Suspense, murder, and mystery have all the makings of a good summer read.
Dover resident Everett DeMorier hopes his debut novel, "Thirty-Three Cecils” fits the bill and will find its way into a few beach bags this summer.
DeMorier has been working on the novel off and on for a decade and says his writing has improved with maturity.
“10 years ago or 20 years ago when you’re writing something and you come up with this great little nugget and you go ‘this is funny, this is clever, this is witty’ but it doesn’t really work here, you still want to protect that nugget because it's really special and I think as you develop that craft, you get to a point where you say, this is great but it just doesn't work,” said DeMorier.
It’s the author’s first work of fiction after writing two “how to” books, “Crib Notes for the First Year of Marriage: A Survival Guide for Newlyweds” and “Crib Notes for the First Year of Fatherhood: A Survival Guide for New Fathers.”
Those books were released in the late 1990’s and De Morier says the publishing world has changed drastically since then.
“It used to be at one time, that for every 10 traditionally published book, there was one self-published book. That’s reversed now. So there are 10 self-published books for every traditionally published book which means that traditional publishers are really tightening everything. They don’t risk anything anymore,” said DeMorier.
DeMorier also written several Christmas themed musicals for his church in Dover.
You can learn more about "Thirty-Three Cecils" at the publisher's Blydyn Square Books' website.
This piece is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.