Crystal Clear

by Cathy A. Corn

Will Suzanne Westin, a Pittsburgh psychologist, find her past life killer in time?

She gazes into a crystal ball, revealing her previous life as a Big Band singer living in the Victorian house she’s just moved into. The quartz sphere shows the woman murdered, and alerts her that it will happen again unless she solves the mystery.

Past and present intertwine when Suzanne walks into a swing dance and discovers the same hall from her vision. Mike Wrobleski appears from the crowd, identical to the singer’s 1940’s partner. Though Suzanne's relationships with men are usually brief and rocky, she dates Mike to unravel the past. She’d prefer to walk her dog Princess with neighbor James Rummel. To add to her angst, recent client Brad Smith nearly strangled his last girlfriend and makes sexual advances toward Suzanne.

Her journey takes her to the island of Kauai for a past life conference, where she learns all but the last piece of her puzzle. She meets handsome Sam Pahinui, discovers ancient ties to him, and romance blossoms between the two psychologists. Can the past provide the key to her heart troubles?

Later, back at home, the past becomes frighteningly crystal clear as Suzanne fights for her life in this paranormal mystery/suspense novel.

Nook

First published July 7, 2011

About the author

Welcome. I’ve been writing since my childhood, growing up in New Madison (population 1000), a small town amidst the corn fields of Ohio. In the sixth grade, I browsed through a book on writing at the library, just about my favorite place, but didn’t take it out because I knew I was already a writer.

Silly kid.

Books provided the magic carpet ride away from that slower paced world before the internet, even television, and all those electronic gadgets. I thrilled to the novels of Mary Stewart, her tales of a young heroine who finds intrigue, an exotic location, romance, and danger in every adventure (The Ivy Tree, This Rough Magic, etc.).

So please accept my humble contributions to literature, my attempt to give back what I’ve received over the years. The paranormal novels I write are mostly mysteries with romantic elements. I’m seeking an agent to represent Crystal Clear and Blue Moon over Madagascar or a publisher who sees beauty and truth in these works. The theme of reconnecting with nature flows like a creek throughout my novels, for the electronic gadgets can destroy our link with a guidance system that never fails--the voice of Mother Earth.

I’ve studied writing at conferences--Pennwriters, The Columbus Writers Conference, and the Mark Twain Writers’ Conference (with Sue Monk Kidd). A writers’ group from Community College and my Sisters in Crime have help me tremendously, as well as my brutal critique partners (you know who you are). I graduated from the Writers Digest Novel Writing Course, and have published pieces in Pennsylvania Magazine, The Pittsburgh Press Sunday Magazine, Bluegrass Unlimited, and Annabel.

Best of all, I live near Pittsburgh with woods behind the townhouse, with my husband, Alan, and our pets Geebles, Missy, and Bella who make connecting with nature an everyday event.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read and a nice escape with its psychic elements and a journey to Hawaii. The reader is in suspense as to how Suzanne's past lives will intersect with the present and exactly where danger waits for her. It's not quite a romance, but offers romantic possibilities. A satisfying mystery written with a witty flair.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crystal Clear entertains with a story that balances the suspense of a mystery with the suspense of romance. Its tag as a paranormal mystery helps prepare a reader for Suzanne Westin's familiarity with crystals and scrying efforts. There is enough character development for Suzanne that that she is interesting for even a more skeptical reader who is curious about the outcome.