Category: M.A. Lee

mysteries and romantic suspense

August Celebrations ~ 4 Books!

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A Rare Month at Writers Ink Books

August Celebrations are important here at W.Ink. We celebrate our usual book anniversaries. August is a rare month because each of the 3 writers has a major publication.

More importantly, three of these books are significant anniversaries for our writers.

 

A collaboration between Edie Roones & M.A. Lee

1st up, a fusion of historical legend and fantasy

Short Stories in the second Wild Sherwood collection ~ Outlaws of Wild Sherwood

Five men encounter the Outlaws of Wild Sherwood and the Faeries of British legend.

1st ~ “A Twist of Faerie Magic”

A twist of murder. A twist of Faerie magic. And Dav the wrestler caught between.

When Dav is accused of murdering his true love’s husband, will magic reveal the true culprit?

2nd ~ “A Faerie Song for a Feast”

Masks, Mummers, and a Faerie Song

Alan-a-Dale risks playing a song learned in the land of Faeries to help Robin Hood and his men. Will the song help or hinder the outlaws?

3rd ~ “Mischief of a Faerie”

A Challenge with Quarterstaves

When his sister names a bearded giant as her newborn’s father, Arthur storms off to force Little John to support them. Yet how can a simple poacher defeat a man taller and stronger than he is?

4th ~ “The Green Man”

A Venture with Destiny

Bad luck has plagued Jack Greenleaf for years. Abandoned, evicted, and rejected, he joined the other outcasts in Sherwood Forest. The Green Man of the Faerie may seal his fate.

5th ~ “The Prize of a Golden Arrow”

By Hook or Crook or Arrow

Gil vowed never again to take up the long bow. Then he learns the May Day archery contest is a trap to capture Robin Hood. He resolves to foil the Sheriff’s plan.

~ ~ ~

Online Everywhere https://books2read.com/u/4Aj99N

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B92V1PKT

View the trailer https://youtu.be/aCftiZFqq1E

 

A Significant Book Anniversary for Remi Black

Dark Fantasy with Weave a Wizardry Web.

 This epic novel begins the Fae Mark’d Wizard series and launched Remi Black’s writing career, back in 2017.

a wizard travels sharp-bladed roads.
Alstera is the greatest of the young Enclave wizards, granddaughter to the leader of the Enclave. Yet the wizard leaders thwart her wish to fight sorcery.
Desperate to help the fight against sorcery, she explores ways to increase magical power. Her search leads to the Nexus, a forbidden spell once used to enslave wizards.
Additional dangers threaten the very heart of the Enclave. Shape-shifting wyre kill wizards. A sorcerer controls them from inside Enclave walls. And rumors of vile blood spells increase the danger.
*Weave a Wizardry Web* begins the dark fantasy saga of twisted magic against foul sorcery and the dark corruption that people can sink to.
Find it here for Amazon shoppers and 
View the Trailer here:  https://youtu.be/jePz27U2Y6U
As a 10-year celebration, Remi is posting the entire novel, chapters by chapters, month to month, on her side website. Read the first three chapters at this link.
The other chapters post by the 10th of every month, until August 2027.

Enjoy!

Another Significant Book Anniversary, this time from the prolific M.A. Lee

Historical mystery with a dash of romance. The 12th and last book in the Hearts in Hazard series of mystery and suspense with a dash of sweet romance.

A Hazard with Hearts

A very vintage Gothic romantic suspense :: Two wives haunt the castle. Will she be the third to die?

The new bride to the Earl of Sheldrake, Vivienne Northrup claims to be too rational to believe in ghosts.

Yet two wives haunt Sheldrake Hall. Will Vivienne become the third wife to die?

Her husband Max Herrick lost two brides tragically, the first to suicide, the second to an accident. Or were they murdered? Is he a Bluebeard, killing his wives, one after another?

 

Amazon shoppers: Fetch it here.

Worldwide, online: here it is.

A Third Significant Book Anniversary, for writer Edie Roones and for Writers Ink

the Celebration that Tops all August Celebrations

4th, a classic fantasy and another 1st. August celebrations HAVE to include this novel, first for Edie Roones and first for Writers Ink Books.

Summer Sieges

 

A classic fantasy, set in an alternate medieval world of mages and sorcerers, fantastic enchantments, and bitter battles.

All of her life, Beren has taken orders to the defend the castlekeep, first from her father and then from Lady Treasach. Then the Watrani Horde with their Gitane Witches came and broke the siege.

To save a magical crystal, Lady Treasach orders Beren to gather a small party and they flee through the under-veil to the mountains.

But the Gitane Witches continue to track them.

With the help of a disenchanted Prica, the warrior Storr, can Beren protect the lady and her magical crystal? Or will she fall to the Gitane and the Watrani?

Still only on Amazon Fetch it here.

This novel not only launched Edie Roones’ writing career

but is also the first book published by Writers Ink.

 

Rejoice throughout the month with us.

Our August Celebrations are major achievements!

 

Courting Trouble ~ Challenge Achieved

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Courting Trouble

1925 Mystery ~ 2025 Challenge Achieved

Courting Trouble
114% Complete
57,000 of 50,000 words
Get Your Own Progress Bar

 

In Summer 2025, I set a challenge to finish three connected novelettes, entitled Courting Trouble. Challenge taken and achieved.

The first novelette, “Spanish Moss”, I had written as a gift to newsletter subscribers for Christmas 2024. Last summer I needed to finish the second and third, and I published those in July and August, with the collection publishing in September.

While you can read about the individual stories below (and purchase them at the bottom of the page),

here are the links to the collection.

The three novelettes created a tie-in Sailing Into Mystery stories and the Into Death novels, which feature the artist Isabella Newcombe Tarrant.

 

Nedda Courtland enters 1925 America with these stories as she is Courting Trouble.

“Spanish Moss” introduced Nedda to New Orleans with a murder to solve.

A Death, a Will, and a Way

“Poison” is one of the last words Nedda Courtland’s employer says to her.

Private secretary to a wealthy financier, Nedda has maintained a very British poise as she traveled the world. The New Orleans of 1925 brings it own unique flavor to her experiences. Yet nothing prepares her for Hyatt Ingram’s claim of murder in the hours before his death.

With no evidence as proof, she can only fulfill Mr. Ingram’s last wishes. Holding his absent son’s voting proxy and a new will, Nedda expects the murderer to emerge in the chaos she will create as executrix.

She never expects another murder.

 

Second in the series is “Texas Sun”: an Attempted Murder in arid West Texas

Means. Motive. Opportunity

The grime of a working oil field draws together people at odds with the summer heat and with each other.

In the heady flush of a new romance, Nedda tries to ignore the blazing tensions, yet troubling shadows have gathered.

Then Death makes his entrance, and the grim pressures erupt.

 

Finishing this brief sub-series is “Gulf Storm”.

Bribe. Conspire. Die.

A hurricane threatens to disrupt the wedding festivities of Nedda and Hank.

With the approaching storm are a whirl of human crimes, and an accusation of a past misdeed rages from the shadows. Murder caps the danger.

Will the hurricane’s landfall shred Nedda’s dreams, or will the death wreak a lethal destruction?

 

 

Here are links for the Individual Novelettes:

“Spanish Moss” LINKS

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FF2PTG9W

Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/bPM11l

For a sneak peak with the opening chapter, head over to the MA Lee blog: https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2025/07/spanish-moss-opening-and-links.html

“Texas Sun” LINKS

Available Now at these links:

Zon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FH5VHQ4V

B2R https://books2read.com/u/4XM6k6

Read the opening chapter on the MALblog: https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2025/08/texas-sun-opening-and-links.html

“Gulf Storm” LINKS

Available Here:

Zon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK5TB4YW

B2R https://books2read.com/u/mZM2O2

The Opening Chapter is on the MALblog https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2025/08/gulf-storm-opening-and-links.html

The trio collection

Cover created by Deranged Doctor Design

Works in Progress Covers

The covers I made for inspiration as I worked on the stories. I find such visuals help me to keep focused. My poor efforts served the purpose, but I absolutely LOVE the covers created by the professionals at Deranged Doctor Design.

 

 

Mystery and Murder ~ Portrait with Death

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It’s Mystery and Murder in 1921.

Into Death series with Isabella Newcombe

Portrait with Death continues with Isabella while introducing two new characters to the series.

Flick Sherborne, intrepid photographer. Flick is brand-new to this series, and she quite surprised me when she appeared.

DI Michael Wainwright of Scotland Yard. DI Wainwright first appeared in Christmas with Death. He has a stronger role now.

A Murderer paints with Blood.

Why would anyone kill a school master? Motives abound, and suspects increase. Fellow teaching masters. A former soldier haunted by the nightmares of the war. Three ladies were rivals for Webberly’s attentions. Their husbands may have clubbed him and cracked open his head. A photographer. Three fishermen. A medic. The pub owner and his wife. The local constable.

Who committed the murder? Can Isabella find the answer?

A tangle of motives and hidden evidence complicate the murder in Portrait with Death, an amateur sleuth mystery set in a 1920 sleepy English village.

Portrait with Death is the third novel in the series Into Death, with artist Isabella Newcombe Tarrant.

What is Portrait with Death?

https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2021/07/portrait-with-death-3rd-in-into-death.html

Read the first chapter here.

https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2021/07/portrait-with-death-read-1st-chapter.html

Another bit with Isabella

https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2021/07/portrait-with-death-heres-more-with.html

A bit more with Flick

https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2021/07/portrait-with-death-heres-more-to.html

Meet Detective Inspector Michael Wainwright, sent by Scotland Yard to solve the murder … although someone else is on his mind.

https://maleebooks.blogspot.com/2021/07/meet-detective-inspector-portrait-with.html

Intrigued? View the trailer here!

Click this link. https://youtu.be/6cfEOGy-fXQ

 

Portrait with Death Celebrates its Publication Anniversary this Month.

Mystery and Murder. 1921. Enjoy your last-of-summer reading.

Amazon, ebook and paperback https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0973GVKSQ

Online distributors Worldwide https://books2read.com/u/b6vrjZ 

“Black Heart” ~ an Into Death Short Story

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“Black Heart”

~ the 3rd Short story with Isabella Newcombe Tarrant!
Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design

Pranks and tricks cause inconvenience, misery, and embarrassment.

After one prank goes too far and injury occurs, will Isabella locate the trickster before the next mishap turns deadly?

“Black Heart” is the third short story in the collection Sailing with Mystery. The collection continues the mystery adventures of the artist Isabella Newcombe Tarrant, featured in the Into Death series. Her introduction is in the novel Digging into Death.

~ What’s Up with “Black Heart”? ~

Writing “Black Heart”

This story–with pranks revealing evil hearts–kept stumping me for a while. I launched into the writing without a clear idea of the types of pranks. The only clear idea was that I hate pranksters.

You see, I taught teen-agers for a long, long time. I loved their energy. I also loved their welcoming and compassionate hearts. Their idea of fun gave me lots of fun as a spectator of it …. unless that idea of fun was more about laughing at other people, setting them up for ridicule, and mocking them when the results of their “fun” developed. Mild pranks were never the problem. Hurtful pranks, embarrassing pranks, pranks intending to hurt people or their property merely for a laugh: those pranks are ones that I despise.

During the writing of the Sailing with Mystery collection, in the week before I started this story, I spent an hour mapping out an itinerary for the collection. Isabella boards the ship Nomadic in Southhampton, England. The ship stops along the French and Spanish coasts. The first story occurs on the approach to Gibraltar; the second, into the Mediterranean. This third is set in Port Said, Egypt … except it isn’t.

I decided to visit the pyramids, and that gave me the first prank and the launching point of the story.

Everything developed from the launch point along with additional pranks and the black heart required for a prankster.

A couple of twists developed. A research-based conversation changed a planned event to one that had more reality.

Then the ending was upon me. With the last words, I leaned back in my chair. “Whoo! That was fun!”

I hope you enjoy it as well.

How to Purchase

Sailing with Mystery  ~ Mystery and Peril are dangerous shipmates for an ocean voyage.

Here’s a link to purchase the short story.

From Amazon or from other online, worldwide distributors like Kobo and Barnes & Noble and others.

If you would rather wait for the entire short story collection, Sailing with Mystery, then use these links to online distributors.

Zon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJL28Z5W Ebook and Paperback, use the Same Link

Worldwide https://books2read.com/u/3R5QJR  Ebook and Paperback use the Same Link

View the Trailer here: https://youtu.be/csAe72b5X2I 

 

Anniversary ~ “Purple Poison” / Short Story

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cover by Deranged Doctor Design

“Purple Poison”

the 2nd Short Story with the artist Isabella Newcombe Tarrant

A flurry of poison pen letters unsettle the passengers on the ship Nomadic. Even Isabella is not immune from the vicious invective.

Will the culprit be discovered before dangerous secrets are revealed?

“Purple Poison” is part of the collection Sailing with Mystery.

The collection continues the mystery adventures of Isabella Tarrant, featured in the Into Death series. Her introduction is in the novel Digging into Death.

Link to Worldwide Distribution.

Link to Amazon here.

. ~ . ~ . ~ .

Sailing With Mystery ~ A Short Story Collection

Travel presents opportunities to meet new friends and see new places. Isabella also encounters puzzling crimes and dangerous intrigue as she sails from England to India.

The next short story is “Black Heart”.

In discussing  the covers with Kim, the design project manager at Deranged Doctor Design, we decided to avoid the problem with so few accurate images from 1921. Instead, we chose to emphasize the protagonist Isabella’s art with five watercolor images. Finding similar images became the next design challenge. We hope that the ones we have picked not only represent Isabella’s venture into watercolors but also the atmosphere and settings for the story.

The covers represent the coastlines that Isabella would have seen during her ocean voyage. “Amber Dreams” focuses on the French and Spanish coasts. “Purple Poison” would be anything she saw from Gibraltar to Rhodes.

The primary cover harks to Isabella standing to one side of the image. The ocean and the railing of the ship evoke where she is while the tumultuous sky echoes the mysteries she encounters while aboard the passenger ship.

Enjoy!