Silent But Not All That Quiet

Reappearing...

My last post was about turning seventy.  Then I sort of disappeared.  I didn't go quietly into that long goodnight called winter. Nor did I lament my age. Instead, after spending Christmas in the frigid Red River Valley with my daughter and her family, I went into production mode. I made a number of quilts, knitted several shawls, and most importantly, I wrote a novella--a short 85 page mystery.  And it is now up and available on Kindle.

Death on Arrival ...

is the new number one Helen Bradley Mystery.  As many of you know, I have not been able to obtain the rights to my first book in this series (Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep) and thus cannot offer it as an e-book. It's been a frustration, because the first book introduces the series. Consequently, I decided to write a prequel. The new Helen book takes place prior to Red Sky in Mourning, A Haunting Refrain and When Shadows Fall, which are available on Kindle.


Helen returns to her beach home on the Oregon coast after a month-long honeymoon in Europe to find her door ajar, her house ransacked, and the body of her house-sitter in the back yard. Hardly a proper homecoming, but semi-retired cop, Helen Bradley, is determined to put her house in order and find the killer at all costs.

I had fun revisiting Helen and all of her haunts and hope you will too.  I enjoyed reacquainting myself with Helen's best friend Rosie, owner of  Pastimes, my favorite coffee shop/book store, and Joe Adams, the handsome young sheriff who actually respects Helen's investigative skills and isn't afraid to ask her for assistance.

Of course, while writing I wished I could have been living in Helen's lovely Cape Cod home at the beach near Lincoln City.  One of the perks of being a writer is living vicariously through your characters. 

I hope you pick up a copy of Helen's new book. As for me, I need to finish my newsletter and blog and get back to my next book, Deadly Deception. Wish me luck.

Blessings, Pat