Murder She Wrote. A peek at my new book.

Meet Dr. Dolly Sunflower, a quirky and burnt out school counsellor who uses her psychic sleuthing skills to get to the bottom of celebrity murders in the leafy suburbs of prestigious Poeshwick.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of Jessica Fletcher’s charmed life as a writer. She’s like a wise, caring Grandmother who makes the world right again. I imagined myself living in her beautiful Victorian house in Cabot Cove, and travelling all over the world to stop the bad guys in their tracks.

Even now when I hear the theme tune to Murder She Wrote, I boil the kettle and sit down with a strong cup of tea. Maybe a few chocolate digestives. The nostalgia is real!

Inspired by the TV classic, Murder She Wrote, I visited Cape Cod in 2019 where I experienced an unforgettable magic moment. Watch the video and share it with me.

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Actually, Jessica Fletcher reminds me of my Auntie Gladys who was a gentle and creative influence in my life growing up. She was a talented seamstress and an amazing cook who encouraged me to write and read her my poems.

You’ll find out more about Gladys when you read my new book, Murder Most Mystic which has been over two years in the making. In a writer’s world that’s not bad going, but considering my first book, Stuck Between Two Worlds spilled out onto the page in thirty days, I had different expectations.

Murder Most Mystic is currently in the final proofing stages, but today I want to share the cover reveal with you. Before I do, let’s talk more about Cozy Mysteries and why they’re a much loved and popular sub-genre of crime fiction.

1. Firstly they happen in close-knit communities where everybody knows everybody’s business.

2. The characters are funny and quirky-readers want to get to know them and soon become invested in their stories.  

3. The focus is always on solving the mystery instead of the horrors of the crime. The sex and violence takes place off page.

4. The detective is usually an amateur sleuth with a specific hobby or interest that brings the characters together.

What drew me into this genre is the comfort of that small-town vibe and the satisfying ending where all the loose ends are tied up and the perpetrator is caught. Agatha Christie is most definitely the grandmother of cozies. Her best works being Poirot and Miss Marple. Other cozies that you might also know (and I’ve watched repeatedly on a rainy Sunday afternoon) are Rosemary and Thyme, Agatha Raisin and Midsomer Murders.

👇 Let me know in the comments below if you have a favourite.

Now without further delay, I’m excited to share with you the cover of my new book, Murder Most Mystic …. ✨

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Isn’t it beautiful? I think Writer Spark Book Cover Design, who was a delight to work with, has done a fabulous job. Book covers are important for representing your genre and attracting your ideal reader. This one has cozy written all over it.

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Let’s flip to the back page where you’ll find a little teaser of what’s to come:

Dolly Sunflower is a burnt-out, and slightly unorthodox school counsellor at Twin Oaks Academy, nestled in the leafy suburbs of prestigious Poeshwick. Desperate for some peace away from the demanding drama of her rich, image-obsessed clients, Dolly takes a sabbatical at Honey Pot Cottage where she hopes to write her first romantic novel.

Things don’t go according to plan, when beloved television celebrity Hugo Hart is found dead in the swimming pool at his Poeshwick Hills mansion. The long list of suspects includes his ex-wife, a snubbed ageing actress, his reality tv-show girlfriend, and teenage son Milo, who is so grief-stricken he has stopped speaking.

Time is running out. Can Dolly get Milo talking and provide him with a solid alibi before her young client is arrested on suspicion of murdering his father? Or will she have to resort to psychic sleuthing with the help of her dead grandma to find out whodunnit?

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You’ll also find a little romance in there too, as Dolly, who with good reason is terrified of love, finds herself in a love triangle with an old flame and the new detective inspector in town.

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I can’t wait for you to read it. I never realised how many moving parts there are in a cozy mystery. It was fun challenging my detective brain to come up with clues and red herrings. I wrote the beginning and then the ending first, before I fleshed out the story in the middle. My imagination didn’t have to work too hard to come up with prestigious Poeshwick, and developing the characters was a hodgepodge of real people and celebrities I’m fascinated by.

My editor said:

“This has been a fun read with an easy cast and world to invest in. It’s brilliantly executed with terrific visuals. Every chapter has been a delight. I love the dynamic you build with Dolly and Milo. Those are touching scenes that hit home. The friendship between Dolly and Luna is witty and informative. Your characters are alive and vibrant on the page, the mystery of the murder has me hooked in, and I was eager to discover whodunnit. You kept me guessing right until the end and hid the killer well. Impressive work!”

This will be the first in The Dolly Sunflower Mystery Series which will be written in my pen name - Lisa Wildheart. I want to keep my work around healing and trauma separate because very soon I will start writing non-fiction books to document my decade of working with children.

I don’t have a publishing date yet for Murder Most Mystic, but I hope to have it ready for your Christmas stocking.

Stay tuned to see how that unfolds.

Love

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