Retitling and rebranding "She's so Lovely"

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday, whatever celebrate or don't. Accompanied by my four cats and a boozy Earl Grey tea, having taken some time off work, I am focusing on editing "She's so Lovely" - it goes to an editor at the end of January. I am looking forward to an early 2022 release, with "Beyond Dark 2: Gravedigger" to follow. I spent yesterday making a book trailer for "Belladonna" which will go up on the website! It's already been posted to Instagram and TikTok, if you haven't seen it already. I've never made one before, so it was an interesting experience. Anyway...

I started "She's so Lovely" as an experimental mystery/romance type of novella series. Getting to know new characters and a new fictional world outside of my "Beyond Dark" universe has been a lot of fun. My vision for SSL was originally a "Sex and the City" meets mystery type of deal. But over rewriting and editing the first novella, it took on life of its own. The characters have truly come into their own and are telling me their stories. Somewhere within all that, I came to realize that SSL is less mystery/romance and more mystery/women's fiction.

The difference between romance and women's fiction (also called chick lit) can be blurry for many. Romance is a genre with a pretty rigid structure to it and adamant reader expectations (the main one, of course, being a "happily ever after" ending). Women's fiction is less rigid, and doesn't require romance to make the plot. It deals with every day issues women encounter and their lives. Which gets tied into many stories. The women's fiction plot that will underlay the mystery aspect will be Martha's journey as her marriage ends, navigating through a painful divorce and finding her way in a new life. The original series title, "She's so Lovely" was meant to reflect a more playful, light-hearted and witty tone, but that has changed throughout this rewrite. As stories tend to do, they take on a tone and heart of their own, and as writers, we must follow that to keep it as authentic as possible. It still won't take on the heavy-hitting serial killers or mental health issues that "Beyond Dark" does, but Martha's story will take readers on a journey familiar to many women. Divorce, heartbreak, starting over and exploring a new world, whether that means dating, self-exploration while staying single, and complicated relationships with others. Her career as a private investigator will also see a massive shift.

So, with all that said, I am thrilled to reintroduce you to Martha Holmes and the new title and look for her series!

Official blurb

Private investigator Martha Holmes is falling out of love and back into her life - or so she thinks, until a decade-old missing persons case comes her way. Two teenage girls have been missing for over ten years, and their families have never given up looking. Desperate, the brother of one of the girls turns to Martha, relying on her solid reputation to find answers.

Martha isn't so sure she can carry the weight of the girls' lives and what their disappearances have done to the community, especially when she discovers there are more victims. The shambles of her marriage have left her uncertain of her capabilities and unsure of who she is. She elicits the help of her best friend, Daisy, to ensure the world hasn't forgotten Ottawa's lost girls. Is there a chance to find t hem alive, still, or will Martha deliver the news she dreads most? As she sorts through leads that aren't what they seem, and as more lives are endangered, it becomes apparent the suspect hasn't forgotten the girls either - and might not let Martha get to the truth, or them.