 Triology contains three mysteries
MIDDLETOWN — After a career as a journalist and journalism instructor, Fred Sennet has decided to try his hand at writing novels.
"When you're in journalism, you write short, so every time I tried to tackle a novel, I couldn't do it," he said.
But in his retirement and with a little time on his hands, Sennet drew upon his experiences to create the character of Stu Churchill, a former journalist turned college instructor who gets caught up in a murder.
"About 25 years ago, I was teaching a class in journalism in Oxford that was mostly home economic students, something they had to take for a requirement," he said. "One of the students I had was murdered. Her boyfriend was a football player and was accused of it. I took a little of that information and wrote the novel."
It's not the same story, he said, but just a starting point. He didn't even remember the student's name when he started, and in going back through his records all he could glean about her was that she got a B in his class.
When he finished the story, the characters had taken on a life of their own, not only Stu Churchill, but also a female attorney, Lisa Howard, so he kept writing, and the first published volume, "Assignment Murder," includes three short novels, "Murder on the Campus," "Murder in the Newsroom" and "Murder in the Capitol."
He's also completed two more and is finishing up a sixth, so a second trilogy will be forthcoming.
"I didn't write these with the expectation of hitting the New York Times Best Seller List," he said, "but just because I wanted to."
"Assignment Murder" is available for purchase at Amazon.com, and copies can be checked out of the Middletown Public Library and Lane Public Libraries.
In addition to teaching at all three Miami University campuses, Sennet worked for The Middletown Journal from 1960-72 in a variety of positions, at the Hamilton JournalNews from 1988-93 as education reporter and business editor. He also was the owner/publisher of the Fairfield Echo, 1979-80, and the Fairfield Times, 1989-90.
Since leaving journalism, Sennet has dabbled in politics, serving on Middletown's city commission and as mayor, and making an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Congress in 1990.
Richard O. Jones is a feature writer for The Journal-News in Hamilton. His story appeared in both The Journal-News and The Middletown Journal on March 1, 2009)
Assignment Murder may be ordered directly through MiddletownNow at the discounted price of $14.50. Send a check to Fred Sennet at 27 Aberdeen Drive, Middletown, OH 45042. Allow two weeks for delivery.)
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