Meet guest author David Fingerman and his new novel Silent Kill

You Can Enjoy Being Scared ~ Safely Behind A Book

“Silent Kill,” my first novel, was released just last month. So far the reviews have been very favorable (thank you, reviewers). A number of people (albeit mostly friends) told me how scared they were, but still couldn’t put the book down. Whew! Being that it’s a suspense/thriller, that’s pretty much what I was aiming for. And even though it’s mostly friends, it still feels nice to be validated.

Why is it that so many people like to be scared by reading books? Well, I like to call it an artificial scare. The only real threat is maybe an occasional nightmare. The reader knows (s)he is really safe. All one has to do is put the book down, flip on the TV, watch an episode of “How I Met Your Mother” and all is well again with the world.

The question of why do people like to be scared has been around for ages. For me it’s an escape. Be it a movie or a book, for just a little while I can step out of my world and enter someone else’s realm. I can cheer for the protagonist (or antagonist if I get pissed at the hero – it’s happened), get mad at them, feel their pain, get scared for them, all the while knowing nothing is going to happen to me. Someone is coming after the hero with an axe? Yikes! My heart races. I definitely feel fear for that fictional character. But I know whether the hero gets chopped up or escapes, I’ll be hunky-dory all curled up on the couch.

Getting scared is also quite healthy. I have no scientific backing on the following, but for me it makes a certain amount of sense. (If you might have read any of my work, you may have misgivings about what I think makes sense.) But think about it ~ when you get scared your heart starts beating faster and your body releases adrenalin. You instantly have more energy and you’re burning more calories. Fright is the perfect diet aid. I’m not suggesting that reading should replace exercise, but why not do both? Being scared while reading is like exercising during your down time.

Shameless self-promotion.

I now have two books released. “Edging Past Reality” is a book of short stories of speculative fiction. If you liked “The Twilight Zone” I’m sure you’ll enjoy these stories. As mentioned above, “Silent Kill” is a suspense/thriller novel. It’s about a female police officer chasing after a sadistic killer. Because this is a giveaway blog site, I will give away a copy of one of my books. To win, just leave a comment and your email address. I will draw a name and the winner can tell me which book they want. If your name isn’t the one drawn, and you would like to read one, or both books (and I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t), don’t fret. “Edging Past Reality” and “Silent Kill” are on sale at Amazon.com. Of course, if you like real bookstores, go to your favorite. If my books aren’t on the shelf, I’m sure they’d be delighted to order one for you.