DebiLyn Smith recently finished running from cancer and is now running from mystery.
The Houston author, who just completed a month-long book tour in support of her first novel, Running from Cancer, hosted a a reading of her second published book, Not Just One, Running from Mystery, Thursday night at the Smithers Public Library.
Her latest novel is a mystery set in a town called Halston, a community that closely mirrors Smith’s hometown.
“The characters are mostly fictional but there are a few that people will recognize,” Smith said.
“It was fun doing that. It is fiction but I added a sprinkle of truth to it. There are a lot of things in the book that are based on this area and that’s why I think people here would like to read it and it’s quite funny all the way through.
“Don’t be surprised if you’ve ended up in the book.”
While she said the book mostly appeals to women, she has heard positive reviews from the males that have read the mystery as well.
“It’s about a single mom trying to learn to put both feet down and not just one, with her ex husband and all the other men in her life,” Smith said, adding the main character’s First Nations’ babysitter goes missing in the book, a nod of recognition to the area’s Highway of Tears’ disappearances.
Smith just returned to the Bulkley Valley after promoting Running from Cancer at locations all across the province.
As a cancer survivor herself, the tour coincided with Breast Cancer Awareness Month and was very well received, she said.
“The response has been incredible,” Smith said. “People have said it’s really helped them change their lives and shape up a bit more.”
In Smithers, Not Just One, Running from Mystery can be purchased at Mountain Eagle Books, Heartstrings and Interior Stationery.