THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 9, 1995 TAG: 9507070633
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
She gave the creeps to people living in Ghent. She gave goosebumps to Western Branch and Churchland residents.
Now she's spooking Virginia Beach folks.
Wendy Haley, a Western Branch mother of two and successful author of several nationally published horror, mystery and romance paperbacks, is back with her newest page-turner.
She's set her newest tale, ``White Light,'' in Virginia Beach.
Haley will return to the fictional scene of the crime today when she participates in an author's book signing and short discussion on writing at the Barnes & Noble Superstore on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
In 1992, Haley's New York-based publisher Zebra Books released the bone-chilling murder mystery, ``Shadow Whispers,'' set in Norfolk's Ghent and Downtown areas. Last winter, it published ``Dead Heat,'' a suspenseful tale of arson and murder set in Western Branch/Churchland.
Haley said she was looking for a new setting when she picked Virginia Beach.
``I thought it would be intriguing to set it there,'' she said. ``There are a lot of things peculiar to Virginia Beach I bring into the story.''
Whereas both ``Shadow Whispers'' and ``Dead Heat'' fell directly into the mystery story genre, ``White Light'' is a little different.
``This one is not a classic whodunnit,'' she said. ``Yes, there's a murder, but it's not your classic murder mystery. It's more a suspense novel. The tension is high in the book. Who's going to be next?
``I really enjoyed the psychological aspects. It's very gritty, and there's a number of eccentric characters in the book.''
In preparing to write ``White Light,'' Haley said she drove all over the resort city, checking out typical Beach scenes.
``I looked at maps and drove all over the place to set things in my mind,'' she said. ``I walked around to get the right atmosphere.
``People who read the book will recognize some areas, but this is not a Virginia Beach travelogue. It's a suspense story set in that city. I use the setting to build atmosphere in the book. I show the Virginia Beach not many tourists see or recognize. This story is set in a darker, grittier setting. As a friend of mine said so well and truly, `It's the wrinkles in the fabric of life that we find interesting, not the smooth parts.' ''
In her quest to infuse the book with a Virginia Beach flavor, Haley was keenly aware of the Association for Research and Enlightenment Inc., the Edgar Cayce Foundation facility that espouses ideas and beliefs many consider to be New Age, a cultural movement characterized by a search for heightened spiritual consciousness through such practices as astrology, meditation and holistic medicine.
``I've got some of the characters involved in New Age, or at least they're wannabes,'' she said. ``It was a natural thing to pick up on, since the Beach has a sizable New Age community.''
Haley said she is pleased with the story, which is a slight departure from the whodunnits, vampire series or romance novels she's struck success with in the past. An advance review of ``White Light'' that appeared recently in Romantic Times magazine affirmed Haley's satisfaction.
The magazine called ``White Light'' a ``gut-wrenching suspense'' novel.
Haley even likes the book's cover - the distorted photo of a woman's body, weirdly colored like a mood ring, with an inset of a bucolic beach cottage.
Haley said that's a lot better than the cover her publisher chose for ``Dead Heat,'' which depicted a young woman posing seductively over a bright red foil finish.
``We never have any say as to the cover for our books,'' Haley said. ``When I see it, it's always a surprise. This time I was pleasantly surprised. I think it works.''
Haley's productivity also works.
The Western Branch resident has already published 11 novels, including five romance books published by Zebra Books under her pseudonym, Wendy Garrett. She also has published two titles in her vampire series and released three mysteries.
Haley said a romance novel set in St. Louis just before the Civil War called ``Hers Forever'' is ``finished, in the chute and ready to come out in November.''
She's now working on a mainstream novel ``more relationship driven than plot driven,'' she said. And she's creating a new type of novel, based on a discovery that she had become a hit with a younger audience.
``I found out from friends and from letters I received that a lot of young adults, kids 16 and older, liked my vampire books,'' she said. ``They liked the fact that the protagonist didn't accept he was evil, that he had honor. Now in writing a young adult novel, I have to pare down some of the language. But it's kind of fun, and it's worth a try.''
In the meantime, Haley will be at Barnes & Noble to sign copies of ``White Light'' and discuss writing.
``I want to talk about fact and fiction - that there has to be truth in fiction or it just doesn't work,'' she said. ``These truths have to be there. There's physical, emotional and intellectual rules, and we all have to play by them. Then I'll show how you can tweak them a little.''
And she'll show how to give local residents the creeps. MEMO: Wendy Haley will be at the Barnes & Noble Superstore, 4485 Virginia
Beach Blvd., at 3 p.m., today to sign copies of her latest book ``White
Light'' and discuss aspects of writing. Call the store at 671-2331 for
more information.
ILLUSTRATION: Author Wendy Haley
Her new book is set in Virginia Beach
by CNB