SisterWife, a Novel of Polygamy and Abduction

The new romantic suspense novel by author Natalie R. Collins is eerie echo of Elizabeth Smart abduction.

The recent discovery of kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart in the clutches of a fundamentalist "Mormon" preacher who considered himself a god came as no surprise to Utah author and resident Natalie R. Collins.

The dangers inherent when certain Mormon beliefs coincide with a twisted mind are the theme of SISTERWIFE, Ms. Collinss exciting suspense novel due for release this week by Zumaya Publications. SISTERWIFE weaves a fictional account of a group of fundamentalist Mormons who refuse to let go of the practices of their ancestors, even if the end result is catastrophic. The group is led by a self-styled "prophet" who rules both men and women with an iron hand, adhering to the tenets of Mormonism as it was practiced in the days of its founding with Joseph Smith, Jr. at the helm.

Ms. Collins has extensively researched the lives of four very secretive polygamous societies in the state of Utah, and explored how the mainstream modern-day Church is attempting to deal with these groups and the media coverage surrounding them, especially after the high-profile case of polygamist Tom Green. She has also studied the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints extensively. She was raised a member of the religion, with an insider's knowledge of the Church's sometimes secretive workings, and is well-known in the community as a former Mormon working to maintain a dialogue between active members of the LDS Church and their dissident family members. She recently was interviewed by ABC News Radio on the Al Rantel Show.

Ms. Collins has served as an editor for The Sundance Film Festival, worked for the largest daily newspaper in Utah, and has had many short fiction and poetry pieces published. She is a managing partner in The Readers Room, LLC, an interactive Web site for readers and writers of true crime, mystery, suspense, thrillers, and horror novels, and also the author of a book for writers on how to find an agent.

SISTERWIFE is scheduled for publication in both trade paperback and all popular ebook formats. Advance reader copies in Rich Text Format are now available, print review copies are pending.

"From the first page, SISTERWIFE defies you to put it down. A spine-chilling study of evil that will keep the reader gripped until the final page."
--Katherine Sutcliffe, multi-award winning bestselling author of DARKLING I LISTEN, DREAM FEVER and NOTORIOUS

Zumaya Publications is a British Columbia-based publisher in trade paperback and ebook formats offering full-length works of fiction that extend the boundaries of the usual genre definitions and of captivating nonfiction.