YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The FOX43 Book Club highlights the works of local authors with ties to south central Pennsylvania.
June's pick, "Dead of Autumn," is the first book in a suspense series by author Sherry Knowlton. When not traveling the world with her husband, Knowlton makes her home in the mountains of south central Pennsylvania.
"Dead of Autumn" finds lawyer Alexa Williams trying to unravel a murder mystery that may have been set in motion decades ago. As she works to figure out the story behind the dead body she and her dog find in the woods, Pennsylvania legends swirl around her.
"A lot of times you'll read in advisories of authors 'write what you know,'" Knowlton said. "So since I've lived here in south central Pennsylvania really my entire life, why not set it here? And then also I thought that one of the things that is missing are a lot of books about south central Pennsylvania."
The idea was set in motion once Knowlton developed her main character and decided to tell a story with local roots. Alexa can't shake the sneaking suspicion that the body she finds has something to do with the murdered Babes in the Woods, who were found within miles of the writer's current home.
"Not quite 100 years... after their bodies were found, people still leave little toys, leave flags, you know," Knowlton said. "Their memory is still a real, living thing to people in the area."
The author wove real events and Pennsylvania lore together with fiction to create her setting. The Babes really exist—as does an old Underground Railroad hideout that becomes pivotal to the story—but not in the way or location Alexa encounters them in the novel.
"I sort of took [the Underground Railroad hideout] and the chapel and created my own place. And that is somewhat like a lot of the places in the books," Knowlton said. "Some of them are real, some of them are invented."
The author also tackles history, inventing a militia subplot that is based on the heavy presence of guerrilla fighters in the South and even Pennsylvania in years past.
To help her research, Knowlton tapped into the Cumberland County Historical Society and online newspapers. The author said she found plenty of archived coverage of the Babes in the Woods, further ingraining their story in her heart and novel.
It was this gruesome tale and another since-solved cold case that sparked her imagination, giving birth to the Alexa Williams series.
"When I decided to write the book, I thought 'there are such similarities,'" Knowlton said. "Here in the space of a few miles, in the 1930s, three young girls were killed. Later in this century, there was another young girl found in the woods. And it's somewhat emblematic of how some elements of society treat women. So I wanted to write about that."
Women's issues have always been important to the author. Before her writing career, Knowlton used to work with domestic violence victims.
She initially graduated college with plans to become a journalist but instead went into state government and stayed there for over 20 years. She eventually became a consultant, and with her new part-time work schedule, finally found the time to write her long-awaited novel.
"I said, 'if you're ever going to write this book that you've been wanting to do for years, Sherry, now is the time.' And so, I did," Knowlton recounted. "It was a challenge to myself to see if I could."
The author says she has loved reading and writing ever since she was a little girl.
"Even as a kid, you know, I was always doing those poems and little short stories that get published in a book that they make your parents buy. And then working on the newspaper throughout college and before that, high school," Knowlton said. "But even when I was in state government, I had jobs where I wrote."
That practice served her well. Knowlton says she didn't originally set out to write a series, but she found that she enjoyed the process and series seem to be the status quo for mystery/thriller novels. She is glad the collection gave her a chance to flesh out her characters, and her readers seem happy for more material as well.
"People will come up to me at events or book signings and say, 'please don't kill Reese!'" the author chuckled.
When asked what she would tell other writers looking to break into the craft, Knowlton's advice is simple.
"Do it," she said. "I think for new writers, write as much as you can. Interact with other authors as much as you can. And it's hard to do this, but don't be discouraged if you have a lot of rejections early on in your career... find out why you were rejected and try to use that to improve your writing."
For a more in-depth look at Knowlton's life, some of the characters in the novel and more advice on becoming a writer, check out the full interview above. She touches on these topics in the clip below:
Those interested can follow along with the author on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.
Knowlton is working on the sixth installation in the Alexa Williams suspense series. She has also penned a two-volume travel memoir, "Beyond the Sunset," detailing her journeys around the world with her husband.
The FOX43 Book Club's discussion of "Dead of Autumn" can be found here. To participate in future discussions, please head to the Facebook group!