Lewes writer Janice Spector to sign debut novel Nov. 13

Author Janice C. Spector, who has a residence in Lewes, will sign copies of her debut novel, “2207 South Green Road,” from 12 to 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13, at Browseabout Books, 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach.

While in today’s world they would just seem a bit eccentric, in 1961 suburban Cleveland, the Katofskys of 2207 South Green Road might as well be from another planet.

Edna, age 10, hides in her bedroom closet, avoiding her disdainful father and distracted mother, stuffing herself with cookies and playing with paper dolls. She spends the rest of her time snooping on her downstairs neighbors, who just happen to be her grandparents, Becky and Morris.

Grandma Becky is a shrewd woman who manages affable Morris’s successful floor-scraping business. Although Becky appears to be in charge, she’s consumed by hypochondriacal fantasies, and her secrecy leads her sisters Ceal and Libby to suspect something sinister.

After discovering a stash of cash and a bedroom full of state-of-the-art medical equipment, they ultimately uncover Becky’s addiction to a cocktail of Percocet, Darvon and paregoric. Everyone in this family has a secret, Ceal and Libby included.

Even the great-grandpa has something to hide. But when people start dropping dead for no apparent reason, things take a darker turn. Morris’s brother flees town to escape the mob, Becky goes missing, and even Edna tries her hand at crime. Just when the whole family seems like it’s about to go tumbling off a cliff, a shocking event changes everything.

By turns funny, tender and sad, “2207 South Green Road” is a heartfelt story of a quirky Jewish family glued together by love, habit, secrets and lies during the forgotten years at the start of the Kennedy era.

Spector received her first awards for story and play writing in sixth grade in University Heights, Ohio. She attended college in Brooklyn, N.Y., and began her career at the New York Times, where she worked on the foreign and metro news desks. After relocating to Northern Virginia, she focused on political and media consulting. Her last employment was as a speechwriter for a U.S. congressional committee. Most recently, she was a member of the National Finance Committee for Biden for President. 

Spector is married and splits her time between homes in Brooklyn and Lewes. She is working on her next book, titled “Damaged People.” When she is not writing, she is Zooming with her grandchildren.To learn more, go to JaniceSpector.com.