Join us for a celebration of Melissa Trombetta’s new book, I Thought I Knew.

After reading a passage from I Thought I Knew, Melissa will be joined on stage by Mark Vinci, Director of Model Mugging—a unique self-defense organization founded in the early 1970s, specifically designed for women. She and Mark will take questions from the audience - and Mark might even demonstrate some self-defense techniques for you.

Light refreshments will be served. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

This event is free to attend, but we do need RSVPs for planning purposes. Thank you!

About the Book

I Thought I Knew takes place in Upstate New York. It’s 1995, and protagonist Nicole Doherty is days away from her college graduation— that is, if she graduates—ready to move into her own apartment and start a new job in a prestigious accounting firm when an unseen assailant attacks her, only steps away from the safety of her dorm, changing her forever.

Nicole is desperate to move on, vowing never to tell anyone what happened to her, but her past continues to follow her and pull her back. She’s forced to relearn how to trust herself and thrive in an uncontrollable reality, navigating relationships, old and new, often left wondering, who was her attacker? Could it have been a complete stranger—or someone she knows? And do you ever really know someone?

I Thought I Knew is women’s commercial fiction aimed at readers who enjoy elevated book club reads. With its strong female lead, thought-provoking supporting characters, and final twists, it is also a story of hope and resolve. It values the toll suffering in silence takes and ultimately realizes that to survive, you must first learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

About the Author

Melissa Trombetta is a long-time Ossining resident, a wife, mother of two teenagers, and a long-standing member of corporate America. While she is both a mom and an accountant, she strives not to dress like either. Writing in her free time and dancing at country music festivals like her kids aren’t standing next to her are her guilty pleasures.

About Model Mugging

Model Mugging is the original women’s self-defense Adrenaline Stress Training course. It is modeled on practical and proven methods for how women can successfully defend themselves against common assault scenarios by taking them on a scientifically proven journey toward empowerment, personal safety, and happier living.

About Mark Vinci, Director of Model Mugging

Mark Vinci, a Model Mugging instructor since 1989, has extensive law enforcement experience, including investigating all types of crime, from burglaries to rapes to homicides, as well as teaching control tactics and self-defense for law enforcement. He holds a master’s degree in forensic psychology and has studied the subject of sexual assault since the late 1980s, researching thousands of academic articles and receiving training in criminal typologies as well as the opportunity to interview predators.