Q & A with International Bestselling Author Wendy Walker |
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EXCEPTIONAL AUTHORS. STANDOUT BOOKS. ELEVATOR TALK. |
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DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker
O N S A L E N O W! "Distinctive, well-developed characters complement the skillfully paced plot. This moving look at the bond between a mother and her children reinforces Walker's place at the top of the genre."
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) |
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Check out the cool rain when you click below or photo above! |
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Dear Readers, Today, we have a very special guest interview and fan favorite, the talented bestselling author, Wendy Walker, and her latest highly anticipated psychological thriller, DON'T LOOK FOR ME. If you have read her previous thrillers you know you are in store for a twisty ride! "Psychologically rich, a brilliant, atmospheric, emotionally-charged and edgy thriller by the 'master of suspense'. . . Full-throttle, dark, creepy, and relentless! Not only is this a twisty and killer psychological thriller—an emotional story of grief, hope, family, survival, and lots of heart." Interview Overview - About the Author
- Q&A With Wendy (behind the book)
- An Elevator Ride with the Author (fun personal facts)
- Book Virtual Events
- Praise for DON'T LOOK FOR ME
- Book Summary, Buy Links
- Book Trailer and Audio clip
I hope you enjoy DON'T LOOK FOR ME as much as I did. A perfect thriller for the upcoming fall weather and Halloween. Find my 5-star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ link included at the end of the review. Top Books of 2020. On sale today! Happy Reading. @JudithDCollins The host of "An Elevator Ride with the Author Series." #JDCMustReadBooks Blog |
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About the Author Photo Credit: Bill Miles Wendy Walker is the author of the psychological suspense novels All Is Not Forgotten, Emma In the Night, The Night Before and Don’t Look For Me. Her novels have been translated into 23 foreign languages and topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad. They have been selected by the Reese Witherspoon Book Club, The Today Show, and The Book of the Month Club, and have been optioned for both television and film. |
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Wendy holds degrees from Brown University and Georgetown Law School and has worked in finance and several areas of the law. As a former family law attorney with training in child advocacy, Wendy draws from her knowledge of trauma and psychology to write compelling and complex characters and stories. |
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One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. She doesn't want to be found. Or at least, that's the story. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together. They called it a “walk away.” It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke? |
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In Wendy Walker's thrilling novel Don't Look for Me, the greatest risk isn’t running away. It’s running out of time. |
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Q & A with Wendy Walker DON'T LOOK FOR ME |
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Welcome, Wendy! Thank you for joining us today. Before we get into your latest book wanted to take a moment to highlight your book, THE NIGHT BEFORE, now in paperback for those who have not read. (a must-read)! Readers, if you have not heard—Eva Longoria has announced a deal to develop The Night Before for television noting, “Now this is a thriller you won’t be able to put down. An amazing psychological suspense tale by Wendy Walker that will keep readers guessing until the very last page! And I’m so excited to develop this into a tv series!” Q. Wendy, do you have any updates to share, and how thrilled are you about this news? WENDY: It’s always exciting when a major studio and star producer option a book! While the pandemic has slowed things down, the project continues to move forward and is in the early stages of development. We are exhilarated about your latest highly anticipated psychological thriller, (your best yet), everyone is buzzing about —DON’T LOOK FOR ME, and our readers are anxious to learn more. Let us dive in!
INTRO
Q. Describe DON’T LOOK FOR ME in three words or less?
WENDY: Terrifying. Emotional. Powerful. INSPIRATION Q. If you will, share with our readers “the story behind the story.” The inspiration for DON’T LOOK FOR ME. Where were you when the spark came to you?
WENDY: The book actually began with a personal experience. I was driving back from my son's soccer game, four hours from my home in southern Connecticut. It was at a difficult time in my life as a single mother, so I was already emotionally stretched. The game had been horrible with rough play, bad ref calls, and unusually cruel jeering from the other team's classmates. I realized for the first time as a parent, that I could not protect my children from everything bad in life. I felt powerless, and on top of everything else, it was overwhelming.
I was halfway home and had to stop for gas near this very depressed and neglected town. Standing at the pump, unable to stop my spinning thoughts, I saw a long road flanked by cornfields. Out of nowhere, I had this flash of thought to just leave everything and walk down that road. Of course, I didn't do that and the thought left as quickly as it had arrived. But the rest of the way home, I wondered where it had come from and if, perhaps, I could take this experience and build a character and a story that would capture that moment. CHARACTERS & PLOT Q. DON’T LOOK FOR ME is both plot and character-driven. Masterfully crafted, you manage to keep the twists coming. The tension is unsettling and relentless. There are surprises with each page turn. I could not put it down! What did you have the most fun with, character or plot? WENDY: That’s a tough question! While I enjoy coming up with the twists, I most enjoy writing the psychological components of my characters. In this book, there are two narrators – Molly Clarke, the missing mother, and Nicole, the daughter who searches for her. I found writing Molly’s chapters much easier than Nicole’s because Molly is in the midst of extreme emotional distress and the plot evolves from the disturbing moments that occur while she’s being held captive. These moments are not violent – they are purely psychological, and that is what I like to write more than anything. With Nicole’s narration, I had to constantly find a balance between plot and character development. So much information had to be disclosed in her chapters, and yet I also needed to stop and build the backstory and internal thoughts that would let readers understand Nicole and attach to her the way I wanted them to. Those chapters required a lot more work as a result, but hopefully, it paid off! Yes, indeed it did! Q. Did any of the characters appear fully-formed? WENDY: Yes – Molly, Nicole, and Alice. These were the anchors of the book as I began plotting and writing. As I mentioned, Molly was inspired by a personal moment I had miles from home, which became the opening scene of the book. From there, I asked the question – what would make a person act on a sudden and irrational thought and walk away from life? I gave Molly a backstory that I hoped would allow readers to understand her mental state. Nicole was a combination of my own experience with young adult angst and an understanding (after much research) of grief and guilt and how they can prevent the young mind from progressing and instead to seek escape. As for Alice, my work in family law and research into sociopathic illness guided me in her development. I knew her age and what she’d been through, and from there everything she did and said almost wrote itself. |
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SETTING Q. DON’T LOOK FOR ME is set primarily in Hastings, Connecticut, and the New England area along the road and into the woods of this small town. Tell us about choosing this setting and do you have a favorite spot in New England you like to visit?
WENDY: I chose the fictional town of Hastings because the moment that inspired the book occurred in a town that I knew would be perfect for the story. Hastings then became a combination of similar towns that run along a river through Connecticut on the way to Western Massachusetts. Many of these towns were once thriving with factories and chemical companies. As those factories and companies closed, there was little left. There are few major cities nearby or trains for commuting. Many of these towns feel dead or dying. I also wanted to move my story out of a wealthy community and into a place that could serve as its own character, and also be a factor connecting the characters who appear in the story. This is the most heavily I have relied on setting in any of my books, most of which have taken place in and around the wealthier suburbs of Connecticut. Hastings makes the story more atmospheric than anything I have ever written, and it served the story well!
Q. The novel takes readers on a suspenseful and heartfelt journey from Day One to Day Eighteen and wraps up seven months later. I really enjoyed the chapters. Share with us a little about choosing these specific numbers of days in your writing and the setup, etc. WENDY: By using a split time-frame, I was able to add an element of suspense that would not otherwise have been available. When readers are with Molly, they are fearful of what will happen because they know she is still not found when we first meet her daughter, Nicole, two weeks later. Will she escape? Is she still alive when Nicole is looking for her? What happened in between? And when readers are with Nicole, they know things she doesn’t about the type of place in which Molly is being held and how close it is to where Nicole is looking. As the time frames converge, the suspense ramps up even more. It was fun to write in this structure because I knew it would cause a few hearts to race! Yes, tachycardia! TOPICS AND THEMES Q. DON’T LOOK FOR ME is an emotionally resonate portrait at the bond between a courageous mother and her children. From grief, blame, motherhood, survival, marriage, gaslighting, kidnapping, love, resilience, protection, abuse, greed, and courage. The two parts of the story intersect and create a page-turning explosive ending. Expand a little about the themes and topics and how they parallel to the characters and their emotions. WENDY: Guilt and grief ended up playing major roles in the novel. Molly Clarke’s backstory was first developed to explain her decision in the first chapter, but after that, I continued to expand on the themes that came from this backstory. Because both Molly and her daughter, Nicole, share in their grief over losing the family’s youngest child, Annie, five years ago, and also in the guilt at the roles they believe they played in her accidental death, they are connected in a unique way. When they both find themselves in terrifying, punishing circumstances, and are finally able to act, to fight against something evil in the world, their guilt and grief shake loose and they both start to move forward, back toward each other and their family. Toward living again. I did a deep dive into research on these issues and was able to build them into the story and character development, adding an emotional layer that I had not originally planned on. This made the story! |
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RESEARCH Q. Any research for the book that you found fascinating, or something new you learned?
WENDY: Yes! After I had that strange moment at the gas station far from my home, I immediately began researching emotional-based decision making and what causes people to act on it. I learned that these decisions, such as walking away from one’s entire life, have a psychological explanation. These thoughts are actually very common and come from our primitive flight-or-flight impulses to pain or fear. When emotional pain becomes severe, and our rational brain can’t put a stop to it by offering a solution, the instinct for flight takes over. It can become so strong that the brain physically heats up and the connectors to the rational part of the brain disengage as a means of self-preservation. This leaves the emotional brain in charge to make the decision to flee or run. To walk away.
Further research revealed that most missing person cases involve a person who has walked away voluntarily. Most return, but the files are rarely updated as people don’t report when a person has returned. Psychology helps explain this phenomenon. I was able to use both aspects of my research to build the story. Very intriguing and insightful! WRITING
Q. I loved the ending. Did the story end the way you had initially thought?
WENDY: Thanks! The end actually got a little extra surprise about halfway through the writing process. I couldn’t decide how to wrap up one of the characters and when the answer finally came to me, I went back and reconstructed parts of the story to enable that final twist to work. That happens to me quite often. Once I begin writing, I become fully immersed. The story spins in my mind night and day and I often wake up with ideas which I then have to dictate into my phone in order to get back to sleep. It’s awful and wonderful all at the same time, but many of my best twists have come to me this way!
FUTURE PROJECTS
Q. Can you share a little about your current projects or what is coming next?
WENDY: I am very excited about an Audible Original piece which will be coming out very soon after Don’t Look for Me. It’s called Hold Your Breath, and while it is an entirely independent story, it brings back a character from my debut thriller, All Is Not Forgotten, and introduces a new character who is currently at the top of my list for the basis of my next novel.
Thank you, Wendy! This has been fascinating. We will be looking forward to "Hold Your Breath." I loved All is Not Forgotten and cannot wait. How exciting to tie this character to your next book. |
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AN ELEVATOR RIDE WITH THE AUTHOR. INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW. |
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Readers, you are in for a treat! —Get "up close and personal" —fun facts about this talented storyteller. We have her undivided attention for 39 floors. Hang on for the ride. |
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Give Us Your "Best" Elevator Pitch—
DON'T LOOK FOR ME Wendy: "When a mother disappears in a small, eerie town and is presumed to have walked away from her life, it is up to her daughter to find out what really happened." |
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1. BIRTH STATE? NY 2. CURRENT STATE? CT 3. ZODIAC SIGN? Taurus 4. FAVORITE FLOWER and COLOR? Tulips/Blue 5. MORNING/NIGHT PERSON? Morning 6. FAVORITE HOLIDAY OR SEASON? Fall 7. FAVORITE READING FORMAT? Hardcover 8. FAVORITE TV SERIES? (or Movie/Video) binge-watch, series, etc.?
Currently, The Split. But I like anything character-driven and emotionally complex. I also tend toward crime-based stories but not always. Those tend to have the kind of psychological complexity that I enjoy.
9. MOST MEMORABLE PLACE YOU HAVE TRAVELED?
Africa – on Safari
10. IF YOU WERE GRANTED 3 MONTHS OF UNINTERRUPTED WRITING TIME—WHERE WOULD IT BE?
My house - ALONE 11. WHEN YOU RECEIVE A SPARK OF INSPIRATION FOR A BOOK: I dictate it into my phone and then try to get back to sleep
12. YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE? Alone in my house 13. YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM? (or would you prefer none of them)?
Instagram has been very supportive of my work so I tend to focus my energy there.
14. YOU WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD WHERE?
At a night club, in a cave. Is that strange? I am a bit claustrophobic and am easily overstimulated.
15. NAME TWO THINGS YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE VERY GOOD AT?
Problem-solving of any kind – from an emotional crisis to my washing machine (did you know you can fix almost anything with YouTube videos?) And making margaritas.
16. INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT?
Introvert. But I do love being with close friends and letting every thought out of my head! I am actually quite adept at public speaking and other large gatherings, but it drains me completely.
17. WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT MIDNIGHT LAST EVENING?
Watching London Kills. Eating pretzels. Waiting for my son to go to bed. Okay, and maybe I was drinking one last glass of wine.
18. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF A BOOK? Characters 19. CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT YOUR READERS MIGHT NOT KNOW? I used to be a competitive figure skater.
20. WHAT ARE SOME JOBS YOU HAD BEFORE BECOMING AN AUTHOR? HOW HAVE THEY HELPED YOU OR BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN YOUR WRITING CAREER?
I have been a waitress, a sandwich maker, an investment banker in mergers and acquisitions, a corporate litigator, and a family lawyer. All have been helpful to my being a writer, but I would have to say that practicing family law helped me the most because that is where I first learned about psychology, which now makes up many of the plotlines in my novels.
21. WHAT IS YOUR WRITING PROCESS LIKE? Absolutely a plotter. I have entire chapter outlines done before I begin writing. 22. YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE?
A chaise lounge chair in my living room by the fire.
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23. LEADER OR FOLLOWER?
A leader in my life, but I love to follow a leader when I’m on vacation, or even out for the evening. I make so many decisions in my life as a single parent that I am always grateful when someone else is willing to take over.
24. JEANS, LEGGINS, OR SWEATS?
Pajamas all day if I can. Otherwise sweats!
25. WINE, MIXED DRINK, BEER OR OTHER? All of these, depending on the occasion, mood, etc. Wine with dinner. Rum on a hot summer night by the water. A bright pink Cosmo when I’m out with my girlfriends. 26. FIRST JOB? Sandwich maker 27. FIRST CAR? VW Rabbit 28. COFFEE OR TEA? Coffee 29. PEN OR PENCIL? Pen 30. WHERE DO YOU ESCAPE?
To my bed for a nap after a long morning of writing
31. BEST PART OF BEING AN AUTHOR?
Setting my own schedule and working from home
32. SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT IS GIRLY? Very little. I’m the single mother to three boys. I manage a house, yard, pool, cars. I lug out the generator when the power goes out. Build the furniture that comes in a box. Move my kids in and out of their dorms and apartments. Maybe the only girlie thing I do is drink bright pink Cosmos. 33. YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO AS A CHILD? Climbing trees 34. IF YOU COULD GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF SOME WISE ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
There are so many things, so many mistakes I made, and yet I love my life and where I am. Which mistake, if taken away, might change that?
Part of the emotional storm in my own life that had my thoughts spinning at that gas station and which then became the basis for this book resulted from an irrevocable loss in my life which I might have prevented. If I could turn back time and not make that one mistake, I might have prevented that loss, but then I would not have written this book. Life is a strange, winding journey! 35. IF YOU COULD RE-LIVE YOUR TEENS IN A DIFFERENT TIME, WHAT TIME PERIOD OR DECADE? 1920s-1990s 36. HOW OFTEN DO YOU LOOK AT YOUR PHONE EVERY DAY? At least once an hour. It’s terrible! 37. THE BEST THING ABOUT A PANDEMIC?
The unexpected time with my children who were home 24/7 for several months. We have had conversations that I never would have had with them, things that came up in passing throughout the day. I got to know them as young adults in a way that I may not have otherwise, just seeing them for holidays and dinners and phone calls. Sharing the same space with people for long stretches of time creates an intimacy that doesn’t otherwise occur.
38. WHEN THINGS BREAK, DO YOU PREFER TO FIX THEM OR REPLACE THEM? Fix them! 39. FAVORITE TYPE OF WORKOUT?
I do yoga, cardio, and strength training. I like being strong and feeling strong. I have worked out every day during the pandemic and can do physical things now that I never thought possible at my age. Thanks, Wendy for sharing. These are great. Wow, #19, competitive figure skater, attorney, to an author. What an interesting journey! Will we see a book in the future about a skater? |
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Please join Wendy for upcoming exciting virtual and live events! Click below for more details. |
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PRAISE for DON'T LOOK FOR ME - LibraryReads Hall of Fame Selection
- Amazon: Fall’s Must-Read Mystery/Thrillers
- Newsweek: 25 Must-Read Fall Fiction and Nonfiction Books to Escape the Chaos of 2020
- Popsugar: Best New Thriller and Mystery Books in September 2020
- Good Morning America: 22 New Books Debuting in September 2020 to Add to Your Reading List
- Bookreporter Bets On Selection
- NetGalley: September’s Most-Anticipated Books
- Featured on Betches.com
"Distinctive, well-developed characters complement the skillfully paced plot. This moving look at the bond between a mother and her children reinforces Walker's place at the top of the genre." —Publisher's Weekly (starred review) Don't Look For Me is a gripping psychological thriller from Wendy Walker with unexpected twists and an enjoyable momentum. Throw in the fact that it's set in that strange country around Route 7 in far western Massachusetts and you've got a cracking mystery on your hands. — Adrian McGinty, New York Times bestselling author of THE CHAIN “WENDY WALKER’S NOVELS ARE ADDICTIVE. Like, controlled-substance addictive. And Don’t Look for Me, a thriller as intense and relentless as the metallic rain slashing across its jacket, ranks as Walker’s reigning champ.”
—A. J. Finn, New York Times bestselling author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW "Wendy Walker has done it again, created a nail-biter that'll keep you up all night. But DON'T LOOK FOR ME is so much more than a twisty thriller. It's a heartbreaking portrait of a family coping with grief and an insightful study of guilt and blame, gaslighting and agency. If you love fast-paced page-turners with relatable, flawed characters, look no further!" — Angie Kim, bestselling author of MIRACLE CREEK "Wendy Walker hits it out of the park once again in her newest psychological suspense DON'T LOOK FOR ME, a riveting and intimate story of unimaginable loss which raises the question: When you've already done the unthinkable, can there be any chance of redemption? Sharp, nuanced, utterly real, and absolutely terrifying, this beautifully written and emotionally powerful novel is Walker at her best. I didn't simply read this book--I devoured it!" — Karen Dionne, author of the #1 international bestseller THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER "Wow! I hate to be repetitive but...WOW! Wendy Walker always writes amazing books but Don't Look For Me may be her finest novel yet. It's unsettling in the very best way and truly riveting." —Samantha Downing, author of the #1 International Bestseller, MY LOVELY WIFE "Wendy Walker's DON'T LOOK FOR ME is a pulse-pounding, thrill-ride of a novel with heart. Centered around a family that has already endured unspeakable tragedy, the story explores the strength of familial bonds and our capacity for forgiveness--all while keeping the reader on the edge of her seat, quickly turning pages until the exciting conclusion. I couldn't put it down! " —- Kathleen Barber, bestselling author of FOLLOW ME and TRUTH BE TOLD "DON'T LOOK FOR ME is a master class in psychological suspense. Deftly written, perfectly plotted, and peopled with nuanced, complex characters, this superb thriller is Walker's best to date. I'll be thinking about this book - with its head-spinning twists and perfect denouement - for months to come." —Cristina Alger Wang, New York Times bestselling author of GIRLS LIKE US and THE BANKER'S WIFE |
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Don't Look For Me The greatest risk isn’t running away.
It’s running out of time. They called it a “walk away.” The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to start over. But what really happened to Molly Clarke? When a new lead comes in two weeks after the search has ended, Molly’s daughter, Nicole, begins to wonder. In spite of their strained relationship and the tragedy that rocked their world, nothing about her mother’s disappearance makes sense. |
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Against her father’s wishes, Nicole returns to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen, determined to find the truth. The locals are sympathetic and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves. When Nicole learns about another woman who vanished from town, then discovers a small hole cut into a fence guarding a mysterious, secluded property, she comes closer to the truth about that night—and the danger surrounding her. The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man in a truck offering her a ride to town. With him is a little girl who reminds her of the daughter she lost years ago. It feels like a sign. It feels safe. And Molly is overcome with the desire to be home, with her family—no matter how broken it is. She accepts the ride. But when the doors lock shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake. |
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Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker, audiobook excerpt by MacmillanAudioListen to Wendy Walker's DON'T LOOK FOR ME audiobook excerpt, read by Therese Plummer. In Wendy Walker's thrilling novel Don't Look for Me, the greatest risk isn't running away. It's running out of time. One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. She doesn't want to be found. |
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Publisher: St Martin's Press Pub Date: September 15, 2020 352 Pages
ISBN-10: 1250198704ISBN-13: 978-1250198709 Formats: Hardcover, e-book, audiobook, Compact CD Tags: #dontlookforme #wendywalker #psychologicalthriller #suspense #psychology #domesticsuspense #thriller #fiction #kidnapping #authorQA #authorelevatorride #elevatorseries #stmartinpress #sept2020books #topbooks2020 #literary #domestic #mystery #family #familydynamics #domesticthriller #grief #parenting |
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Thank you! A special thank you to the talented WENDY WALKER for taking the time to share with us DON'T LOOK FOR ME and herself. What a fun elevator ride! Be sure and pick up a copy, review on your favorite platform, and tune in for her upcoming virtual events. Please, like, follow, share, repost. Use hashtag #DontLookforMe @wendywalkerauthor @stmartinspress and tag me @JudithDCollins #jdcmustreadbooks |
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Eva Longoria has announced a deal to develop The Night Before for television noting, “Now this is a thriller you won’t be able to put down. An amazing psychological suspense tale by Wendy Walker that will keep readers guessing until the very last page! And I’m so excited to develop this into a tv series!” |
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