Synopsis:

Each story in this series teaches a lesson the person behind the stone should have learned before committing crime, hurting someone else, or generally failing at life.

We’re about to enter Golden Stone Cemetery, where these unfortunate people are buried so deep you can barely find their markers. Their crimes are so heinous and their deeds so cruel that family members buried them here because they want to forget they ever existed.

Enter at your own risk.

Reviews:

“The stories in this collection by Fran Lewis are gripping in suspense and demonstrate a vivid imagination. I picked them up planning to read for a few minutes and couldn’t stop until I had finished the last story. Fran understands well and expresses the dark side that many people have. Motivated by greed or self-interest, some in these stories who seem like people we encounter every day are willing to undertake terrifying actions. It makes for an excellent read.” — Allan Topol, author of !e Italian Divide and The Washington Lawyer

“Hidden Truths and Lies is a compilation of stories told from beyond the grave each one filled with terror as the character faces his or her own fate. The final two stories are pure science fiction and will hopefully allow readers to see the magnitude of this talented writer.” — Susan Ross, Board Of Education, NYC

My Thoughts and Opinion:

Horror and/or Paranormal was never a genre I would read. However, after reading the synopsis I was intrigued, and decided to read this book. I’m so glad I did.

Welcome to Golden Stone Cemetery, where those have passed over, reflect on what their life on earth was. Some ask the reader if it murder or natural causes, what they did to end up in limbo, who did they hurt and some just totally disagree as to why their life ended.

This is a very quick read, not being able to put it down. A definite page turner! Ms. Lewis’ writing style is descriptive and fluid. Her characters were life like but not always liked. I look forward to reading more by this author!!

I highly recommend this book. I think this would be a great addition to a book club as their are many questions that could and would make for a lively discussion.

Book Details:

Genre: Horror; Paranormal Suspense
Published by: Fideli Publishing Inc.
Publication Date: April 7th 2016
Number of Pages: 98
ISBN: 1604149124 (ISBN13: 9781604149128)
Series: Hidden Truths and Lies is the 4th book in Fran Lewis’s FACES BEHIND THE STONES series of stand alone novellas.
Purchase Links:

Read an excerpt:

Author Bio:

Fran Lewis: Fran worked in the NYC Public Schools as the Reading and Writing Staff Developer for over 36 years. She has three masters Degrees and a PD in Supervision and Administration. Currently, she is a member of Who’s Who of America’s Teachers and Who’s Who of America’s Executives from Cambridge. In addition, she is the author of three children’s books and a fourth that has just been published on Alzheimer’s disease in order to honor her mom and help create more awareness for a cure. The title of my new Alzheimer’s book is Memories are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey; Ruth’s story and Sharp as a Tack and Scrambled Eggs Which Describes Your Brain? Fran is the author of 13 titles.

Interview:

Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
When creating my short stories I tend to draw from experiences that are often related in the news or from friends. Some of the stories in Bad Choices or Faces 2 are based on real life experiences such as being bullied or someone driving drunk and having to deal with the consequences. Faces 3 and 4 are quite unique unto themselves and both deal with someone that has been wronged or someone who has wronged them. The inspiration for these stories came to me after my sister passed away and I attended and created the program for her memorial service the following year. I imagined what would happen if she could tell me how she feels, what really happened that day and why she is gone. I walked around several other sites on the cemetery and began wondering what stories each person behind the headstones would tell if they could. Hence: Each story is told from the point of view of the person that passed away.


­Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where 
the story line brings you?
I begin by deciding the titles and people behind the stones whose stories I want to tell and why. I create table of contents and then begin writing. I never know just how justice will be served until the last page is written.


­Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
As a reviewer I feel a certain responsibility to the author’s waiting for my reviews so I always start my day by trying to read at least three books a day and create the reviews. I am the editor and creator of my own magazine and write articles in what I call the Speak Out section so sometimes my novel or short story writing takes a backseat. But, not to worry: Faces Five is in the works.


­Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day? 
­
I worked in the NYC Public Schools as a dean, assistant to the Assistant Principal, reading and writing specialist and peer mediator. I retired in 2003 when my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and my sister dared me to review a cookbook just for fun. I don’t know when end of the stove from another so this was a real challenge. But, I did it and Martha Cheves book was fun to review and my review was anything but ordinary. Humor is something I like to add when I can and I did.

Who are some of your favorite authors? 
­What are you reading now?
My favorite authors are: Steve Berry, Jon Land, Vincent Zandri, Larry Thompson, Daniel Palmer and children’s author: Martha Casper Cook. At the present time I am reading 5 books at once: Nothing but Echoes, Guilty Minds, America’s First Daughter: the story Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Hot Start and When Shadows Come.


­Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about i?
Faces Five is in the works. It will be in two separate parts: the first three or four stories will be based on the lives of real people and the next six based on real live events.


Fun questions: 
­Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
If I had to cast the driver of the limo it would be Alfred Hitchcock and I would have loved for him to direct the movie. The actor who played Lurch on the Addams Family would be great for the undertaker. The characters are real people so I think real people not just actors might play the part of the drunk teens, the dangerous drivers, the nasty girls and the bullies.

­Manuscript/Notes: hand written or keyboard? I type everything. I take notes and then because my handwriting is not so great I wind up rewriting them and then giving up and return to the keyboard.


­Favorite leisure activity/hobby? 
­Favorite meal?
I love to walk and of course read. I love listening to classical music and my favorite food is pizza and I love oatmeal. I am on a special diet and at times I just eat foods that are bland. But, no one can give up Pizza of course without sauce.

Catch Up:

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