Daleen Berry's Blog, page 3

“You’re Going to Sell a Million Copies”

That’s some powerful positive thinking going on, and it’s what one reader told me in a message a couple of days ago. Oddly enough, I woke up this morning feeling the same way, that belief having taken root in my brain. I sat up in bed and realized that today is the day Shatter the Silence comes out. Yay! So today is going to be amazing. I’ve never sold a million books before, and I can’t wait to see how that feels!



Maybe it’s the power of the story that has bouyed me with that belief. When writing Sister of Silence, the first book in what is now a series, I thought of it as a book for women. But then men began writing to me, thanking me for writing it. For helping them to “be a better man,” as one man put it.

Shatter the Silence is a love story, so that places it in the romance genre, but since this book is a true love story, it’s also memoir. And guess what? Men are loving it! That’s almost unheard of, when it comes to romance. (So I’m told. Not sure if I believe it.) But this book is about a police officer who worked as a deputy sheriff, when I was a news reporter at my first job. I know we live in a time of great mistrust when it comes to law enforcement, and I understand that, but I think this true story will help restore your faith in the men and women who walk the thin blue line.

Maybe I believe this book will sell a million copies because of something Sarah Rosier Nora posted on my Facebook page this morning. “Readers, get ready to laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again. You’ll root for the real couple in SHATTER THE SILENCE!” Sarah works in a library and reads a lot of books, so she knows a good book when she sees one.

I also believe selling a million copies can happen, though, because in less than one hour—at 10 a.m. (EDT)—almost one-half million people will be talking about this book. That’s when my Thunderclap campaign for my newest baby goes live—thanks to you. All of you, on Facebook and Twitter, who shared and asked your friends to support it. All I had to do was ask for your help, and you gave it. Not only did we meet our minimum goal, we exceeded it! Thank you so very much. YOU are spectacular! And I am so grateful. I truly do love my readers, because you give me something to strive for—that next story. Which I write for you. With much love!

I also love everyone who helped me get this book out the door. And cannot thank you all enough. I hope I remembered you all in the acknowledgements section. If I didn’t, please let me know and I’ll do that in the next book. You’ll be joining a long, long list of folks, too, because I’m thanking everyone by name who took part in the Thunderclap campaign.

It’s a beautiful day here in Morgantown, West Virginia. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the weatherman promises it’s going to be semi-warm (What can I say? This is WV, where it could snow tomorrow.) If you want to read a good love story, I’ve been told this is it. Get your copy today!

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══ SYNOPSIS ══

Shatter the Silence is the romantic and long-awaited sequel by New York Times Best-Selling Author Daleen Berry. The sequel to Sister of Silence, Ms. Berry’s 2011 breakout memoir about surviving abuse, Shatter the Silence is set in 1990s Appalachia.

This romantic memoir weaves accounts of the true crimes Ms. Berry covered while working as a news reporter with details of her divorce, her ex-husband’s ongoing harassment following their divorce, and finally, her love affair with the police detective who became first, a colleague, then a friend, and ultimately, the man who helped save her life.

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Authoring Today Requires We Keep it Creative!

And in keeping with that truth, I'm running a Thunderclap campaign. Have you heard of this great little promotional tool? Another author clued me in to it, after finding it worked well for her.

The best part? You don't pay a dime! And all you need is 100 friends, fans, and/or family members to help spread the word and share the love. Posts they generate in advance will automatically be shared to Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr come the day of your campaign.

Thunderclap is a virtual flash mob, except without the problems that can occur in real-life mob situations. (DEFINED: no violence, just love! And support for you and your project.)

This is my Thunderclap campaign for Shatter the Silence. Because I truly need and appreciate your support, I am naming everyone who clicks on the red "Support" button (one or all three) in my next book!

Your click helps my book campaign go live Saturday. Try it out and see. You might find you like it so much you want your own Thunderclap, and flash mob, for your next book.

Me, John Denver, and the Trek Home

Now that winter’s over for residents of the Mountain State (It is over, right?) I’m coming home. I think John Denver said it best.

“Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong, West Virginia, Mountain mama, take me home, country roads.”



I left West Virginia in the middle of a snowstorm when it was less than twenty degrees. Since then I’ve enjoyed the sunshine, fresh saltwater air, and the hospitality of our southern neighbors here in Florida. And I’ve finished two more books, bringing the total to seven, and learned some valuable life lessons along the way. Among them, do not keep the electronic key fob for your hybrid vehicle in your jeans pocket when walking along the ocean’s edge. Because chances are you will venture too close or the waves will be too high, and the surf will hit you broadside, rendering that expensive key fob useless. (No, I didn’t have a repeat of my 2012 Los Angeles experience. Thankfully!)

I’ve also learned that I need more sunshine than the average bear, and I have a natural affinity for the ocean. Probably because I was born in San Jose, Calif., not too far from the open seas. That means saltwater must be part of my DNA, right?

Florida flora and fauna

Another crucial life lesson: family is anyone who befriends you, helps you out in a time of need, or offers valuable advice that costs the giver something, and you nothing. Think about it. When was the last time anyone gave you advice they knew would cost them something, if you chose to take it? If you’ve experienced that, and I hope you have, that person is a true friend. Which, in my book, makes them family.

As I make my way along the 900 or so miles back to Almost Heaven later this week, I’ll be stopping at libraries along I-95 and I-77, and talking to people about how today’s economy makes being an author more challenging than ever, reading, and books. Then, once I’m back home, I’ll meet with two book clubs in Pennsylvania and enjoy catching up with my literary-minded friends.



There’s also a book event scheduled for Saturday, May 7, at the Morgantown Barnes and Noble. That’s the day Shatter the Silence will be released. Several people have received advance review copies; the word on the street (so to speak) so far is “Wow!” “What an incredible story!” and “That police investigator is the most romantic guy in the world.”

If you’re a blogger who reviews books and would like a copy, please email me. If you don’t yet have your copy, you can preorder it now. Meanwhile, I’m working on the third book in the series that began with Sister of Silence in 2011. Hoping that this trilogy doesn’t turn into quintuplets.

* * * *

Boy, have I been busy! My seventh book, Shatter the Silence, the long-awaited sequel to my first memoir will be released May 7. That’s on the heels of Tales of the Vintage Berry Wine Gang, a collection of my newspaper columns from 1988-91, which came out in April. Prior to those two books, Guilt by Matrimony was released last November. It’s about the murder of Aspen socialite Nancy Pfister.

My memoir, Sister of Silence, is about surviving domestic violence and how journalism helped free me; Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy, now in ebook format, is about the life of Preston County native, Eloise Morgan Milne; The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (a New York Times bestseller, with coauthor Geoff Fuller) and Pretty Little Killers (also with Fuller), released July 8, 2014, and featured in the August 18 issue of People Magazine.

You can find these books either online or in print at a bookstore near you, at BenBella Books, Nellie Bly Books, Amazon, on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

For an in-depth look at the damaging effects of the silence that surrounds abuse, please watch my live TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013, at Connecticut College.

Have a great day and remember, it’s whatever you want to make it!

~Daleen

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

“Shatter the Silence” Release Set for May 7

Cover Creation by Christina at #CBB Productions

Shatter the Silence is the romantic and long-awaited sequel by New York Times Best-Selling Author Daleen Berry. The sequel to Sister of Silence, Ms. Berry’s 2011 breakout memoir about surviving abuse, Shatter the Silence is set in 1990s Appalachia.

This romantic memoir weaves accounts of the true crimes Ms. Berry covered while working as a news reporter with details of her divorce, her ex-husband’s ongoing harassment following their divorce, and finally, her love affair with the police detective who became first, a colleague, then a friend, and ultimately, the man who helped save her life.

Readers will weep as they learn about the collateral damage Ms. Berry and her four children sustained, following ten years trapped in a violent marriage. They will cheer when they see her refusal to live the rest of her life as a victim, and when Ms. Berry realizes she has, as a single mother of four at the age of 27, fallen in love for the very first time, they will be overjoyed. Finally, Ms. Berry’s loyal fans will be moved by the tender, intimate moments she shares, as they join this award-winning author on her journey to love and healing.

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Daleen Berry is an award-winning investigative journalist and a New York Times best-selling author with five books. Her New York Times status came about due to her work on Pretty Little Killers and The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (2014). Berry’s memoir, Sister of Silence, details her life growing up in Appalachia. It has received both critical and popular acclaim.

Berry’s professional writing career began at the Preston County Journal, where she received a first-place award for investigative journalism from the West Virginia Press Association. She has also written for the Associated Press, the Daily Beast and Huffington Post.

Berry has delivered a TEDx talk and spoken to students at Johns Hopkins University, UC Berkeley, and Penn State University. She has appeared on ABC, NBC, and CBS, among other networks. Sister of Silence and Guilt by Matrimony were recently selected for placement on WVU’s Appalachian Literature list.

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OTHER BOOKS BY DALEEN BERRY
Tales of the Vintage Wine Berry Gang

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Sister of Silence

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Guilt by Matrimony

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Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy

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Pretty Little Killers

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The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese

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TOUR PROUDLY HOSTED BY Christina at #CBB Productions

A ‘Kid In a Candy Store’—On the Palm Beach County Bookmobile

Recently, I felt just like a kid in a candy store, when I did something I haven’t done since childhood—I climbed aboard a big bus filled with books. When I heard about the bookmobile, I had to check it out in person. This is what I found:

Mike Barto had to spend $120 from his own pocket to get a job, but 23 years later, he still says it was “absolutely worth it!”

April marks Barto’s anniversary as a library associate, but you won’t find him inside an office. Most days he’s behind the wheel of a big, brightly painted bus that brings books to readers. Each month, the Palm Beach County Bookmobile makes more than 40 stops, traveling 1,200 miles—and some days, it delivers as many as 400 books.

Mike Barto and Marianne Herd

Year round, except for weekends and some federal holidays, Barto, Marianne Herd, and Francisco Contento, with some help from supervisor Ronald Glass, keep local residents reading. Barto is on the big bus most days, driving from Jupiter to Boca Raton to Belle Grade, while Herd and Contento switch off. They alternate between the Bookmobile and the Library Annex, where they care for the behind-the-scenes operations.

“We handle the ordering of the books, processing them (and weeding out books that don’t do well),” Herd said. “We have to pull from holds that other libraries want to borrow.”

The Bookmobile operates year round, but the schedule changes every six months, based on the number of books in circulation, which is the number checked out at each stop. Declining numbers, says Herd, call for a change. “If a stop isn’t doing good, we’ll drop it and add a new one. But our good stops, they stay.”

Listening is a big part of this job. A job that required Barto to obtain a commercial driver’s license. When the county called him for an interview, he was already in the process of getting his CDL and had spent $120 of his own money. “I even rented a truck to take the test,” Barto said.

And he loves his job, which feels more like fun than work. Discussing books and having a flexible schedule are just two of the perks. Then there are the people he interacts with. “The clientele are very nice,” Barto said.

In fact, the clientele determines which books the library staff orders. “We’re definitely listening to what people are saying,” Herd says.

After talking to readers, Barto determines which books are in demand. He created “Mike’s Favorites,” a list of about 50 titles. It’s impressive, comprised of books that have topped the New York Times Bestseller List for many months, such as All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr; The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak; The Storyteller, by Jodi Picoult; Molokai, by Alan Brennert, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett; and several others.

When readers talk, Barto pays attention. “When they return, they say (that book) was great and I ask ‘why’ . . . (and) they give me tidbits about the book.” Barto keeps that in my mind and then, when someone else comes on the Bookmobile, “I listen to all the synopses of books, and then pair books with readers.”

A voracious reader since childhood, “Mike’s Favorites” has come to represent “books I know . . . books that have depth to them,” he says.

But Barto doesn’t just know which reader likes mysteries. He knows their specific tastes—down to the type of mystery, and whether they prefer English or Scottish or hard-boiled New York City police detective stories.

Alice Weiss, who reads at least four books a week and is a regular, agrees. She says Barto “gets a feeling for what we like. He’s very good.” As a child, Weiss says a librarian took her “by the hand, took me to the children’s section . . . and I never stopped going to the library. Ever.”

A retired woman over a certain age, Weiss seems the epitome of many readers who come aboard the Bookmobile. Then there is the other end of the spectrum—the children who visit the Bookmobile.

“It’s fun to watch the kids come in. Their eyes light up (at all the books),” Barto said. “It’s like kids in a candy store.”

* * * *

Boy, have I been busy! My seventh book, Shatter the Silence, the long-awaited sequel to my first memoir will be released May 7. That’s on the heels of Tales of the Vintage Berry Wine Gang, a collection of my newspaper columns from 1988-91, which came out in April. Prior to those two books, Guilt by Matrimony was released last November. It’s about the murder of Aspen socialite Nancy Pfister.

My memoir, Sister of Silence, is about surviving domestic violence and how journalism helped free me; Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy, now in ebook format, is about the life of Preston County native, Eloise Morgan Milne; The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (a New York Times bestseller, with coauthor Geoff Fuller) and Pretty Little Killers (also with Fuller), released July 8, 2014, and featured in the August 18 issue of People Magazine.

You can find these books either online or in print at a bookstore near you, at BenBella Books, Nellie Bly Books, Amazon, on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

For an in-depth look at the damaging effects of the silence that surrounds abuse, please watch my live TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013, at Connecticut College.

Have a great day and remember, it’s whatever you want to make it!

~Daleen

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

“Tales of the Vintage Berry Wine Gang” Release Date Set For April 3

It’s been a long time in coming, but it’s been compiled in a short few months. And these aren’t even all my old newspaper columns from the Preston County News. So there will be another edition down the road. Here’s the cover and the book’s details. You can preorder it today, from Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Smashwords, and Amazon Kindle.



Christina at CBB Productions did a great job with the cover design, basing it around the 1990 family photo that appears in my memoir and which many readers have commented on.

Here’s a synopsis:

Devoted fans of West Virginia author Daleen Berry’s weekly newspaper column, Vintage Berry Wine, will be happy to hear those old yellowed clippings have been compiled into a book. Plus, as an added BONUS—we are including several new, never-before-read columns! Using humor to draw from the antics of Ms. Berry’s four rambunctious children, Tales of the Vintage Berry Wine Gang will make you wonder about that crazy, loveable, dysfunctional world we all call “family.”

Readers have long awaited this book by Ms. Berry, who, in the intervening twenty-five years since writing her first newspaper column at the Preston County News, went from an award-winning columnist and investigative reporter to a New York Times best-selling author of true-crime.

This will be Ms. Berry’s sixth book, following Sister of Silence (2011; memoir), Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy (2013; memoir), The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (2014; true-crime), Pretty Little Killers (2014; true-crime), and Guilt by Matrimony (2015; true-crime).

* * * *

My fifth book, Guilt by Matrimony, about the murder of Aspen socialite, Nancy Pfister, was released November 17. My memoir, Sister of Silence, is about surviving domestic violence and how journalism helped free me; Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy, now in ebook format, is about the life of Preston County native, Eloise Morgan Milne; The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (a New York Times bestseller, with coauthor Geoff Fuller) and Pretty Little Killers (also with Fuller), released July 8, 2014, and featured in the August 18 issue of People Magazine.

You can find these books either online or in print at a bookstore near you, at BenBella Books, Nellie Bly Books, Amazon, on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

For an in-depth look at the damaging effects of the silence that surrounds abuse, please watch my live TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013, at Connecticut College.

Have a great day and remember, it’s whatever you want to make it!

~Daleen

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Is Donald Trump a Rapist?

You may not know this, but many journalists don’t vote. Why? Because they believe holding a political opinion impairs their ability to objectively do their jobs. This is one reason I remain largely silent during election years. Since journalists are at the front line of an election, in order to be fair, we must be neutral. Otherwise, our reporting could be compromised. And reporters must write, not just about the political events leading up to an election, but about the behind-the-scenes stories that help citizens learn the entire truth about a candidate, or candidates.



I haven’t said much about this election because most of it has already been said. But a few months ago I received a private message from one of my readers, asking if I knew about a news article alleging Donald Trump was a wife beater. At the time, I didn’t.

But since then, Trump’s popularity has grown—and people seem so swayed by the man, his money, and his power, that they blindly follow his every word—so I’ve decided to speak up about a topic I am passionate about. That topic? Domestic violence and, more important, rape. Specifically, marital rape—something I feel qualified to speak about, since I wrote a book about it.

You see, the scariest thing about this election for me, personally, is the reaction of Trump’s supporters—do they really condone raping one’s wife? After all, aren’t they’re saying they wholeheartedly support rape when they support Trump, the man accused of such a base act?

One year ago, in February 2015, The Daily Beast reported that during a 1990s deposition, Trump’s ex-wife Ivana, said he violently assaulted her. The account found its way into a 1993 book about the billionaire, and include such ugly details as Trump forcing Ivana to have sex she didn’t want, and intentionally yanking out clumps of her hair during the sadistic act. The book’s author said that when Ivana told her closest friends what happened, she used the word “rape.”

Reading about her horrific experience—which sounds like rape to me—made me shudder.

Sadly, Ivana late recanted. Well, in a manner of speaking.

By their very nature, divorce proceedings reveal extremely private details about a couple’s most intimate moments. Abused women, especially, have been known during divorce proceedings to reveal being victims of shameful behavior at the hands of their mate. These deep, dark secrets are things they would never tell another person—unless that person is a shrink or a doctor. It’s almost like these women have remained silent for so long that, finally, knowing their escape from their batterer is imminent, they relish the chance to speak out about the most vicious, private acts carried out against them during the marriage in question.

Ivana is not alone.

Many women—even married women—claim they were raped, only to later recant. Statistics show it’s not usually because the rape didn’t happen. More often, it’s because the women are still subservient enough that they are afraid to call a spade a spade. Because doing so comes at a very high cost. I know this because I was one of those women. And I’ve talked to dozens of women whose situations mirrored mine.

Based on Ivana’s divorce documents, she was raped. Just because she later toned down her words doesn’t mean Donald Trump did not rape his wife. Here’s what it could mean. In order to feel safe, or to get money (or some other concession) from Trump during their divorce, Ivana had to soften her story. Or maybe, like many women, Ivana later doubted her own reality. It happens. Far too much.

Read the Daily Beast piece. It’s well-written and shows Trump for what he is—a man who surrounds himself with bullies as ugly as he is. Bullies who threaten the press who dare to print such stories, and who say it’s legal to rape one’s wife.

Which is so ridiculous that it would be funny, if only so many Americans didn’t seem to worship the pedestal upon which Trump stands.

* * * *

My fifth book, Guilt by Matrimony, about the murder of Aspen socialite, Nancy Pfister, was released November 17. My memoir, Sister of Silence, is about surviving domestic violence and how journalism helped free me; Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy, now in ebook format, is about the life of Preston County native, Eloise Morgan Milne; The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (a New York Times bestseller, with coauthor Geoff Fuller) and Pretty Little Killers (also with Fuller), released July 8, 2014, and featured in the August 18 issue of People Magazine.

You can find these books either online or in print at a bookstore near you, at BenBella Books, Nellie Bly Books, Amazon, on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

For an in-depth look at the damaging effects of the silence that surrounds abuse, please watch my live TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013, at Connecticut College.

Have a great day and remember, it’s whatever you want to make it!

~Daleen

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Shatter the Silence Book Cover Arrives!

Drum roll, please, for my newest book cover!



If you’ve read Sister of Silence, you might recall that I ended my memoir on a cliffhanger. I promise, it was not intentional. Many readers later wrote, asking what happened after I left “Eddie”—because I simply didn’t say. I was so focused on the positive outcome of having escaped that I failed to outline what happened next. (And since, as statistics show, many women who leave abusive men often later return again, no doubt readers wondered if I did that. Suffice to say, I did not. #WhyILeft)

Shatter begins in 1990 where SOS ends, after I took my children and left Eddie. I hope it answers all your questions. Here’s a synopsis of what promises to be a great departure from the normally dark themes I write about:

“Shatter the Silence is the romantic and long-awaited sequel by New York Times Best-Selling Author Daleen Berry. The sequel to Sister of Silence, Ms. Berry’s 2011 breakout memoir about surviving abuse, Shatter the Silence takes place in Preston County, West Virginia.

This romantic memoir weaves accounts of the true crimes Ms. Berry covered while working as a news reporter with details of her divorce, her ex-husband’s ongoing harassment following their divorce, and finally, her love affair with the police detective who became first, a colleague, then a friend, and ultimately, the man who helped save her life.

Readers will weep as they learn about the collateral damage Ms. Berry and her four children sustained, following ten years trapped in a violent marriage. They will cheer when they see her refusal to live the rest of her life as a victim, and will be overjoyed when Ms. Berry realizes she has, as a single mother of four at the age of twenty-seven, fallen in love for the very first time. Finally, Ms. Berry’s loyal fans will be moved by the tender, intimate moments she shares, as they join this award-winning author on her journey to love and healing.”

You can pre-order Shatter the Silence through Smashwords, which distributes books to places like Apple iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and elsewhere. (Sister of Silence is also available at these locations.)

And if you order now, Shatter is only $2.99. But right after its May 7 release, the price goes up to $3.99.

* * * *

My fifth book, Guilt by Matrimony, about the murder of Aspen socialite, Nancy Pfister, was released November 17. My memoir, Sister of Silence, is about surviving domestic violence and how journalism helped free me; Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy, now in ebook format, is about the life of Preston County native, Eloise Morgan Milne; The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (a New York Times bestseller, with coauthor Geoff Fuller) and Pretty Little Killers (also with Fuller), released July 8, 2014, and featured in the August 18 issue of People Magazine.

You can find these books either online or in print at a bookstore near you, at BenBella Books, Nellie Bly Books, Amazon, on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

For an in-depth look at the damaging effects of the silence that surrounds abuse, please watch my live TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013, at Connecticut College.

Have a great day and remember, it’s whatever you want to make it!

~Daleen

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

‘Shatter the Silence’ Book Cover to be Revealed Saturday

Last week I said I would have a major announcement for you. Actually, I have two.

Shatter the Silence, the sequel to my memoir, Sister of Silence, finally has a great book cover. I know you’ve been waiting very patiently to read the continuation of my life story, and I can’t thank you enough. I truly appreciate your loyalty! (And I hope you enjoy what I fully expect to be an 80K-word book.)

This is one of two possible photos that will end up as cover artwork for my compilation of old Vintage Berry Wine columns.

After a great deal of work, I believe we’ve nailed it. And it only took traveling 1,800 miles to Florida, where I met another author, who introduced me to her cover designer. The pieces quickly fell into place and now, voilá, the book you all have been awaiting (for far too long) has a cover. It’s not what I initially expected but I think Christina at #CBB Productions did a great job. It’s perfect. I love it! And hope you do, too.

That isn’t all. As of today you can pre-order Shatter the Silence through Smashwords, which is the distributor I’ve chosen. Smashwords is pretty cool, because it sends my books out into the world, to places like Apple iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and elsewhere.

And in four more days—on Saturday, March 19—I’ll share the cover for Shatter the Silence right here. Plus, there’s a bonus; if you order now, it’s only $2.99. But right after its May 7 release, the price goes up to $3.99.

That still isn’t all.

Back in December, I promised to have my compiled newspaper columns, Vintage Berry Wine, to you in book form by year’s end. That didn’t happen. In large part, again, because we couldn’t come up with the perfect book cover. In part because those old columns came in at more than 90K words, which was much more than I ever anticipated. Now, though, the cover is almost completed, and will—as my columns did—feature my ornery brood. Here’s the best part—Vintage Berry Wine will be released April 2, one month before Shatter. I don’t have the preorder link yet but I will Saturday, and will share that and the pricing details with you when I reveal the Shatter cover here.

* * * *

What a hot, hectic weekend it was! At least it was here in southeastern Florida, where thousands of college students have flocked to these sandy beaches, making my Starbucks run a little more difficult. Still, I get why they come here. And if this wonderful warm weather keeps up, I may have trouble dragging myself back to West Virginia.

I’ve been spending time at the beach myself, just walking in the sand. Hard work, that is. And Sunday, I found an Olympic-sized pool right around the corner, so I swam laps for an hour. Then, today, I enrolled in a super fun dance class with a great instructor. At this rate, my legs will be toned and slimmer in no time. Goodness, at this rate, there won’t be much left of me to return home!

See you Saturday!

* * * *

My last Florida book event, complete with a discussion about my latest book and why innocent people end up in prison, a Q&A, and a reading, was Saturday, March 12, at Barnes and Noble in Jensen Beach. More dates will follow, which you can find on my Facebook page.

My fifth book, Guilt by Matrimony, about the murder of Aspen socialite, Nancy Pfister, was released November 17. My memoir, Sister of Silence, is about surviving domestic violence and how journalism helped free me; Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy, now in ebook format, is about the life of Preston County native, Eloise Morgan Milne; The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (a New York Times bestseller, with coauthor Geoff Fuller) and Pretty Little Killers (also with Fuller), released July 8, 2014, and featured in the August 18 issue of People Magazine.

You can find these books either online or in print at a bookstore near you, at BenBella Books, Nellie Bly Books, Amazon, on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

For an in-depth look at the damaging effects of the silence that surrounds abuse, please watch my live TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013, at Connecticut College.

Have a great day and remember, it’s whatever you want to make it!

~Daleen

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Happiness is . . . Crossroads, Audiobooks, and Laughter

Reaching a crossroads is never easy.

That’s because with crossroads come major decisions, usually with life-changing implications. I’m there now, standing at that figurative place. I’ve battled an internal tug-of-war, and now feel stronger for reaching this point. More certain. And determined.



I wish I could say more, but I can’t. Even with all of the personal details about my life that end up going public, some things simply need to remain private. I hate to leave you hanging and hope that down the road, I can share more with you. Until then . . .

It was a long weekend in West Palm Beach, where I toured the local scenery, played in the waves in the Atlantic Ocean, and enjoyed time with family and friends. Throughout, it was punctuated with laughter, lots of warm and happy laughter. Now I’m back to work, writing and rocking and rolling—and preparing for a big announcement next Monday.



This coming weekend, on March 11, I’ll be reading from one of my books at The Stage in WPB. I’m not sure which book yet, as I only have 10 minutes. If you have a particular passage that strikes your fancy, please let me know. I’m always excited to attend any open mic event, and I hear this venue brings in a good crowd.

Then, on Saturday, I’ll drive to the Jensen Beach Barnes and Noble for a 2 p.m. appearance. If you’re in the area, please drop by and introduce yourself.

I miss my West Virginia friends, but have to say I don’t miss the bad weather. Of course, I heard it hit 60-degrees again today in Morgantown, so I’m happy you received that good weather I sent you from Florida. (But of course, as fickle as the weather is, by next week it might be back down to 30.)

Lake Park, West Palm Beach (Photo by Daleen Berry)

I’ve plowed through several books lately, both print and audiobooks. When you drive 1,800 miles, you have no trouble making it through an entire book. I love long drives anyway, but listening to someone tell a story as you head down the highway definitely makes the time fly. I’m going to review these books, and others I read last year but haven’t written a review for yet. You can find my reviews at Goodreads or Amazon. If you’ve read a good book lately, thank its author by writing an honest book review. Reviews make our day. Sometimes, they make our month. Truly!

Finally, you may have noticed that my last few blog posts had no photos. Plus, they were filed under “uncategorized,” and I couldn’t add any tags to help people find them——all of which is terribly annoying. That glitch appears to be fixed but the media library won’t save my changes, including my byline for two of this week’s photos. (Just know I took them, to be honest and give photo credit where due.) I think I need to update my version of WordPress, but I don’t have my site backed up so I’m a little nervous about it crashing. Please bear with me, until I figure it out.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. More next Monday!

* * * *

My next Florida book event, complete with a discussion about my latest book and why innocent people end up in prison, a Q&A, and a reading, is at 7 p.m. Friday, March 4, at the Barnes and Noble in Wellington. The following Friday, March 11, you’ll find me reading at the open mic at The Stage, right here in WPB, and finally, Saturday, March 12, I’ll be at Barnes and Noble in Jensen Beach. More dates will follow, which you can find on my Facebook page.

My fifth book, Guilt by Matrimony, about the murder of Aspen socialite, Nancy Pfister, was released November 17. My memoir, Sister of Silence, is about surviving domestic violence and how journalism helped free me; Cheatin’ Ain’t Easy, now in ebook format, is about the life of Preston County native, Eloise Morgan Milne; The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese (a New York Times bestseller, with coauthor Geoff Fuller) and Pretty Little Killers (also with Fuller), released July 8, 2014, and featured in the August 18 issue of People Magazine.

You can find these books either online or in print at a bookstore near you, at BenBella Books, Nellie Bly Books, Amazon, on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

For an in-depth look at the damaging effects of the silence that surrounds abuse, please watch my live TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013, at Connecticut College.

Have a great day and remember, it’s whatever you want to make it!

~Daleen

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”

Editor’s Note: Daleen Berry is a New York Times best-selling author and a recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She has won several other awards, for investigative journalism and her weekly newspaper columns, and her memoir, Sister of Silence, placed first in the West Virginia Writers’ Competition. Ms. Berry speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. To read an excerpt of her memoir, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Ms. Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”