Neighbors

Chandler man debuts his first mystery thriller

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Contributor

Chandler resident Steven Patterson’s debut novel is set mostly in Gilbert, where a serial killer is running amok.

The scene is not typical of the town. In fact, it’s macabre and disturbingly similar to another scene law enforcement encountered there a few months ago.

Patterson’s suspense thriller novel, “Not Normal,” also incorporates Mesa, Tempe and Chandler.

“I always thought of Gilbert as a quiet suburb and wondered, what if it was terrorized by a serial killer? In my mind Gilbert, seems so friendly and safe, I wanted to exploit that,” he said. “It also has a ‘farm community’ feel to it, and that is where our antagonist is most comfortable.”

Patterson has lived in Arizona since 1982, hence landmarks such as the Hayden Flour Mill in Tempe appear in the book. His father worked as a flour miller there in the 1980s.

The setting also incorporates parts of the Midwest, where Patterson spent his early years: Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

“Not Normal,” the first in the Normal Series, features teenager Anthony Jacobson, who worked hard to hone a pleasing personality.

In the author’s words: “This was no easy task considering his sordid family background and the gossip mill of his native Nebraskan town. His theater was mostly a success. Teachers bragged about his character, his younger brother idolized him, and classmates wanted to be him. However, some saw through his mask, including his mother. They knew Anthony Jacobson was Not Normal.

“Years later, Patricia Hopkins peered from the safety of her home as two detectives stepped across yellow police tape and into the adjacent Gilbert, Arizona suburban bungalow. What greeted them was macabre and disturbing.”

Detectives hunt for the killer and explore the mindset of a psychopath. Patterson uses the genre’s tools of horror, mystery and suspense to fashion his story.

It seems the author began honing his horror skills rather young. “I am a movie buff in general; however, I have always loved horror,” he said.

John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and slasher films are among his favorites. “As a kid, I wanted to see every horror movie that came out; but was too young to do so,” Patterson recalled. “My mother took me to them, even though she hated the genre.”

He read suspense novelists such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Robert McCammon. King’s “The Stand” is his all-time favorite, while Koontz’s “Whispers” and McCammon’s “Swan Song” follow closely behind.

To write his own novel, Patterson had a general outline in his head before starting.

“I like stories that jump around in time,” he said, citing Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” as an inspiration.

“As a result, I knew chunks of the antagonist’s life. I would think of each as an independent story; as a result, I could place them randomly throughout the novel. By the end, I wanted it all to come full circle and intertwine,” he said.

Asked for the best part of his story, Patterson said: “It does have a fun reveal I cannot discuss too much. Based on my reviews, readers seem to enjoy the detail I use in each scene. They also enjoy the time jumps and how it eventually is one story. There are many Easter Eggs in it for fans of the genre; finding those are always fun.”

Patterson took a long time to complete his novel. He began writing it in 1997, but stopped after a couple of chapters.

Life kept him busy. During his younger days, he lived in Ahwatukee and attended Corona del Sol High School, where he met his future wife, Christi. He studied electrical engineering at Arizona State University, but graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. He has worked in help desk management throughout his working life.

The couple, who have lived in Chandler since 1999, raised two sons, Joshua and Nathan, who are both in college.

When the sons were younger, sports, particularly baseball, took over the family’s life.

“I was a very active father. I coached my kids in football and baseball. Once they became serious about baseball, I helped coach their club teams,” Patterson said. “My wife Christi was the team mom and extremely active with them, too.”

Every weekend was spent at tournaments, he said.

“Our team, “The East Valley Devils” were a very tight group. Our vacations were spent together, often surrounding tournaments in such places as Temecula, Vegas and San Diego. The first person who asked me to sign their copy of Not Normal was Mike Fritz, who runs the East Valley Baseball league in Chandler.”

After the sons received baseball scholarships and left home, home life became quiet. “A big part of my life was over,” he felt.

In 2019, his mother passed unexpectedly.

“She was an amazing woman and the glue that held our family together. As an example of the type of woman she was, on her 80th birthday she went skydiving,” he said. “As a kid, I loved horror movies and novels. She hated them. However, since I was too young to attend or buy them myself, she took me to the movies and purchased the novels.”

He dedicated her first novel to her. It only seemed natural, he said.

Two months after her death, Patterson was laid off two days after he had marked his 20th anniversary in his job. “My 20-year celebration was the Friday before, complete with

Chandler resident Steven Patterson’s debut novel is set in much of the East Valley.

(Special to San Tan Sun News)

See AUTHOR on page 37

Jewish War Veterans host Hamilton JROTC leader

SANTAN SUN NEWS

The Jewish War Veterans Copper State Post 619 will host a Zoom presentation by Master Sergeant Fred Driver of the Junior ROTC program at Hamilton High School Feb. 20. Since 2003, Driver has been teaching aerospace science and leading the Junior ROTC program there, including honor guards, honorary graduates, and until recently, the “Adopt a Highway” program, when a lack of funding caused issues.

Post 619 has come to the aid of the ROTC program in years past. When the program lacked funds to procure drill rifles, it purchased several to ensure our drill team could compete in an upcoming event.

When the Air Force authorized battle uniforms for cadets, they didn’t authorize additional funding for boots, so Post 619 purchased 15 pairs of boots for the unit.

Driver will discuss what the Junior ROTC program is and isn’t, including their mission statement and national and community responsibilities.

He will also discuss the Jewish War Veterans tie-in and JROTC support for funerals, graduation escorts, honor guards, speaking engagements and the former Adopt A Highway program.

Master Sergeant Fred Driver

The virtual meeting starts at 10 a.m. Feb. 20 and the public is welcome to join. 00AM. Everyone is welcome to attend by signing into Zoom.

To join: us02web.zoom.us/ j/81231778797?pwd=Q1RaYVBnSnVTbjhRUGptRnJVQXlEQT09

The post is looking forward to resuming in person meetings in Sun Lakes once it is safe and in the meantime supports many nonprofits that help veterans.

For additional information about JWV activities or membership: contact Jr. Vice Commander, Elliott Reiss, 480802-3281, ElliottBarb@q.com.

Sun Lakes Rotary supports women’s nonprofit

SANTAN SUN NEWS

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes has chosen to support Positive Paths, non-profit organization serving women and their families in the East.

When presenting a $4,000 check to Positive Paths’ Board Chair Dr. Maria Hesse, club President Jon Lyons said empowering women to become key change agents is an essential element to achieving a world that works for everyone.

Studies show that when women are supported and empowered, families are healthier, more children complete elementary and high school and go on to trade school or college, productivity improves, and incomes increase. In short, communities are strengthened.

Positive Paths is dedicated to advocating for and supporting the economic stability and empowerment of women.

Positive Paths is led by a group of East Valley leaders committed to encouraging others to invest in the future of area women in need, and to support women to be resilient and positive contributors to their communities.

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes’ money has been directed towards advanced education scholarships that will help women strengthen their family’s well-being and economic security. Information: positivepathsaz.org.

Meanwhile, the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes also named Debbie Bailey the Rotarian of the Month for February, saying the retired educator “has been making a very positive impact” since she joined last August.

Debby Bailey was named the Sun Lakes Rotarian of the Month for February.

(Special to SanTan Sun News)

Bailey was the project lead for the Chandler High Closet Project, partnering with Classy Closets and the school.

As a member of the club’s golf committee, “she has obtained sponsorship donations, including a $1,000 Birdie Scholarship,” the club said, adding she sent letters to nearly 100 area businesses garnering support.

She also assisted in interviewing Shinny Obiako for the Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona Scholarship for a practical nursing program at Gateway Community College.

RCSL meets regularly to get to know each other, form friendships, and through that RCSL gets things done within the East Valley and far beyond. See – www.sunlakesrotary.com for more information.

AUTHOR from page 36

cake, cards and a plaque,” he said.

Depressed, Patterson began delivering food to make ends meet.

“In addition, I picked up my two chapters from 1997 and a year later self-published my first novel on Amazon,” he said.

The author partly credits the pandemic for enabling him to write and complete the story. Writing helped him cope with his depression.

“I was jobless and in a pandemic; consequently, it was my release,” he said. “Only two chapters were completed before the Coronavirus. I also had to change dates to pre-Corona, to make the story realistic. It does end with a reference to the pandemic.”

Patterson is writing a sequel, set in the paranormal, titled “Para-Normal.” Many smaller characters return for larger parts here.

“I loved those characters so much, even though they didn’t occupy a lot of time in the novel,” he said. “I’m bringing them back to enjoy more terror.”

Steven Patterson’s “Not Normal” is available through amazon.com and is priced at $15.

Basha High athletes help fundraiser for notMYkid

SANTAN SUN NEWS

Despite the chilly morning Jan. 29, more than 250 runners and walkers – including some from Chandler and Basha High – gathered at Notre Dame Prep High School in Scottsdale to raise money for programs that support teen mental health.

The overall winners were 17-year-old Samuel Johnston for the men, with a time 15:54.9, and 11-year-old Leah Morozowich for the women, with a time of 20:44.8. Race results are posted at runsignup.com/Race/Results/122654.

Notre Dame Prep presented a check for $9,240 to Amplif[i], the teen empowerment entity of notMYkid, to enhance their services and educational programs for teens in crisis.

Runners came from Los Angeles and all over the Valley. Members of the Basha High School girls’ basketball team traveled from Chandler to participate in the Saints 5K.

“We wanted to do something relating to teen mental health for our senior project,” said Chloe Murakami, a center for Basha High School. “When we searched teen mental on the internet this race popped up, and so we decided to participate.”

Nationwide teen mental health issues are on the rise, and this sparked the idea for NDP to find a way to help.

“It’s one thing to know that a problem exists, but our students wanted to do more about the issues surrounding teen mental health,” said Gene Sweeney, principal of Notre Dame Prep. “I’m really proud of our students for coming up with the idea for a fun run/walk.”

The money raised will help provide tools, education and programs for kids in the Scottsdale community and throughout the Valley so that they can find the resources they need if they suffer feelings of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems.

“Notre Dame Prep has been partnering with us for the last two years and helped us increase our peer-to-peer engagement through our Amplif[i] program where teens talk to other teens and share their stories in schools,” said Alex Morganroth, director of program development at notMYkid.

“It’s important that teens hear from each other, so they don’t suffer in silence, but instead reach out for help and know that they are not alone,” she added.

Amplifi has a virtual Teen Talk program where teens can “drop in” any Tuesday at 4 p.m. to talk about the challenges they face. Teens can register at bit.ly/teentalktuesday.

NDP sophomore Hannah Trujillo is a teen advocate for mental health, and before the race, she presented the check to Morganroth on behalf of the NDP school community.

“I’ve heard people say it’s ‘cheesy’ to talk about mental health, but I think it is very important [to talk about it] because we need to spread awareness,” Trujillo said. “It is very dangerous to be stuck in a bad place for a long time.” notMYkid is a nonprofit that provides children and families with lifesaving programs, support, resources and education. NDP has invited notMYkid to conduct seminars for both teens and parents over the past two years to help families make healthy choices.

Notre Dame Prep is a Catholic diocesan college preparatory high school with a co-ed enrollment of 864 students. The school has received national recognition for the caliber of its academic, arts and athletic programs.

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