Dreamvisions 7 Radio Network and Deborah Beauvais welcome Steven Manchester 7x best selling author. We’ll be talking about his latest book The Ledger, his work as a Prison Investigator and how that shaped his outlook on life Tuesday September 1st Live at 6pmET on syndicated D7RN. LISTEN LIVE Get our Apps. Other broadcasts September 10th & 11th at 6am /6pmET
Talk Live/Ask a question during the Show call 1-833-220-1200 Deborah and Steve
The Ledger with 7x Best Selling Author Steven Manchester
Steven is the author of the soul-awakening novel The Menu as well as the 1980s nostalgia-series Bread Bags & Bullies and Lawn Darts & Lemonade. Other works include the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin’ Chair, Pressed Pennies, and Gooseberry Island; the national bestsellers Ashes, The Changing Season, and Three Shoeboxes; the multi-award winning novels Dad and Goodnight Brian; and the heartwarming Christmas movie The Thursday Night Club. His work has appeared on NBC’s TODAY and CBS’s The Early Show; and in Billboard and People magazines. Three of Steven’s short stories were selected for “101 Best” for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is a multi-produced playwright as well as the winner of the 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival, 2018 New York Book Festival, 2020 New England Book Festival, and 2021 Paris Book Festival.
http://www.stevenmanchester.com/
In Steve’s words: After returning home from a difficult tour of duty in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, I stepped back behind the walls of a Massachusetts penitentiary where I battled each day as a prison investigator. Needless to say, there was great negativity in my life at that time, and very little opportunity to heal from my wartime demons (or pursue my dreams of being published). I finally decided to return to college to finish my degree in Criminal Justice. During one of the classes, my professor, Barry McKee, detailed police work, but barely touched on other topics. I finally raised his hand and asked, “As the criminal justice system is so vast, what about the courts, probation, parole – corrections?” Barry smiled and told me to see him after class. I thought I’d done it! In his office, Barry explained, “Except from the slanted perspectives of inmates, there’s no real written material out there on corrections, or prisons.” Barry smiled again and then dropped the bomb that would change my life forever. “If you’re so smart,” he said, “why don’t you write it?” It was the last push I needed to get writing. Nine months later, I placed the first draft of 6-5; A Different Shade of Blue (under the pen name, Steven Herberts) on Barry’s desk. From then on, I was hooked. I was a writer.
The Ledger
Set in a medium-security penitentiary in the mid-1990s, The Ledger is a faith-based story that pulls back the curtain on prison life, allowing the reader an eye-opening tour behind the wall. Although told from three alternating perspectives—officer, inmate, and sergeant—many of the same questions are asked: Can light be found in the deepest darkness? What about forgiveness, redemption, and grace? If the code is clear, “loyalty above all things except honor,” when should an officer cross the blue line to police one of his own?
Early readers are calling The Ledger impossible to put down, claiming that the unexpected twist at the end left them speechless…
The Ledger is the long-awaited companion novel to The Menu.
“The Ledger illuminates the dark world of Corrections, making it safe for all of us to steal a peek.” ~ Barry McKee, Professor Emeritus, Criminal Justice
“I found myself holding my breath. It felt like I was right back inside the wall.” ~ Nelson Julius, Deputy Superintendent, DOC (ret.)
“Intensely powerful and deeply moving, pick up a copy to balance your own ledger.”
– Debby Guyette, Book Blogger, Single Titles
“The Ledger is a spiritual read, drawing the reader inward.”
– Reverend Andy Stinson, First Congregational Church of Fall River
