A Knock in the Darkness - Book 1 of the Lilac Lake Cozy Mysteries

Coming soon!

Monroetown, a unique place founded in the foothills of the Appalachians, bursts with history and a variety of good-intentioned residents. But some of that history is dark, and there’s a skeleton in every closet...

Reece Donelly has taken over her grandmother’s unit at Lilac Lake Estates and helps her older brother in raising his daughter Amy. Known as The Finder, Reece embarks on what she thinks is a small endeavor of locating her niece’s cell phone, but more items go missing and, to her horror, so does her best friend, Gordon Greene, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Reece is devastated by the news, but determined to find him. Not only does the community join in on the search, so does Reece’s ex-fiancé, Simon, who blows back into town. He wants to reunite, but she has nothing but contempt for him after the lowdown way he left her.

As the days pass, and Gordon still hasn’t been found, Reece fears the worst. She discovers more pieces to the puzzle of missing items while everyone in the building debates the identity of the thief. When an unfamiliar car begins following her and nearly succeeds in running her off the road, she’s faced with the fact that maybe the thief has a vendetta against her, but why? Further complicating matters is a threatening note shoved under her apartment door. All she wants to do is find Gordon safe, take care of Amy, and be a good friend to the host of colorful, quirky characters with whom she shares the building. Simple, right? Not when there are those who will do anything to get what they want, even if it means an old man’s life.

New Cozy Mystery Series

FaiBana Books Presents will release my novel A Knock in the Darkness, book 1 of the Lilac Lake Cozy Mysteries this year. It should be available for Christmas. Providing there are no hiccups, that is. I'll share snippets of the novel on social media once I revise it a couple times. Cover reveal will be October-ish. I'm excited to introduce readers to Reece Donelly, my heroine, aka the Finder, and the whole host of unique characters who live in the apartments of Lilac Lake Estates as well as the homes surrounding the lake. Lilac Lake and its neighboring Monroetown are loosely based on my hometown of Woodsfield. I say loosely, allowing for author creativity.

And that skull reminds me that I need to go back into the tunnel and add the skeleton, lol.

I should have followed my instincts years ago and started writing cozies instead of erotic romance. I am so excited about this genre and can't express enough how much fun I've had writing this first cozy. Watch my Facebook page, my Twitter (twitter.com/FLBicknell) & my Instagram (faithbicknell) for news and updates on this new series. Visit all my titles here https://www.amazon.com/Ana-Lee-Kennedy/e/B016R26062

An Escape, Support, & Building Minds

Something got me to thinking this morning (yeah, I heard metal screeching too, lol). As a result, here's a short informational rant.

Read books. It's a safe, fun way to ESCAPE the stress of this world. Whether ebooks, kindle books or paperbacks, reading is actually GOOD for you & strengthens your mind/brain. Those who are not writers don't understand how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into writing. It's not just a matter of sitting down, pounding a story out on a keyboard, then announcing "See? I wrote a book!" It's plotting. It's research. It's countless hours of revisions, checking for typos, making sure grammar is correct, rereading to make sure the timeline for Monica isn't at the 7/11 AND the church at the same time (If you're not doing all this, you should be!). And even then the work isn't done. If a manuscript is accepted somewhere there are usually several rounds of edits with an editor, reading contracts to make sure it's legit, not to mention the promotion before AND after the book is released. And if the author self-publishes, there's all the added work of finding a cover artist or making the cover yourself if you're able, the expense of finding an editor and cover artist, checking the book seller's contract, etc.

Never dis an author or h/her work. It's a job just like any other except that we have the privilege of enjoying what we do. Support authors and their work and review their books if you enjoy what you've read. Tell your fellow readers to go BUY such and such author's work, but DO NOT pass the ebook around because that rips the author off. Writers work hard at their craft. Support reading and the written word. Build the mind into something beautiful and escape the upset and chaos of this reality by stepping into another world for a while.
https://www.amazon.com/Ana-Lee-Kennedy/e/B016R26062 and my recent release under my Faith Bicknell name https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Sable-Faith-Bicknell/dp/1793201374

Woodsfield, Ohio: I'm Writing What I Know!

I’ve always wanted to write cozy mysteries, so that’s what I’ve been working on of late. I debated for some time whether or not to base the story in my home town of Woodsfield, Ohio. I do have a motorcycle club/paranormal romance trilogy set in Woodsfield called The Werewolves of Rebellion. Those of you who live in or around my home town will recognize landmarks, businesses, state routes, nearby communities, and more. So, as I was mulling over what to do, I eventually decided to go with that old writer motto of write ‘what you know’. As a result, my cozy mysteries are going to be set in Woodsfield, too, only in this series it will be called Monroetown since it sits in Monroe County, Ohio. Moreover, after researching Woodsfield’s history for a research paper during the past spring semester, I have a wealth of information to add to future novels.

There are added elements to this first novel that are not in the town of Woodsfield, so I’m taking creative liberties by adding businesses and making the town a bit larger than it actually is, but that’s one of the fun things about being a writer, plus the essence of my hometown is still intact. In the case of book one, the characters live on a huge property composed of lake houses and also an old, well-maintained apartment complex. I have had a blast breathing life into the characters who reside in this building! Now if only a series title and book title would come to me, lol.

I haven’t enjoyed writing a novel like this in a long, long time. Perhaps I’ve been writing the wrong genre for the last couple of years? Hmm, maybe.

If you’d like more information about The Werewolves of Rebellion also set in Woodsfield, click HERE or HERE to view the first book, which is the cover above. It’s pretty intense, so brace for impact, lol. And to check out my other titles, visit my author pages on Amazon HERE and HERE.

RED - New Release!

Available as ebook and a lovely, thin print version!

Get your e-book version for just 99 cents! This sale will only last a few days then the price will go up a bit. Caution: forced seduction.

Purchase links:

eBook 

Print 

Damnation is a redheaded woman.

When erotic visions claim Joshua at unexpected times, he begins to question his sanity. As he leaves work one day, he’s menaced by a terrifying vagrant. He’s saved by Rowena, a mysterious and stunning redhead who seems to be able to read his mind and sense his most intimate desires. Once she invites him to dinner, Joshua is plunged into a strange world of sex, bizarre creatures, and an earthbound magical race.

Seduction comes in many forms, but with Rowena it means more than sex. Joshua is, as they say, merely a mort, a common human, but if Rowena commands it, he will die for her. However, he soon learns he’s made a grave mistake. Rowena is using him as a tool of destruction against the Tylweth Teg, a magical being who can bring about Rowena’s downfall. She insists that Joshua has the power of the Tylwyth Teg and she wants it back, but he has no clue what the Tylwyth Teg is or where to find it, especially when magic can take any form. Once he realizes he has fallen for Rowena’s damning charms, it’s too late, and he is forced into a realm where few mortals have traveled and even less have returned. His only hope is the Tylwyth Teg, but who or what is it and will it be able to save him from damnation?

EXCERPT:

“Uh...” Joshua’s tongue seemed glued to the roof of his mouth. What should he say? He was drawn and yet repelled, wary.

The cab rolled to a stop in front of a brick apartment building.

Rowena offered him a Cheshire cat smile. “My place at eight o’clock sharp.”

“Nineteen seventy-two East Mulberry Street,” the cabbie announced.

Fumbling with the door handle, Joshua finally managed to open it and practically fell out of the cab and into the street. He slammed the door and hurried around the trunk to the sidewalk.

The window on Rowena’s side rolled down a couple of inches.

“Wear something smart,” drifted out of it.

The cab pulled away from the curb.

“Fuck you,” Joshua whispered. He bounded up the apartment building’s steps three at a time.

Already soaked to the bone, Joshua grimaced at the rain beating down on his head and shoulders. It dripped into his eyes, and he wiped it away in annoyance. Mrs. Buttface would probably give him hell over the water in the foyer, but it couldn’t be helped. He stepped inside and paused on the entryway rug so the worst of the water could slough off him instead of dripping across the building’s newly laid carpet. Dialogue from Mrs. Buttface’s television bombarded the foyer. Joshua identified the show as The Young and the Restless; the woman planned her life around the Soap Opera Channel’s programming. He glanced over at her apartment door. He really shouldn’t call her Mrs. Buttface, always experiencing a tiny stab of guilt whenever he referred to her as such, whether in mind or muttered under his breath, but the woman’s mouth looked exactly like a puckered asshole. Not only that, she possessed the disposition of a pissed-off Chihuahua that had eaten some bad Chinese takeout. Her real name, Geraldine Topinsky, adorned a wooden plaque affixed to her apartment door with the words BUILDING MANAGER stenciled beneath it.

He stood there with bated breath, hoping like mad the woman didn’t hear or sense him standing outside her door. A conversation on the TV program reached him. A man invited a woman to dinner. Rowena’s invitation rattled through his brain again. Even if he had intentions of joining her for a meal, which he didn’t, how the hell was he supposed to know where the woman lived? Rowena had neglected to give him her address.

And how had she’d known what he’d been thinking in the cab?

Or was it truly coincidence? That freaky vagrant had certainly put the fear of God into him. Maybe he was just overthinking the entire situation.

Red print - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1098843924

Red ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Red-Ana-Lee-Kennedy-ebook/dp/B07RWYSZPR

Why Does the Old World Fear Her & the New Paranorms Desire Her?

Chuckling, Thomas strode over to the massive fellow and stared up at him. “What was that about?” He jerked a thumb over one shoulder, indicating the scene where Gerald had pinned Sable.

“Orders,” Gerald replied, his gaze zipping from one shadowy area to another. He lowered his voice a couple levels. “The Old World wants her to give up looking for her daughter. It’s too dangerous. If she’s to remain off the New Order’s radar, Sable must stay away from Cheyenne.”

Thomas sighed. “I know, I know.” He ran both palms over his cornrows in exasperation. “When I was first assigned to protect Sable, I thought it was just a matter of babysitting yet another human whose magic would prove too insignificant for the New Order. I really believed this case would be over by now and the New Paranorms would move on to the next ‘gifted’ mortal, and then I’d be assigned to someone else. Hell, this has turned into a six-year assignment. Sable is too powerful, and the Old World is scared shitless that the New Order will either woo her or kill her.”

“Don’t you hate the ones that shock the hell out of you?” Gerald quipped. “Especially when the human is clueless they even have such a power.” He smiled, and his thick, bushy mustache parted. “Most of the time they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

Nodding, Thomas groaned. “She’s a handful, that’s for sure.”
“You admire her.”

“I don’t know what to think of the woman.”

Gerald gazed down at him, and Thomas bristled. The glint in the giant’s eyes implied something else entirely.

“Spread the word that I’m protecting her,” Thomas stated, his tone gruff.

“The New Order Paranorms hate you, Valimar. The fact that you possess natural magic doesn’t endear you to them any either. You really shouldn’t draw attention to the fact you’re Sable’s marshal.”

Thomas shrugged. “Being hated is part of the job, and I’m not telling you to announce where we are. Just let it be known that I’m her marshal. That’s all.”

The giant laughed and lumbered toward a mass of vegetation growing between a storage shed and the backside of a tanning salon. “Until next time,” he called and disappeared into the leaves and palms.

e-Book and Print can be found here https://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B07M73KKRZ plus you can click on the "look inside" cover graphic and read more if you're not sure.