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1 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017 - The Independent-Register
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Fed up with shallow offerings in genre, Schwartzlow pens horror novel By Ryan Broege EDITOR
Beth Blakemore contributed to this story. Siara Schwartzlow has always favored horror as a genre, both in books and movies, but became increasingly dissatisfied with what she saw on the shelves, and especially what was in theatres. “Horror stories have bored – maybe even offended – me in recent years, particularly in the movies. I’m so sick of half-naked sorority girls galloping through the woods at night, twigs tearing at their nighties, while a bad guy chances after them with an axe or a chainsaw,” she wrote in an email interview ahead of her reading at the Albany library last Saturday. “That’s not horror.” “My protagonist is a female, and she shows her emotional strength in coping with family turmoil and her cunning in solving the mystery at hand, even if she does have help,” Schwartzlow said. During maternity leave for her son, who will turn 2 years old in December, Schwartzlow picked up a story she had started writing in college and molded it into a finished product, “The House on Valley Street.” The story follows 25-year-old Sophia Wesley, searching for her place and a sense of meaning in her post-college world. In the wake of a family tragedy, Sophia commits to exploring her mother’s childhood home, where she uncovers a long-forgotten secret, and also encounters a romantic possibility. The story is based on stories Schwartzlow BETH BLAKEMORE PHOTO Brodhead Independent-Register heard as a child from her mother. The house Brodhead native, and former Independent-Register editor, Siara Schwartzlow that inspired the story is still standing, beside a reads from her recently-published novel, “The House on Valley Street,” at Albert- cemetery, in Rockford, Ill. Readers will not encounter blood and gore, son Library in Albany, Wis., on Oct. 14.
but Schwartzlow warned that the story does turn “gruesome” at points. The frights provided by the book are of the “goosebumps, look-over-your-shoulder,” variety, she said. Schwartzlow said she always knew she wanted to write a book, and has a minor in professional in writing and publishing along with her bachelor’s degree in English. She also credited the guidance and inspiration she received from fellow Brodhead native Tegan Shelton, who also wrote a book, “Before a Million Universe.” Albertson Memorial Library Director Kara Blue said although horror is not her usual genre, she really enjoyed it, and finished it in a weekend. Schwartzlow is former editor of the Independent-Register, from early 2016 through July of this year. She is now teaching 8th grade English and language arts at Monroe Middle School. Schwartzlow said she finds marketing the book more demanding than writing the novel. Schwartzlow also designed the book, from the words on the page to the cover, the typeface, binding, and so on. Reviews, feedback and questions about story elements from family, friends and strangers in the street, however, have proved to be the most rewarding, she said. Schwartzlow will be at the Edgerton Sterling North Book and Film Festival in Edgerton, Wis. Interested buyers can also find the book at Pinnow Pharmacy in Brodhead, Turtle Creek Books in Beloit, Up In The Attic in Evansville, Bookworld in Janesville and Edelweiss Gifts in Monroe. It is also available online through Amazon.
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