Behl’s mother signs books, gives safety advice

Janet Pelasara, often hesitating between sentences, remembered police describing her daughter’s dead body. Though visibly upset by the events she described, Pelasara relived them for a small book signing at the Virginia Book Company three weeks after her new book, “Love You More: The Taylor Behl Story,” hit stores nationwide.

Before signing copies for around 20 local residents, Pelasara read two passages from the book, one about driving Behl to VCU for the first time and the other describing when police came to her Vienna home to tell her they had found Behl’s body.

Afterward, Pelasara commented on why she wrote the book.

“I did not want her memory to die with her,” Pelasara said.

“There are strong messages in the book,” she added. “First, that this could happen to you. Also, when it comes to dealing with any authorities, do not give up. Keep asking questions.”

Since publisher Regan Books released the book Nov. 7, VBC manager Christian Campbell said it has sold very well, exceeding their expectations.

On the night of the book signing the store sold 16 copies of the book at 10 percent off and donated all proceeds to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A portion of all of the book’s profits will also go to the same charity.

VCU alumna Karen Lomenzo, who said she was initially unsure about buying the book, decided to purchase one after listening to Pelasara speak.

“I was impressed,” Lomenzo said. “She was able to get her message across without seeming vindictive.”

One audience member, Chester resident Joanne Bennett, said she ordered the book on Amazon.com before it was released. After receiving the book, she read it all in one night.

“I have not done that in a long time,” Bennett said. “It just gripped me. I had followed the story closely while it happened, but that did not matter.”

Pelasara’s story resonated with Bennett, she said, especially because of the local connection to VCU and because her daughter is a senior in high school and currently thinking about where to go to college.

“It is every mother’s fear,” she said.

After all attendants had left, Pelasara said she thought the night went surprisingly well.

“Personally I did much better than I thought I would,” Pelasara said. “It was the hardest drive. Honestly I cried from Vienna to Richmond for the first time. It never really got to me before.

“Just knowing that Taylor should be out there in Richmond wandering around, it kills me inside,” she said. “I was told there would be closure. There is still no closure. But writing the book has been great therapy.”

The title of the book stems from a notepad Behl kept since high school as a way to leave notes for her mother. She always signed them, “Love you more.” Pelasara said those were also Behl’s last words to her over Labor Day weekend in 2005, after Pelasara gave Behl gas money for the drive back to school.

Pelasara said she started working on the book in March with the help of a ghostwriter. For two weeks she talked every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., detailing the entire experience, while he typed what she said into his computer. Afterwards he arranged her words into a narrative form, periodically sending chapters for Pelasara to proofread. The two finished working on the book in September, about a month before the one-year anniversary of the discovery of Behl’s body.

Although Campbell said he followed Behl’s story as it unfolded last year, reading the book has somewhat changed his opinion about it.

“I did not want her memory to die with her.”
-Janet Pelasara on why she wrote “Love You More: The Taylor Behl Story”

“It made me much more sympathetic to people close to Taylor and made me realize more and more what a horrible person Ben Fawley is,” Campbell said.

Despite his support of the book, Campbell said he recognized that many do not share his feelings. As an example, he noted that someone posted information about the book signing on Livejournal.com, and by Monday evening it had 19 responses. Of the posts, Campbell said most were “flames,” or angry critiques.

“They were anything from immature, childish attempts at humor to criticism. Criticism about writing a book about the ordeal and giving talks about it,” Campbell said. “Generally they jumped to conclusions.”

In addition to giving Behl’s death publicity, Campbell said Internet bloggers have also claimed Pelasara never cared about her daughter and heavily criticized her for making a profit off the book.

Pelasara, however, denies allegations of a motive for money.

“This book is not making me rich,” she said.

Campbell also defended Pelasara, calling many of the accusations against her, especially those that she did not care about her daughter, unfair.

“At one point it was just a missing persons report,” Campbell said about Richmond Police’s handling of Behl’s disappearance. “She made sure the police followed through with it and she got it media attention.”

In addition to writing her book, Pelasara said she recently spoke for the Parents of Murdered Children in Virginia Beach, for Violence Against Women at George Mason University, as well as on “The Early Show” on CBS and “Good Day New York” on Fox. She also recently talked with the CBS documentary show “48 Hours” in an interview that will air on Saturday.

“Their questions were smart, and they are not sensationalizing Taylor’s death,” Pelasara said.

Pelasara said she is also working on a pilot program for Court TV on Behl’s story, a show focusing on the positive effects of the Internet in gathering criminal evidence.

On Dec. 6, Pelasara will also speak at a middle school in nearby Varina at the request of local resident James “Slim” Wilberger, who has a son at the middle school and also attended the book signing.

“So we can shake these parents up,” Wilberger said about why he invited Pelasara to talk during the program on Internet security. “We would not give our children a loaded gun to play with but we do let them on the Internet.

“If I can have her come to our program and save one life that is priceless,” he said.

While Pelasara said she has been “slammed” by many critics, she is glad she wrote the book and was able to think back to the good times she once experienced with Behl.

As far as regrets go, she said she only has one.

“I did not take Taylor to Disney World.”