As in her earlier novels, Mary Ellen draws upon historic accounts of Old Town Alexandria and its legends. For AT THE CORNER OF KING STREET, that meant looking back at the founding and earliest days of the city, including tales of family curses and witchcraft.
Mary Ellen Taylor grew up in a southern family that embraced stories of all kinds, from a well-told anecdote to a good yarn or a tall tale. It may have been inevitable that she would take her storytelling heritage to new heights, moving beyond the oral tradition to become a published author.
An accomplished baker, Mary Ellen shares some of the challenges and comforts of those pursuits in her Union Street Bakery novels, The Union Street Bakery and Sweet Expectations, and even manages to insert baking tips into At the Corner of King Street. On a more intimate level, she also explores adoption and family in all three books, an interest which stems from her own family. Her grandmother was adopted as was her daughter, and Mary Ellen has been active in bringing attention to issues regarding adoption, including the concerns faced by adoptees through adulthood.
Mary Ellen was born and has spent most of her life in Richmond, but also lived in Alexandria for four years. She received her degree in English from Virginia’s Hollins University, and worked in marketing and sales before she committed to writing full time. Today, she is well known for her suspense novels written as Mary Burton. Those twenty-three books and five novellas have brought praise from readers and reviewers and her work has appeared on The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. The Union Street Bakery was her first novel as Mary Ellen Taylor.
When not digging for mysteries in Alexandria's history or arranging murders, Mary is involved with Coordinators2inc, a lifetime adoption resource organization, and Sisters-in-Crime's Virginia chapter. She and her husband spend time alternately enjoying and lamenting their newly empty nest and spoiling their miniature dachshunds, Buddy, Bella and Tiki.
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED
It’s been seven years since the Seattle Strangler terrorized the city. His victims were all young, pretty, their lifeless bodies found wrapped in a home-sewn white dress. But there was one who miraculously escaped death, just before the Strangler disappeared…
KILL
Lara Church has only hazy memories of her long-ago attack. What she does have is a home in Austin, a job, and a chance at a normal life at last. Then Texas Ranger James Beck arrives on her doorstep with shattering news: The Strangler is back. And this time, he’s in Austin…
AND KILL AGAIN…
He’s always craved her, even as he killed the others. For so long he’s been waiting to unleash the beast within. And this time, he’ll prove he holds her life in his hands—right before he ends it forever…
Source: Info in the About The Seventh Victim was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13637842-the-seventh-victim on 20/01/2013.
Mary Burton is the author of twenty-two published novels and four novellas, including her latest, CLOSE YOUR EYES, the first of four stories set in Nashville featuring the city’s preeminent law enforcement family, the Morgans, and her “Texas Ranger” books, You’re Not Safe, No Escape and The Seventh Victim. Her earlier work includes I'm Watching You, Dead Ringer and Dying Scream, set in Richmond, her hometown, Richmond, and Senseless, Merciless and Before She Dies, set in Alexandria. Mary’s intensive research has led to interviews with law enforcement, seminars and classes, and the firing range. She is a graduate of the Henrico County Citizens Police Academy and the Richmond FBI Citizen's Academy, and has attended Sisters in Crime's Forensic University program and the Writers Police Academy in Jamestown, North
Carolina.
A Richmond native whose family roots run as deep as the nation's, Mary has lived there for most of her life. She graduated from Virginia's Hollins University and had a career in marketing before committing to write full time. Her first manuscript, a historical romance, was published in 2000. She is a member of Thriller Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She travels often for signings and other appearances. She is a frequent speaker regarding writing and genre fiction, and continues to present her "Unraveling Romantic Suspense" workshop and her day-long program "Writing Your Book...The First Step."
Mary is currently at work on her fourth Nashville-set suspense novel.
Under The Mistletoe by Lisa Jackson
Megan Johnson's marriage is over--or so she thinks. When her husband Chris lands in the hospital, fighting for his life, she remembers the unexpected joy of their first Christmas together.
A Ranger For Christmas by Mary Burton
The holidays bring painful memories for history professor Marissa Thompson. Agreeing to help Texas Ranger Lucas Cooper solve a case offers the perfect distraction. But as danger threatens, the joy of love has never been more tempting.
A Southern Christmas by Mary Carter
Reporter Danielle Bright is heading home for the holidays to write up a feature story about Christmas down south--and possibly win back her ex. But Sawyer, the sexy photographer along for the ride, is determined to jingle her bells.
Christmas In Montana by Cathy Lamb
Family is the ideal antidote to getting fired, but Laurel Kelly isn't prepared for the changes at home in Montana--or the fact that her college boyfriend Josh Reed now owns the family land. But a blue Christmas could be the perfect surprise for a holiday to remember.
Source: Info in the About Our First Christmas was from the press kit from the publicity team.
Lisa Jackson and her sister, Nancy Bush, grew up in a small timber town in Oregon. She attended Oregon State University and later worked in the banking industry.
In 1983, Jackson's first novel, A Twist of Fate, was published by Silhouette Books. Currently, Jackson writes contemporary romantic suspense novels for Kensington Books and medieval romantic suspense novels for Onyx Books. Her books regularly place high on the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher's Weekly best seller lists.
Her novel Shiver won the Rendevous Rosebud Award, and If She Only Knew was a finalist for the Reviewer's International Organization Dorothy Parker Award for Excellence for Best Suspense Novel.
Jackson has been nominated twice for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, winning in 2005 in the Best Medieval Romance category for Temptress.
Mary Burton is the author of twenty-two published novels and four novellas, including her latest, CLOSE YOUR EYES, the first of four stories set in Nashville featuring the city’s preeminent law enforcement family, the Morgans, and her “Texas Ranger” books, You’re Not Safe, No Escape and The Seventh Victim. Her earlier work includes I'm Watching You, Dead Ringer and Dying Scream, set in Richmond, her hometown, Richmond, and Senseless, Merciless and Before She Dies, set in Alexandria. Mary’s intensive research has led to interviews with law enforcement, seminars and classes, and the firing range. She is a graduate of the Henrico County Citizens Police Academy and the Richmond FBI Citizen's Academy, and has attended Sisters in Crime's Forensic University program and the Writers Police Academy in Jamestown, North
Carolina.
A Richmond native whose family roots run as deep as the nation's, Mary has lived there for most of her life. She graduated from Virginia's Hollins University and had a career in marketing before committing to write full time. Her first manuscript, a historical romance, was published in 2000. She is a member of Thriller Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She travels often for signings and other appearances. She is a frequent speaker regarding writing and genre fiction, and continues to present her "Unraveling Romantic Suspense" workshop and her day-long program "Writing Your Book...The First Step."
Mary is currently at work on her fourth Nashville-set suspense novel.
Mary Carter is a freelance writer and novelist. Mary’s novel, Meet Me In Barcelona, was released in July 31st, 2014. Her newest novella, in the anthology Summer Days, was released in April 29th 2014, and in September look for her novella in Our First Christmas. Her other works include: Three Months in Florence, The Things I Do For You, The Pub Across the Pond (Also available as an audiobook through Blackstone Audio), My Sister’s Voice, Sunnyside Blues,She’ll Take It, and Accidentally Engaged. In addition check out these novellas: A Christmas Carousel in the anthology No Place Like Home, A Kiss Before Midnight in the anthology, You’re Still the One, A Very Maui Christmas in the New York Times best selling anthology Holiday Magic, and The Honeymoon House in the New York Times best selling anthology Almost Home. Mary is currently working on her ninth novel for Kensington. She canbe found at Mary Carter Books on Facebook, or @marycarterbooks on Twitter. She loves to hear from readers!
Cathy Lamb was born in Newport Beach, California. As a child, she mastered the art of skateboarding, catching butterflies in bottles, and riding her bike with no hands. When she was 10, her parents moved her, two sisters, a brother, and two poorly behaved dogs to Oregon before she could fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a surfer bum.
She then embarked on her notable academic career where she earned good grades now and then, spent a great deal of time daydreaming, ran wild with a number of friends, and landed on the newspaper staff in high school. When she saw her byline above an article about people making out in the hallways of the high school, she knew she had found her true calling.
After two years of partying at the University of Oregon, she settled down for the next three years and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, and became a fourth grade teacher. It was difficult for her to become proper and conservative but she threw out her red cowboy boots and persevered. She had no choice. She had to eat, and health insurance is expensive.
She met her husband on a blind date. A mutual friend who was an undercover vice cop busting drug dealers set them up. It was love at third sight.
Teaching children about the Oregon Trail and multiplication facts amused her until she became so gigantically pregnant with twins she looked like a small cow and could barely walk. With a three year old at home, she decided it was time to make a graceful exit and waddle on out. She left school one day and never went back. She likes to think her students missed her.
Cathy suffers from, “I Would Rather Play Than Work Disease” which prevents her from getting much work done unless she has a threatening deadline. She likes to hang with family and friends, walk, eat chocolate, camp, travel, and is slightly obsessive about the types of books she reads. She also likes to be left alone a lot so she can hear all the odd characters in her head talk to each other and then transfer that oddness to paper. The characters usually don’t start to talk until 10:00 at night, however, so she is often up ‘til 2:00 in the morning with them. That is her excuse for being cranky.
She adores her children and husband, except when he refuses to take his dirty shoes off and walks on the carpet. She will ski because her children insist, but she secretly doesn’t like it at all. Too cold and she falls all the time.
She is currently working on her next book and isn’t sleeping much.
At first, they struggle to escape. Then a torrent of blows rains down upon their bodies until their eyes cloud over in final agony. The killer shows no remorse--just a twisted need to witness each victim's last terrified moments.
Don't Speak
Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree. But if Rachel's hunch is correct, whoever fatally bludgeoned young, beautiful Annie Dawson thirty years ago could be the source of a new string of brutal slayings.
Just Prepare To Die
Rachel's investigation is about to reveal answers--but at a price she never thought to pay. Now she's become the target of a rage honed by years of jealousy and madness. And a murderer is ready to show her just how vicious the truth can be. . .
Source: Info in the About Cover Your Eyes was from the press kit from the publicity team.
Buy Link(s):
Praise for Mary Burton’s Recent Novels
“[Mary Burton] once again demonstrates her romantic suspense chops with this taut novel . . . Burton plays cat-and-mouse with the reader through a tight plot, with credible suspects and romantic spice keeping it real.” Publishers Weekly on You’re Not Safe
"Fast paced and seriously creepy, in the way that a good thriller should be . . . Burton delivers spine tingling satisfaction in No Escape and leaves the reader anxious for her next work . . . be prepared
to sleep with the lights on.” The Jefferson County Post (TN) on No Escape
“With plenty of procedural details, red herrings and spine-chilling danger, this tale of
romantic suspense will keep readers up all night." Book Page on The Seventh Victim
Meet The Author
About Mary Burton:
Mary Burton is the author of twenty-two published novels and four novellas, including her latest, CLOSE YOUR EYES, the first of four stories set in Nashville featuring the city’s preeminent law enforcement family, the Morgans, and her “Texas Ranger” books, You’re Not Safe, No Escape and The Seventh Victim. Her earlier work includes I'm Watching You, Dead Ringer and Dying Scream, set in Richmond, her hometown, Richmond, and Senseless, Merciless and Before She Dies, set in Alexandria. Mary’s intensive research has led to interviews with law enforcement, seminars and classes, and the firing range. She is a graduate of the Henrico County Citizens Police Academy and the Richmond FBI Citizen's Academy, and has attended Sisters in Crime's Forensic University program and the Writers Police Academy in Jamestown, North
Carolina.
A Richmond native whose family roots run as deep as the nation's, Mary has lived there for most of her life. She graduated from Virginia's Hollins University and had a career in marketing before committing to write full time. Her first manuscript, a historical romance, was published in 2000. She is a member of Thriller Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She travels often for signings and other appearances. She is a frequent speaker regarding writing and genre fiction, and continues to present her "Unraveling Romantic Suspense" workshop and her day-long program "Writing Your Book...The First Step."
Mary is currently at work on her fourth Nashville-set suspense novel.