Oakmont Author to Hold Book Signing at Library

Bestselling Kindle author and Oakmont resident Kathleen Shoop has released a second novel, and she will be holding a book signing this weekend.

"After the Fog" is based on the 1948 epic environmental disaster that occurred in the steel mill town of Donora, known as the “killing smog.”

To celebrate the release of the book, Shoop will be doing a reading and signing at the from 12:30 to 3 p.m., on Saturday, May 12. Coffee, desserts and a chance to win a Kindle, Nook and other giveaways will be available.   

The release of "After the Fog," which has a nurse as its heroine, coincides with National Nurses Week, May 6 to 12, in honor of the contribution of nurses to public health. Prior to its release, "After the Fog" won the Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medal for the Mid Atlantic Fiction category.

Her debut novel, "The Last Letter," sold more than 50,000 copies, was on the Kindle bestseller list the summer of 2011 and won eight awards.

In "After the Fog," Shoop has woven a compelling family drama around the “killing smog,” known as one of the worst air pollution catastrophes in U.S. history. The event killed 20 people and nearly 800 animals, and sickened nearly one-half of the town’s 14,000 residents. It’s credited for helping initiate the nation’s clean air movement which eventually led to the Clean Air Act of 1970.

The book’s main character, Rose Pavlesic, is a headstrong, skilled community/public health nurse. As she tends to her demanding family and Donora townsfolk who are growing increasingly ill from a stagnant weather pattern that traps poisonous mill gasses, she is forced to confront her own demons as decisions from her past collide with her career.  

“Community nurses were an important part of American life at one time,” said Shoop in a press release. “They made house calls offering everything from pre and post natal care and tending to the sick, to instruction for how women should keep their homes clean. My main character Rose exemplifies the incredible work these women did. I wanted to bring this to life in a way that honors them.” 

After the Fog is available for $14.99 on www.amazon.com and as an e-book for $2.99 on Kindle. It’s also available on www.barnesandnoble.com. For more information and to purchase the book, visit www.kshoop.com  

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