With the publication of her sixth book, a retired teacher is set for a Feb. 24 book signing in her hometown. Robin Cannon will host a book signing session at the Breakwall Restaurant, 305 Capt. Thomas Blvd, on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 1-3 p.m.
For Cannon, who taught for 35 years in the local school district, this sixth opus is the latest of many stories she hopes to tell in the future. It is sixth and counting. Into the Attic Darkly, is published by Austin Macauley Publishers, the third of the six with the company.
“Previous to Into the Attic Darkly, I wrote Tilly Fig, Rye Hill, Fireflies at Nightfall (a trilogy published by Goose River Press), The Vanity of Robbers, and Pignoli and the Chocolate Thief under Austin Macauley, she said. ““There are certainly more books to come. I am thinking about doing another mystery.”
The road to being a published author started from typical West Haven beginnings. Born and raised on Terrace Avenue, she attended First Avenue School, Our Lady of Victory, and Sacred Heart Academy, graduating in 1979. From there it was on to the Bronx and Fordham University.
“I left West Haven to go to Fordham, where I got my Bachelor of Arts Degree. I then got my Master of Science in Teaching at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, where I ran into my old elementary school principal, Lynne Farrell, (she was working on her doctorate at Fordham at the time),” she related. “Farrell was principal of First Avenue School when I was a kid. She hired me to teach sixth grade practically on the spot! I returned to West Haven after seven years in the Bronx and began my teaching career.”
Eventually Cannon earned her Sixth Year Professional Diploma of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership from Southern CT State University.
Schools she taught include Thompson, Washington, Seth Haley, and ended her career at Carrigan. West Haven is still called home, where she and her husband raised their family of three children.
“They are all grown and following their own career paths,” she said.
The latest book is a journey into the machinations of a “dysfunctional New England family.”
The book jacket reads: “Tom and Eddy are two young brothers, sons of Dan and Ellen Biggs – a high-powered attorney and his socialite wife – who head a dysfunctional family cobbled together by a thirst for success. Dulcie is their nanny, a young woman hired to take charge of the two boys, especially Eddy whose behavior is unpredictable at best.
“After Eddy is sent away following an exceptionally violent outburst, Ellen falls desperately ill, prompting Dulcie to move into the house at Dan’s request. The two begin a torrid affair, but when Dan turns up dead, Tom is arrested for the murder after he is seen hiding evidence.
“Refusing to finger who he believes is the real killer, Tom is brought to trial. But as the drama unfolds, the identity of the murderer becomes increasingly unclear, even to Tom who is left to fear for his own life. It is in the attic, where all scores are settled – and so is the killer’s identity, once and for all.”
Since it was published, the novel has received a five-star rating on Amazon.com. It can be found on Barnes & Noble.com as well.
The Breakwall signing is expected to bring out Cannon’s many fans, who have followed her publishing career.