the best, maybe for worst, but definitely for
the entertainment of her readers. CL Hart resides outside of
Vancouver, British Columbia, with her partner and their 3 dogs, one
cat and two guinea pigs! Join us for a lively conversation with this
suspense author by phone, 646-929-1909, or live in the chat room
during the show.
*****
Do you want to be on the email list for
the release of From A Distance
Mackenzie LeGault is an assassin hunting her target in Mexico.
Cori Evans is a student at the University in Guadalajara. One fateful afternoon
their lives will come together and they will soon learn that they can not live
without each other.
Sometime soon a lesbian novel is going to make the crossover to
mainstream publishing and perhaps onto the movie screen. It will
be
one that, despite the fact that it features a lesbian romance, will
be encased in a story that is so compelling the audience cannot
ignore it and will be drawn to it despite the fact that the two lead
characters are both women. That story could very well be Facing
Evil
by CL Hart or one very much like it.
Facing Evil is a multi-layered mystery with tremendous suspense and
enough twists and turns to keep any mystery fan happy. Detective
Abby Stansfield has been trying to bring Billy Ward to trial for a
series of murders of young women and has just had the case thrown out
of court on a technicality. Abby loses control outside of the
courthouse and attacks Billy, which results in a long suspension from
the police department. She retreats to a mountain resort where she
hopes she will regain control of herself and restore balance to her
life. There is where she meets Sarah McMurphy, who is renting the
neighboring cabin, and they begin to develop a relationship.
Before
it can progress very far however, Abby is called back into town by
another murder. While she is investigating that, Billy goes
completely over the edge, and ends up
dead, and Abby finds herself on trial for killing him. As all of this unfolds,
there are separate mysteries about Sarah, Billy and especially Abby
that feed into the central plot. Unlike many mysteries, you will
not
see the answers coming until the last minute and, if you think you've
figured out some of the plot, hold on until you get through the next
page.
Hart has filled this book with a host of complex characters and
situations. Billy is not a run of the mill maniac and Abby has a
darkness to her that isn't normally associated with a hero. Sarah
hides her own secrets and stumbles blindly into a situation that
almost costs her life. One of the best parts of the book is to see
her character strengthen and grow as the story progresses. The
characters just flow from the pages and are so rich in character.
Among them is Abby's partner Lincoln, who is willing to sacrifice his
own career to save her life when Abby isn't. Abby's Uncle Nathan
carries her secrets with him and has to find a way to save her
without destroying the family. There are Helga and Gunter who run
the resort and provide quiet strength. However, rising above them
all is the wolf hybrid Buck, Abby's devoted companion, who will steal
your heart and make it wrench at one point in the book.
Hart uses a flashback technique very uniquely in this book. She
has
the prologue in the present and then Chapter 1 begins the flashback
to how the story started. Then, about half way through the book,
you're suddenly back where the prologue ended and the story goes on
from there. It creates an unusual effect, but works extremely well
the way it is used.
If lesbian literature is going to cross into the mainstream, it is
not going to be by one of the more formulaic books. The stories
that
feature two women meeting, falling in love and having passionate sex
are very appealing to the lesbian community and sell a lot of books,
but they aren't going to open the door to greater acceptance for the
genre. It will be books that feature stories that anyone can
relate
to and get lost in. The fact that two women love each other will
not
drive the story, but will be an important part of how the characters
relate to each other. What will open the doors for all of the
other
stories will be a book/movie where whoever reads or sees it
says, "Hey, that was a great story and did you notice that the two
women were in love?" Facing Evil could be that book.
Lynne
*****
To everyone who made it out to one of the release
parties
Thank You
Some of you may remember this
Me and my sister; she's in the yellow Facing Evil
shirt!
Release Party - August
29th 4pm
Following
the success of her first novel Facing Evil, 
Click on the link and have a listen
CL Hart 7/31/2009 - Lara Zielinsky on Blog Talk Radio