It Was a Night Such as This

The beginnings of my book began years ago, back when I was in high school. My "dream" was to write a mystery story. I sat down as a young teenager with that intent in mind and started typing away on my old manual typewriter. Thing was, I could not think of anything past the first few lines. As it turned out, I was finally able to finish the book I once started, albeit many years later. This is how it all came about.

Coming from Linden, NJ, my family loved vacationing in Stone Harbor. Recently, while staying in what I fathomed (in my far-reaching imagination) to be an old Victorian, the "dream" I once had as a teenager began to play out. It was the dead of night. An eerie fog rolled in. Danger was in the air. As the children and I headed deeper and deeper toward an angry ocean on that fateful, foggy night, the scene I once envisioned years before as a teenager was before me in real time. The result: "It Was a Night Such as This."

Before embarking on the book you hold in your hands, I would suggest you wait for a dark and stormy night. Have your candles and lantern all ready in case the lights go out, and find yourself the most comfortable chair in the house, because I doubt you will be able to put this book down until you finish reading the very last line on the very last page. You will find that this is not just a book telling a story. It is a book whose story has a soul. You may not be the same person you were before, for the ending will stay with you for a long, long time, and that's a promise!

Terry Stanley