Americans thrown a curveball by a pandemic by Mary Ellis

The Covid-19 epidemic has affected everyone during 2020. Many have seen family members fall ill and in some cases, die from this insidious virus. Others have lost jobs and are suffering financial hardship through no fault of their own. Even if your family wasn’t as direly impacted, no one has gotten away unscathed. Graduations, baptisms, showers and weddings cancelled, dreams put on hold. We’re no longer allowed to play proper respect at funerals. Schools have been closed with the responsibility for education thrust upon parents. Parks, playgrounds, pools, amusements, theaters, and sports facilities shuttered. We haven’t been allowed to meet a friend for lunch, get a haircut, or attend our place of worship. I am not implying the shutdown wasn’t necessary, especially since my husband and I are “of a certain age” with serious medical conditions. But now that restrictions are lifting, I’ve come to three observations about American personalities.

We are impatient by nature. We can follow the rules for only a certain length of time. After that we want everything to go back to normal, myself included. We might be able to survive three months without a haircut, but not six. My British friends are still under lock-down and thriving better than my neighbors here. A summer without block parties? A fall without football? No hayrides, no Christmas caroling, no taking grandkids to see Santa at the mall? Enough is enough.

We don’t mind suggestions, but please don’t tell us what to do. We are far more independent than the rest of the world. If you observed the streets of Paris or Rome after lockdown was imposed, not a “creature was stirring.” Not the case in many parts of the US.

We don’t like living with uncertainty. We want definite answers and solutions to our problems. We don’t like all these ideas being tossed around regarding treatments or possible vaccines. Are masks good or bad or somewhere in-between? Everyone has an opinion but no one seems to have an answer.

God has the answer. God knows how this will play out and asks only that we trust Him and be patient. Not just for the month or June or the rest of summer, but until we feel safe again. And I know just how hard that can be.

These were my opinions. Please leave me a comment with yours.  You will be entered in a drawing for a copy of The Amish Sweet Shop, recently nominated for a National Readers’ Choice Award. You must leave an email address, US or Canada only. Happy Reading, Mary Ellis

Mary’s latest book is Island of Last Resorts. : Cut off from the outside world on a private island, can a crack team of investigators solve a cold-case murder before a rich madman picks them off one-by-one?

Buy it on Kindle for $8.79: https://www.amazon.com/Island-Last-Resorts-Marked-Retribution-ebook/dp/B07V5WP7KD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29THW1ZL5IRGO&dchild=1&keywords=island+of+last+resorts&qid=1592841809&sprefix=Island+of+Last+%2Caps%2C274&sr=8-1

What I Won't Do for Research ~ Win a copy of Island of Last Resorts by Mary Ellis

Happy Wednesday, readers!  I got a big surprise last week....my next installment of Marked for Redemption Mysteries, Island of Last Resorts, (which I thought was coming in late October) released in early September. Island of Last Resorts is set on the fictional island of Elysian, but is loosely based on two real-life islands, namely Sapelo and Cumberland. Both of those islands are partially privately-owned and partially publicly-owned by the US Park Service. Don't you think a remote island off the coast of Georgia would make a great setting for a murder mystery? I thought so too. Many of my characters from Secrets of the South Mysteries return for a company retreat that could have fatal consequences. 

Join me for a background research...Sapelo Island contains the community of Hog Hammock, which is the last known Gullah community in America. Many of the full-time inhabitants (estimated at 47) of the Hog Hammock Community are African Americans known as Gullah-Geechees, descendants of enslaved West African people brought to the island in the 1700s and 1800s to work on island plantations. Hog Hammock contains homes, a general store, bar, public library, and a few small businesses including vacation rentals, along with two active churches: St. Luke Baptist Church, founded in 1885, and First African Baptist Church, established in 1866. The residents must bring all supplies from the mainland or purchase them at the one small store. The children of Hog Hammock take the ferry to the mainland and then a bus to school, since the island school closed in 1978. Hog Hammock is also home to the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society, Inc. (SICARS), a non-profit organization to increase awareness of Sapelo’s two-hundred-year-old African community. I was lucky during my trip to Sapelo Island to have Yvonne Grovner as my tour guide, whose husband is a direct descendant of the Gullah-Geechees.

Here's a bit about the story: Kate Weller’s boss, Nate Price, has some exciting news: Julian Frazier, a friend of one of his PI agency’s wealthy clients, has invited the Nate Price Investigations team and their partners on a trip of a lifetime to his home on Elysian Island, an exclusive retreat off the Georgian coast. But there’s a catch. Frazier has written his own murder mystery script, and the PIs must work out whodunnit. As they’re about to discover, though, the murder Frazier wants them to solve is a real cold case, and there's a killer twist that isn't in the script . . . Unable to reach the island and her coworkers, Kate is sure that someone wants her to stay away. Can she reach Elysian Island and stop a savage killer before a deadly game reaches its conclusion?

Island of Last Resorts is available in Kindle or Hardback editions. Get it here!

Please leave me a comment about the most bizarre place you ever visited for an e-book copy of Island of Last Resorts. 

Have a great  week, readers!   Mary Ellis 

Sea Turtles and the Gulf Islands National Seashore & Win a signed copy of my new release

Hi suspense and mystery lovers...Mary Ellis here. While researching for my mystery, Sweet Taste of Revenge, set in Pensacola, Florida. I had the pleasure of visiting Gulf Islands National Seashore and learning all about sea turtles. Here's some info: For upwards of 150 million years, sea turtles have inhabited the Earth’s oceans. Sea turtles are well-adapted for life in the marine environment. Their large and streamlined bodies, along with their large and powerful fore flippers, allow them to migrate great distances to search for food, to mate, and to nest.

World-wide, only seven species of sea turtles have been identified by biologists. Of these seven, six have been recorded in U.S. waters. Of these six turtles, five can be found in the waters of Gulf Islands National Seashore, including the loggerhead, green, Kemp’s, leatherback, and hawksbill sea turtles.



Gulf Islands National Seashore works to protect and conserve sea turtles by protecting their foraging and nesting habitats. Through partnerships with state and federal agencies and local governments, the national seashore collects data to document the sea turtle nests to help guide management decisions that can minimize human impacts to sea turtles. Through education the national seashore increases awareness about the importance of sea turtles, the threats impacting these species, and what actions can be taken to ensure their future. Photos Courtesy of NPS, Dept. of the US Int.


Here's a bit about Sweet Taste of Revenge, next in the Marked for Retribution Mysteries: When a wealthy socialite, owner of the largest yacht manufacturer on the Gulf Coast, is found dead, PI Kate Weller is sent on assignment to investigate. Plenty of people would benefit from this socialite’s demise, including her daughter, Lainey. But Agnes Westin created plenty of enemies on her climb to the top, both socially and in business, many with a taste for revenge. When Kate arrives in the only town she could ever call home, Pensacola, she must face why she’s been on the run for years. As a child she witnessed the crime which sent her brother, Liam, to jail. Now someone wants to make sure her suppressed memories stay buried. Can she find Agnes Westin’s killer and clear her brother’s name before their hometown enemy silences them forever?

Sweet Taste of Revenge releases February 1st. Click on this link to pre-book:

https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Taste-Revenge-Marked-Retribution-ebook/dp/B07KXWTDNM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547419221&sr=8-1&keywords=Sweet+Taste+of+Revenge

Please leave me a comment to win a signed copy of Sweet Taste of Revenge. Have you ever seen a sea turtle and if so...where? US readers only.

Suspense Sister, Mary Ellis

Setting ~ the first character I create & Win the latest book from Mary Ellis

What first comes to mind if someone mentions the television show, Hawaii 5-0? The muscular actor who plays Commander Steve McGarrett, or perhaps a clever plot twist in an episode involving identity theft? More likely it’s a visual of tanned young surfers riding the perfect wave to the shores of Waikiki, or perhaps a volcanic peak rising from the mist above the rainforest. How about NCIS – New Orleans? Those who’ve seen the show might picture Scott Bakula chasing a murderer through the crowd of perennial spring-breakers on Bourbon Street, or maybe tracking a psychopath by airboat through the gator-infested bayous of Cajun country. Most TV shows and movies rely on setting for more than just backdrop. The setting becomes as integral to the story as protagonists and villains.

Yes, movie and television rely primarily on visuals, but books paint pictures in the minds of readers. Consider the imagery created by Michener’s South Pacific, John Grisham’s The Testament, or Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. Could you imagine moving Oliver Twist from the slums of London to the heath-covered Scottish highlands? I don’t think so. Setting can be either protagonistic as in Jane Eyre or Under a Tuscan Sun or antagonistic as in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath or Jack London’s Call of the Wild. Whether creating a romantic spot to rekindle the flame of lost love, or a dangerous snake pit from which characters must escape, an author must choose carefully to create a memorable world that readers can see, hear, taste and smell.

When an author contemplates a new series, location becomes even more crucial. Consider Jan Karon’s marvelous series set in Mitford, or Debbie Macomber’s lively romances in Cedar Cove. One of my favorite series by Nevada Barr involves Anna Pigeon, a federal park ranger engaged to an Episcopal priest. Mystery series particularly benefit by a change in locale as characters adapt to new challenges, both natural and man-made. Personally, I love to travel. I often set stories far from home, making several trips for research and to tweak final details. As my husband and I travel around the South, I find plenty of settings for my books.

For book one of my brand new series, Marked for Retribution Mysteries, I decided Charleston would be the perfect setting. In Hiding in Plain Sight, Kate Weller rents a room above an Italian restaurant owned by a handsome chef, where she lands in the middle of a family feud with robbery, arson and murder for the daily specials. Available in hardcover or in e-book, including B&N and Amazon.

Please tell me about your favorite setting for a book you've read for a chance to win a hardcover copy of Hiding in Plain Sight. US readers only. Drawing closes in one week.  Mary Ellis ~ Suspense Sisters

HOT NEW INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE

What's new in inspirational suspense and mystery this week?  

Today we feature Mary Ellis who has a brand new mystery out: Hiding in Plain Sight, book one of Marked for Retribution Mysteries.

Here's what the story is about: Kate Weller, the newest member of Price Investigations, is on the run, thanks to a crime committed by her brother years ago. When Liam's enemy set his sights on her, Kate covers her tracks, changes her name, and takes a case in Charleston where she can hide in plain sight. Kate rents a charming room with a view, but her new landlord won't stop sticking his nose into her case. Eric Manfredi should focus on whichever competitor is bent on ruining the family business. Eric might work as  a chef in Dad's restaurant, but crime-solving is his passion ever since law school. When petty vandalism escalates into violence and arson, the Manfredis believe the Borellis are responsible. When Papa Borelli is found dead and Eric's dad is arrested for murder, Kate agrees to take the case. Can she find the murderer before a killer from her past tracks her down?

Buy it at Amazon in Kindle or in hardcover at CBD:  https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=Hiding+in+Plain+Sight+&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1

NEED A NEW DIRECTION? by Mary Ellis

Write what you know…is a quote usually attributed to Mark Twain. Twain might have been a great American novelist, but his advice better suits authors of the 19^th century. What are authors supposed to do in the 21^st century when expected to produce two or three novels a year? As books become shorter and faster-paced, some writers are releasing books faster than that. If as a full-time professional writer you only write about subjects you’re familiar or experienced with, won’t you run out of story fodder? On a personal level, how many stories about a schoolteacher, living on the edge of Amish country, who loves gardening, animals and American history will readers tolerate? Perhaps more practical advice for this day and age would be: Write about what fascinates you, or perhaps the person you hope to one day become.

I have reached an age when retirement isn’t a distant pipedream. As much as I love Ohio, winters have grown intolerable. My husband and I are determined to live three or four months of the year in the warmer and sunnier South. Recently we’ve combined our quest for inexpensive spots to “snowbird” with my mystery series. The setting for my first story was easy…New Orleans, a city we visited while family lived in the area and many times since. After several stays in Cajun country I was playing the washboard with spoons and cooking gumbo from a roux. My second mystery allowed me to indulge my love of the blues while researching Memphis and the Mississippi delta where rice and cotton fields stretch to the horizon. Next I prowled the streets of Natchez, a charming town overlooking the mighty Mississippi, where the police captain turned out to be the nicest person I’ve ever interviewed. Then we went to beautiful, age-old Savannah for my last book in that series. Recently, (as in three days ago) we returned from our fourth trip to Charleston, South Carolina, the setting for the first of my Marked for Retribution Mysteries.  What a delightful town! I’ll be sharing details as the release date for Hiding in Plain Sight draws near. (August 1^st)

As we investigate places to live during the winter, I’m also discovering new spots for dead bodies to wash ashore or characters to go missing. If you’re looking for new story ideas, why not consider places you’ve always wanted to visit? Start with research at your local library and on the internet. Then create the characters of your dreams. Maybe you can give them the talents you always longed to have. Your enthusiasm will turn your story into a page-turner readers can’t put down. And just think…when you visit the area to tweak the details, your trip becomes a tax deductible expense. Sounds like a win-win situation, no?