Snippet Saturday is Hot Off the Press

The Key with Hearts

Hot off the Press

Regency England.  Suspense.  Murder.  Two hearts at odds.

Married for money, not for love.

A convenient marriage inconveniently causes murder.

Six months ago, Beth Corbett married Greville Myers.  Her money saved his estate.  His nobility raised her station.  The couple have achieved an uneasy relationship, tepid and uncomfortable.

Then Beth is nearly killed in a failed attempt at murder.

Who wants her dead?

·         *The woman who had expected to marry Greville?

·         *The mother-in-law who hates her?

·         *Someone unknown?

·         *Or her husband, so he can keep her money and marry the woman he loves?

Who can Beth trust?

When the murderer strikes again and injures someone by mistake, how can Beth discover the truth?  Or will she be the next victim?

The Key with Hearts is set in Regency England.   At 59,000 words, the novel is Book 9 in the Hearts in Hazard series of romantic mystery and suspense by M. A. Lee.

Visit the series page or M.A. Lee’s author page for a complete list of the Hearts in Hazard books.  For more on books by M.A. Lee, visit www.writersinkbooks.com .

AFM :: No ghostwriters, work-for-hire writers, or other collaborators were used in the writing of this book. 😉

What I'm Writing Now: The Key with Hearts

I'm running far behind deadline on the Hearts in Hazard series.

Last year, I should have put out three HnH books:  The Key to Secrets and The Key for Spies (several months late, just published in mid-January) made it to press.

The Key with Hearts is my current struggle.  Too many commitments that drag me away from the story.  Too many distractions that make it too easy to walk away when I do have time.

Where the Ideas are Swirling Now

the current work in progress:  cover image for The Key with Hearts

What I'm Reading Now: Christianna Brand

Christianna Brand's Death in High Heels

Actually, I just finished this book.  And I have to recommend it.  It's well worth your time and money.

I love a good mystery.  A good snarky voice is not a must while an excellent puzzle IS.  I especially love a local well-drawn setting that is necessary to the story.

Last October I purchased a first book by one of our classic mystery writers Christianna Brand.  My mission for 2019 is to read the first outings by writers who became great.  Brand authored two dozen mystery novels.

I hope that reading the first outings by major writers will help me understand their career trajectory:  how they launched themselves into the marketplace, what set them as distinct from other books in the marketplace, how they developed their puzzle.  Soon I plan to read a later book for these successful writers, somewhere about 10 years into their career, to see how their writing and puzzle-making matured.

I keep reminding myself that the other writers currently in the marketplace aren't my only competition.  I guarantee that my greater competition for longevity as a writer will be the writers with established names.

So, in my search for mystery writers, I stumbled across Christianna Brand.

Death in High Heels was Brand's first mystery, inspired by an irritating co-worker that she dreamed about killing.  No lie!  It's in the biography.

I didn't get to this book until New Year's, and I've just finished it.  And I was surprised--pleasantly so.  Why?

Well, for a book that was dreamed up as a fantasy about killing a co-worker, it was hilarious!

The puzzle was even better.  For most mysteries, I can figure out the puzzle before the first third of the book is complete.  I figured out this one, too, but I kept reading for the snarky voice of the protagonist.  Then Brand cleverly re-wrapped the puzzle before she unraveled it all over again.  Surprised me!

Here it is:  Death in High Heels, well worth the $7.99 price tag.  Enjoy!

While the link takes you to Amazon, I don't receive any monies or anything else from my recommendations.  I never do.  I'm just recommending what I enjoy.  Someday I might recommend against purchasing a product.  Not yet, though.

Get back on the Resolution Ride: February's Recommendations

Have you fallen off your Resolutions yet?

Are you having trouble keeping track?

Did you hope to make changes for your whole self, not just exercise or money management?  A couple of checks on that Bucket List?  Plan to read something better?

Did you sing "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength"?  And did you think, If Only.

If you answered YES to any one of those questions, the 2 * 0 * 4 Lifestyle Planner is for you.  It's designed to help you move and muse, feast and fast, and live and love.

With 7 covers to choose from, you can find the perfect addition to help you maintain your goals.  You can start anytime, for it's not dated.  Just open and go!

Shown above, the Meadow (left) and Floral covers.  Below is the Mountain River edition, with a cover front and back from the Smokies.  Also available are ~

Teatime ~ purple flowers on the front, a garden setting for an English tea on the back
English Cottage ~ the typical shingled cottage with a riot of flowers in the front and a warm cup available on the back, in lovely cranberry colors.
Woodland ~ images evocative of the Rockies, perfect for Hikers.
CityScape ~ with the Knoxville skyline and a view of the Henley Street Bridge across the Tennessee River.

Available on M.A. Lee's Amazon space.  She's me!