Thanks for stopping by! This is the official blog for the Rona Shively Stories Mystery Series. Check in for details on upcoming Rona Shively Stories and other events! Watch Rona's transformation as she tackles life head on, now armed with newly found faith and the knowledge that she is not actually in control of anything. Finally, it is all starting to make sense.

Upcoming Events

***All Rona Shively books are now available on Kindle! See below for details!***Buy your copy of any Rona Shively Story and help someone today. All proceeds go to Higher Ground Ministries to empower women! Get your copy today at Amazon.com!***Help women reach Higher Ground! http://www.highergroundministries.wordpress.com.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Guest Blogger: Tylar Drake!!!

When Tylar Drake was seventeen she decided to write a fiction novel. She convinced her parents to let her take her senior year of high school by correspondence, so she could have more free time to concentrate on her writing. The book entitled; Her Ghost, over the years, was reworked for different publishers and grant programs and ended up becoming the first novel of a planned mystery/suspense series. Though all prospective interest fell through at the last possible moments a new project was born called The Other Side: The Bleeding Door. Over the last year, after coming in contact with a film producer in Philadelphia, she was convinced to ditch the book and turn it into a series for television, which is currently being considered by HBO.

Currently Drake is researching her next project a thriller about the most horrifying thing that could ever happened to a human being.

Thanks to Tylar for being my first guest blogger!

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From: Tylar Drake

I want to start by thanking Rebecca for having me on as a guest blogger. I think this might be quite interesting.

So at the beginning of August I was watching an episode of Dateline, trying my best to sort through a terrible case of writers block. I’d been working on this new project for months with no forward movement, when they aired a story about an uncle who got a phone call from his niece in the Philippines asking for him to come and get her. See full story here.

So now you say. Well so what!?! It happened to a girl thousands of miles away, poor and desperate to make something better for herself and her family. But imagine this dirty ghetto in the Philippines. You are the young woman walking home from school, dreaming of a better life, a life where you can attain your dreams of modeling and acting and where you can perhaps make some money for your family. Suddenly you are stopped by a beautiful woman who asks you if you’ve ever modeled. Your smile brightens. She gives you a business card. From there she asks to move, where you will attend a modeling and acting school, where all of your needs will be taken care of, only thing is you need to sign a contract saying that you will eventually repay off expenses once you begin working.

Now imagine that you’re an upper middle class, educated, white American girl with the same dream. You sign the contract. You board a plane and fly out of the country towards the promise of achieving success and fame. You have just been trafficked.
This is the misconception that allows these piranhas to kidnap and prostitute young women and men all over the world, that it only happens to people who are naïve and uneducated. But look at the stats, last year alone nearly a million people were trafficked world wide, 17, 500 of those crossed through American borders.

As a people where have we failed each other to allow individuals to get away with selling another for money, whether it be the sex trade or the labor trade? What would you do if someone you knew was taken with false promises and forced into a life of slavery? Would you not do anything in your power to get them back? Why as fellow human beings have we decided that this problem is not our problem unless it affects us personally? Isn’t a life, any life, worth saving?

A Little Bit of Mystery: Short Mysteries to Confuse and Amuse

Where I've Been...

Listen to my interview on the Jeffery S. Miller show.

Listen to my interview on Calling All Authors.

Listen to my interview on the Let's Just Talk w/Kathryn Raaker.

Listen to my interview on Radio Free Baxter.

Where I'll Be...

After a short break in the summer, I'll be at the following locations:

8/11/09 Allen Park Public Library, Allen Park, MI 6:30 p.m.

Looking for something entertaining for your library or bookstore patrons? Looking for a fun way to spend a couple of hours? Do you love mysteries? Then you need to schedule a Tea & Mystery event for your library or bookstore! The fee is minimal and the presentation is fun and informative! Attendees will be given the chance to win great prizes and share their thoughts about the mystery genre and their favorite mystery writers!

E-mail me today at lonestoryteller@yahoo.com for details on how to set up your Tea & Mystery event!

Books by Rebecca Benston

Reviews for Rebecca Benston

“You'll find yourself looking forward to more stories from the files of Rona Shively.”

Michelle Shealy, Reviewer for MyShelf.com

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“Rebecca Benston has written a detective with plenty of suspense…I hope there will be a sequel…”

Annick, Reviewer for Euro-Reviews

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“The story is good, the plotting great. Rebecca Benston draws you into the story from the first page. Read the book.”

Lucille P. Robinson, An Alternative Read

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“Rebecca Benston’s twists, turns, and descriptions are utterly engaging.”

Tracy, Fallen Angel Reviews

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“In The Wash is like a 1930’s film noir detective story that had a modern, edgy twist and a female lead.”

Janet Davies, Once Upon a Romance Reviews

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“Under Lock and Key is an enjoyable, fun book! Rona Shively is a delightful character. I loved her off-beat, quirky personality and her outstanding sense of humor.”

Connie Harris, MyShelf.com

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“Talented author Rebecca Benston shows the reader just how complicated life can get suddenly and how people you thought you knew, aren't who you thought they were.”

Anne K. Edwards, Mysteryfiction.net