Unbroken

Solving Mysteries from the Past with Heather Slawecki

07.06.2020 - By Alexandra AmorPlay

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What if the mystery you had to solve was your own past?

Heather Slawecki's Elements trilogy dives into her protagonist's mysterious past. Jenny O'Rourke has been haunted by memories of her brother's murder and as the story begins, she's ready to find the truth, even if it means breaking the one rule she's been obeying for 20 years: Never go home.

In our interview, Heather mentions her blog where she shares interesting factual and historical stories about Bucks County, the location for her trilogy.

This week's mystery author

Heather Slawecki has a degree in English Literature and began her writing career as a feature writer for the Bucks County Courier Times. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with the fast-paced world of advertising and has worked as a senior copywriter for ad agencies in Philadelphia area for over twenty-five years.

She launched her debut mystery trilogy series on March 3, 2020. She's already been featured as a top author in Kirkus Magazine for Element of Secrecy and has earned five-star reviews from Indies Today as well as Readers'Favorite.

To learn more about Heather and all her books visit HeatherSlawecki.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher, Android, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify.

Excerpt from Element of Secrecy

Chapter 1: Escape

I heard them in the barn. They still don’t know it, but I heard them. As a naïve 10-year-old little girl, it was so disturbing that I wet my pants. 

My father, Sean O’Rourke, was once a well-respected and distinguished Manhattan attorney, a good dad, a dedicated husband, and a great provider. But that night I learned he had a dark side. 

As I huddled in the corner of a stall, hoping desperately not to be discovered, I heard his gruff voice in the loft above me. Amid the chatter of strange voices, I heard him discuss plans to kill an enemy. At the end of the meeting, if that’s what it was, he recited a Bible verse before all the voices joined together in a chant. I couldn’t understand a lick of it, but I heard enough to be afraid. I wanted out of the stall and back into the comfort of my canopy bed. ASAP. 

It turns out, that was just a sneak preview of things to come. It’s time to shed some light on his dark secrets. 

* * *

It’s been a mentally exhausting day, one that has taken months of patience, plotting, and scheming to finally arrive. Getting caught could result in months, if not years, of seclusion or some other form of punishment.

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