Local Author’s Debut Novel Chosen as Fox43 Book Club’s Read of the Month

York, PA, August 10, 2023: Milwaukee Deep, penned by local entrepreneur Kirsten Hubbard under the pen name Kirstie Croga, has been named Read of the Month by the York-based Fox43 book club.

Fox43 partners with local libraries to host book clubs featuring authors from Pennsylvania. Mina Edmondson, director of York County Libraries’ Martin Library, and Fox43 meteorologist Ally Debicki introduced the book on-air on August 1.

Inspired by the true events and mysticism of a small Caribbean island, the new novel, released in May 2023, employs evocative prose and fast-paced action to portray a stirring history more poignant for its enduring relevance.

Croga introduces readers to Ambrose Nobel, a resilient amateur fighter and freelance writer with a troubled past whose experiences have left her suspicious and introverted. Readers meet her in a delicate space between shedding destructive relationships and cautiously forming healthier ones.

Researching a family history for an assignment, Ambrose is drawn to Vieques, a small Puerto Rican island commandeered by the US military as a weapons dumping ground for over sixty years. Immersed in the island, Ambrose’s personal struggles overlay the island’s history and the legacy of the natives who survived the decades-long assault.

Drawn in by the hospitality of the locals and an expanded awareness of the sultry magic of the island, Ambrose is cast between the wisdom of the dead and the cruelty of the living. She must decide which reality to believe, who to trust, and where her morals lie.

Vieques, the island, laden with biological and nuclear waste and drenched in the blood of its people, remains eager for revenge. It teeters on the edge of the Atlantic’s deepest and most volatile fault point: Milwaukee Deep.

Debicki and digital content producer Kayleigh Johnson will host an author interview and a Facebook Live book club. The book club will take place on Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. on Fox43’s Book Club Facebook group.

The novel is available in paperback or Kindle and through all major online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BooksAMillion, and Walmart. Locally, the book is available at WBO Health & Fitness and Elite Martial Arts in Waynesboro, and Sweet Dandelion in Mercersburg. Autographed copies and a merch line are available at kirstiecroga.com.

For interviews, signings, appearances, and more, contact ericka@ghostwriterquill.com