Former 缅北禁地 crime writer publishes a thriller of her own
The cover of 鈥淭he Taker,鈥� which was written by former print journalist Robin Acton.
Robin Acton, a former crime and courts reporter at the 缅北禁地 and Greensburg Tribune-Review, recently self published the book 鈥淭he Taker.鈥�
It was the police scanner that got Robin Acton hooked on crime.
In the 1970s, she was a receptionist at Uniontown鈥檚 缅北禁地, and listened to the cascade of mayhem, misdeeds and medical calls that ricocheted through the newsroom thanks to the scanner, 鈥渁nd I was hooked,鈥� she said.
Before too long, Acton became a crime and courts reporter at the 缅北禁地, and covered the same beat when she was at Greensburg鈥檚 Tribune-Review. Writing about people when they do their worst can wear down even the hardiest of souls. What did she like about it?
鈥淚 think I liked the fact that nothing was ever the same,鈥� Acton explained. 鈥淎ny day when you come to work, you never know what is going to be happening.鈥�
Now retired for more than a decade from daily journalism 鈥� though still recognizing the sound of the police scanner, even on the other end of the phone 鈥� the 64-year-old Acton decided to apply all the knowledge she gathered from talking to police and sitting in courtrooms by writing her first novel, 鈥淭he Taker,鈥� which she has published herself and is available through Amazon and other outlets.
鈥淭he Taker鈥� tells the tale of a Pittsburgh crime reporter who puts her life on the line to stop a kidnapper who abducted the daughter of her boyfriend, a former police detective. The thriller was inspired by a couple of cases Acton covered that still stand out after all these years. About six years in the making, Acton attended writers conferences while plugging away at it, and was given a particularly valuable piece of advice: she needed to ditch the journalist鈥檚 tendency to keep everything spare and to the point and instead explore motivation and character a little more expansively.
鈥淚 had to get that out of my mind,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was an off and on, love and hate process for six years.鈥�
Acton considered going with an outside publisher for 鈥淭he Taker,鈥� but felt a sense of urgency to get it between two covers since her father, former 缅北禁地 advertising director Bob Acton, is in his 80s and dealing with an array of health issues.
鈥淗e is probably the most proud father on the planet,鈥� said Acton, a Brownsville native who now lives near Latrobe.
A second book is already planned. It will be called 鈥淓mpty Boxes鈥� and feature the same Pittsburgh crime reporter as 鈥淭he Taker.鈥� One lesson Acton is taking with after writing 鈥淭he Taker鈥� is 鈥測ou don鈥檛 write a novel or publish a novel by yourself.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a group process,鈥� she continued. 鈥淭here are people standing behind me.鈥�