Start a New Book #romanticsuspense #series #writing

I've started writing a new romantic suspense, a new series. I've decided to post weekly updates on the status of my WIP (Work In Progress). Feedback and questions are welcomed.

The setting for this series is based on a real life mining town turned ghost town turned tourist town. I fell in love with Jerome, Arizona years ago. In order to have more flexibility with the lay of the land and the history, I've renamed it Joshua. All the people in Joshua are purely from my imagination.

Joshua hangs on the side of Nefertiti Hill. Between the late 1800s and the early 1940s, Joshua was a booming, wild and woolly, western mining town. But when the ore and gold ran out, the town fell on hard times. By 1950 there were less than 100 people. In 1964, hippies descended on the town squatting in abandoned homes and buildings. In this group of hippies, is the beginning of the family I will tell the stories of in my series.

Not all of the original citizens were happy about the new arrivals. Some of those hippies took up permanent residence, ended up on the town council, and helped turn Joshua into the art and tourist center it is today. It is still just a square mile, hanging on the side of Nefertiti Hill and there are rumors of ghosts. There are still some of the original hippies and artists. And there are plenty of romantic suspenseful stories to tell about
Joshua and its inhabitants.

So, where am I with the first book in the series? I've sent off the first 67 pages of book one to my CPs (critique partners) for their feedback. I have all of my characters outlined and dying to walk through my pages. There's an old murder unsolved, there's a subplot that dates back to 1969, and human bones have been uncovered but not identified.

Magpie Mackenzie, of Magpie's Mercantile, has met Zack Peartree who reminds her of someone who disappeared twenty-eight years ago. Zack feels a strong pull to Magpie. I shouldn't do this, since it could very well change before the book is published, but what the heck. Here's my opening few paragraphs, for now anyway:

Laughter mingled with the jangle of the bell above the door. Magpie MacKenzie glanced over her shoulder from atop the stepping stool where she arranged music boxes on the top shelf of a four-tiered display.

Three women and two men tumbled into the shop, apparently anxious to leave the cold outside. The late afternoon sun now blazed through the front windows of Magpie’s Mercantile, but she guessed the warmth was severely neutralized outside by the chilly wind snaking through the mountains. What happened to the chance of snow? “Good afternoon.”

Magpie descended the stool, holding her long skirt up a bit so that her boots wouldn’t catch the hem as comments sprinkled the air.

“Hi.”

“Oh, it’s warm in here.”

“What a great store!”

The sweet sense of pride that enveloped her whenever someone appreciated her shop never grew old. Although the entry into the mercantile was narrow, the space beyond was four times as deep as it was wide. As soon as the door closed behind patrons, they were immersed in textile creations on the left; music boxes, some small wooden instruments, and pottery displayed on the right. The counter nestled next to the music boxes and down the narrow aisle, deeper into the shop, customers found carvings, sculptures, and paintings.

Turning, ready to welcome her customers, she caught the gaze of a man at the rear of the group.

She froze.

Something about the way he angled his head to the left…the same habit Mark had had when he found something she said amusing. Longish black hair waved around his ears. His deep green eyes beneath thick, arched brows gazed into hers, and he smiled.

Her heart rose to the hollow spot in her throat.

It can’t be Mark. This man is much too young. Mark would be forty-five by now, two years older than me.

I'll check in next month and update my progress. I'll be working on dropping in some back story in the form of flashbacks. There's a story within the story in my mind. Wish me luck!