Judi Tadych-Grabinski’s venture into the publishing world is still in its infancy, but already the former Bethel resident has found success.
She had her first novel published in June, with a second book set to be in print this week. And Tadych-Grabinski’s third book has been taken on by a different publisher and will be released soon as well. All are in the fictional, serial killer suspense genre.
The St. Francis High School graduate’s first book, “Cellar of Secrets,” focuses on Sarah Stephens, the troubled young proprietor of a successful family inn.
After the mysterious deaths of her mother and sister, Stephens is left in the care of her estranged father in a house full of secrets.
Nightmares focusing on a series of terrifying murders plague the book’s main character, who works to unravel the mysteries of her past before she becomes the next victim.
Tadych-Grabinski has always been writing.
“That’s kind of my outlet,” she said. “Some people paint. I write.”
Tadych-Grabinski started her writing career as a journalist for the Army Navy Times.
While at her home in Calumetville, Wis., Tadych-Grabinski decided to give writing books a try.
“I first just wanted to see if I could write,” she recalls.
Tadych-Grabinski started her journey writing a couple of children’s books and some romance novels.
She then turned her attention to writing fictional serial killer, suspense novels.
“For some reason that always interests me,” Tadych-Grabinski said about forensic science.
It’s that interest in the topic that makes Tadych-Grabinski so interested in writing.
“You have to write what you’re passionate about,” she said.
To write her novels, Tadych-Grabinski relies on more than her knowledge of forensic science gleamed from watching “Forensic Files” and other television shows. She had to study up on the science and educate herself on compounds and other items.
“You can’t make a mistake,” Tadych-Grabinski said.
For “Cellar of Secrets” she needed to research all the components in embalming fluids, she said.
Research aside, the writing process moves quickly for Tadych-Grabinski, who said that “Cellar of Secrets” took about four to five weeks to write.
“They come fast when they come,” she said about her novels.
Tadych-Grabinski said she will go to bed, have a nightmare which provides inspiration and get up and writing until she’s finished.
Often Tadych-Grabinski begins the writing process with an idea of a killer, who he or she kills, why that person kills and how it goes down.
A recent novel, however, provided a unique challenge for Tadych-Grabinski, who said she didn’t know who the killer was until the book was four pages from completion.
And it’s the killer that Tadych-Grabinski said is what makes her books different from others in the same genre.
“I give a completely different serial killer,” she said.
She intentionally puts in twists, making the killer a secret until the very end, according to Tadych-Grabinski.
“So far nobody’s been able to figure it out,” Tadych-Grabinski said.
For more information about Tadych-Grabinski and “Cellar of Secrets,” visit www.publishedauthors.net/writergirl/bio.html. The book is also available at Barnes and Noble and at Amazon.com.
