Former 无毛视频-Standard crime writer publishes a thriller of her own
The cover of 无毛视频淭he Taker,无毛视频� which was written by former print journalist Robin Acton.
Robin Acton, a former crime and courts reporter at the 无毛视频-Standard and Greensburg Tribune-Review, recently self published the book 无毛视频淭he Taker.无毛视频�
It was the police scanner that got Robin Acton hooked on crime.
In the 1970s, she was a receptionist at Uniontown无毛视频檚 无毛视频-Standard, and listened to the cascade of mayhem, misdeeds and medical calls that ricocheted through the newsroom thanks to the scanner, 无毛视频渁nd I was hooked,无毛视频� she said.
Before too long, Acton became a crime and courts reporter at the 无毛视频-Standard, and covered the same beat when she was at Greensburg无毛视频檚 Tribune-Review. Writing about people when they do their worst can wear down even the hardiest of souls. What did she like about it?
无毛视频淚 think I liked the fact that nothing was ever the same,无毛视频� Acton explained. 无毛视频淎ny day when you come to work, you never know what is going to be happening.无毛视频�
Now retired for more than a decade from daily journalism 无毛视频� though still recognizing the sound of the police scanner, even on the other end of the phone 无毛视频� the 64-year-old Acton decided to apply all the knowledge she gathered from talking to police and sitting in courtrooms by writing her first novel, 无毛视频淭he Taker,无毛视频� which she has published herself and is available through Amazon and other outlets.
无毛视频淭he Taker无毛视频� tells the tale of a Pittsburgh crime reporter who puts her life on the line to stop a kidnapper who abducted the daughter of her boyfriend, a former police detective. The thriller was inspired by a couple of cases Acton covered that still stand out after all these years. About six years in the making, Acton attended writers conferences while plugging away at it, and was given a particularly valuable piece of advice: she needed to ditch the journalist无毛视频檚 tendency to keep everything spare and to the point and instead explore motivation and character a little more expansively.
无毛视频淚 had to get that out of my mind,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚t was an off and on, love and hate process for six years.无毛视频�
Acton considered going with an outside publisher for 无毛视频淭he Taker,无毛视频� but felt a sense of urgency to get it between two covers since her father, former 无毛视频-Standard advertising director Bob Acton, is in his 80s and dealing with an array of health issues.
无毛视频淗e is probably the most proud father on the planet,无毛视频� said Acton, a Brownsville native who now lives near Latrobe.
A second book is already planned. It will be called 无毛视频淓mpty Boxes无毛视频� and feature the same Pittsburgh crime reporter as 无毛视频淭he Taker.无毛视频� One lesson Acton is taking with after writing 无毛视频淭he Taker无毛视频� is 无毛视频測ou don无毛视频檛 write a novel or publish a novel by yourself.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a group process,无毛视频� she continued. 无毛视频淭here are people standing behind me.无毛视频�