Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match" where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It's our great pleasure to present Sarah Beth Martin!
Writes
I write novels that fall somewhere between literary fiction and psychological suspense, sometimes called a soft thriller. My most recent novel, In the Vanishing Hour, has a mystery at its core, and features characters haunted by secrets and faces of the past. I prefer inner demons to literal ones, although I do love a good old-fashioned horror story. Settings are loosely based on real places, but I mix and match pieces of landscapes and make them my own. Atmosphere is a major player in both of my books, and I like to infuse locations with it. I want readers to get lost not only in a character’s thoughts but in their surroundings - and be haunted by them.
About
I have lived in Maine more than half my life, but I grew up in Massachusetts, watching old movies, listening to Herb Albert and Burt Bacharach, and attending Red Sox games. I love old maps and other vintage memorabilia, and anything rustic or nostalgic. I often read too many books at once and have a weakness for British crime shows. As a lifelong movie buff, I also enjoy reading and writing screenplays. Other weaknesses include digging in the garden dirt, true crime podcasts, chicken parmigiana, and going down the genealogy black hole. My dream is to write in a rustic old coffee shop, but my distracted mind won’t let me.
My ideal reader match is someone who:
- Loves novels about family secrets
- Appreciates nostalgia in its many forms
- Prefers a slow burn mystery or drama to a fast-paced thriller
- Enjoys books that are romantic but are not romances
- Adores the novel Rebecca
- Loves to explore locations that once existed
- Enjoys books such as The Girl on the Train, The Paper Palace, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Forgotten Garden, Mystic River, The Hours, Cat’s Eye
- Enjoys films like Vertigo, Rebecca, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ghost Story.
What to expect if we’re compatible:
- Dual timelines and multiple point-of-view narratives.
- References to classic books, old movies and music, and the occasional vintage brand
- Atmospheric settings such as mist-covered rivers, jagged coastlines, dimly lit interiors
- Characters who carry guilt and regret, dysfunctional families,
- Old keys, boxes, letters, and trinkets, often buried things
- Water - rivers, oceans, etc.
- Instagram posts of trees, beaches, cats, and historic places
New England, Summer, 1951-When a thirteen-year-old boy drowns in the Charles River, a family is left devastated, and the town of Norumbega is changed forever.
Eight years later, Frances Adams lives in the shadow of her dead brother Mac. She feels no identity, until she meets model Gwen, whose mystique inspires her to reinvent herself. When Gwen vanishes into the river and is presumed drowned, Frances becomes obsessed with her memory. She transforms herself into Gwen's likeness and feels a power she has not felt before.
An investigation begins, and the police question three men last seen with Gwen. Frances and her friend Iris follow them to the local riverside park, where one of the men-the suspicious Harris-mistakes Frances for Gwen. Intrigued by the idea of haunting him, she continues her secret pursuit, drawing him closer as she immerses herself in the case. As the mystery unravels, shocking revelations about its connection to a long-ago family tragedy surface.
In 1974, the former riverside park is excavated for new development, and two buried pasts are coming to light. Soon Frances will discover that the connections between Mac, Harris, and the mysterious Gwen are more profound-and chilling-than she ever imagined.
Suspense Psychological [Encircle Publications, On Sale: October 19, 2022, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781645993933 / ]
Sarah Beth Martin is the author of THE ONE TRUE OCEAN (Sourcebooks), published in the U.S. and Germany. Her second novel, IN THE VANISHING HOUR, is due out in October 2022 (Encircle Publications). Her short fiction and essays have appeared in several magazines and journals, including Cicada, Pearl, West Wind Review, Women Writers, Women's Books, and Flash Fiction magazine. Sarah also established the literary journal Foliage, for which she worked as editor and publisher. She lives in coastal Maine with her husband and three cats, with their three sons not far from the nest.
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