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Local authors to sign books at Browseabout Oct. 31

October 26, 2021

Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach will host a book signing with Crystal Heidel and Kathleen L. Martens from 4 to 6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 31, the last day of the Sea Witch Festival.

Owner of Byzantium Sky Press, Heidel is the author of the award-winning murder mystery, “Still Life in Blood.”  

Heidel’s “Still Life in Blood” follows the life of Francesca Munro, an artist who also happens to dream of the murders occurring in Rehoboth Beach. For years she’s kept her psychic abilities a secret, but when the murders keep piling up, her struggle to cope with the deadly visions may be exposed. She knows there’s a deeper meaning to the murders, one that may be connected to her, especially when she begins to receive bizarre clues that send her into a search for the truth about her mother’s supposed suicide 12 years earlier. Delaware State Police Homicide Detective Jack Remington tries to unravel the intricate knot that ties the victims to Francesca, but can he solve the mystery before she becomes the final victim?

Martens’ “Wanderlust” follows Kate Ketchum, a woman inflicted with the disease of desire. Impassioned with fantasies of a singing career and traveling the world, she abandons her generations-old family tradition working at the declining Owl & Shamrock shoe factory. Enter Michael James. Back from two tours in Vietnam with haunts and secrets he's loath to share, he rejects his father's Harvard legacy and family business, and heads to the University of Connecticut. “Wanderlust” captures the college life where Kate and Michael's worlds collide in 1968 against the backdrop of the Vietnam war - passionate times of change, hippies and history. Disappointments, distractions, and devastation, U-turns, misfortunes, and the fast lane lure each of the characters to unexpected destinations - from an institution for disabled youth to the bustling streets of Bangkok. Will their differing passions and history heal them or tear them apart?

Martens’ “Rising Women, Rising Tides” is a collection of short stories perfect for those who love the water and the wisdom it shares. Several of these stories are set in Rehoboth Beach with diverse voices sharing their wisdom. Against the backdrops of thundering waterfalls, raging rivers and the ever-alluring ocean, Martens' award-winning short stories take the reader on tough and tender journeys across cultures and continents, spanning the 1800s to modern times.

Heidel is a graphic designer who has won many awards for book covers she created. Her murder mystery, “Still Life in Blood,” won First Place in both the Delaware Press Association’s Communications Contest and the National Federation of Press Women’s Communication Contest in 2014. Her passion for unique book design and compelling writing led Heidel to found Byzantium Sky Press, an indie publishing company dedicated to sharing the voices of empowering women writers who are not afraid to be who they are and change lives with their words. Byzantium Sky Press has won multiple awards in the Delaware Press Association’s Communications Contest for cover design.

Martens is a Delaware-based author with has lifetime passions for writing, travel and foreign cultures. Following her Thai language and Southeast Asian area studies at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute in her 20s, Martens worked as an intercultural communications consultant. These experiences inspired her to write her novel and short stories from varied viewpoints and voices, focusing on women rising against adversity. She has curated and edited three anthologies by Delaware and Maryland women writers that raised funds to benefit women’s causes through the arts. 

Browseabout Books at 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach.

For more information, email ByzantiumSkyPress@gmail.com or go to  browseaboutbooks.com.

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