BLIND RAGE—An Eerie Ozarks True Crime Tale

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Posted on January 24, 2025 by Lori Ericson

Blind Rage is a true crime story about a murder that happened not far from my home here in The Ozarks. The horrific tale of family jealousy can be blamed on the dearly departed, who adopted a young girl only for appearances. The family dynamic that develops leads to the tragic crime detailed in fine storytelling that had me flipping the pages.

In this blog, I offer a different type of book review — one that’s combined with vocabulary building. Included here are a few interesting words I found in Blind Rage, written by Anita Paddock and published by Pen-L Publishing.

The definitions here are for just a few words from Blind Rage important for the telling of this story of family horror:

— blind rage: noun. violent, uncontrollable anger; an instance of aggressive behavior or violent anger caused by a stressful or frustrating situation.

From the beginning of Blind Rage, where Paddock offers a definition of the term:

“Rage can sometimes lead to a state of mind where the individual is capable of doing things that may normally seem physically impossible.

A person in rage may also experience tunnel vision, muffled hearing, increased heart rate, and hyperventilation.

A person in a state of rage may also lose much of the capacity for rational thought and reasoning and may act violently on impulses until the source of their rage is destroyed.

People in a rage have described experiencing things in slow motion and may suffer a form of amnesia regarding the incident itself.”

— resentment: noun. Bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.

From Blind Rage:

“Ruie Ann Park thought there was no one in the world as smart as her Sammie. And through the years at home in Van Buren, Linda knew she was the inferior child, and she buried her resentment and anger deep inside while her brother ignored her and her mother controlled her every move.”

— showplace: noun. A place of beauty or interest attracting many visitors.

From Blind Rage:

“At first, the seventy-five-year-old widow didn’t realize how badly she was injured but she could feel the sticky blood on her neck and arms. Her head throbbed worse than any migraine she’d ever had, and when she tried to lift it, she couldn’t. Her throat was dry, and she wished for a sip of water. Minutes passed before she lost consciousness, and her last thoughts were of how she would ever get rid of the blood stains in the showplace of Van Buren, Arkansas.”

Here’s a link to Blind Rage directly from Pen-L Publishing : BLIND RAGE

And a link to the book on Amazon: BLIND RAGE

AND, if you’re so inclined, check out A Lovely Murder, the second book in my Danni Deadline romantic thriller series. A third one is in the works—meaning it’s now pouring out on the page/computer screen. And a 2nd edition of the original A Lovely County will be out soon. Details to come!

A link to A Lovely Murder directly from Pen-L Publishing: A LOVELY MURDER

OR, a link to my book on Amazon: A LOVELY MURDER

What are you reading this week? Do you love a book that challenges you to look up words?

New Baby Arrives!

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Lori Ericson

Two boxes of books arrived today, and I couldn’t be more excited and proud. A Lovely County was published in January last year. A Lovely Murder, the second in the Danni Deadline Thriller Series is out this week.

I’m hosting a book launch this Sunday, November 13, at the Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville, AR, from 2 to 4 p.m. to make it official. If you’re in driving range, please come.

I want to share this moment because the thrill of publication is just as strong as the first time. It’s kind of like having a baby and then the baby’s sibling. I love both books. I love the nurturing of each word to create my babies. And I love the stories still floating as embryos in my head yearning for birth.

One thing that stays strong with me is the gratitude I feel for my publisher, Pen-L Publishing. They are the VERY best! Duke and Kim Pennell have held my hand from the first pitch of my story to this past week when lining out what my bookmarks will look like. They are supportive and diligent, allowing me to have the last word on the cover and most everything, all the while providing the best in editing and professional help through the process. On top of all that, they are nearly as excited as I am to see this baby arrive.

So, come if you can on Sunday. Hear me read a little from the book, pick up a copy of my new baby, and have a cookie and punch to celebrate!

If you can’t come, check it out on Amazon or on from my publisher, Pen-L at http://www.Pen-L.com/ALovelyMurder.html.

Publishing Choice is Personal

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Lori Ericson

It’s a tough world in publishing these days. How do you decide which way to turn? Hold out for the big publishing contract that will likely never happen and doesn’t have the advantages it once did? Self publish and do all the work yourself?

The idea of self publishing is a viable consideration, but there’s something about the credibility that comes with signing with a publisher. Not to mention that a publisher takes care of working out a cover, formatting, etc. etc. etc.! Small indie publishers can offer so much to a new author these days that big publishing houses don’t. Namely, individual attention and a bigger percentage in royalties.

I published my first book with a small indie publisher. I’m proud of the effort I put into that first book, and the outcome.

Kimberly and Duke Pennell of Pen-L Publishing offered me a contract for three upcoming novels. My response, “Where’s my pen? Then, a big THANK YOU!”

I recently signed with a different indie publisher based in Arkansas for my future books. I’m so excited that they were interested in my writing. Duke and Kimberly Pennell, who formed Pen-L Publishing just a couple of years ago, already have 75 or so titles under their belt. I opted to sign on with them mainly because of the integrity so evident in the two of them, but also because of their love of the craft and their dedication to creating a good product.

The choice was very personal to me. My writing is my heart. What I create with my voice is a part of me. I want to know that I can trust and feel proud of my choice in a publisher.

In November, Pen-L will publish A Lovely Murder, sequel to my first novel A Lovely County. I’m proud to say that A Lovely Murder took The President’s Award and 1st Place in the Unpublished Manuscript contest at Ozark Writers League late last year, so I can’t wait to see it in print.

Pen-L also graciously contracted to publish two more of my novels next year. A Lovely Grave is the third in the mystery series about small-town reporter Danni Edens. A fourth novel has yet to be titled.