Laura Broderick is trying to put her life back together when she runs into a guy with less-than-good intentions. She’s forced to deal with him and the chaos he brings into her life. That’s the premise of “Tainted Morals,” Janene Hudson’s first self-published book. Hudson, 33, of Winona Lake, said her fictional book is a murder mystery. It took her about a year to write, but she didn’t get it published right away. “I wrote it a few years ago, but I didn’t know what to do with it,” she said. She had won writing contests over the years, but didn’t write any books until “Tainted Morals.” She’s now working on her second book. “My dream is to have an editor and publisher some day,” Hudson said. For her first book, she is very proud of the final product. “I’m excited to get it out here in Warsaw so people know about it,” Hudson said. She chose to write a murder mystery because that’s what she reads. “I write about what I read,” she said. “It does have some romance in it, but nothing graphic though.” The 337-page book is set in southern Indiana, with Broderick coming from Michigan. Hudson said she used locations she was familiar with. The main character – like Hudson – is a writer. “I’ve never done anything like this before. My goal was not to make any money but just to get it off my computer,” Hudson said. Carolyn Aukeman, a graphic designer, helped Hudson with the cover of the book. It shows a wooded area surrounding a mysterious dark figure. Published in 2011, “Tainted Morals” is available to be borrowed from the Warsaw Community Public Library. It can be purchased from Amazon.com as a paperback for $9.89 or for Kindle for $2.99. As of June 21, its rankings on Amazon.com, according to information from Hudson, was No. 898 paid in Kindle Store, No. 30 in Kindle Store for romantic suspense, No. 30 in books for romantic suspense and No. 44 in Kindle Store for women sleuths. “It’s gotten good feedback,” Hudson said. “People seem to like it. It’s a good, fast read. I write because I like to write characters. I like people to get to know people who don’t exist.”Hudson works part time at Kosciusko Community Hospital. She and her husband, Chad, have three children. A graduate from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, she attended Loyola and Grace College. She graduated high school from Elkhart Memorial.
