Connie Chappell's Blog - Posts Tagged "suspense"
An Introduction and FREE offer!
Hello Friends!
I found myself in a reminiscent frame of mind today. Nearly twelve years ago, I developed the Wrenn Grayson Mystery Series. I love to read mystery series, so I thought, if I’m going to put all my passion into writing, why not head down that road? I connected the mystery series to another passion of mine, my hometown’s history. That would be Springfield, Ohio.
In the first mystery, Deadly Homecoming at Rosemont, we meet Wrenn, a resident of the fictional town of Havens, Ohio, as she's putting out her shingle, Historian for Hire.
Wrenn bravely announces to the world that she is willing to sift through dusty boxes of old records, bend over tattered journals (a back-breaking job), and, despite her dread of cellars, descend those creaky stairs into the dank, cobweb-laced, and windowless recesses under turn-of-the century Victorians to retrieve whatever treasure, memory, or mystery might be hidden there.
Wrenn meets all the challenges laid before her in the first novel, a double-header. She chases a murderer and a thief. Trey Rosemont is found dead in his family home, the mansion at the edge of town. The thief stole priceless Egyptian artifacts from the local university.
I’ve always found the history of the ancient Egyptians, their pyramids, gods, goddesses, and civilization, such a marvel. The research I put into the antiquities later described in the book as the stolen items was the rewarding part of the writing for me.
In honor of Wrenn Grayson, her endurance and intelligence throughout the series, I offer all dedicated mystery readers a chance to download a FREE Kindle version of Deadly Homecoming at Rosemont on December 11, 12, or 13. The series remains ongoing. Book 4 is coming in 2020.
Thanks for walking down memory lane with me. Happy reading...
Connie Chappell
Deadly Homecoming at Rosemont
https://conniechappell.com
Sign up on my website for direct delivery of my newsletter and other free offers.
I found myself in a reminiscent frame of mind today. Nearly twelve years ago, I developed the Wrenn Grayson Mystery Series. I love to read mystery series, so I thought, if I’m going to put all my passion into writing, why not head down that road? I connected the mystery series to another passion of mine, my hometown’s history. That would be Springfield, Ohio.
In the first mystery, Deadly Homecoming at Rosemont, we meet Wrenn, a resident of the fictional town of Havens, Ohio, as she's putting out her shingle, Historian for Hire.
Wrenn bravely announces to the world that she is willing to sift through dusty boxes of old records, bend over tattered journals (a back-breaking job), and, despite her dread of cellars, descend those creaky stairs into the dank, cobweb-laced, and windowless recesses under turn-of-the century Victorians to retrieve whatever treasure, memory, or mystery might be hidden there.
Wrenn meets all the challenges laid before her in the first novel, a double-header. She chases a murderer and a thief. Trey Rosemont is found dead in his family home, the mansion at the edge of town. The thief stole priceless Egyptian artifacts from the local university.
I’ve always found the history of the ancient Egyptians, their pyramids, gods, goddesses, and civilization, such a marvel. The research I put into the antiquities later described in the book as the stolen items was the rewarding part of the writing for me.
In honor of Wrenn Grayson, her endurance and intelligence throughout the series, I offer all dedicated mystery readers a chance to download a FREE Kindle version of Deadly Homecoming at Rosemont on December 11, 12, or 13. The series remains ongoing. Book 4 is coming in 2020.
Thanks for walking down memory lane with me. Happy reading...
Connie Chappell
Deadly Homecoming at Rosemont
https://conniechappell.com
Sign up on my website for direct delivery of my newsletter and other free offers.
Second eBooks in the series FREE December 19
Hello Friends!
I write two series in two different genres: literary fiction and literary mystery. The second book in the Wild Raspberries series, titled Proper Goodbye, and the second book in the Wrenn Grayson Mystery series, Designs on Ivy’s Locket, are both FREE Kindle downloads on December 19.
When I wrote Wild Raspberries, my character Beebe Walker stepped up and described a part of her life that took me by surprise. Characters can do this to authors. Sometimes, they just take over. Beebe’s revelation into her past caused my skin to prickle. I knew there was another story that needed telling. Suddenly, the series that wasn’t intended to be a series was born. Proper Goodbye contains an amazing storyline that was so strong the story poured out of me in just three months’ time.
On the other hand, the Wrenn Grayson Mystery series was intended to be a series at the outset. I sat down one day to get the wheels in my brain turning for a second plot and it came to me that I wanted a jeweler in the story. As the jeweler came to life, he told me the story of three lockets he designed, each connected to his wife’s three pregnancies. Then Ivy’s locket was stolen. I hadn’t intended the story to build on these three lockets, but it was such interesting background that it became the focus of the mystery. Because of the lockets’ personal significance, the jeweler was heartbroken over Ivy’s loss.
If you’re asking me, you should treat yourself to these two books. Despite the fact that these books are written for their respective series, all the books I write are standalone novels. You can pick these up while they’re free on the 19th and not feel like you’ve been thrust into the middle of another story. That won’t happen.
In 2020, the final book in the Wild Raspberries series will be released. The mystery series is ongoing. Book three in the series, Lily White Lie, is available. Book four, Honeysuckle Blue Revenge, also has a 2020 release date.
Happy holidays, all...
Connie Chappell
Proper Goodbye
Designs on Ivy's Locket
https://conniechappell.com
Sign up on my website for direct delivery of my newsletter and to learn about other free offers.
I write two series in two different genres: literary fiction and literary mystery. The second book in the Wild Raspberries series, titled Proper Goodbye, and the second book in the Wrenn Grayson Mystery series, Designs on Ivy’s Locket, are both FREE Kindle downloads on December 19.
When I wrote Wild Raspberries, my character Beebe Walker stepped up and described a part of her life that took me by surprise. Characters can do this to authors. Sometimes, they just take over. Beebe’s revelation into her past caused my skin to prickle. I knew there was another story that needed telling. Suddenly, the series that wasn’t intended to be a series was born. Proper Goodbye contains an amazing storyline that was so strong the story poured out of me in just three months’ time.
On the other hand, the Wrenn Grayson Mystery series was intended to be a series at the outset. I sat down one day to get the wheels in my brain turning for a second plot and it came to me that I wanted a jeweler in the story. As the jeweler came to life, he told me the story of three lockets he designed, each connected to his wife’s three pregnancies. Then Ivy’s locket was stolen. I hadn’t intended the story to build on these three lockets, but it was such interesting background that it became the focus of the mystery. Because of the lockets’ personal significance, the jeweler was heartbroken over Ivy’s loss.
If you’re asking me, you should treat yourself to these two books. Despite the fact that these books are written for their respective series, all the books I write are standalone novels. You can pick these up while they’re free on the 19th and not feel like you’ve been thrust into the middle of another story. That won’t happen.
In 2020, the final book in the Wild Raspberries series will be released. The mystery series is ongoing. Book three in the series, Lily White Lie, is available. Book four, Honeysuckle Blue Revenge, also has a 2020 release date.
Happy holidays, all...
Connie Chappell
Proper Goodbye
Designs on Ivy's Locket
https://conniechappell.com
Sign up on my website for direct delivery of my newsletter and to learn about other free offers.
Free eBook, Wrenn Grayson Mystery, Book 3
Hello Friends!
And welcome to the New Year!
I’m looking forward to 2020 because the fourth book in my Wrenn Grayson Mystery Series will be released. Before that happens, you’ll want to read the series’ third book, Lily White Lie. The Kindle edition can be downloaded FREE on January 8, 9 and 10. I hope you take advantage of this offer.
What I enjoyed most about writing Lily White Lie was the creation of new character, Bret Kilmore. He needed to be carefully sculpted. The man is designed to be a flirt and a tease, both crass and charming. To some, Wrenn’s boyfriend included, he is legend. It is also clear from the first time Wrenn sets her eye on him, that he is notorious by all accounts. He’s a man of rough edges, like diamonds, but he can be polished up to cut glass.
By that description, you can see I had my work cut out for me. The man who is first described as possessing a hero complex grows on impatient Wrenn. By the end of the book, Bret is better understood as a complex hero. He stands out as endearing and truly likeable.
On the pages leading up to Chapter One, you’ll find the last two lines of Henry Lawson’s poem, The Wander-Light. They unite Wrenn and Bret, who both find an inner meaning in them. The lines read:
I'm at home and at ease on a track that I know not,
And restless and lost on a road that I know.
The following two quotes from reviews posted on Online Book Club tell a little more of the mystery’s story:
“With Lily White Lie’s combination of small-town politics and historical symbolism, it might be seen as a kind of Murder She Wrote meets The Da Vinci Code.”
And:
“This book is flawless.”
Sometimes, it only takes a few words.
All of my novels are standalone books and can be read in any order. They are also available on Kindle Unlimited and through KOLL.
Remember, download Lily White Lie on January 8, 9, or 10.
Happy reading...
Connie Chappell
Lily White Lie
https://conniechappell.com
Sign up on my website for direct delivery of my newsletter and to learn about other free offers.
And welcome to the New Year!
I’m looking forward to 2020 because the fourth book in my Wrenn Grayson Mystery Series will be released. Before that happens, you’ll want to read the series’ third book, Lily White Lie. The Kindle edition can be downloaded FREE on January 8, 9 and 10. I hope you take advantage of this offer.
What I enjoyed most about writing Lily White Lie was the creation of new character, Bret Kilmore. He needed to be carefully sculpted. The man is designed to be a flirt and a tease, both crass and charming. To some, Wrenn’s boyfriend included, he is legend. It is also clear from the first time Wrenn sets her eye on him, that he is notorious by all accounts. He’s a man of rough edges, like diamonds, but he can be polished up to cut glass.
By that description, you can see I had my work cut out for me. The man who is first described as possessing a hero complex grows on impatient Wrenn. By the end of the book, Bret is better understood as a complex hero. He stands out as endearing and truly likeable.
On the pages leading up to Chapter One, you’ll find the last two lines of Henry Lawson’s poem, The Wander-Light. They unite Wrenn and Bret, who both find an inner meaning in them. The lines read:
I'm at home and at ease on a track that I know not,
And restless and lost on a road that I know.
The following two quotes from reviews posted on Online Book Club tell a little more of the mystery’s story:
“With Lily White Lie’s combination of small-town politics and historical symbolism, it might be seen as a kind of Murder She Wrote meets The Da Vinci Code.”
And:
“This book is flawless.”
Sometimes, it only takes a few words.
All of my novels are standalone books and can be read in any order. They are also available on Kindle Unlimited and through KOLL.
Remember, download Lily White Lie on January 8, 9, or 10.
Happy reading...
Connie Chappell
Lily White Lie
https://conniechappell.com
Sign up on my website for direct delivery of my newsletter and to learn about other free offers.
