Smithwrights has been pleased to recently receive a recommendation for Endangered from the North Carolina Poet Laureate. Cathy Smith Bowers wrote, “Very early into this sensuously mysterious novel, one realizes that the powerful and determined sea turtle of 500,000 years ago so elegantly and poignantly described in the prolog is not the only one who is “Endangered.” This story is not only a “Who done it?” but a very compelling “Who’s doing it?” I found myself being pulled between wanting to move to an island off the coast of Georgia to wanting to get as far away from one as I possibly could. Such tension is the mark of masterful writing. Bravo to the authors of this stunning mystery!”

In addition, Endangered has received a 5-star Reader’s Favorite award and numerous 5-star ratings by Amazon readers. Read more rave reviews at www.endangeredthebook.com.

Available in print and digital formats, Endangered may not yet be on the shelves of your local bookstore. Order it now. And, enjoy a trip to the beach – whether you actually get there or not.

Last fall, when Mary Helen and Shuford Smith published their first suspense novel, Endangered, it was called “poetic license.” The couple had published eight other books — two camping guides, two retirement sourcebooks, a national-award-winning children’s book, a coffeetable photography book, and two editions of their Winning Wines list. All had been nonfiction.

Immediately, the fictional Endangered gained attention and started to gather 5-star reviews on Amazon, including a Reader’s Favorite award. Now North Carolina’s poet laureate, Cathy Smith-Bowers, gives a powerful recommendation: “Very early into this sensuously mysterious novel, one realizes that the powerful and determined sea turtle of 500,000 years ago so elegantly and poignantly described in the prolog is not the only one who is “Endangered.” This story is not only a “Who done it?” but a very compelling “Who’s doing it?” I found myself being pulled between wanting to move to an island off the coast of Georgia to wanting to get as far away from one as I possibly could. Such tension is the mark of masterful writing. Bravo to the authors of this stunning mystery!”

In the novel, a New York City automobile accident smashes heroine Melanie Parker Evans’ existence. She wakes from a coma to learn that her son, husband, mother and father have been killed. As she physically and emotionally recovers at the family’s sea island retreat, Melanie discovers even more is at risk — her family’s business, the island, a culture, a species . . . .

Smith-Bowers is Professor of Creative Writing at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC and a faculty member in the low-residency MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, NC. Though Smith-Bowers and the Smiths have chosen to live in the same little town (Tryon, NC), they are not related.

The Smiths have enjoyed six stops on their Southeastern book tour: Savannah, GA (part of book’s setting), Edisto Island, SC (where the couple performed research on the sea islands, Gullah culture, and loggerhead turtles), Charlotte, NC (where the Smiths lived when they started the novel), Tryon, NC (where they currently live), Spartanburg, SC and Asheville, NC (nearby cities). Their tour will conclude with an author event at their library, the Polk County Public Library.

For more information on Endangered, visit its website: www.endangeredthebook.com. There you will find a writing sample, descriptions of the characters, a map of the fictional island, photographs of the area, a lowcountry recipe, and a Gullah storytelling.

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