Author Spotlight Featuring Marilyn Leach's New Book ~ All Hallows Dead

Marilyn Leach has created a wonderful cozy mystery series set in a small English village. Grab your cup of tea and enjoy Marilyn's "tour" of her 5th and latest book in the Berdie Elliot series.  

Thanks, L.A. for hosting me on your blog.  

The North of England grabbed me by the throat and won my heart the moment I stepped onto its soil.  I knew this untamed part of England, Northumbria, near the Scottish borders, was abundant fuel for stories.

 

When first I saw Lindesfarne Castle loom over the landscape of tiny Holy Island, wind blowing the rush of modern life from my soul, the history of the place settled in like a warm cup of tea on a blustery day.  My story would be a mystery set in current day but with roots reaching back into history.

All Hallows Dead: A Berdie Elliott Saints Day Mystery is the fruit of that idea.  Berdie and husband Hugh, a vicar, are attending a church course in Northumbria when Berdie’s captivated by the mysteries of an ancient church.  

Two “accidental” deaths occur in circumstances she finds questionable.  Set among the ruins of Criswell Abbey, Berdie discovers truths that will impact Criswell’s entire village, from a local pub owner to the lord of the manner.

Of course, there’s plenty of humor as Berdie and her best friend, Lillie, get into circumstances that make us chuckle, all while solving dastardly events.  Pretending to be artists, for the sake of snooping, turns into an art form unto itself.

All Hallows Dead is a perfect read for this time of year.  All Saints Day, November 1, marks our collective memory of those devoted pilgrims that have marched on in faith before us.  During this season, a comfy chair, hot beverage, and snuggly throw are all amenities that make reading All Hallows Dead an enjoyable event.

Buy:

Amazon

Bio:

Though Marilyn grew up in the Western United States, she became a dyed-in-the-wool British enthusiast after exploring the UK and making friends there.  She has co-authored plays that have been performed in both secular and church venues.  

Her many devotionals have appeared in such works as The Quiet Heart, Big Dreams in Small Places, and Guideposts.  In her current British mystery series with Pelican Books, Berdie Elliott is the intrepid vicar’s wife who solves crime with a little help from above.  Marilyn lives in a lakeside cottage on the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

Find Marilyn:
Website | Amazon Author Page | Facebook

What secrets lie within the stones of Criswell Abbey’s medieval church, St. Baldred’s?  Berdie Elliott digs to find the truth in All Hallows Dead.

Lastingham Stairs

Guest Post by Peter Perrin & His Debut Book ~ Grace's Turmoil

Hello, L.A., Thank you for having me as a guest on your blog. 

A few years ago, my then fourteen-year-old granddaughter self-published two novels on Amazon. Inspired by this I thought I should have a go myself. After all they do say everyone has a book in them. I thought that at the very least it would be a good mental exercise for my then sixty-nine-year-old brain, and might help with my failing memory.

How much mental exercise it would entail I could never have imagined. Sadly, I’m not sure it has helped the memory much, but it has given me a new skill to learn and I’m told there’s a certain joie de vivre about me nowadays, so that must be good.

I believed the younger generation thought most people over the age of sixty had one foot in the grave, and were just killing time until the grim reaper claimed them. But, I knew that wasn’t the case for many people, so I looked for a way to write something to show them in a positive light.

The way I came up with was to write a romance with the hero and heroine being over sixty. I certainly managed that as I ended up with the heroine being aged sixty-eight and the hero even older, at seventy-one.

And, I came up with the idea of my characters being residents at a retirement village that was pretty much a private 5* hotel. My only concern was that the environment might prove restrictive to me as a writer or put readers off. But I found there was a lot of scope for activities and relationships and the idea seemed to work.

Unfortunately, I had virtually no previous writing experience or training and no idea about planning, outlining, plotting etc. It seems I am a natural ‘pantser’ i.e. I just let the book develop, rather than planning it out. So, the book started off as a series of conversations, and developed slowly from there. Sadly, my inexperience meant that a lot of what I wrote wasn’t very good, and I had to throw away quite a bit of material as the book developed and the story just didn’t work properly. This meant the book took a lot longer than I had initially expected it to.

I submitted a sample chapter to a publisher to see if it fitted with the sort of work they published, and it did. But, they said the chapters—at an average of 4,000 words each—were way too long. So, I chopped them all in half and started to tidy them up. After a year of rewriting and polishing the manuscript I submitted it and ten months ago I won a publishing contract. Now, at the age of seventy-three, my debut novel, ‘Grace’s Turmoil’ has recently been published as Book One of a series called ‘Not Too Old for Love.’ Initially, the deal with my publisher was just for an eBook, with the possibility of a paperback version if sales were good enough, quick enough. But now I know that once it is on Amazon—any day now—it will also be available from them in paperback form.

It seems that over recent years more and more readers of romance have become frustrated that all the heroines they read about were aged about twenty, whilst they themselves were on average at least ten years older. Now it seems that there are a growing number of authors writing for this new market, which seems to be being referred to as Seasoned Romance, Second Chance Romance, and the like. I’m proud to be a part of that growing band of authors trying to respond to this demand.

Blurb:

Divorced and emotionally damaged, artist Grace Stollery wants nothing more than to spend her semi-retirement painting and let time heal her emotional scars.

But when dashing widower Alfred Nobel moves into her retirement village he turns her life upside down and her heart inside out by awakening feelings she wants to keep dormant.

Alfred quickly sets out to woo Grace and slowly she warms to him. But the village’s resident femme fatale wants him for herself. Will she succeed in driving a wedge between Alfred and Grace?

Buy: 

Amazon | Devine Destinies

Bio:

Peter Perrin writes sweet, seasoned romances involving larger-than-life mature characters who will make you rethink your views on older people in a positive way. His characters are mature in age but not necessarily in their behaviour. They may not be in the first flush of youth but that doesn’t stop some of them acting like hormonal teenagers.

Peter was born in Romford, in the county of Essex, near London, England. For nearly twenty years he has lived with his wife of almost forty years in a quiet suburb of Swindon, in the county of Wiltshire, in England. He is a father and grandfather.

He is a former member of The Royal Air Force who has served in the UK, and in Madagascar, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia. He was also stationed for two years in Aden—which nowadays is part of Yemen.

For almost fifteen-years’ service in The Royal Air Force, Peter worked in Engineering, Quality Control, and Procurement Management, not to mention myriad smaller jobs in between those careers.

Now retired Peter’s interests are Writing, Carp Fishing, and (despite being in his early seventies) PC and PlayStation games.

His favourite quote is “Youth passes, but with luck, immaturity can last a lifetime.”

Find Peter:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Five Secrets With Cozy Mystery Writer Marilyn Leach

It's my pleasure to bring you Marilyn Leach and her newest book Enigma of Fire.  

While the book is in pre-order, I just found out that if you order it (and you know you won't be billed until launch day) and Marilyn gets 300 preorders she will go mass market.
THIS IS HUGE!  

So if you're interested, and I love her books, please pre-order.

Before I expose the clandestine features of my life, let me just say thanks to LA for this fun opportunity.  I had an entertaining rummage into some truths that here-to-for have been relatively unknown.

1.  If it was possible, I’d not go food shopping at a big box grocer for the rest of my life.  Door to Door Organics, Schwans, the ice cream man:  all represent my kind of food procurement. They deliver. I will admit to enjoying farmer’s markets, but that’s seasonal in Colorado.  Sadly, endless food delivery is not a viable option for me at the moment.  So I soldier on at Safeway.

2. I’m a fairly good dancer.  I’ve taken classes in tap dancing (now a lost art), ballet, hula, folk, and cowboy line boogies.  I enjoyed them all and have even been complimented.  I also like an occasional silver glistening ball and the party dances it inspires.

3. But then, I’m an incredibly poor dancer.  Anything that relates to being held and guided by a partner is the kiss of mortification for me.  Ballroom dancing lessons, as much as I fancied them along with the dream of effortlessly floating across a romantic flood-lit floor, found me stumbling about, apologizing with every step and turn, and sending dance partners from seventeen to seventy scrambling for the door.

4. I love an occasional flutter at the horse track.  That’s why I don’t go.  For me, it has “bad habit” written all over it.  Only once have I gone home with less money than I brought.  That’s why it spells dangerous.  I discovered a winning technique that worked.  No studying of statistics, odds, or insider knowledge, but a practical winning system none-the-less.  I didn’t take home thousands, but it bolstered the readies.  However, I think I’ll keep my method to myself.  After all, we all need to keep some secrets or we wouldn’t be interesting.  Right?

5.  I can tell you one thing that is clearly not a secret.  I love to write.  And at the top of the list are British cozy mysteries.  I thank God for the opportunity to story-tell and share them with the world.

Now, what secrets are you ready to confess? I invite you to leave a comment. 

Blurb:
When English village, Aidan Kirkwood, experiences an explosive fire, the entire parish is aflame with rumor and innuendo until Berdie Elliott, the scorching sleuth and vicar’s wife, can douse the flames with cold, hard facts that expose the perpetrator. A heroic dog, elusive book, and military champions come together to reveal the enigma of fire.

Excerpt:
“Cedric, Don’t chance it. Please,” Doug’s voice trembled as he shot out the command.

“Don’t what?” Berdie asked herself as much as Doug.

“Down, Mrs. Elliott.” Doug’s eyes wide, his breathing was short and rapid for the toil of making his wheels go toward them as fast as he could manage.

“Down? What are you talking about?”

Berdie suddenly experienced a jolt to her body that propelled her to the ground with such force it left her breathless. A stab of pain coursed through her while the reverberation of full-on colliding trains penetrated her ears. The horrific ache that shot through her knees focused her senses as she tried to gather her thoughts. Grass etched itself into her cheek, making it itch. Then the smell of acrid smoke assaulted her nose. She worked to catch a breath of air. What’s happened?

Endorsement:
Are you an Agatha Christie fan? Does the thought of an English village make you long to grab your passport and head across the pond? Are cozy mysteries your cup of tea? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, you won’t want to miss Marilyn Leach’s newest release, Enigma of Fire.
Intrepid heroine Berdie Elliott, a vicar’s wife whose sleuthing skills were honed as an investigative reporter, faces her most challenging mystery yet when her husband’s former military comrades come to the sleepy village of Aiden Kirkwood for a sculling regatta. From its riveting prologue to the final resolution, this story showcases Leach at her best.

~ Amanda Cabot, CBA and ECPA bestselling author

To Buy:
Amazon.com

Bio:

Marilyn Leach is a dyed-in-the-wool British enthusiast who lives lakeside near the Colorado foothills. She enjoys viewing and reading mysteries that originate across the pond. From the Scottish Boarders to Devon, city buzz to rural church bells, she enjoys excursions throughout the beautiful isle that inspire her writing. Her dear friends, who have become like family, live in Reading, England.

Find Marilyn:
Website | Amazon Author Page | Facebook