Toxic Shadows: Love and Mystery Amidst the Fallout with Kay Smith-Blum

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Kay Smith-Blum, author of the book Tangles. After selling her European fashion specialty store in 2016, Kay Smith-Blum began writing the novel she had been percolating on for two decades. Three manuscripts later, Smith-Blum’s debut novel, Tangles, depicts the human costs of the nuclear age and the dangerous legacy it leaves for future generations. “The Calf” is a companion piece, and the first in a series of short works and essays that accompanied the release in November 2024. Winner of the 2023 Black Fox Lit short story contest, Smith-Blum has been published in multiple literary journals.

 

In my book review, I stated Tangles is an amazing debut novel that pushes the genre boundaries. Is it historical fiction? A love story? A thriller/mystery/suspense? The answer is yes - and a whole lot more.

 

We meet Luke and learn that he is sure the nuclear power plant in his community poisoned the citizens, including his father. He also believes that those in charge, from plant officials to government leaders, knew of the safety issues and kept them a secret. Because of this, Luke sets off to prove these theories once and for all, making enemies along the way.

 

Luke is a likeable character, and Kay helps us get inside his head. Whether we see him as a young teen when he falls in love with his married neighbor or as an adult dealing with his own cancer diagnosis and befriending a fatherless child, it is easy to understand his motivations and cheer him on.

 

Will Luke be able to find the answers he seeks? Will he ever know what happened to his first love? Read the book and find out!

 

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Join the Novels N Latte Book Club community to discuss this and other books with like-minded readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3576519880426290

 

You can follow Author Kay Smith-Blum

Website: www.kaysmith-blum.com

IG: @discerningKSB

FB: @kay.smithblum

LinkedIn: @Kay Smith-Blum Linkedin 

X: @kaysmithblum 

TikTok: @KSBwritesfiction

 

Purchase Tangles on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3PXnchE

Ebook: https://amzn.to/4h9L0Ln

Audible: https://amzn.to/40XiRBJ

 

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

 

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