Bridgewater Author Achieves Dream Of Publishing Not 1, But 2 Books

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Amanda Hess had always loved writing with a dream one day to publish her own book. That dream was recently realized when Hess published not just one book, but two.

"I've been a writer off and on since I was a kid, since I was about nine or 10 years old. I always liked writing little stories myself. And then I kind of fell out of it," said Hess, a Bridgewater-Raritan High School graduate and Township resident. "But then the pandemic hit, and I started to pick it up again."

Hess recently self-published her first novel, "The Perfect Season For Murder," and a short story, "The Truth Beneath The Roses: A Gothic Romance."

"I've always loved mystery stories. So both of them are mysteries. You can say that's really my wheelhouse," said Hess.

The novel came to fruition during the pandemic.

"I was unemployed during the pandemic, and I had a lot of time, and a thought crossed my head one night, and I said, 'That's really good. I should write that down'," said Hess.

She spent a lot of her time writing the novel before eventually returning to work. She continued writing on her days off. She was making excellent progress until she hit a writer's block. The novel is a whodunit story, and she needed to figure out how to end it properly.

"I ended up putting it aside and just started playing with another idea, and that's how the short story came about," said Hess.

The gothic short story, "The Truth Beneath the Roses," follows a wealthy Grunewald family of Thornwythe Manor who meet a tragic end in the early 20th century.

"Behind their elegant façade lay grief and scandal. When cousin Peter Florian returns to meet the family, he finds the manor in ruins and, hidden under the roses, his cousin's diary — its pages exposing the family’s secrets and the truth of their destruction," according to the description on Amazon.

Turning back to her novel, Hess turned to her roots growing up and headed to the library to do research.

"I was physically going to the library in COVID with my mask on and looking up things, because there was so much stuff. I know we have Google, but for what I wanted, I was old school," said Hess.

She researched what type of DNA analysis was available in the 1980s and what would be appropriate for her story. She also watched Law and Order on television for inspiration to finally perfect her storyline.

The novel, "The Perfect Season for Murder," is set in 1980 and follows the character Katie Michaels.

"She is young, pretty, and living her dream in New York City. But that dream is shattered when she is found murdered in her apartment. Detective Ed Bartlett, a seasoned homicide investigator, is on the case. He thinks it is a simple jealous lover case, but as the evidence and the bodies pile up, this case will take Ed on a strange journey that no one saw coming," according to Hess' description on Amazon.

The novel is meant for readers in high school and older, while the short story is good for middle schoolers and older.

Hess, who works with the Somerset County 4-H, dedicated her books to her office co-workers "because they encouraged me and helped me in many ways. It's always good to have a good support system around you.

She also dedicated part of the novel to her husband for watching "all these horrible murder documentaries and living through that."

Hess said publishing her book was a "bucket list item. I can't believe I got it done, and I actually have something out there."

Looking forward, Hess said she is "always noodling ideas in my head, because it's a hobby of mine." Possibly in the future, she may expand to write a sequel to her novel.

For more information or to buy "The Perfect Season For Murder," visit amazon.com. For more information or to buy "The Truth Beneath The Roses," visit amazon.com.

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