Published December 17. 2015 04:00PM
When Donna Huston Murray of Radnor, author of seven Ginger Barnes Main Line Mysteries (St. Martin’s Press), decided to switch to mystery/suspense, fate put her together with the perfect prototype for her new main character.At a Penn/Cornell football game she met a fellow spectator who had sky-dived 43 times, fed sharks underwater and learned to fly retired Air Force planes — all after recovering from a major illness. Channeling the spirt of this amazing woman, the author invented Lauren Beck, a young ex-cop and cancer survivor.“I’ve always considered cancer survivors to be heroic,” Murray says, “and being an ex-cop gives Lauren the skills to handle whatever I throw at her.”In Beck’s debut, “What Doesn’t Kill You,” her friends, phone, home, credit and credibility are severed by a criminal intent on framing her for murder.“What Doesn’t Kill You” was recently awarded honorable mention in Writer’s Digest’s 23rd Annual Self-Published Book Awards. The judge’s comment: “This book could easily sit on the shelf with traditionally published novels and beat them hands down.”On a scale of 5, “What Doesn’t Kill You” rated 5 in all six categories judged by Writer’s Digest. It’s available in paperback or e-book on Amazon and BN.com. It can also be found on iBooks and Kobo.