Gwinnett Magazine Alum Signs Book Deal for Debut Novel

A former Gwinnett Magazine editor and newspaper reporter has just signed a book deal with San Francisco-based small press Fiction Advocate for the release of his debut novel.

Written by Frank Reddy, the book, which is described as a psychological thriller, will be available on the publisher’s website, beginning Sept. 2 and will have a widespread release Oct. 11.

A description of the book, provided by the publisher, is provided below:

NOT LONG AGO, Will Fordham was a charismatic young preacher on the rise. But a family trip to the beach cost him everything. Will was struck by an unexpected seizure while wading in the ocean, and his young son drowned.

In the aftermath of the child’s death, Will lost his marriage, his sobriety, and his faith. Once the pastor of his own church, Will is now little more than a groundskeeper.

But when Will is offered a new assignment at a small church on one of Georgia’s barrier islands, he reluctantly accepts the opportunity to put his life back together.

Owned by a wealthy heiress and accessible only by ferry, this unspoiled island is home to an artists’ colony and only a handful of permanent residents. But once on the island, Will befriends a young boy who tells him unsettling stories about the other islanders.

Are they merely products of the boy’s overactive imagination, or does something sinister lie beneath the island’s peaceful facade?

A veteran journalist, Frank Reddy has written for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Curbed Atlanta, Creative Loafing, Atlanta Magazine, Gainesville Times, and Gwinnett Daily Post. He is also a former editor of Gwinnett Magazine. He has won multiple awards from The Associated Press and Georgia Press Association for feature writing, business writing, and hard news coverage. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Joy, and daughter, Stella. Eyes on the Island is his first novel.

Originally published at Gwinnett Magazine.