The Sound of Safety: When all that’s left is love & hope & truth | Mara (Skinner) McCalmon with Phoebe Wall Howard | $23 | ISBN 9781948509763 | October 14, 2026 | Pre-order now for a signed copy
Mara (Skinner) McCalmon took 26 stab wounds to the face, head, back, breasts and arms while asleep at home. She grabbed the knife blade with her bare hand and fought an attacker on one side of her blood-soaked bed while her husband fought another attacker across the room.
This goes beyond the story of murder and attempted murder. It does more than dig into the case involving a teenager who orchestrated a killing that traumatized the community of Yale, Michigan.
This survivor is finally sharing what life was like before the crime shattered her family — how things can go so wrong, the trivia that pushes people to rage, what it’s like to navigate the criminal justice system after convictions and why forgiveness can seem impossible.
Scheduled talks/book signing events:
October 14: St. Clair County Community Mental Health, Port Huron, Michigan.
October 26: Community Mental Health Association of Michigan Fall Conference (Keynote), Traverse City.
October 28: Detroit Public Library, Wilder Branch, 7140 E. Seven Mile, Detroit, on Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., public welcome.
October 29: Carnegie Museum, 1115 Sixth St., Port Huron, Michigan, on Thursday, 6:00 p.m., public welcome.
December 9: Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Ave., Detroit, on Wednesday, 6:00 p.m., public welcome.
January 28, 2027: Don Dodge Auditorium, 200 Grand River Ave., Port Huron, on Thursday, 6 p.m., public welcome.
Other events are pending.
“It was clear from the crime scene that Paul Skinner fought for his life. There was so much blood … But Mara was not going to let this crime be the defining event for her husband’s life or her own.”
—Mike Wendling, St. Clair County prosecutor
Mara (Skinner) McCalmon is a career educator and founder of the “P.S. You’re my Hero” non-profit organization that supports victims of crime. She is a mom, sister, wife, and grandma who survived a brutal stabbing in 2010 that made national headlines. Since then, she has found her voice to share her story and guide others to trauma recovery. She is asked to speak to groups and individuals that focus on mental health, criminal justice, and victims’ rights. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Wayne State University in Detroit and a master’s degree in the art of teaching from Marygrove College in Detroit. Contact: psyouremyhero@gmail.com
Phoebe Wall Howard is a national award-winning reporter who writes about business, criminal justice, US/Canadian politics and competitive sailing. She is a contributing car culture columnist at The Detroit News (USA Today Network). Her “Shifting Gears” column on Substack was honored in 2026 by the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit for automotive coverage, breaking news, enterprise and watchdog/courts reporting. Previously, Howard worked at The Detroit Free Press covering the auto industry, consumer trends and fraud. She has provided industry analysis for the BBC, CBC, NPR, ABC News, PBS NewsHour and Fox Business. She covered presidential campaigns and mistreatment of veterans at The Des Moines Register. The Iowa Supreme Court cited her coverage when it overhauled foster care policy. Howard covered then-Gov. Bill Clinton for the Arkansas Gazette. Her investigative reporting resulted in a stay of execution by the U.S. Supreme Court for a death row inmate. While in Arkansas and Iowa, she worked as a correspondent for Time Inc. and People magazine. She won Associated Press awards for her coverage of criminal justice, immigration and organized labor. She earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Contact: phoebe@phoebehoward.com
To schedule a talk/signing: Please contact phoebe@phoebehoward.com or call 313-618-1034.