22 West Books
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Of interest to editors and journalists covering: Lifestyles, entertainment, literature
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COMPUTER SCIENTIST HOT ON THE TRAIL OF 2 YEAR OLD MYSTERY
HOPEDALE, MA – October 15, 2007 --- Stephen Welch, a computer scientist from Hopedale, Massachusetts, recently decoded a message that lay hidden within the text of a novel for nearly two years. So far, Stephen is the only person to decode the message. If he finds a second message before another reader catches him, he'll receive a portion of the proceeds from the novel.
Stephen is tight-lipped about the clues that led him to the solution. He recently met with author CJ West at Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough, where Stephen purchased his copy of Sin and Vengeance. "Looking back, the clues are really helpful," Welch said of the clues the author leaves on his website, in emails, and in the newsletter he sends periodically to fans.
Mr. West enjoyed the exchange also. "It was great talking to Steve. He's the only person I can talk to about that first message. No one else knows what it says, not even my wife." Some good hints were given to readers on West's web page after the conversation. He suggests using a highlighter rather than writing in the book and he has permitted photocopying select pages to work on to keep the novel readable.
Mr. West did tell us that the message is a dedication to someone in his past.
The idea for the contest came from West's love of word puzzles, codes he created to communicate with his oldest daughter and the novel The Rule of Four, by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. In The Rule of Four, Princeton students search an ancient text riddled with codes to unlock the secret to an abandoned Roman treasure. West turned fiction into reality by incorporating codes into his contemporary thriller, Sin and Vengeance in 2005.
There are a wealth of clues out there according to West. "It's just a matter of putting them together in the right way. It's a bit of trial and error, but when it comes together it is really rewarding." Enterprising puzzle solvers are strongly encouraged to get their copy of Sin and Vengeance signed by the author. For those who cannot attend a signing, the author mails signed bookplates to readers who request them by mail.
To learn more about the contest, visit http://www.22wb.com/contest.htm. If you're serious about winning, the publisher recommends scouring the website and registering for the newsletter to get all the clues you can.
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Sin and Vengeance
ISBN: 0-9767788-0-7
PUBLISHER: 22 West Books, October 2005
PP: 368
RETAIL PRICE: $14.95
GENRE: Thriller
AUTHOR: CJ West
Related article in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette: http://www.telegram.com/article/20071012/NEWS/710120385/1102
Media contact
CJ West
(617) 512-8080
© 22 West Books 2006
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