From Joseph J. Swope
Author Joseph J. Swope’s new book, Sharpened Blade: The Story of Dinah Clark, is scheduled to be released on Thursday, Feb. 19, by Black Rose Writing. Based on a true story, the book chronicles the life of a 19th-century Berks County resident who was born an indentured servant, earned her freedom, and gained a level of fame as an itinerant sawyer who traveled the streets of Reading sawing wood and sharing local news for clients across the city.
Swope learned that Dinah Clark had been born on the farm where he was raised through Reading Eagle reporter Michelle Lynch, who published a story on Clark in 2021. That farm was the subject of Swope’s first book, Pleasant Valley Lost, and was seized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Blue Marsh Lake construction project in the 1970s.
After earning her freedom, Dinah Clark married and moved to Reading. She and her husband were instrumental in building the Bethel A.M.E. Church, and they purchased a home on Hinnershitz Alley, just a short walk from the church’s original location. Dinah supported the church’s efforts in the Underground Railroad and helped former slaves on their travels following the end of the Civil War.
Dinah eventually became the subject of an interview with a reporter from the Reading Eagle that was published in December 1871. She died in 1879.
Sharpened Blade: The Story of Dinah Clark is available from Black Rose Writing at blackrosewriting.com/historicaladventure/p/sharpenedblade?rq=sharpened%20blade. Using the promotional code SEASON20 through Saturday, Jan. 31, will provide a 20% discount.
In addition, the novel is available at major online booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Sharpened Blade: The Story of Dinah Clark is available in hardbound, paperback, or e-book.
Black Rose Writing is an independent book publisher based in Texas. Black Rose Writing was established in 2006 and publishes works including fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books.
Earlier works by Joseph J. Swope include:
- Pleasant Valley Lost, which documents the loss of a historic family dairy farm to the Blue Marsh Dam project told through the author’s childhood eyes.
- The Gift, an illustrated children’s book focused on diabetes awareness. The book was illustrated by Swope’s daughter, Chandra.
- Disturbed, a ghost story set in the haunted Coal Region of Northeast Pennsylvania.
- Where Magic and Science Collide, a novel that fuses elements of both fantasy and science fiction.
- Dark Age Monarch: The Reign of King Arthur, an innovative retelling of the Arthurian legends.
- Dark Age Monarch: Uther Pendragon, a prequel to the first Dark Age Monarch book, focusing on Arthur’s father.
Swope retired at the beginning of 2024 after completing a 40-year career in public relations and marketing. He worked in the communications department of UGI Utilities Inc., a natural gas and electric utility based in Pennsylvania, for 30 years. Prior to that, he served as the director of public relations at Alvernia College (now University) for 10 years. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at Alvernia for more than 30 years.
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