LOCAL AUTHOR

Erica Jackson
BIO
Erica Jackson was born in Amsterdam,
NY and she’s been writing since high
school where she was the editor of the
school paper. She dreamed of
becoming a journalist but moved in the
direction of an author as time went on.
Her fiction writing journey began with
fanfiction until she progressed to
novellas after finding inspiration from
a screenwriting class at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham, where she
graduated with a degree in
communications. Since publishing her
first novella, The Last Op, in 2018,
she’s self-published seventeen more
works including the upcoming Danger
Lies in the Dark through Kindle Direct
Publishing. Some of her books are
available through Barnes and Noble, as
well.

CONTACT
Email: ericaj318@gmail.com
Facebook: Erica Rose Jackson
Twitter: EricaC318
Instagram: ericarose3189
Site: https://ericajackson318.weebly.com/
Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Erica-
Jackson/e/B07KY4D6WJ?
ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1634606728&sr=8-2
DANGER LIES IN THE DARK

SYNOPSIS
A large hole has opened up in
the center of Amsterdam, NY.
People are saying they can hear
whispers coming from down
below. The last time a team of
explorers went to investigate,
they disappeared. Can Dr. Paul
Owens and journalist Addy
Krajewski figure this out?

Page count: 53
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Independently Published
Publication date: 10.31.2021
ISBN: 979-8490085522
Price: $3.99
Available formats: eBook, Paperback
& Hardcover
Where to buy: Amazon and Mysteries
on Mainstreet in Johnstown, NY
DANGER LIES IN THE DARK
EXCERPT
Chapter 1

The Assignment

A news report flashed across the screen and the anchor shared:
“The world came to a sudden halt today in the small town of Amsterdam, New
York where a giant hole appeared from Main St to Front St spanning across
Voorhees to John St. Onlookers reported that a team of five went down into
the hole to investigate, but hours have passed and no one has returned to the
surface. We’ll give you more information on this once it becomes available to
us. Remember, we only share the facts.”

Adira ‘Addy’ turned off the broadcast just as her phone rang, “Krajewski?” she
answered.
“Addy, this is Sophie,” her boss began, “I’m sure you’ve already heard about the
incident in Amsterdam,” she paused for a reaction from Addy.
“Yes ma’am,” Addy replied, “I just watched the news report.”
Sophie went on, “I’ve gotten you assigned to this one since it's your
hometown. You are to report to the old Amerstdam Mall tomorrow morning to
meet with the research team. Any questions?”
“Who’s the lead scientist on the case?” Addy responded, hoping her boss would
say any name but the one flashing through her mind.
Sophie inhaled before she gave Addy her answer, “It’s Dr. Paul Owens.”
“Understood,” Addy said as she ended the call and sat back, her thoughts
racing back to one of the million memories she shared with Dr. Paul Owens.

“Are you enjoying the game, Addy?” Owens asked as the Yankees entered the
seventh inning stretch with a significant lead on the Red Sox.
She turned to face him, wearing a large smile across her lips, “Of course I am.
We’re kicking their butts!” she exclaimed as she leaned over and placed a soft
kiss on his lips, running one hand into the grey curls on the back of his neck.
“I’m glad,” he replied, his subtle NY accent slipping through, one of the things
Addy loved most about him.
She caught something in his blue/grey eyes she hadn’t ever seen before, an
emotion she couldn’t place, “What’s going on in that brilliant mind of yours?”
she asked.
She and Paul had been seeing each other for the past two years and she never
imagined she could love someone as much as she loved him.
He gestured for her to look at the jumbotron where it read, “Adira Krajewski,
will you be my wife?”
DANGER LIES IN THE DARK
EXCERPT CONT'D
The words were replaced by the image of her and Paul. When she turned back
to face him, he was down on one knee offering a ring.
“What do you say, beautiful?” he inquired, wearing the largest grin she’d ever
seen on his face.
Addy was overwhelmed, she wasn’t sure they were ready for this step but they
were surrounded by so many people.
Her heart was racing as she looked down at her older boyfriend who was
waiting, very patiently, for an answer.
“Yes,” she finally gasped causing him to get back up and slide the ring onto her
finger while the stadium erupted into cheers.
Owens leaned forward and placed his lips to hers, wrapping his arms around
her as the camera left the couple and focused back on the game.
That was the moment where things between them started to go wrong, but
neither knew it at that moment.
 QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH ERICA JACKSON - THE
AUTHOR OF DANGER LIES IN THE DARK
1. Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in Amsterdam, NY and I still spend summers there. I chose my
hometown for the setting of my latest novella because I wanted to include
an important aspect of my history in my works. Until Danger, I set my
stories in cities I’ve never visited so this one was a lot of fun because I
could really visualize everything as I wrote. I still consider Amsterdam my
home. I’ve been writing for the past fifteen years and I tend to always
include something about myself in a character or the setting. You could
probably get to know me really well from pieces of all my main female
characters.
2. Give a brief description of your book, Danger Lies in the Dark.
The story begins after a large sinkhole opens up in Amsterdam down by the
river. A specialist, Dr. Paul Owens, and his team are brought in to
investigate along with journalist Adira Krajewski. There’s something down
there and people keep disappearing trying to find out what.
3. Why did you write Danger Lies in the Dark?
Like I mentioned above, I wanted to write a story about my hometown so
that’s where the idea for this one started. I wanted to create a story with
some mystery so I looked up some prompts online to get inspiration. The
basic idea was the hole and the town. Everything else came from
brainstorming and plenty of thinking bubble baths (that’s where I do a lot of
my thinking)
4. Danger Lies in the Dark has a character who specializes in journalism. What
about that specialty interests you?
Adira is a journalist and that is a career I really wanted to pursue back in
high school. After we studied Watergate, I became obsessed with
journalism. When I was choosing my major at UAB, I thought of going that
route but newspapers were dying so I went in the communications
direction instead. However, I still have my own blog where I do
entertainment news and I’ve written for a few online publications over the
years.
5. Is this book part of a series?
No, this is a one entry story. Some of my other novellas include multiple
entries such as: The Last Op, Mrs. Claus, Two Worlds Collide, and Murder
on Martha’s Vineyard to a degree.
6. What was the most challenging part of writing this book?
Well, I don’t want to give too much away but the hardest part would have
to be revealing what’s in the hole. It was a challenge to make sure I took
time to build suspense before unveiling the villain. Also, I wanted to be
careful to avoid stereotypes and that is always a challenge because
everything has been written before and I wanted to make this my own.
 QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH ERICA JACKSON - THE
AUTHOR OF DANGER LIES IN THE DARK CONTINUED
7. How did you come up with the title?
Surprisingly, Danger Lies in the Dark has been one of the easier titles for
me to come up with. I don’t even think I had any other ideas for this one
because it spoke to me from the moment I thought of it. Beneath the
sinkhole, it’s dark and what’s down there is extremely dangerous. This title
almost wrote itself.
8. What is your favorite passage in the book and why?
One of my favorite passages is, actually, in the last chapter of the book. I
got to write my own little journalism piece as the coverup for what really
happened in Amsterdam during the events of Danger. Here’s the story:
‘SinkHole Almost Takes Entire City With It,’
Residents of a small town in upstate NY were put through the ringer over the
past few days after a sinkhole appeared in their town. The seismic activity was
extremely unstable and threatened to suck the rest of Amsterdown into the
Mohawk with it. Local government brought in a team of prestigious scientists,
led by Dr. Paul Owens, to determine the best way to save this wholesome little
city from a mini armageddon.
Dr. Owens and his team researched the hole and the structures inside causing
the trouble. They lost some team members along the way, may their souls rest
in peace. The team brought in the military to drop strategically planned
explosions in order to save the rest of the city. Amsterdam has a lot of work to
do to fix the area but things could have been much, much worse. The Federal
Government has agreed to help pay for the many repairs needed within the
section of the city affected. The city of Amsterdam, NY has a lot of healing to
do but the citizens also have so much to be grateful for. Also, many thanks go
out to local law enforcement and the fire department for their help in saving
the day.
Signing off for now, Adira Krajewski
 For Immediate Release

ERICA JACKSON BRINGS DANGER TO

SMALL TOWN AMSTERDAM, NY IN
DANGER LIES IN THE DARK
SOMETHING DANGEROUS EXISTS BELOW THE
PEACEFUL TOWN AND ITS THREATENING TO
ESCAPE AFTER A LARGE SINKHOLE OPENS UP.
DR. PAUL OWENS AND JOURNALIST ADIRA
KRAJEWSKI ARE SENT IN TO INVESTIGATE - CAN
THEY STOP THE DANGER BEFORE IT RISES?

Danger Lies in the Dark, the latest release from Erica Jackson, drops on
Amazon on October 31, 2021. This novella marks the seventeenth book for
Jackson, a native of Amsterdam and a graduate of the University of Alabama at
Birmingham. Danger was written over the past six months and brings danger
and mayhem to a small town in upstate New York. Former lovers, Dr. Paul
Owens and Journalist Adira ‘Addy’ Krajewski are thrown together again to find
out what’s in the sinkhole and prevent it from escaping. Danger Lies in the
Dark is a mystery and a love story moving from one to the other seamlessly as
the narrative progresses to its climax.
Erica Jackson keeps you on the edge of your seat with this upcoming release
even after the creature beneath the sinkhole is revealed. Take a peek inside the
novella with the news report from chapter one:
“The world came to a sudden halt today in the small town of Amsterdam, New
York where a giant hole appeared from Main St to Front St spanning across
Voorhees to John St. Onlookers reported that a team of five went down into
the hole to investigate, but hours have passed and no one has returned to the
surface. We’ll give you more information on this once it becomes available to
us. Remember, we only share the facts.”
Dr. Owens and Addy have their work cut out for them when people
continuously vanish trying to investigate beneath the surface of the city
streets. While they work on the mystery of the sinkhole, they’re also busy
deciding if they should rekindle their love story. Owens and Addy were
engaged to be married before she ended things adding even more tension to
this tale. Danger is already available in paperback and hardcover but the eBook
will premiere on Halloween, the perfect day for this spooky story.
ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR

The Last Op
The Co-Op
Mrs. Claus
Mrs. Claus: A Wedding at the North Pole
Two Worlds Collide: A Dr. John Watson
Story
Two Worlds Collide: An Allan
Quatermain Story
Sharks in the Streets
Stranded
Murder on Martha’s Vineyard
The Rangers
Love Story of an Assassin: The Tale of
Killstreak and the Phantom
The Valentine’s Day Killer
Wake Up With Ron and Rose
The Hunt for the Lost Treasure of the
Knights Templar
Most Wanted
Against the Elements