Where to buy ...
"The House on Valley Street" is available at the following locations:
• Edelweiss Gifts, Monroe
• Pinnow Pharmacy, Brodhead
• Up In the Attic, Evansville
• Turtle Creek Books, Beloit
• Book World, Janesville
• Online at Amazon.com
ALBANY - You won't find a lot of blood and gore in Brodhead author Siara Schwartzlow's new book, "The House on Valley Street" - but that doesn't mean it won't send chills down your spine.
"I prefer the things that give you goosebumps," Schwartzlow said during a book signing Saturday at Albertson Memorial Library.
In her debut novel, Schwartzlow, 26, draws inspiration from writer Stephen King. The story follows 25-year-old Sophia Wesley, who returns to her childhood home following her mother's brain injury and begins to investigate the haunted home.
Schwartzlow started writing stories as a child and has always been attracted to the horror genre.
"There was never a time when a story was too scary for me," she said.
Schwartzlow graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2014 with an English degree and now teaches eighth-grade English at Monroe Middle School.
She started the novel about five years ago while in college. She spent more time finishing the novel while on maternity leave in 2016.
Her story is based on true events, she said, but not entirely on fact. She used the stories her mother told about her childhood home in Rockford and strung them together in a more cohesive storyline.
Schwartzlow decided to self-publish with Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. She said she designed the book and its cover herself and has found marketing to be the most challenging part.
Face-to-face communication has proven the best promotional tool, she said. She's been going to flea markets, book fairs and craft fairs to promote the book. Schwartzlow will be at the Edgerton Book Fair Oct. 28.
Kent Olsen, another writer from Brodhead, attended Schwartzlow's book signing Saturday. He and Schwartzlow used to work together at Villa Pizza in Orfordville. He wrote a fictional autobiography, "Alone in a Pew," which was also self-published.
"I think it's important to support local authors," Olsen said. "There's a lot around here that we just don't know about."
Schwartzlow already has plans for another book, which she said will be a young-adult dystopian novel about a modern Holocaust. Like her first novel, it will involve a female protagonist.
Hard copies of "The House on Valley Street" are available for purchase at Edelweiss Gifts in Monroe, Pinnow Pharmacy in Brodhead, Up in the Attic in Evansville, Turtle Creek Books in Beloit and Book World in Janesville. The book is also available on Amazon.com.
"I prefer the things that give you goosebumps," Schwartzlow said during a book signing Saturday at Albertson Memorial Library.
In her debut novel, Schwartzlow, 26, draws inspiration from writer Stephen King. The story follows 25-year-old Sophia Wesley, who returns to her childhood home following her mother's brain injury and begins to investigate the haunted home.
Schwartzlow started writing stories as a child and has always been attracted to the horror genre.
"There was never a time when a story was too scary for me," she said.
Schwartzlow graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2014 with an English degree and now teaches eighth-grade English at Monroe Middle School.
She started the novel about five years ago while in college. She spent more time finishing the novel while on maternity leave in 2016.
Her story is based on true events, she said, but not entirely on fact. She used the stories her mother told about her childhood home in Rockford and strung them together in a more cohesive storyline.
Schwartzlow decided to self-publish with Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. She said she designed the book and its cover herself and has found marketing to be the most challenging part.
Face-to-face communication has proven the best promotional tool, she said. She's been going to flea markets, book fairs and craft fairs to promote the book. Schwartzlow will be at the Edgerton Book Fair Oct. 28.
Kent Olsen, another writer from Brodhead, attended Schwartzlow's book signing Saturday. He and Schwartzlow used to work together at Villa Pizza in Orfordville. He wrote a fictional autobiography, "Alone in a Pew," which was also self-published.
"I think it's important to support local authors," Olsen said. "There's a lot around here that we just don't know about."
Schwartzlow already has plans for another book, which she said will be a young-adult dystopian novel about a modern Holocaust. Like her first novel, it will involve a female protagonist.
Hard copies of "The House on Valley Street" are available for purchase at Edelweiss Gifts in Monroe, Pinnow Pharmacy in Brodhead, Up in the Attic in Evansville, Turtle Creek Books in Beloit and Book World in Janesville. The book is also available on Amazon.com.