The Psychologist's Shadow: A simmering, slow-burn suspense by Laury A. Egan | Author Essay on  Erotomania ~ Excerpt | #Thriller @iReadBookTours @EganLaury

The Psychologist’s Shadow: A simmering, slow-burn suspense by Laury A. Egan | Author Essay on  Erotomania ~ Excerpt | #Thriller @iReadBookTours @EganLaury

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. iread book tour logo -

Book Details

The Psychologist’s Shadow: A simmering, slow-burn suspense by Laury A. Egan | Author Essay on  Erotomania ~ Excerpt | #Thriller @iReadBookTours @EganLauryThe Psychologist's Shadow: A simmering, slow-burn suspense by Laury A. Egan
Published by Enigma Books on 11/18/2023
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Psychological Suspense
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 336

In October 1992, Dr. Ellen Haskell begins a new therapy practice in Princeton after a tragic error with a former client. Demoralized by her failure, Ellen strives to restore her emotional and professional confidence. Her parents have departed for Greece, leaving Ellen alone in their secluded country house. As her clients are introduced through their individual sessions, Ellen becomes unnerved when she receives hang-up phone calls and a series of bizarre gifts from an anonymous admirer—first at her office and then at home. As the obsessive lover increasingly invades her life, Ellen's anxiety crescendos and she begins to fear the stalker's behavior will escalate into violence.

The Psychologist's Shadow is a simmering literary suspense and a portrait of a compassionate, introspective therapist who finds herself in a dangerous struggle. As tension accumulates, the reader gains insights during sessions and through the stalker's journal entries, which serve as discordant counterpoints. Who is the shadow lover? An acquaintance, a shopkeeper, an old boyfriend, or a client?

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“…a ‘I-read-it-in-two-days’ book. Egan creates a gifted analyst and gripping case studies of her clients, one of whom is a disturbed admirer. The novel delivers chills in a highly sophisticated, wise, and ultimately poignant psychodrama.”—Karla Linn Merrifield, author of Psyche’s Scroll

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Purchase Links for The Psychologist’s Shadow

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Excerpt from The Psychologist’s Shadow

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The Psychologist's Shadow Book Cover
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About Laury A. Egan

Laury A. Egan Author image

Laury A. Egan is the author of eleven novels, The Firefly; Once, Upon an Island; Wave in D Minor; Turnabout; Doublecrossed; The Swimmer; The Ungodly Hour; A Bittersweet Tale; Fabulous! An Opera Buffa; The Outcast Oracle; and Jenny Kidd; in addition to a collection, Fog and Other Stories. Four limited-edition poetry volumes have been published: Snow, Shadows, a Stranger; Beneath the Lion’s Paw; The Sea & Beyond" and Presence & Absence."

She lives on the northern coast of New Jersey.

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A Guest Post by Laury A. Egan, author of The Psychologist’s Shadow

The Psychological Dynamic of Erotomania

Erotomania. A kinky sexual fixation? Well, no, not necessarily. While this particular mania is classified as a sub-type of a delusional disorder, an obsessive stalker may hold a non-sexual attraction, an idealistic rather than a physical desire to unite with the object of their interest.

The primary feature of erotomania, which makes the delusion so powerful, is that the admirer unconsciously seeks to enhance his/her own lack of self-esteem by absorbing the positive attributes of a person who is considered more elevated and accomplished, of higher status—thus the good feeling is dependent on the connection. Sometimes the victim is a famous actor or actress viewed on the screen or television (in which the follower will approach); sometimes it’s an acquaintance or a person who has come into accidental contact with the stalker; and sometimes it’s an ex-partner or spouse, with whom the victimizer believes he/she is still rightfully and permanently connected, regardless of a break-up, separation, or divorce.

Any of these three situations may occur, but the fixation is usually unshakable and long-lasting. To add to the strangeness, in almost all cases, the follower believes that the object of infatuation is in love with him or her, regardless of the actual relationship—or the lack of one—and is secretly communicating this love.

One of the most fascinating aspects of writing The Psychologist’s Shadow was the opportunity to slip into the mind of someone who is deeply disturbed, whose emotional balance is being maintained through the imaginary transaction of positive feelings from the victim—kind of like the process of giving a blood transfusion to an anemic patient. In the story, the stalker’s thoughts and emotions are recorded in journal entries, which are less than a page in length, although it was tempting to write in more detail because the person’s mental state and world view are so twisted and intriguing.

Currently, in many parts of America and the world, stalking is illegal, especially when it involves threats, physical harassment, or episodes that might endanger the chosen object. However, in 1992, when The Psychologist’s Shadow takes place, New Jersey hadn’t enacted any legal protections, though laws were under consideration. In the plot, this handcuffs the police in terms of what they can do, though because Dr. Ellen Haskell is a clinical psychologist, she is additionally hampered because she must follow professional guidelines and safeguard the identity of her clients. If, of course, Ellen can learn the stalker’s identity. Is it a shopkeeper, a family member, or one of the people who have come to her for therapy?

As the reader observes Ellen at her secluded home and in her Princeton office, the therapist’s increasing anxiety becomes palpable. With the clues provided in the stalker’s journal entries and the hints embedded during the therapy sessions with clients, will it become obvious to the reader who is terrorizing Ellen? Or will Ellen realize who the stalker is before their “relationship” escalates into violence?

Thank you for featuring this guest post!

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Easy Amazon Links

Amazon-OneLink for all countries

If the above link does not take you to your country, here are a few more:

Amazon – Canada

Amazon – France

Amazon – Germany

Amazon – United Kingdom

Please send me a note if your country isn’t listed and you would like to purchase using my links. Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share. 

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Excerpt from The Psychologist’s Shadow

The Psychologist's Shadow Book Cover

 The Psychologist’s Shadow
 by Laury A. Egan[note: the journal entries are interspersed throughout the main narration]
[THE JOURNAL]
 I’ve been searching for so long. To find the One, and finally I’ve found you. The last time I felt this way, it was all wrong—I was wronged—but not now. Now I’m sure. As you asked, I will prove my loyalty. Dear Ellen, I’m waiting and watching for your signal.
Chapter One
The October fog was oppressive. Unlike the poet’s description, it didn’t move on little cat’s feet but in dense curtains of white, slicking every surface and thrusting its damp fingers down the collar of my trench coat. As I approached my office, I stared at the gift from my mother, a new brass plate: “Dr. Ellen J. Haskell, Clinical Psychologist.” I smiled at her kindness, used my keys to unlock the outer door, and climbed upstairs, feeling that the weather was being ushered in with me. In many ways it was, because my mood was as heavy as the air outside. It was on a foggy day such as this, six months ago in the spring, as the dogwoods were blossoming in New York City, when my confidence as a psychotherapist was severely shaken.

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Tour Info

Official Tour Page for The Psychologist’s Shadow

Full Tour Schedule

Nov 20  fundinmental – book spotlight
Nov 21 – My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview
Nov 22 – Ilovebooksandstuffblog – book spotlight
Nov 24  Rockin’ Book Reviews  book spotlight/guest post
Nov 27  Cover Lover Book Review  book spotlight
Nov 28  Book Corner News and Reviews  book spotlight
Nov 29  Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s  book spotlight / guest post
Nov 30 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / author interview
Dec 1 – Lady Hawkeye – book spotlight
Dec 4  Leanne Dagan  book spotlight
Dec 5  Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / author interview
Dec 6 – Liese’s Blog – book spotlight
Dec 7 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / guest post
Dec 8 – Diane’s Book Journal – book spotlight

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Book Title: The Psychologist’s Shadow by Laury A. Egan
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 336 pages
Genre: Psychological Suspense
Publisher: Enigma Books, imprint of Spectrum Books, UK
Release date: Nov 18, 2023
Tour dates: Nov 20 to Dec 8
Content Rating: PG-13. One scene of violence, no sexual scene

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Posted 12/07/2023 by Gina in Blog Tour, Book Promotions, Books / 1 Comment

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One response to “The Psychologist’s Shadow: A simmering, slow-burn suspense by Laury A. Egan | Author Essay on  Erotomania ~ Excerpt | #Thriller @iReadBookTours @EganLaury

  1. Gina–Thank you for featuring “The Psychologist’s Shadow” and my guest post on erotomania (hope it interests your followers). Lovely!