Local author publishes new novels in 3-part series set in fictional Mon Valley town

The books follow the love lives of three women in their late 50s who became best friends in high school.

MATT PETRAS
For the MVI
Chris Posti once lived in Coal Center, and that Mon Valley area stuck with her enough that it heavily inspired the fictionalized setting of her first novel. Then, the residents of that fictional place, Port Mariette, stuck with her enough to spawn two sequels released last year.

“That experience so strongly influenced me,” Posti said.

Posti, a former Tribune Review columnist of more than 20 years, authored two 2024 sequels to her 2022 debut novel “Falling Apart, Falling for You,” a romance novel from Christian publishing house Elk Lake Publishing.

The second book in the “Next Act” series, the 318page “Maybe Now, Maybe Never,” was released in February 2024. The next, “‘Tis the Time, ‘Tis the Season,” a 312-page book, came out in October 2024. The books can be purchased as physical or digital copies through Amazon and other online storefronts.

After connecting with the publisher and sending a winning book proposal, Posti embarked on a fiction-writing career, something new for her. One book turned into three, and she learned a lot throughout the process, she said.

“I just sat down at the dining room table, and I started writing. I had no idea what I was doing. No idea,” said Posti, whose husband David Walls owns the Carriage Inn in Elizabeth Township. “But along the way, I listened to a lot of people on YouTube videos, took online classes, got books out of the library, bought books from Amazon and learned simultaneously how to write a novel.”

The books follow the love lives of three women in their late 50s who became best friends in high school. After finishing the first, which focused most on the character Suzanne, Posti found that she had more to tell about the others.

“I had to do a book for Rachel, and I had to do a book for Marla, so I could complete their arcs,” Posti said.

When accepting an award for her writing, Posti met someone who works in the television industry who encouraged her to begin writing a television script based on the books. As she continues to work on this, she’s fought pressure to make her characters younger and decided to stick with her vision of the characters. She won’t be discouraged as she embarks on yet another major departure in her writing career.

“I’m one of these type-triple- A personalities, if you haven’t already noticed,” Posti said.

For updates on future book signings and author events visit www.chrisposti.com.