Media contact: Becca Baker, Associate Director of Media Relations 724-830-1069/ bbaker@setonhill.edu

--

Free public lecture to be followed by a book signing and reception

GREENSBURG, Pa. – Edgar Award-winner Walter Sorrells will speak on “The Writer’s Life and Livelihood” Saturday, June 28, 2008 at Seton Hill University. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in Cecilian Hall on Seton Hill’s Greensburg, Pa. campus. A book signing and reception will follow the lecture. Walter Sorrells’ lecture is sponsored by Seton Hill University’s Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program. For more information please call 724-830-4600.

Edgar Award-winner Walter Sorrells is the author of over 20 novels. His most recent thriller for adults, “Blind Fear,” appeared this year under his pseudonym Lynn Abercrombie. Last year another mystery, “Feet of Clay,” appeared under his pseudonym Ruth Birmingham. “Feet of Clay” is the sixth novel featuring Atlanta private investigator Sunny Childs. The second Sunny Childs mystery, “Fulton County Blues,” won the Edgar Award for best original paperback and was also nominated for the Shamus Award. The first book in the series, “Atlanta Graves” was also an Edgar nominee. Sorrells also writes novels for young adults. His latest novel for young adults is “First Shot,” which just received a starred review in Booklist. His mystery “Fake ID” was named one of the 10 Best Mysteries of 2005 by Booklist. “Fake ID” features a girl who has to unlock secrets from her past in order to find her missing mother. The follow-up, “Club Dread,” was released earlier this year. Sorrells is a past president of the Atlanta chapter of the crime-writers' organization, Sisters In Crime, and a former member of the board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America. Sorrells's work in both journalism and fiction has been published in a variety of national publications. He has written scripts for a number of National Public Radio programs, including the award-winning docu-drama "The Three Governors." He is a 1985 graduate of Haverford College, where he majored in History. In addition to the public lecture at Seton Hill, Walter Sorrells will serve as guest lecturer for two courses in the June 2008 intensive residency for Seton Hill’s Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program.

Seton Hill’s unique Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program teaches students to write marketable novels in popular genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Additional specialties include literature for children and adolescents, and cross-genre blends like romantic suspense or young adult mysteries. Students attend two weeklong, on-campus residencies each year to master the core elements of fiction writing and effective marketing and to gain inspiration from faculty mentors and special guests, all published authors in genre fiction. Established authors mentor students one-on-one as they work toward completing a market-ready manuscript from home. Readings, classes, and on-line discussion about the history, trends, and techniques of genre fiction add depth to the student's experience. For more information about the Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill, visit http://fiction.setonhill.edu or contact Seton Hill’s Office of Graduate and Adult Studies at 724-838-4221.

Seton Hill University, founded by the Sisters of Charity, is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts university in Greensburg, Pa. Chartered in 1918, Seton Hill offers more than 30 undergraduate programs and nine graduate programs, including an MBA. Seton Hill brings the world to its students through its distinguished lecturers and nationally and internationally renowned centers. Recognized three times by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the nation’s Top 100 Entrepreneurial Universities, Seton Hill has also been named a Best Baccalaureate College by U.S. News & World Report, one of the Best in the Northeast by The Princeton Review, and one of Pennsylvania’s Top 100 Businesses by Pennsylvania Business Central. In addition, Seton Hill has been named a University of Distinction by Colleges of Distinction, an organization founded by a group of concerned parents, educators and admissions professionals. For more information on Seton Hill please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 1-800-826-6234.