“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” Lao Tzu
Hi, I’m Mary Lee, writing as M. Lee Prescott, author of mysteries, romances – contemporary and western -- four series and a bunch of single titles. Two of the series are contemporary romances-- Morgan’s Run, Morgan’s Fire and two are mystery series—Ricky Steele Mysteries (humorous, 1st person, woman PI) and the Roger and Bess Mysteries (small village, cozy). Whether a mystery or romance, my stories are about how people in communities from the southwest to New England nurture and support one another. I try to write characters with whom I would like spend time. That way I can be pretty sure readers will want to hang out with them too. Not that there aren’t a few villains along the way, but they never win out in the end.
My martini days are over. It’s amazing what eight ounces of straight gin with a few ice cubes and a splash of tonic will do to a body not accustomed to drinking hard liquor. I slid out of bed with a pounding headache and queasy stomach. Yoga and inverted poses definitely out! I headed out for a short run that ended with me retching on the sand.
I had no
sooner stood up, kicking sand over the vomit when Carter the moose dog leapt
onto my chest and knocked me over. “Carter, no!” Charlie called, running
forward to grab his leash.
Figures,
the man I barely knew, but with whom I was already madly in love. I groaned,
rolling over and standing shakily, my entire body covered with sand. “Morning.” I gave him a wan smile.
“I am
really sorry,” he said, stepping on Carter’s leash as he helped brush sand off
my back.
“No
worries. I’m a little under the weather so I wasn’t prepared for him.” I patted
Carter’s enormous head. “Good boy.”
“No he
isn’t. What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
I vainly
attempted to tamp down my hair and straighten my clothes. “I’m guessing it’s a
hangover. I don’t do well with hard liquor.”
He
grinned, his hand still on my shoulder. “Most people don’t.”
(Lady Love, in progress)
I’ve discovered that writing in multiple genres at the same time brings resonance and clarity to the “romance” in each. For example, as I plug away at the fifth book in the Ricky Steele mysteries I am also writing the eighth sweet and spicy Morgan’s Fire romance. The first explores dark deeds and hidden dangers yet love still finds its way in. The second takes place in a small village where everyone watches out for each other. The tone and backdrops may shift dramatically, but love and romance anchor the characters in both books informing me, as the author, in how it’s done and the importance of getting characters’ caring and passion for one another right.
Drawing
her back from her remembering, Ben reached for her. “Hey, beautiful, good
morning.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“Penny for your thoughts.”
“Well, if you must know, I was
thinking back to Stanford and the first time I set eyes on a certain handsome
cowboy.”
He chuckled. “Country bumpkin next
to Ms. Bel Air Sophisticate.”
“Yet you still managed to sweep me
off my feet and carry me off to the valley you couldn’t stop talking about.”
“Desperate times require desperate
measures. ’Sides, I was afraid if I stopped talking, you’d get bored and walk
away. The Valley was the only topic I could say more than two syllables about.”
“Well, we
know that’s not true. Desperate?”
“Couldn’t
imagine livin’ another day without you .”
“And, now here we are. Forty years
later.”
“Blink of an eye, darlin’. Wouldn’t change a second.”
“Nor would I,” she said, smiling as she slid down beside him.
“That’s more like it.” He kissed her as he drew her into his arms.
“Mmm,” she said. “Someone’s perky this morning.”
(A Valley Christmas, 2020)
Ben found his sister in the largest
washing room, hunched over a pump, wrench in one hand, hammer in the
other.
She noted his presence but stayed
focused on her task. “Heard you were back.”
Of all the Morgans, Beth most
closely resembled her older brother. She had Ben’s angular jaw, chestnut hair,
and lean, lanky build. Her eyes were the same dark chestnut, arresting if one
was caught in their gaze. Her fiancé, Bill was fond of saying that those eyes
had stopped him in his tracks the first time he spied her in his Biology 101
class. Today, Beth’s jeans were caked with mud and her flannel shirt soaked
through. She swore as the wrench slipped from her grasp and clattered to the
cement floor.
“Want some help?”
“Yeah, right.”
“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, sister
of mine. You forget I have an
engineering degree.”
She straightened up, met her brother
eye to eye, and held out the wrench and hammer.
“Okay, Surfer Boy. Knock yourself
out.”
“No hug?”
“Let’s see how the pump project
works out first.” Ben gave her a look
and Beth laughed, extending her arms.
“Oh, what the heck. A little
incentive won’t hurt.”
As he folded her into his arms, Ben
felt her stiffen. Touching was not Beth’s thing.
“Good to have you home. Mom and Dad
must have gone crazy when you walked in. You’ve always been their favorite, you
know.” She pulled up a stool. “This I gotta see.”
Ben stooped to his task,
quickly ascertaining the
problem.
(Emma’s Dream, 2015)
In
your face, understated, implied, or red hot, love and romance really are
everywhere! I hope that is true in your life too! Happy spring!
M.
Lee
After a scorching divorce, Tom Jacobi is left burned, the ashes of his life scattered all around him. Attempting to heal, he leaves his home in Montana and comes to Saguaro Valley. There he settles into a job as assistant manager at the magnificent Valley Stables surrounded by rough cowboys, prized thoroughbreds and wild mustangs. When he meets Grace McGraw the roughhewn, yet carefully sheltered world, he has created is softened, the fires of anguish quenched by love.
A Saguaro Valley native, Grace is
consumed by the day-to-day care of her alcoholic father and her struggles to
keep their family hardware store running. Then a tall, lanky wrangler walks
into her life and changes everything, stealing her heart and lightening her
load. Tom offers strength, comfort, and courage supporting her in ways she
never thought possible. Join the Morgans and their valley community in book
twelve of Morgan”s Run and witness the unfolding of Grace and Tom’s sweet, but
also white hot love story!
Purchase
links for Tom’s Ride!
Get in touch with Mary Lee and Lulu!
(www.mleeprescott.com)
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5 comments:
Thank you for being our guest this weekend, Mary. I like the way you explain love and romance in this post. I also write romance and haven't done the thinking, processing of the bits and pieces that make it work. Being a linear pantzer is my excuse...glad to have people like you who can encapsulate the concepts in words and in story snippets.
Thanks for the post! I find that the romance carries me through most books, whether romance, mystery, or something else. I'll have to look into your series!
Welcome Mary Lee - love the quote at the top and your explanation of when the story shifts from angst to realizing love should win out. And I love your covers. thanks for visiting us today.
Great explanation of the shift within characters. Exactly why romance should be in every book. Perfect quote choices too.
Great post! Thank you for sharing some your writing.
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