I'm excited and honored by the invitation to give my first public reading of Where You Will Die, this Tuesday evening, September 13, at the venerable WordFest monthly meeting in Longview.
Pacific Northwest author and impresario Alan Rose has been organizing the monthly literary gatherings since at least 2007. The Covid era closed them down for a short time, but Mr. Rose moved them to Zoom for the duration, so only a few were skipped. Now back to in-person events, WordFest continues its tradition of bringing together authors and readers from the local region and around the world. I'm thrilled to be included this month.
Craig Allen Heath will read from his debut novel, “Where You Will Die.” The amateur-sleuth murder mystery follows unconventional minister Alan Wright as he struggles against external obstacles and his own inner demons to discover who killed his new best friend, Ruth MacKenzie, notes the press release.
Wright can’t fathom why anyone would harm one of the oldest and best-beloved citizens of Eden Ridge, a tiny foothill tourist town where he has found refuge from a broken heart. He and Ruth’s friends, five elderly women known as The Little Red Hens, join forces to reveal how even the admirable trait of loyalty can lead to evil acts.
When he was 14 years old, Heath decided he wanted to become a novelist. Fifty years later, he is on the cusp of achieving his goal.
Heath lives in Southwest Washington with his wife. He is working on “Killing Buddhas,” the sequel to his first story about Alan Wright in Eden Ridge.
Alan Rose is the author of four novels, his most recent being As If Death Summoned, the award-winning story of brave community volunteer workers in Portland Oregon during the early days of the AIDS crisis. (You can read my review of this powerful novel here.) The story is semi-autobiographical, in that he was on the front lines as a mental health specialist and prevention program manager in Portland during that time, and has spent decades in such service since. The book has been described "as heartwarming and hope-giving as it is heartbreaking.” It is poignant in its humanity, rich with depictions of both the sorrow and the joy that characterized the people he knew in that time.
Mr. Rose has also long been a beloved fixture in the Longview area literary scene, writing for the Columbia River Reader, blogging extensively about nature, the writing craft, mental wellness and other topics. He also hosts a monthly feature called Book Chat that airs on local public station KTLV and can be streamed from his website.
WordFest is held the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, in the fellowship hall of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. The events are free and open to the public.
