3 May 2011

Review Three of Four A Mystery/Suspense Collection

The third story I am reviewing today in Victory Tales Press A Mystery/Suspense Collection:Sweet  is
The Last of Her Kind   by 
Cheryl Pierson
Author bio:-
Cheryl was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, and lived there until the summer she turned six years old. That summer, she and her family moved to Seminole, OK.

Being the much-younger sibling of the family, her two older sisters were off to college by the time she was eight, and Cheryl was feeling very much like an only child. The upside was, that by third grade, she had discovered her talent for writing and storytelling, and that deep love of putting words together entertained her (and hopefully others) through the years to come.



An oilfield engineer for Baroid, Cheryl’s father was transferred to West Virginia her senior year in high school. With sorrowful goodbyes, Cheryl left all of her friends behind and moved to West Virginia, where she met and fell in love with her husband, Gary. Coincidentally, Gary went to work for the Federal Aviation Administration whose training academy is in Oklahoma City. Within a few years, Cheryl and Gary had relocated from Charleston, WV to Oklahoma City, OK, where he taught training classes at the FAA facility and Cheryl was back home again. Now, thirty years of marriage have passed and Cheryl’s children are grown. Her daughter, Jessica, lives nearby in Oklahoma City and works at an actors’ casting agency. Casey, Cheryl’s son, is preparing to join the Air Force ROTC in January and attend the University of Oklahoma.

During the past many years, Cheryl has worked on a variety of novels, short stories and screenplays, as well as being co-owner of her own editing/teaching company.

She has sold several newspaper articles to The Oklahoman, the premiere Oklahoma City metro area newspaper. She has sold six short stories to Adams Media (F&W Publications) for their Rocking Chair Reader series, as well as their Christmas anthologies, and she has also sold numerous short stores to Chicken Soup for their various collection of anthologies.

In May of 2008, Cheryl signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press for her first full-length novel, Fire Eyes, which was released May 29, 2009 in both e-format and in print. She has another manuscript under consideration with TWRP, and also works with an agent for some of her other novel-length manuscripts.

She and her business partner, Al Serradell, are co-owners of FabKat Editing Services. FabKat offers a wide array of editing services locally and world wide, and Cheryl and Al teach writing workshops for both adults and teens. They have worked extensively in venues all around the Oklahoma City metro, including churches, libraries, schools and career centers, as well as with the Indian Education Department of one of the major school districts.

The Last of Her Kind
Blurb:
An old Victrola is the cherished possession of Cassie's grandmother. Her father also seems oddly attached to the antique phonograph, but her new stepmother detests it. Then Cassie discovers a secret, a wonderful, yet frightening, secret. Will it save her family or destroy it?

Review: This is the shortest of the four stories in the anthology.  Once more Victory Tales Press offers another completely different story.
Yes, there is charm and plenty of mystery with aflavour paranormal, too.  And yet, Ms. Pierson offers an individual voice with this story of family conflicts.
Told in the first person point of view, Ms Pierson, through her heroine, Anna, takes her readers from the present to the past and back again with both clarity and fluency.
Do not be fooled by the apparent lack of pace.  This story entices the reader to keep turning the pages until they can sit back with a secret smile and huge sigh of satisfaction.

Visit the other participating authors:-
Miss Mae
Gerald Costlow and
Anne Patrick

to buy links:- HERE ~ HERE ~ HERE

Please come back tomorrow for my review of the final story in this anthology:-
Dangerous Decption by Anne Patrick

5 comments:

Cheryl Pierson said...

Hi Sherry,
Thanks so much for your review! I appreciate so much you taking the time to read and review our stories in the A MYSTERY/SUSPENSE ANTHOLOGY.
Cheryl

Gerald Costlow said...

This was a haunting tale that left me wanting to read more about the lives of Cassie and her family.

Miss Mae said...

I really liked the way Cheryl pulled you into the story with her first person usage. In one sense, I was both sympathetic and angry towards the father, but I certainly detested the "hateful person" (won't give away who that is!)

Cheryl is a very talented author, and she has a unique gift of story telling. Very proud to be included with her in this anthology!

Cheryl Pierson said...

Hi Gerald,
Thanks so much! Well, you know, there will be some changes coming soon in that family! LOL
Cheryl

Cheryl Pierson said...

Hi Miss Mae!
I don't normally write in 1st person, so that was fun to try. I really enjoyed it, and it was the only way that particular story could have been told well. Thanks for your kind words, my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Cheryl