Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Mystery writer to speak at library

Has set novel in Belen

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

Belen Pari Noskin Taichert has been a writer as long as she could hold a crayon in her hands.

"I'm one of those people who was born to write," Taichert said.

On Sunday, April 3, Taichert, author of "The Clovis Incident" and the upcoming novel, "The Belen Hitch," will be a guest speaker at the Belen Friends of the Library annual meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be held at the Belen Public Library at 333 Becker Ave.

"The Clovis Incident," Taichert's first published mystery novel, has been critically acclaimed and has been nominated for the 2004 Agatha Award for first-time novels. Copies of "The Clovis Incident" will be available at the meeting and a book signing will follow her talk.

"The Clovis Incident" is the first of a series about a public relations consultant named Sasha Solomon. In the book, she travels to Clovis to bid for a job. While there, Solomon meets her old friend, Mae, who seems just a little bit nuttier than she once was.

Solomon is shocked to find a dead man on Mae's property. While trying to understand what happened, Solomon continues to fight her own internal demons. She soon discovers that Clovis is a lot more than a dot on the map.

Taichert, a freelance journalist, author and public relations consultant herself, said she will also give those at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library a sneak preview of her latest novel, "The Belen Hitch." The book, which is scheduled to hit bookstores in September, is set in and around the Hub City.

Again, Sasha Solomon is bidding for a public relations contract, but finds herself embroiled in yet another murder mystery. Taichert said she chose Belen as the backdrop for the book for several reasons.

"I love the fact that Belen has three (freeway) exits — it says something about the town," Taichert said. "I also became intrigued with the Harvey House, and, in fact, it is the center point of the book. I also used real places in Belen such as P & M Farm Museum, Pete's Cafe, the Chamber of Commerce and the Hub Motel."

Taichert said she is looking forward to talking to the Friends of the Library — not only about her novels, but also about the enormous benefits libraries offer the public. She said that her passion for literacy is another reason she decided to be a guest speaker.

"When you write about a town, you never know how the town is going to respond," Taichert said. "But the people at the library get it."

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