Archive for the ‘rural mystery’ Category
Four new Rural Mysteries
The first four books in my new Rural Mystery Series are now available on Amazon and from bookstores in New Brunswick. Each of the books presents an adventure in a rural setting in the Maritime Provinces, and tells of a mystery to be solved.
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Each mystery features a cover showing one of my paintings and is illustrated by me with black and white drawings that contribute to the telling of story. The mysteries are novellas, each about 20,000 words in length, so they are quick reads with fast-paced stories.
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A Quick Look at Each of the Books:
Garden Paths: After her uncle’s death, Ella discovers her unknown birth mother, and a beautiful garden crafted by her long-dead mother and kept by her uncle in her honour. As she explores the garden and the community where her mother lived, she encounters her unknown relatives and lays claim to her heritage.
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The Road Leads: Chelsea, with a stretch of vacation available, convinces her next door neighbour to accompany her on a visit to each of visit five locations marked on a map found in the glove compartment of her vintage car. Together, they travel to the locations, by car, on foot and by all terrain vehicle, and discover the secret revealed by their discoveries.
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Under the Stars: Hazel, who considers a big field in her community the perfect place to wander or pursue her interest in viewing the stars, is upset when a group of squatters takes over ‘her’ field. Now she must find the person who owns the field and recover her former haven.
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The Trail Through the Pines: On the date of her move into her new house, Greta’s friend Stacy goes missing, leaving Stacy’s car parked at the base of the hill where Greta lives. The police organise a search, but Greta must try to find her friend in her own way and stumbles into the clutches of people who mean her harm.
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As with my Urban Mystery Series, I have linked my Rural Mysteries with my Meniscus Science Fiction Series. In each of the Rural Mysteries, the aliens of planet Meniscus abduct someone. Readers of the Meniscus Series can then discover the abductees in the pages of the thirteen books in that series. This explains the subtitle on every book: A Meniscus Peripheral.
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I hope you will enjoy the Rural Mysteries. You can find these books at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto, at the Write Cup in Saint John, and on-line at Page28 https://page28books.square.site/shop/new-brunswick-authors and Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/Garden-Paths-Alexandra-Tims/dp/1069375365
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All my best,
Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)
Garden Paths
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One of the titles in my new Rural Mystery Series, ‘Garden Paths,’ focusses on a mysterious garden. The garden is on land left to a woman by a family she has never known. When she comes to Nova Scotia to claim the property, she finds the garden, and discovers the story of its creation.
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Synopsis:
When Ella Bartholomew’s uncle dies, she is shocked to hear she has not been remembered in his will, although he is the only family she has known. He has, however, provided for her in another way and Ella discovers that she is now the owner of an unfamiliar property in Nova Scotia. When she visits the mysterious property and the nearby community, she discovers a family and a history she never knew existed. On the property, she finds a beautiful garden and a statue of her unknown mother. Now she must discover the secrets of the garden and those of her mother, and win a battle with a vicious claimant to the property and the garden.
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I had fun writing this book because I was able to write about my own garden and the various plants I have grown. I also love making simple maps and I made a map to help describe the garden in the book (Ella’s mother called it her Million Acre Garden). In the garden is a maze, one of my favourite horticultural features. The Noel Shore area of Nova Scotia is also one of my favourite landscapes.
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The book will be available at the end of April, so watch for it at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto, on-line at Page28 (https://page28books.square.site/shop/new-brunswick-authors/IRBL3TCIF655VYUFJCU3F5DC?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=asc ), and at Amazon.
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Enjoy your spring reading!!!!!
All my best,
Alexandra Tims (a.k.a. Jane)
new rural mystery series
Last year, I published 5 novella-length ‘urban mysteries:’ Office Green; City Grotesque; Hollow Hotel; Dancing with Trees; and Roundabout. These are quick reads, set in cities of the Atlantic provinces (Halifax, Saint John and Fredericton). In each book, a young woman is faced with a problem to solve.
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You can purchase these books at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto, and at The Write Cup Bookstore Cafe in Saint John. They are also available at the Fredericton public library and on Amazon.
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This year I will release five novellas in my ‘rural mysteries.’ To begin the series, I considered the various aspects of the rural landscape that interest me and I have built my novellas around these elements:
Rural communities: human communities are a main features of the rural landscape. Towns, villages, and dispersed rural housing are fundamentally different from the urban landscape. Communities include more than housing. Convenience stores, schools, churches and small businesses give these spaces character and help to knit people in rural communities together.
Roads: roads are the circulatory system of the rural human landscape. They connect populations, allow transport of goods, and make most areas of our landscape accessible.
Trails: trails reach into areas not accessible by roads. They enable humans to move through both built and natural areas, and provide exercise and adventure opportunities.
Gardens: Vegetable and flower gardens are an enjoyable feature of the rural environment. They return us to a time when we produced our own foods and provide focus for spending time in the out-of-doors.
Fields: Hay fields, pasture and meadows are some of my favourite parts of the rural landscape. They are a key part of the agricultural landscape and also provide places where native plants can flourish and migrate.
Woodlots: Before communities and the agricultural landscape developed, the Atlantic provinces were mostly forested. Woodland areas provide habitat for wild life, wood for heating, building, and forest products, and spaces for people to reconnect with nature and enjoy wild life.
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In the next posts, I will introduce you to my five rural mysteries, their covers, characters and a glimpse of their stories.
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All my best,
Alexandra Tims (a.k.a. Jane)
