Deep Water

by Lora Kempka

Tucked in the wooded niches of Johnston County North Carolina illegal barrooms serve as meeting places for drug dealers and hunting grounds for a serial killer. Tara Headley can’t escape the memories of an abusive husband and is always looking for her next easy prey. But when she sets her sights on Keith Harper, Tara learns not all prey is easy.

Night shift factory worker Bobbie Harper has a secret she swore to take to her grave. But with her marriage crumbling, she worries that her past has somehow been revealed. Why else would her husband Keith be so distant and moody? His unwillingness to include Bobbie in his new nightlife forces her to find answers anyway she can. But what she discovers has less to do with Keith and more about her own humanity. Bobbie is about to find out how far she will to go to save her marriage, and at what cost?

196 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2019

About the author

Lora Kempka has worked in a number of blue-collar jobs including machine set-up and backhoe builder. She earned her BA in English Literature along the way as well as an associate’s degree in Library Science. Finally, when her last factory job as a large guillotine operator ended because the factory shutdown, she decided to knock the dust off her manuscript and do something with it. Her debut novel, Deep Water, epitomizes the belief that everyone has a story to tell.

Much like her patchwork of job skills, her reading interests vary widely from Stephen King to Eric Gansworth to Dan Simmons. Then sprinkle a healthy dose of nonfiction into the mix for a gumbo of right-brain activity. Creating characters that readers can relate to is Lora’s goal. Readers may or may not like a character, but they understand the character’s past as it influences his/her actions. Readers see what’s in the gumbo.

Lora was born and raised in rural North Carolina between the mountains and the coast. When she’s not writing, she can be found adding another pollinator garden in her yard or making compost. She lives with her very supportive husband and some cats that just took up. Her work has been published in Zimbell House’s November Falls Anthology.

Reviews

[Sharon Mervin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Did she just call me Joe?”

Lora Kempka’s novel, Deep Water, immediately grabbed my attention and kept it..

I hated Joe, loved Lisa, worried about Bobbie and couldn’t quite figure out Tara. I was invested. I took notes and kept reading when I knew I should stop, because Kempka’s novel is a true page-turner. Her strong female characters are extremely relatable - all of us know someone who reminds us of at least one of these characters who are dealing with real-life issues like mental health, volatile marriages, local economy or the lack thereof, and much more.

Only a writer who knows the intricacies of the south can make going for a beer in an old tobacco barn seem like normal everyday life. Kempka’s description of the towns of Dunn, Benson and surrounding areas paint the perfect backdrop for this thriller.

Shorter chapters move the plot along nicely; and I will never look at a kitchen sink faucet or cat litter the same again. My “reptilian” brain will never be the same.

[Livian Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a flurry of short, sharp chapters, Deep Water is incredibly enthralling. Kempka manages to cram so much description and emotion into each chapter, I was able to read this in the space of an afternoon. Her characters aren't vividly described in terms of physicality, however the depth and complexity of these mistakenly simple, backwater folk draws you right into their own personal nightmares. The seemingly disparate threads between the main female characters do draw together nicely into a twist I didn't see coming but thoroughly enjoyed.

Everyone has their own poisons, be they booze, drugs, fervent curiosity or plain jealousy. The quickfire pacing follows the feel of a good thriller movie. I was drawn into the heady heat and tension of the town, that had traces of a town like Twin Peaks, just without the pretty facade of picket fences and cherry pie. If you're looking for a good afternoon read or something to keep you distracted on the train, I highly recommend Deep Water.

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. I love the fact that I have seen and know who the author is and it's based in my community. I could see in vivid details the roads Bobbie drove around on and I loved the storyline.
Thank you Mrs. Kempka!
~Cheyenne

[Johnboy Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it. I couldn't put it down. I finished the book. Just as soon as I got to the last 10 chapters.
Wow, the twists and surprises.
I liked how the ending seem open ended if Bobbie and Keith would ever work things out?
Too bad for Tara....
finished the book.
Wow, the twists and surprises.
I liked how the ending seem open ended if Bobbie and Keith would've ever worked things out?
Too bad for Tara....

Can't wait to check out November Falls

[dottie sargent · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new author, she keeps it real and very interesting. Read it in 2 days! She's a natural. It's a full story with over 2000 pages. She draws you in and keeps it interesting. One I will definitely add to my library. Don't forget to get her short story of November Falls! Great imagination and worth reading again!

[Martin K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don't dare take your eyes off the pages. Martin K.