Manuscripts

Secrets and Smoke

(manuscript finished summer of 2020)

A talented young artist named Stella Alton is plunged into danger after she receives a desperately-needed commission at a remote estate that has been damaged in a mysterious fire.  Stella, left penniless after her father’s recent death, is determined to make a living as an artist.  As strange occurrences happen at Hawkhaven Hall though, she fears her dream and life may be in danger, even though the dashing-but-bookish estate owner John Radcliffe has seemed to appoint himself her protector.  John is in the process of procuring a rich American heiress for a marriage of convenience when Stella arrives.  His vast cliff-top estate, which is so beloved and relied on by so many, never recovered from the neglect of his parents and he feels duty-bound to save it.  Once he meets the lovely muralist and dangerous events start to occur in the house, his plans for marrying rich and his estate’s security are both in jeopardy.  Together, Stella and John discover that shocking events in the house’s past will link both their futures, if they survive to see them.  Can they solve the mystery of Hawkehaven Hall and find love?   

Unexplained fires, possible ghosts, hidden passageways, missing jewels, family secrets, forbidden romance, and moody Yorkshire weather  --   Secrets and Smoke is a thrill-packed Victorian gothic full of twists and turns.

The Brewery Bargain

(work in progress as of winter 2021)

Henry Acaster, one of London’s richest and ruthless businessmen, has recently acquired one of the biggest breweries in London. His problem? The beer is bad — one step above Thames water. He enlists the help of traditional country brewer Jenny Farrady, owner of the Brewer’s Inn in the Lake District, to turn his beer around. Hoping the intimidating, no-nonsense Londoner can root out whoever is sabotaging her beloved family business, Jenny strikes a bargain. Together, Jenny and Henry solve a mystery, brew beer, and teach each other about taste, loyalty, and love.