Westborough author captivates readers with paranormal mysteries

By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer

Westborough – Kim Harrington wanted to be a writer ever since she could hold a pencil. She spent countless hours as a young girl dreaming up and writing all sorts of stories. When it came time to choose a career though, she realized that she had to be realistic.

“I thought aspiring to be a novelist was naïve, like saying you want to be a rock star,” Harrington said. “So in college I majored in marketing, then went on to get my MBA and join the corporate world. But writing still pulled at me. So I dabbled in it on the side, as a hobby. I wrote three novels that were rejected all over the place – and rightly so. Then I wrote “Clarity,” which was published by Scholastic last year.”

Besides “Clarity,” Harrington is the author of the “Sleuth or Dare” series for kids, which will be coming out later this spring. “Perception,” the long awaited first sequel to “Clarity,” hit bookstores March 1.

Kirkus reviews, touted as “the world's toughest book critics” said, “Harrington more closely follows a standard mystery plot, tossing in some tasty red herrings, sprinkling clues throughout, building suspense and turning the tale at just the right time to keep readers involved. The supernatural element may entice some young readers to the book and then turn them into mystery fans. In any case, the believable characterizations, the suspense and the well-crafted plot twists score. A smart, paranormal mystery ride.”

For “Clarity” and “Perception,” the target audience is teenage and older females. From the emails she gets though, Harrington said that she probably has just as many adult readers as teens.

When writing her books, Harrington said that she usually thinks of the characters first, and spends a good amount of time getting to know them and their motivations. Then, she comes up with ways to torture them.

“I play the “what if” game and at every turn I ask myself, “What's the worst thing that could happen now?” And then I do that,” Harrington said. “Those poor characters.”

Harrington commented that she loves creating and playing with words.

“There's nothing else I's qualified to do creatively. I can's draw a stick figure. My singing voice makes dogs howl. My cooking wakes the smoke detector. So writing has always been my creative outlet.”

Harrington is very excited to announce another young adult book coming out from Scholastic in 2013. She can's share the title yet, but it's a stand-alone supernatural mystery, not in the “Clarity” series. The book is about a haunted house, a topic she always wanted to explore.

Harrington will be signing “Clarity” and “Perception” books at her release party at Tatnuck Bookseller, 18 Lyman St., Saturday, March 3 from 1 to 3 p.m.