Montco author Katie McVay invited to Princeton event

AUTHOR KATIE McVAY (photo from her Facebook author page)

Katie McVay, author of "The City of Lost Secrets: A Mara Beltane Mystery," was recently chosen to participate in Princeton Public Library’s Local Author Day, on Saturday, March 24.

During the three-hour event, which is open to the public, McVay and 23 other authors will display, sell and sign books. Featured authors will also have a chance to read from their work. The Princeton Public Library is located at 65 Witherspoon St. in Princeton, N.J. For more information about the event, visit www.princetonlibrary.org.

McVay self-published the suspense-thriller novel "The City of Lost Secrets," in August 2011. In her words, the book is "about a Philadelphia-based novelist whose quest for the truth behind an ancient tomb in Jerusalem leads her into the arms of a handsome biblical scholar and a shocking revelation that may rock Christianity to its core." McVay describes the book as “The DaVinci Code for chicks,” equal parts mystery, women’s fiction, and archeological thriller. 

The novel - McVay's first - has received favorable attention thus far.

 

In February, "The City of Lost Secrets" made it to the Second Round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in the General Fiction category. Two grand-prize winners, one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction, will be offered a traditional publishing contract with Penguin.

McVay is also in the running to have her book featured with the world premiere exhibition, “Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times.” The traveling exhibit includes ossuaries (bone boxes) from the controversial Talpiot tomb, a first-century burial cave rumored to be the final resting place of Jesus that forms the centerpiece of McVay’s novel. The ossuaries, as well as other artifacts in the exhibit, are being seen for the first time outside Jerusalem. If chosen to be a part of the exhibit, the book will be offered as tie-in merchandise for purchase at select retail locations associated with the exhibit. McVay expects to learn whether her book will be included before the exhibit’s opening at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute on May 12. 

“Some scenes in my book take place in Philadelphia, so to have the book as part of a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit in Philadelphia would be really special,” McVay said.

 

McVay is also hoping her book gets free publicity as a result of a recently announced archeological discovery in Jerusalem. A sealed tomb, dubbed the “patio tomb,” dating to the 1^st century C.E. was found to be associated with some of the earliest followers of Jesus, thus providing new evidence for evaluating the Talpiot tomb, which is located in close proximity to this newly discovered tomb. The patio tomb was discovered in 2010 and a new book just recently published about the finding, entitled, “The Jesus Discovery,” is creating buzz and a fair share of controversy.

“The same authors of ‘The Jesus Discovery’ also put out a very controversial 2007 documentary that introduced the world to the Talpiot tomb. That documentary was the inspiration for The City of Lost Secrets,” McVay revealed. “So the fact that a newly discovered tomb could be linked to the Talpiot tomb will hopefully re-spark an interest in the Talpiot tomb.” And, she adds, get people interested in a novel that centers around the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

McVay is currently working on a sequel, entitled "The City of Sacred Bones," which is primarily set in Rome. She plans to self-publish that book in late summer or early fall 2012.

About the author:

Katie McVay is based in Montgomery County, Pa., where she works in the marketing industry. "The City of Lost Secrets" is available in print and e-book formats on the Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble websites. She has also published a short story, "The Department of Lost and Found," which can be purchased as an e-book on Amazon and Smashwords. To learn more, visit McVay's website: http://katiemcvay.blogspot.com. Her blog is also hosted on The Mercury's Town Square bloggers site at Pottsmerc.com. She can also be reached via Twitter @ktmcvay, her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/KTMcVay, as well as on GoodReads.com.