Book Title: A Knock on the Door by Roberta K. Fernandez
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 392 pages
Genre: Crime Fiction / Thriller
Publisher: Subplot Publishing (Imprint of Amplify Publishing Group)
Release date: October 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. The book deals with heavy themes, murder, and violence
Lori Crawford’s world is turned upside down when her husband dies in a car accident. After twenty-five years of marriage, she thought she would forever live an uncomplicated, happy life with Jack. But just as Lori feels she’s coming out on the other side of her grief, Jack’s assistant at SpringWare, Rita Johnson, discovers information that convinces her that Jack was murdered.
The two women vow to bring the perpetrator to justice. But time is running out, and their names are on someone’s kill list. The truth takes them down a path they never could have suspected. They set out to bring down one of the most powerful men in the country: the director of the National Security Agency. But who will believe them? And how many more will die before they do? Now, they have to decide if they have the courage—and the ability—to finish what they started.
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In her sixty-three years of life, Roberta Fernandez, a board-certified hypnotist, didn’t know that she had a story waiting to be told.
In 2006, she attended a weeklong memoir-writing class conducted by a bestselling author, Joyce Maynard. Joyce worked hard to bring out Roberta’s best work, in spite of her self-perceived lack of talent. While it was an awesome experience to be instructed by a well-known author, Roberta determined that writing about herself was not a talent she possessed.
As a first-time author, Roberta now understands she was simply destined to write in a different genre. She enjoys creating relatable characters and watching the story unfold as she types. Like her readers, she wonders what’s going to happen next. A sequel is already being written as this book is published. Who knows what words will flow across the page in the next fifteen years!
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Guest Post
Does Life Shape Who You Are?
One of the book club questions in A Knock on the Door revolves around the characters’ lives and asks you to discuss how their experiences and careers have affected who they are. This is an interesting question. In my hypnosis practice, people may adopt their life experiences and career characteristics or rebel against them.
I don’t believe I was consciously aware of giving traits such as these to my characters as I wrote about them, but looking back, it is precisely what I did. Many of their personality traits and behaviors mirror what has happened to them and their chosen career.
For example, Lori’s distrust of military-like institutions and individuals was caused directly by the circumstances of her father’s death. Abernathy’s personality is drawn from knowing two friends and a family member who are police officers. Some people may say he is a stereotype, but I would argue that experiences in such a career can profoundly impact beliefs and behaviors.
Mark Mason, an antagonist in A Knock on the Door, is an example of the rebellion I mentioned earlier. He rejected every aspect of his upbringing. I’ve thought about why I chose to portray him as I did. (Other than needing a greedy, bad guy for the story!) Did he have a mentor that modeled this way of thinking to him? Was he trying to make up for all he never had? Or was he just a deeply flawed human being?
This reflection has enabled me to ponder how these characters continue to grow and evolve in the next book in the series. How will the events that happen to them in A Knock on the Door change them? As I write, I want the characters and the story to become more complex and interesting. It’s like watching the pilot of a new television show. If it’s good, you become more invested in the characters with each episode, feeling as though you know them. From the comments I’ve received, this happens in A Knock on the Door, and I take them as a compliment. I want you to love these characters as much as I do!
If you read another of my blogs on this tour, I write more about how I see myself reflected in these characters. It may be interesting for you to reflect on your own life and see where the parallels are, for good or bad.
A KNOCK ON THE DOOR Book Tour Giveaway
