Detective Writer

Why I Decided to Become a Published Author at 23!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about my writing experience and my journey to becoming a published author. Let’s take a break from murder mystery this week and just talk about writing, reading, and all of that good stuff.

As you may know, I have always wanted to become an author ever since I was a kid who couldn’t speak English at all. However, my teachers helped encourage my love for books by reading stories of all genres. I became a self-proclaimed bookworm at four years old and once I got to college, I just knew that it was time for my lifelong dream to come to fruition. I majored in English with a creative specialization and minored in professional communications before finally graduating in 2020, class of the global pandemic. Go figure.

I always knew I wanted to write a book but I wasn’t sure where to begin until one day a good friend of mine told me about her experience publishing with New Degree Press. She referred me to virtually chat with the head of the Book Creators Program, Eric Koester, who was so wonderfully supportive throughout the entire process. I won’t lie and say that it was an easy journey. When I was twenty years old, I first began writing my book, The Doctor, for a creative writing course. I recall my professor assigning us to write a short story of our choice but on another version of ourselves in another life. The prompt was: “If there was someone else who looks and sounds just like you, what do you think he/she/they would be like? Would they be just similar or the complete opposite of you?” I immediately thought of my past experiences wishing I was someone else, someone more powerful, someone who could stand up for herself regardless of what others had to say. Before I knew it, two-three page short stories ended up becoming some fifteen-thirty pages, then some fifty-seventy pages. My professor laughed and said, “Sally, you don’t have a short story anymore. You’ve got a book!” I couldn’t bear the thought of not writing. So I continued.

Publishing was an adventure. I realized that I not only wanted to bring forth my dream and passion for writing but also transform my voice. Let go of past hurts and finally get out of my comfort zone. I had to let go of my ego and embrace that I had a dream that needed to be realized. I wanted to live up to my role models, Stephen King and Agatha Christie, and make something out of myself, especially as a person of color. Writing a novel became an adventurous endeavor for me because not only did I realize that I would be the first one in my family to even publish a book, but I also knew that success wasn’t guaranteed. Not when you have to go through something like that alone. I encountered several challenges on my way to publishing, challenges which I had no manual on how to deal with, like how to structure a story, how to advertise and reach out to the general public, gather an audience, and beta readers, and earn money to fully fund my book. I also experienced judgment from a few individuals who told me to find a different way of publishing or to give up on my dream because apparently, it’s hard to become an author. (Oh jeez, really? Not that I noticed.) I also realized that being a relatively unknown person without extremely powerful connections, and without a strong social media background, I feared that my book would probably not do so well or that I would be discouraged from publishing any more novels because of the obstacles that I was facing. However, I will note that what did help me overcome the difficulties were not just the people closest to my heart, myself, and my determination to move forward and succeed, but recognizing that I wanted to be an example for young women of color who have dreams of becoming authors but either have no way or no idea where to begin. Writing a book is hard work but being able to publish and hold a book with my name on it was worth it. Help is out there, you just have to ask for it.

Links are below if you would like to purchase a book, DETECTIVES, and ClueFinders!

Barnes & Noble:

Amazon:

GoodReads:

I hope you have enjoyed this storytime as much as I did, DETECTIVES! Please let me know in the comments if you want to have more storytime! Have a great day, night, afternoon, or evening, DETECTIVES! Stay tuned for next week’s post and until then, keep on sleuthing, DETECTIVES!

P.S. Feel free to check out the official blog post here!

Unsolved Mysteries: “Jennifer Fergate!”

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved mystery death of an unknown/unidentified individual who has been known as “Jennifer Fergate.”

This doomed tale first began on May 31st, 1995 when a woman who was fluent in both English and German checked into the Oslo Plaza Hotel in Oslo, Norway, and booked a room for three nights. She stayed in room 2805. According to a witness, the strangest aspect was that she had also checked as a Lois Fergate as well into the room and that she was never seen leaving nor entering the room for anything except for receiving a meal freshly made by room service. That was the last time she would ever be seen alive.

This was her room service meal.

This was her room in which her body was found in.

This is a sketch of how “Jennifer Fergate” looked like.

When a few days passed and she had not paid off her bill nor was there a credit card or other form of payment on file, the hotel had presented her with the announcement her payment on the television. Someone inside that room had accepted the hotel’s request by clicking “Yes.” It is unknown if it was her or someone else. When the hotel security went upstairs to her room, they heard a gunshot inside. After running for their safety, the room was left unattended for fifteen minutes. Her body was found by police on the bed but what intrigued everyone was that while she held a gun, it was upside down and she had no blood on her hands. A nearby pillow on the bed was also shot at as well and her clothing had no tags whatsoever. The hotel room that she stayed at was locked from the outside. To this day, no one knows what happened to “Jennifer Fergate,” why she used an alias, and just exactly who was. What are your thoughts?

Mysterious Disappearances: Ames Glover!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved disappearance of a 5-month-old baby boy named Ames Glover who went missing in 1990. Ames Glover was a baby who was born in London, England in the United Kingdom. His father first reported him missing in Southall when he explained that for about 20 minutes, he left him in the back seat while he went to an ATM by a nearby restaurant. When he came back, Ames was gone.

Unfortunately, he has been missing since then. It has been speculated that while over 2,000 people were interviewed including Ames’ parents who were separated prior to his disappearance, that racism had occured in the case that Ames’ case was not given as much importance contrary to other missing children. His mother pressured the police to reopen the case in 2002, and in 2003, officers traveled to Ghana after receiving a lead that perhaps Ames was kidnapped in West Africa. However, there was no progress in the case and Ames’ family is still left wondering what could have happened to their baby. If he was kidnapped, who took him and why?

Mysterious Disappearances: Amelia Earhart!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved disappearance from 1939, the one and only aviation (pilot) pioneer, Amelia Earhart. Now we have all heard of her, especially about the fact that Earhart was the first woman to fly solo (by herself) across the Atlantic Ocean! Earhart helped open a lot of doors for women all over the world to try their dreams of flying.

Unfortunately, after a tremendous adventure and lifestyle, Amelia Earhart went missing on July 2, 1937, at 39 years old and three weeks before her fortieth birthday, while trying to fly a circumnavigational flight of the globe with her acquaintance, Fred Noonan near Howland Island. The plane was a Lockheed Model 10-E Electra and Earhart and Noonan were last seen in Lae, New Guinea. Investigations have continued to this day searching for any trace of them but to avail. It was speculated that perhaps the plane perished somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and almost a year later after her disappearance, Amelia Earhart was declared legally dead.

Do you have any theories as to what could have possibly happened? Why was there no trace of either of them?

Mysterious Disappearances: Arianna Fitts!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved disappearance from 2016, of a young baby girl named Arianna Fitts. According to the official FBI website, baby girl Arianna Fitts went missing in either San Francisco, California, or Oakland, California – where she was last seen on April 5th, 2016. Her mom, Nicole Fitts was last seen on April 1st, 2016 picking up a call and arranging to see her daughter’s babysitter. Her mother, Nicole Fitts was found murdered and buried in a shallow grave while in the fetal position in a public park in San Francisco. Her murder remains unsolved.

Arianna Fitts

Nicole Fitts with her daughter

Nicole Fitt’s family believes to this day that someone took Arianna and raised her to become part of their family. In 2021, a $10,000 reward was posted for anyone who had any information regarding Arianna’s disappearance. In April 2022, San Francisco police released a forensic sketch of Arianna aged around seven years, hoping someone comes forward with any information. Hopefully, there is a turn of events soon, DETECTIVES!

Mysterious Disappearances: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved disappearance with thousands of souls on the missing flight, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

The plane was carrying over 227 passengers with 12 crew members and was scheduled to fly on March 8th, 2014 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China. The aircraft was a Boeing 777-200ER and had last made contact with the airport at 1:19 MYT (Malaysian Stand Time) on March 8th, 2014 when it was less than an hour before take-off.

The strangest aspect of the plane’s disappearance is that although it has been speculated that the plane crashed in the South China Sea, it’s been years and no traces of the plane has ever been found. Despite a 2018 search in which debris has been reported to be found, it is still not confirmed if it actually belonged to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Do you have any theories on what happened to the plane? Where do you think it went?

Mysterious Disappearances: D.B. Cooper!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved disappearance from 1971, D.B. Cooper.

Now, you’ve probably heard of him from the 2021 Disney+ series, “Loki,” who is portrayed by Tom Hiddleston. But the actual story was actually as mysterious as it sounds.

Fun fact: D.B. Cooper actually purchased his airline ticket with the alias name, Dan Cooper but due to a miscommunication from the news, he was mistakenly identified as D.B. Cooper.

On November 24th, 1971, a man wearing a black attache case arrived at Portland International Airport at the counter of Northwest Orient Airlines. Paying in cash for a one-way ticket for Flight 305 heading to Seattle – Tacoma International Airport by a Boeing 727-100 plane, he claimed his name was Dan Cooper. He was described by eyewitnesses as being in his midforties, dressed in a black tie and white suit, and ordered a bourbon and soda drink while on the flight. It is unclear where he sat, perhaps around 18C or 15D. After the flight took off around 2:50 P.M. Cooper placed his plan in action. He gave the flight attendant closer to him, Florence Schaffner, a note. When she failed to read it because she thought it was his phone number, he warned her to look at it. She has stated that she was forced to sit next to him as he revealed he placed a bomb onboard. It is not known exactly what he wrote in the note but afterwards, he demanded four parachutes, $200,000, and a fuel truck waiting for him in Seattle. The aircraft crew were ordered to follow through with each and every one of Cooper’s demands. Schaffner remembers him as calm, thoughtful, and of reporting him of claiming he did not have a grudge with the airline but simply just had a grudge. Although, the plane had eventually landed in the Seattle Tacoma Airport and Cooper’s demands were met, the plane went back in the air at 7:40 P.M. this time with Cooper and several crew members. Around 8 P.M. Cooper had repeatedly opened the air door and jumped out, never to be seen or heard from again. The FBI has had the case open since but there have been no successful leads as to where Cooper landed or if he even survived.

Mysterious Disappearances: Amy Lynn Bradley!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved disappearance from 1998, the case of Amy Lynn Bradley. I’ve decided to take things up a notch and discuss mysterious disappearances, perhaps you could be the one who helps bring them home. Anyhow, let’s hear all about Amy, shall we?

Amy Lynn Bradley was born in Petersburg, Virginia on May 12th, 1974. She was born to Ron and Iva Bradley. She graduated from Longwood University with a physical education degree and a scholarship in basketball. After graduating college, Amy was planning on taking a job in computer consulting.

On March 21st, 1998, to celebrate Amy’s upcoming employment, Amy and her family boarded the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship – Rhapsody of the Seas which was traveling to a Dutch Caribbean island, Curaçao. On the fourth day of the cruise, she and her brother had gone to the ship dance club and drank with the crew members. Around 3:35 A.M., her brother Brad went back to their cabin to sleep. Amy soon followed him to bed a few moments after. Around 5:30 A.M., her father got up to check up on her and her brother, the last time he ever saw his daughter, she was sleeping on the lounge chair by their cabin balcony. When he got up again at 6 A.M., Amy was gone as well as her lighter and cigarettes. Although there was an immediate search for her for over four days and several reported sightings of her, Amy has never been found. The crew believed that she either fell overboard, drowned, or committed suicide. But the thing is that Amy was known to be an excellent swimmer and former lifeguard, so how could she have easily drowned? Where could Amy be, if she is still alive? How could she have easily disappeared? Who is responsible? What exactly happened?

Murder Mystery Storytime: The Murder of American Rapper Tupac Shakur!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about the 1996 unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur. Now, we all have surely heard of him at some point or another, especially of his outstanding albums, records, and for creating content that was set to fight against social injustice. But since we are here to discuss his murder, let’s go, shall we?

Tupac Shakur was shot and killed on September 7th, 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was only 25 years old. That night, he had been attending the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson boxing match. Unfortunately, it was viewed on video that he had also been involved in a fight that was broken up by security. He returned back to his hotel and had told his fiance, he was going to come back soon after telling her about the fight.

At 11:10 PDT, while sitting next to the driver, Suge Knight, Shakur’s BMW stopped at a red light to which a white Cadillac pulled up next to Knight on his right, rolled down the car window, and pulled out a Glock 22 gun and shot at Shakur’s car. He had been hit four times, once in his arm, twice in his chest, and once in his thigh. One of the bullets pierced through one of his lungs. Knight was also hit too, his head, completely terrifying the two women in another car beside Shakur’s left side who were making small talk. Paramedics immediately rushed Shakur and Knight to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada hospital. Shakur reportedly kept saying he was dying on the way to the hospital and he was placed in a medically induced coma with life support machines and bodyguards outside his door day and night, before his death on September 13th, 1996. In 2014, an officer claimed that Shakur’s last words were “F**k you.”

Although, American rapper, Christopher Wallace, known as the Notorious B.I.G was assumed to have been the shooter(s) but consistently denied. His family even gave police invoices to prove the night Shakur was murdered, he was recording a song. Unfortunately, Wallace would soon be murdered by an unknown assailant in a drive by shooting on March 9, 1997.

It’s been years and while there have been numerous investigations, documentaries, and extensive research – both murders continue to remain unsolved.

Murder Mystery Storytime: The Boy In The Box!

Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you all about an unsolved and completely terrifying murder mystery that remains unclear to this day! TRIGGER WARNING: in this case, I will be discussing, it does mention the unsolved of a child. Please feel free to skip ahead if that makes you uncomfortable, DETECTIVES.

On February 25th, 1957, a small young child between the ages of 3 to 7 was found completely nude, battered, and bruised. His corpse was discovered to be extremely malnourished, beaten, and bruised throughout his entire body. It was also found that the boy had clumps of hair stuck to his body, his hair was also recently freshly groomed, and he had scars throughout his groin, ankles, and under his chin. The scar under his chin was in the shape of an “L.” The man who found the body decided against reporting it because he had been checking out his traps for muskrats and he was afraid the police would get him in trouble for it. He was fingerprinted the next day but unfortunately, no one has ever come forward to claim him and there has never been any justice for his murder. TRIGGER WARNING: I will now display a few images of the boy but please feel free to skip ahead if it makes you feel at all uncomfortable.

Although there were a few theories that came forward, including a woman who was only known as “Martha,” and the boy’s body was exhumed in 1998, no one still has any idea who this little boy was, who was his family, why he was murdered, and who did it.