Readers who would enjoy a family drama interwoven with romance, suspense, and a touch of the paranormal will find it hard to put down Val Stasik's break-out novel. When successful publisher Liz Michaels' marriage to blue blood, Addison Tiffin Payne, fails after the loss of their baby and his growing alcoholism, she pours all her creative energy and passion into her work and finds comfort in her friendships and the appearances of the spirits of her Polish mother and grandmother, who never speak except in dreams she cannot remember. Only her feelings from those dreams linger. When her ex-husband plans to stage her suicide by pushing her off the balcony of her high-rise home, he topples to his death instead. When the police arrive, the potential victim becomes the prime murder suspect. She meets Pittsburgh Police Detective Jim Shannon, who may threaten her freedom or possibly gain her love. Her swirling feelings are complicated by the simultaneous appearance of a talented, familiar-looking intern at her workplace. Internal conflict is soon compounded by external threats created by her ex-husband and his mother as well as someone seeking revenge on Shannon and his partner. Wll Liz be destroyed by this vortex, or will she use the crisis to open the door to a second chance at love and family?
About the Author: Val Stasik shares a home in eternally sunny Santa Fe, NM, with her aging mixed terrier, Sugar, who allows her to sleep in his queen-size bed as well as sharpen her culinary skills for his benefit. Stasik spent many years as a writing teacher, helping other writers find their voices and tell their stories, and is a consultant for the Northern Virginia Writing Project. INCIDENTAL DAUGHTER is Stasik's debut novel. Stasik studied drama and English at the University of Pittsburgh and then transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park, graduating with high honors and a B.S. in Secondary Education, Communication. The year she attended graduate school was filled with student protests, bomb threats, and military helicopters. Stasik became an editorial assistant for THE PHARMACOLOGIST in Bethesda. She then moved to Harpers Ferry where she taught for five years and participated in the Old Opera House Theatre onstage and behind the scenes. In Harrisburg, PA, she became a groom and mutuels clerk at Penn National Race Track and, later, a commercial lines underwriter for Penn National Insurance. Right before her son was born, Three Mile Island happened. So far, neither glows in the dark. In Virginia, Stasik enjoyed the enriching experience of teaching writing and literature in the Loudoun County Public School system, instructed other teachers in assessing student writings, and helped develop various English curricula. She also participated in the Fauquier Community Theatre on and off stage. 2002-2004, she practiced hypnosis. She retired to move to Santa Fe where she has been writing--a few film scripts that have been produced (Café Destiny, on the Web, Summer 2013, www.cafe-destiny.com) and a couple of award-winning play scripts. Stasik is currently a member of the New Mexico Book Association, the New Mexico Book Co-Op, Southwest Writers, and the Independent Book Publishers Association.