A Chatham resident is the author of a new fiction book that unintentionally echos several subjects that have dominated 2020.
Written by Nicole Solway, A Crimson Change is a suspense novel about the spread of a deadly virus. Solway's debut book also combines several prominent themes including racial conflict and family drama.
Although the synopsis may sound more like a current events headline than a fiction novel, Solway said she actually started working on the book several years ago.
"It sat there, I didn't know what to do with it," she explained. "Then being off [work because of the coronavirus], which is part of the book as well, a virus, led me to having it edited here in Chatham at Scribendi and I put it on Kindle."
Photo via Amazon.ca
Solway works as a dental hygienist in Chatham and said writing a book was always a goal she had in the back of her mind. According to Solway, she got the idea while watching daytime television during the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri after an 18-year-old black man was fatally shot by a police officer
"I got the idea from watching The View," Solway explained. "Whoopi Goldberg, back when the Ferguson riots were on, she made a comment that there's always been racism and there always will be racism. So the question came to my head 'what if something were to change that?' That's how I started my novel and it just kind of flowed from there."
As Black Lives Matter rallies continue across the globe over the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minnesota and as much of the country continues to face restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Solway said she never imagined the novel she started five years ago would be more relevant than ever.
"It seems surreal," she exclaimed. "A lot of people can't believe that I wrote about this and a lot of it's in my book. So, it's odd."
The novel is around 230 pages, depending on the format. Solway described it as an easy read that everyone can enjoy.
"I feel that it has profound characters. It keeps your interest from start to finish," she said. "A lot of people like my characters, they've got to know them, which I think is important in a novel."
A Crimson Change is available as both an e-book and a paperback on Amazon.
