ABCs of Mystery Heir

Some writing friends recently participated in an alphabet blog challenge where every day for twenty-six days they wrote a post corresponding to a particular letter, each entry having to do with a work-in-progress or a recently released work. I didn’t participate; I figure one, maybe two posts a week is plenty. But I thought the premise was pretty cool. So here is my abridged take on the alphabetized postings. I have a mystery novel coming out soon. It’s a departure from my usual romance work, but it’s still heavy on family and relationships, so it’s not too big a stretch for me. In any event, I thought this might be a good way to introduce it to you. It’s called Mystery Heir.

• Aaron Fields
  His presence humanizes the lead character and leads to a break in the case.
• Baseball Cards
  A clue for both the police and the lead sleuth in the book.
• Centerville
  The setting. The town seems to be haunted. Bad things keep happening there.
• Daddy Issues
  The original title of the book and a recurring theme throughout the novel.
• Everett Kerr
  Mayor of Centerville and someone who keeps popping up in Naomi’s life.
• Food
  Healthy necessity or decadent indulgence, what girl doesn’t love to snack?
• Grant Family
  One of the key families at the heart of the mystery.
• Harbaugh Family
  Another family at the center of it all. The patriarch is the victim.
• Incarcerate
  Who ends up in jail? Why? Is it justified?
• Johnson Family
  How many families are tangled in this mess, anyway?
• Kaolin
  Fancy little mineral. Wonder what it has to do with the murder of a councilman?
• Lockwood Family
  Another family?
• Myer Lake
  Centerville is a big town with a lot of regions. The lake area is just one part of the town.
• Naomi Dotson
  The main character. She tends to stick her nose in where it doesn’t belong.
• Oktoberfest
  Lovely start to a novel. Too bad the party couldn’t last.
• Penelope Dotson
  Naomi’s twin. They aren’t that much alike.
• Quest
  Naomi is on a quest to solve a mystery. Someone else is on a quest to stop her.
• Rothschild Law Office
  Where all the fun begins. If you consider a robbery and a high strung lawyer fun.
• Shoes
  Penelope has a thing for shoes. It’s kind of important.
• Tae kwon do
  Both girls are talented martial artists. It’s a handy skill.
• Undaunted
  Naomi won’t be deterred from getting answers. Sometimes at great cost.
• Valuable
  A lot of people have a lot to lose in this book.
• Will
  That’s probably why the will is so important. (Hint, hint.)
• Xerox copies
  Naomi provides the police with important copies of evidence. They tend to ignore her.
• Yoga
  Things get pretty stressful. Yoga can be relaxing in times of tension.
• Zeal
  In the end, it’s Naomi’s zeal that puts the pieces together and solves the crime.

Okay, admittedly, some of the letters were difficult. But when you read the book, and I hope you do, you’ll understand that some of the letters could have had ten entries and others I had to reach for one. I’ll keep you updated as Mystery Heir comes closer to its release date. I don’t have any specifics yet; this is just something small to whet your appetites until the big day draws nearer.

Until then, think about your WIPs. Can you come up with ABCs for all of them? Let us know how easy it was for you.