Another Marshall House Installment!

Are you looking for something to read this holiday season? Perhaps something dark but ultimately uplifting?

Allow me to introduce to you the long-awaited installment, WARM HANDS COLD HEART, a Marshall House Christmas Mystery, 7th book in the series and the newest book that has taken a prominent position on my book shelf!

Buy link: https://amzn.to/2yH10RN

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/899135

*Description Below

Recently married and awaiting the birth of her first child, Margaret Davies takes a position at Wendall Hall, a privately funded charity for unwed, expectant women in a small town east of Edinburgh. With Christmas around the corner and a number of birthing rooms empty, Margaret and Wendall Hall founder Violet Bane turn their attention to the babies in the nursery, ensuring they arrive at their adoptive homes in time for the holidays.

Wendall Hall’s Christmas preparations take an unexpected turn, however, when a body is discovered in a snowbank outside the Hall’s side door the day following a harrowing storm. It doesn’t take long for Margaret to realize not everything is what it seems at the benevolent charity. Decades-old secrets lurk in the shadows of the old manor house, secrets that go far beyond penniless women trying to hide their scandalous pregnancies, secrets Violet Bane had meant to take with her to the grave. 

Do you remember when I said the number 7 was a meaningful number to me? Mercy Me, my book released in June, may have been my 7th published novel, but WARM HANDS COLD HEART, the newest MARSHALL HOUSE book is 7th in the series. 2018 has been a great year for sevens! I'll be a posting a different blog post about that factoid next week!

New Release! SHADOWS OF MADNESS

Shadows of Madness is finally out, Dear Readers. 

Here's the Kindle link: https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Madness-Marshall-House-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B06XMQN4K6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Paperback coming soon!

I'm so excited to share with you all the 6th book in the Marshall House Mystery series. While I've said before this is the last book in the series, I have very much decided that this is not the last we will see of Peter and Margaret. Stay tuned for more details or follow me on Facebook for all the latest news and developments. 

Summoned to Edinburgh after another inexplicable vision, Dr. Peter Ainsley and his sister, Margaret Marshall, are shocked to discover their good friend, and Margaret’s secret lover, has been arrested for murder.

Dr. Jonas Davies, a celebrated surgeon and newly appointed professor at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, was found at the grisly scene with the bloodied surgical knife at his side, but both Ainsley and Margaret know that is hardly enough evidence to convict a man.

With a police inspector determined to prove Dr. Davies’s guilt and his medical colleagues distancing themselves from the nightmare, it falls on Margaret and Ainsley to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that their friend had no motive to kill his fellow professor and didn’t perpetrate the crime.

As the investigation moves forward, however, it becomes clear it won’t be enough to convince the court Dr. Davies didn’t kill the professor. They have to find the person who did, along with enough evidence to convict him before the Scottish judicial system sentences Jonas to hang. 

Cover for upcoming Marshall House Book #6

It's finally here, the last cover for the Marshall House mystery series.

SHADOWS OF MADNESS will be ready for devouring in a few short weeks, but in the meantime you can feast away on this gorgeous cover designed by Jessica Allain at EnchatedWhispers. A fellow Canadian, Jessica is an amazingly talented digital artist who took my rambling word-image and made it into something that surpassed all my expectations. I am deeply indebted to her and her creative eye.

You really can judge a book by it's cover and this cover clearly says "This book is AMAZING!"

Experience: the best way to learn to write

Are you squeamish?

I'm not. I once watched (perhaps a little too intensely) as an emergency room doctor stitched an inch deep gash on my daughter's thumb. Before he started he told me I could wait in the hall if I'd be more comfortable and I laughed and laughed (not out loud though).

You're probably not squeamish if you're a fan of my Marshall House books. I tend to write certain autopsy scenes in great, unforgiving details. A professional reviewer once called my style "unsympathetic". It can be quite a shock for any readers who are used to Agatha Christie or other mild whodunit writers. I've received a few negative comments regarding this particular style, enough to make me question whether I should tone it down. In the end, after reflection, I don't concede. I merely tell the story as it wants to be told.

 I don't set out to make things extra gruesome and I certainly wouldn't want my books to be fluffed up. I like to think my style represents the Victorian culture in that death was all around them and they didn't shy away from it. Some loved it and all it's salacious details. Others dealt with it and moved on, knowing they could not run from it. Death made an impression on every parlour (where the dead where laid prior to burial) and in every dark corner in every back alley. In an age when germ theory was still in it's infancy death came to everyone; young, old, sick and healthy. It did not discriminate.

I learned how close death was to us all as a 22 year-old newly married mother of one with another on the way. As the result of a car accident on a wintry road every single member of my family looked death in the eyes. I nearly lost my baby and my husband in that horrific crash and I am forever changed by it... but that is a story for another day.

Today I want to speak about an experience I had last night that presented itself as a responsibility to another family member but ended up being an opportunity to better myself and my writing. My daughter needed to complete an assignment for a senior high school chemistry class. Students were required to interview someone who works in the field of science. While most students chose to interview relatives, nurses, engineers and the like, my daughter wanted to give herself a bit of a challenge and chose to interview a funeral director.

I was asked to come along to film her while she asked her questions. It was a mundane task that I thought would at least get me a ballot for the "Mom of the Year" award. Never in a million years did I expect her interview subject to take us in the room where three bodies lay ready for their funerals. His intention was to show us the chemicals he uses and some of the devices at his disposal. It was a highly educational experience in more than just chemistry.

I had never seen a dead body other than relatives and I will admit I was taken aback. I repeat, I am not squeamish. The sight of the dead bodies did not affect me. My shock came more from the fact it had never occurred to me that we would be permitted in that space, that sacred space for the dead. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized how many others interact with the dead on a daily basis; doctors, nurses, police officers, medics, soldiers, anyone in funeral services, pathologists, medical examiners, archaeologists. I mean, death is all around us, and I, a full time author who writes about murder and death on a daily basis, have been so sheltered from it.

I write my stories, and conduct my research without ever having to witness it or touch it. My books seem so sterile now, so abstract. The Victorians knew death. Infant death was common, diseases had no cures. Daily life was one big gamble. Anything could take you out.

So what exactly has changed? We have medicines now, vaccines. We have experienced leaps and bounds in the medical field. We understand the impact of diet like no generation before us, as well as environmental impacts (smoking and work environments). We have instituted seat belts, helmets, air bags, and any number of other safety protocols, but even with all that there are no guarantees. Daily life is one big gamble. Anything can take us out.

Like I said, I'm not squeamish. The room did not jar me because of the bodies in it. The longer we stood there, talking and asking questions, the more I understood what had been missing from my writing. (There's a circle of life analogy somewhere here, but I'm purposely avoiding it.) We spent the better part of twenty minutes in that room which was only a quarter of the time we spent at the funeral home. We were given a tour of the offices, the casket showroom, the consultation rooms and the chapel. So many questions were answered and at times our guide must have wondered who the student actually was (guilty).

All in all, I am grateful for this experience and the time our host granted us. I think  my views on death, and my manner in writing about it, will change going forward. But I have no intentions of changing the tone of my books, not unless I decide to write a romance. In that case the gothic, murderous undertones might be a bit too much.

GIVEAWAY!

Want to win a signed copy of THE DEAD AMONG US?

To celebrate the print release of THE DEAD AMONG US, the 3rd book in the Marshall House Mystery series, I am giving away one signed copy to one lucky reader. Head on over to Goodreads to enter your name. Contest is open to residents in the US, Canada and Australia, and closes Dec. 19.

Link below:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/212891-the-dead-among-us

GOOD LUCK!

PRAYERS FOR THE DYING Cover

I'm so pleased to reveal the cover for my new book, PRAYERS FOR THE DYING. 

It's the fifth book in the Marshall House Mystery series, featuring Peter Ainsley and Margaret Marshall. Now available for pre-orders with Amazon for release May 31st. Tell your friends. Add it to your Goodreads. Help me celebrate an amazing milestone for what is quickly becoming a must-read series in historical mysteries.

Ending the Hangover; Loving the Process

You know the feeling... you've devoted numerous hours of your free time lost in a fascinating book, learning about new locales and befriending interesting characters. Somehow in the process you've become enraptured and begin looking for any excuse to ignore your daily life so you can crack open your new favourite book hoping to get lost in its pages. So rare is this feeling. How wonderful it feels to have found a story, an author, a protagonist that speaks to you like no one else. And then...

It's over.

If you're lucky the author will have a backlog of material to dive into while you wait, but sometimes you're not so lucky.

The book hangover is the same for authors as well. A writer like me can spend a year or more on a single book, researching, plotting, writing and revising. The book becomes my lover and nemesis. My friend and foe. I get used to the rhythmic push and pull of storytelling. One week I am on top of the world, pleased with the progression of my story, and the next I fight the urge to highlight it all and hit 'delete'. As I come closer to the end, the crescendo, the piece takes on a presence all it's own. With one final read through I can feel the pride blossoming deep within me. My imaginary friends have come through for me once again, aiding my desire to write really, really good stories. We are one, them and I. We did it. We produced another tale to enthral and entertain.

And then it's over.

 The only way I know to end the sagging feeling of the book hangover is to dive into the next one almost as soon as the draft gets to my editor's email inbox. Months later, while readers are busy devouring my new release, leaving pleasant reviews (and sometimes not so pleasant ones) I am already deep into the next project. It's a feeble attempt to revive that feeling of euphoria, the feeling of escape and acceptance granted to me by my characters.

Don't get me wrong, I love hearing from readers about their experiences with Peter and Margaret. Often those notes come to me at very serendipitous times (usually when I am pulling my hair out over a particularly tricky passage or when I'm reeling from another lack lustre review). This period of reader celebration becomes a part of the ebb and flow of novel writing as well. Their enthusiasm becomes infectious, spurring me on when I feel like giving up and sometimes bringing plot ideas to light that I hadn't thought of before. And so it goes.

In the end, it's not about book sales or Amazon rankings. Writing a book is really about the intricate relationship between author, reader and the characters they cherish.

Change it up...Introducing A Marshall House Mystery series

After much thought, I've decided to rename my mystery series. Instead of being called A Peter Ainsley Mystery, my current series will be known as A Marshall House Mystery.

Why the need for a change?

The answers are simply this.... Although a wonderful character and definitely the mainstay of the books, Peter Ainsley is just one of the ensemble that readers have come to know and love. Margaret has proven to be invaluable not only to her brother, Peter, but also me, as the writer. Her involvement in the mysteries have become more and more evident as the series progressed.

As a proud feminist, I don't think I would be true to my beliefs if I allowed this strong female character's contributions to be overshadowed by her those of her brother. I feel that calling the series, A Marshall House series, will allow recognition of both Margaret and Peter as the protagonists, able to carry a story completely on their own or merely play a supporting role.

My plan for the Marshall House Mystery series includes six books.

CHORUS OF THE DEAD
DEAD SILENT
THE DEAD AMONG US
SWEET ASYLUM
PRAYERS FOR THE DYING (spring 2016)
SHADOWS OF MADNESS (spring 2017)

Once the sixth book is concluded my plans for the these characters change. How? I'm not exactly sure. There's no point in getting ahead of ourselves, but I do know that the series as it stands now will change. Future books will take on a new perspective, new series name and perhaps new branding.

Re-naming the Peter Ainsley Mystery series is part of my overall plan to create definable groupings of stories so that no matter how Margaret, Peter, Jonas and Julia change readers will be able to follow their tales and enjoy a good mystery,

Guest Blogging for James M. Jackson

I had the privilege of answering some writing related questions at fellow mystery writer James M. Jackson's blog, My Two Cents Worth.

Stop by and find out what motivates me, where I find inspiration and how I write the Peter Ainsley Mystery series.

http://blog.jamesmjackson.com/2015/11/tracy-l-ward-guest-author.html

SWEET ASYLUM (Book 4) and some reflection

Another book of mine, SWEET ASYLUM, my fourth, has hit the virtual shelves.

About a month ago I was fortunate enough to be part of another launch for an anthology, Fish or Cut Bait, put together by Sisters In Crime International.

In that anthology I have a short story titled "Easy Prey" which is only my second short story set in modern times. With both of these launches and the necessary work leading up to them I've hardly had much time to come up for air. Now that I am on the other side of things I have a bit of time to reflect and think about my writing career so far.

When I set out to self-publish I wrote up a business plan, which included a rough budget and necessary steps I would need to tackle. I made a commitment to self-publishing 4 full-length novels knowing that success would be achieved over a number of works, not just one. By setting a four book goal I began with a focus on a career not just a single book.

CHORUS OF THE DEAD was published in July 2012. DEAD SILENT was available May 2013. The DEAD AMONG US was ready May 2014 and now SWEET ASYLUM has gone out into the world (June 2015). For those keeping track, it took me three years since hitting 'publish' in 2012 to hitting publish on my fourth book.

In those three years I also had three short stories published in various anthologies, each one reaching a new, unique audience and hopefully beckoning new readers to my series.

So, four books in. I did what I said I was going to do, so... now what?

I keep writing. The success of Peter Ainsley has been so encouraging. I am continually amazed by the number of people who contact me saying they love my books. I am surprised that a fan base could be grown for such a small self-publisher like myself. The first year was not encouraging at all and my second book made only a small impact. It's only been in the last year that my series had gained some traction. My income is not supplementary any more. It's a bona fide income and it grows with each new addition to the series. All in all, it's been encouraging and I'm happy I took the leap into self publishing.

Peter Ainsley... in Triplicate

I hit a milestone this summer. I published my third novel, which also happens to be the third instalment of the Peter Ainsley mystery series.

THE DEAD AMONG US continues the story of Peter & Margaret who face off against a horrendous criminal who is targeting pauper children.

It's been such a wild ride writing these books, and self-publishing them has been just wild. I remember agonizing over what to do with Chorus of the Dead. I wondered at the validity of self-publishing and whether the publishing industry would look favourably at my choice. All three of my books are now ranked in Kindle's Top 100 for mystery/thrillers-historicals. They generate hundreds of downloads each each month, narrowing in on one thousand for July. This translates as a nice income for myself, compensating me nicely for the hours of dedicated work I put in to each title.

But there's still work to be done.

Mystery is a difficult genre to compete in. I still have less than 10 reviews for each of my books and often that muddies the waters regarding my success. I honestly don't know how to generate more reviews. I don't believe in hard core soliciting or creating duplicate accounts (sock-puppeting). I don't believe in spamming my twitter feed or spending hundreds of dollars on internet ads. What I do believe in is a good story and that is where I lay my focus. I want to tell the best story I possibly can.

Recently another indie pointed out to me that I am a slow writer. Each of my books have been published a year a part whereas others aim to have a new title every 3-4 months.  I may not be out-selling other indie-authors  and my sales maybe paltry compared those in erotica or fantasy but I stand by my stories. I stand by my process, slow as it may be.

I do not see self-publishing as a get rich quick scheme. I have been writing and educating myself on writing since I was in high school. I majored in Journalism in college and achieved an advanced diploma in Creative Writing shortly thereafter. The only thing I have ever wanted to be was a writer so I can safely say I am not going anywhere.

I will continue to write compelling stories with layered characters and fabulous covers (cheeky, aren't I?). I have recognized a trend with each of my books, a steady incline in readership and loyalty. This is what I will build my career upon, without chasing trends or including gratuitous sex.

I am a writer.

The Birth of Another Book

For writers a book is almost like a child. We spend countless hours tending to it, nourishing it, training it into the finished product we had envisioned it to be. During the weeks prior to my first book's release I was a nervous wreck. I wanted it to do well. I wanted readers to enjoy it and get lost in it. It was hard to set it free into the world without overwhelming feelings of anxiety. I dreaded a one-star review or somehow loosing respect amongst my peers should it be proven to be drivel. None of these things happened of course, but I feared it nonetheless.

In the end the process of letting the book go, of allowing it to be found and read, was quite liberating. The finished product has found finality and the only thing left for me as a writer to do was sit down and write another one.

Last week, I set another darling free. Into the world my book, DEAD SILENT, went. A sequel to my first book, this volume addresses unanswered questions left over from it's predecessor and introduces us more to Ainsley's and Margaret's character.  We meet Evelyn Weatherall, the woman engaged to Ainsley's brother, and Julia Kemp, Margaret lady's maid. And my person favourite, we are introduced to Lady Gemma Brant, a friend of Lady Charlotte Marshall and a character in her own right.

So while I work on book 3 in the series, enjoy your read through Dead Silent and don't forget to put a review up on Amazon.



From the backcover....

Peter Ainsley's mother, Lady Charlotte Marshall hasn't been seen or heard from in three days. While Inspector Simms of Scotland Yard is 'unofficially' investigating her disappearance, Ainsley and his sister, Margaret, are loathed to reveal knowledge of their mother's affair despite it being their best lead to her whereabouts.

When Insp. Simms brings a body to St. Thomas Hospital's morgue, Ainsley is forced to admit his double life as morgue surgeon and second heir to the Montcliff earldom. With a new found ally in the police force, Ainsley gains access to information about his mother's disappearance and a new mystery regarding a murdered woman with childhood ties to his future sister-in-law, Evelyn Weatherall.

Scandal threatening two sides of Ainsley's family, the young surgeon uncovers an intricately woven tapestry of deceit, lust and a crime that forces him to decide whether family loyalty supersedes the letter of the law.

A Big Announcement!

I have come to a decision that will change the course of my writing career. I have decided to self publish the first book in my PETER AINSLEY mystery series later this year if I cannot secure an agent.

This has not always been the plan. For ten years or more I have been writing and submitting, making mistakes and learning from them, all the while believing I needed someone in the publishing industry to tell me I was good. When my last book was rejected for lack of erotica, I realized books are not bought and sold because of a writer's ability, but because of their sell-ability. Many indie authors have proven editors and publishers wrong by taking their rejected manuscripts and self publishing them in e-formats. Some indie authors make lots of money, some barely recoup their costs.

I haven't submitted my AINSLEY series to anyone yet, and so it has not been rejected by anyone. I knew when I wrote the first chapter that I was on to something. I knew he was going to be an interesting character, that I would do him justice and that others would enjoy his adventures as much as I did. It never occurred to me to self publish, until a few weeks ago.

Self publishing will give me a tonne of benefits over traditional publishing. Namely control. I will be able to make all the decision regarding the story, the cover art, the marketing and promotion. I can set my own release dates and write at my own pace without the added pressure to fulfil publishing contracts. I can write what I want. One series can be historical, another more contemporary. I can ultimately make those decisions based on my own needs and not that of a corporation.

I won't be sitting on baited breath waiting for a table of editors to tell me 'yay' or 'nay' on a pitched series. I recently met one published author who's career fell flat when the publishing company she was contracted with was bought out and the new publisher didn't want to honour her contract. She wasted a year waiting for the word from the new owners, not writing (which is crazy) and is now back at square one career wise without much clout despite having one published book. A publisher does NOT guarantee success. A writer writes their own destiny.

Modern day authors have many expectations put on them by publishers. Books tour funds come out of the author's pocket, though the company will schedule your book signings. There is an expectation of self promotion which equates to a lot of time and work spent guest blogging, advertising and networking. How is this different from self-publishing? Gone are the days when writers wrote in their dark room, sent their manuscripts to the publishers and washed their hands of it. Nowadays, authors are much more hands on throughout the whole process. This has benefits but not when royalties are so low compared to that of self publishing.

The cover artist I have contacted is amazing and I am still on the look out for an "editor for hire" who can give my manuscript the once over with a fine toothed comb. I was not kidding when I said good things lie ahead. Each day is another day closer to publication and the excitement is building exponentially.


This is beyond exciting and more than a little scary. Self publishing takes money, sometimes a lot of it and no one wants to throw money at a venture that falls flat. Having said that though, I believe in myself, my writing ability and my ability to promote my books. I have been paid for my writing in the past as a reporter and
the majority of the feedback I have received regarding my current manuscript has been nothing short of encouraging. At this point in my personal life and professional life, self publishing may be the way to go.

Seascape Writer's Retreat

I went on a writer's retreat in New England a few weekends ago, I tacked on a week at a seaside cottage in the area to make it worth my drive. In retrospect this was probably not a good idea. I felt so pumped at the end of my "weekend with writers" that all I really wanted to do was hide away in a room and finish my book. Sunbathing on an Atlantic beach was the farthest thing from my mind. I wanted to write damn it and here these kids were begging for my attention. You`d think I had been away for three days or something.



So now I am home and fully removed from the critique groups and the information sessions. Over my vacation though I was able to think about what my fellow writers said about my work in progress. I would say 80 per cent was helpful and even encouraging, the other 20 per cent just served to confuse the crap out of me. No guff. And now I am stressing. Stressing about whether my preference to keep something is, in effect, literary suicide. Stressing about my voice, style and use of language and wondering if I truly am `wordy` or if I am remaining true to my historical genre, and my formulaic style.

I was the only person writing a historical and it was a challenge to convey that, yes, I have done my research and yes, I am not just `making this stuff up` because it makes for a good backdrop.

I feel great about my character though, Peter Ainsley, and my ability to spin a tale. The style in which I tell it, well now, isn`t that the subjective part? Isn`t that all up for creative interpretation?...oh great, now look at me, I am one of those whiny, defensive attendees who is just digging my heels in and claiming it to be art, an expression of me and my pysche. Good Lord, I am in trouble.




Changes I will make, but only after I finish. Nothing negative was said about my story and did get many encouraging words in this regard, so I believe in the whole I am on the right track plot-wise. I simply can not go back now, not when there is only 30,000 more words to write. I am so close I can taste it. Substituting words here and there, rewriting the odd sentence or two will only serve to derail my forward progress. I have however, formulated an opinion about these types of shindigs, these critique groups and gatherings of authors but that is a post/rant for another day.

Write? You mean I have to actually write something?

I have a bright shiny blog to promote my exploits as an aspiring writer. Okay now what?

I'm not really that daft (slightly so, but certainly not THAT daft). My plan is to post excerpts, book reviews and interesting writing or reading things I find. I will write a bit about how I feel about the projects I am working on and what is getting done, or not, depending.

I use to write literary fiction but found the genre far too subjective, elitist and, to be blunt, a bit boring. I shifted into romance, not because I actually read romances, you see. I had learned it is a very lucrative portion of the publishing industry. I was under the distinct impression that one could follow a simple formula to finish a 50,000 word manuscript and follow the corset-strewn yellow brick road to publishing. Not exactly. My stories were far too complex compared to the standard guy meets girl prototype. They involved too many characters and did not have enough sex. Well then...I'll just take my prudish-self elsewhere.



I only recently started to delve into the mystery world when I realized it was a genre that could keep my interest and feed my soul.

By this time I had written one partial literary fiction novel, two complete romance novels and a partial modern mystery that just was not coming together. In addition, I also had 60 rejection letters addressed to yours truly. What's a girl to do? I ditched them all, started from scratch and came up with Peter Ainsley, a Victorian surgeon who specializes in the dead and dying.

Lovely.

This is more like it. Corpses, body parts, murderers and mystery.