Emerging Author: Karen Katchur (THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD)

"A haunting story about the destructive power of secrets" describes Karen Katchur's debut novel, THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD, but readers should understand the story has a chillingly real foundation.

Katchur set her novel on a lake in the Poconos, where she spent summers growing up. One summer, she witnessed a teenage boy drown. She was never able to shake that image, and begins her novel with a young girl’s drowning.

"I’ve always thought of the lake as a happy place, but at the same time there was something dark and frightening about it as well," Katchur said. "As a writer, how could I resist the lure of such a remarkable setting? It was a perfect mix of beauty and danger for a suspense novel."

Although the accolades are beginning to pour in, Katchur's road to publishing wasn't a breeze. She admitted she lost track of the numerous rejections her work received over the years.

"It took me a total of 10 years to get published—eight years to land an agent with my fourth novel, and another two years after that to sign a book deal. So no, the road to publication wasn’t an easy one," she explained. "However, looking back, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today if it had happened in any other way. I’m older for sure, and hopefully wiser. I’ve learned to be more patient, flexible, and adaptable, all lessons that serve me well in this crazy business."

A criminal justice major in college, Katchur abandoned a law career after realizing litigation wasn't her thing. She focused on writing, but her process could only be described as "messy."

"I’m not a very good plotter," she said. "When I sit down to write I have a vague idea about the beginning and ending, but no idea about how I’m going to get there. And I don’t always know whodunnit in regards to the mystery element. Let me put it this way, if a reader is surprised by a plot turn or twist, it’s because I was surprised!"

About Karen Katchur

Karen Katchur holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from West Chester University and a Masters of Education degree in Health and Physical Education from East Stroudsburg University. She lives in Eastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. She enjoys running and tennis. THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD is her first novel.

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About THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD

A haunting story about the destructive power of secrets, THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD is an accomplished and gripping suspenseful women's fiction debut.

Jo has been hiding the truth about her role in her high school boyfriend's drowning for sixteen years. Every summer, she drops her children off with her mother at the lakeside community where she spent summers growing up, but cannot bear to stay herself; everything about the lake reminds her of the guilt she feels. For her daughter Caroline, however, the lake is a precious world apart; its familiarity and sameness comforts her every year despite the changes in her life outside its bounds. At twelve years old and caught between childhood and adolescence, she longs to win her mother's love and doesn't understand why Jo keeps running away.

Then seven-year-old Sara Starr goes missing from the community beach. Rescue workers fail to uncover any sign of her--but instead dredge up the bones Jo hoped would never be discovered, shattering the quiet lakeside community's tranquility. Caroline was one of the last people to see Sara alive on the beach, and feels responsible for her disappearance. She takes it upon herself to figure out what happened to the little girl. As Caroline searches for Sara, she uncovers the secrets her mother has been hiding, unraveling the very foundation of everything she knows about herself and her family. THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD by Karen Katchur is a riveting novel that is impossible to put down and hard to forget.