Author Meg Ellacott to sign debut book about local tragedy June 8

Local author Meg Ellacott will appear at Browseabout Books on Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, June 8, to sign copies of her debut book, “Ultimate Betrayal: The Sex Abuse Case Against Dr. Earl Bradley.”

Asked about her reasons for writing the account, Ellacott writes that she couldn’t shake the fact he’d hurt so many and done so much damage.  She couldn’t get past the legal case against a pedophile pediatrician right here in Lewes, a place she’d dreamed of moving to for decades, a place that was supposed to be safe and serene. Within a year of her move to the beach, Dr. Earl Bradley shattered her idyllic world and the community she’d come to love.  How could he have done what he did?  How could it have happened here?

Ellacott writes a compelling and moving story about the sex abuse case against Bradley. As much as it appalled her, it also intrigued her. Ellacott said, “At first, I started writing about the Bradley case out of curiosity and disbelief.  Someone suggested it could be a book.  From there I could not stop writing about it - for years. I kept thinking this was an important story to tell, and it shouldn’t just be forgotten.” This became her answer to all those who asked, “Why would you write a book about so many people being hurt…or about him at all?” Eventually Ellacott learned through writing her book that it wasn’t just about a sick doctor. It would also be about her own lost faith, the insidious nature of secrets and what they can reveal about everyone.

“Ultimate Betrayal” is Ellacott’s first nonfiction book, which she wrote over the course of three years while the case against Bradley developed and then went to trial. She credits the local Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild with helping her hone the details of plot, character development and tone, all of which came from her participation in creative writing classes and free writes offered by the guild.

For more information about Ellacott, go to the writers' pages at www.rehobothbeachwritersguild.com and on facebook.com/MegEllacottAuthor. The book is available in hard copy on Amazon.com, Createspace.com and in select stores in Delaware. Ellacott can be reached at megEllacott@gmail.com.