MAHRIE G. REID - BOOKS

I write books that have a foot in each of the cozy and mild suspense camp all delivered with a faster pace to meet today's world. The recurring cast of characters live in a small community, Cable's Cove, but the lead in each book is a different person. You may find the occasional damn and an off-scene murder plus a light romance with an undercarriage of suspense. But the story is about the mystery and the characters.
Mahrie G. Reid
PUBLISHED BOOKS
The Caleb Cove Mysteries- A Canadian Series
Came Home Dead - (Book 1, 2014 - Undergoing a rewrite in early 2022) - Be careful what you do in life, for your past may come back to haunt you. When a corpse washes ashore in the aftermath of a hurricane, the storm has only begun for Devon Ritcey. Friends and family in Caleb’s Cove offer up an excess of secrets and suspects. And her big secret can make her a suspect. Can she work with ex-cop, ex-lover, Greg Cunningham to uncover the killer and keep the island’s inhabitants safe while guarding her own secrets?

Came Home to a Killing - (Book 2, 2014) – The life you know may be an illusion. When Kelsey Maxwell learns her life is lie, she's determined to uncover the truth. She doesn't expect her quest to uncover fraud, murder, and a knife-wielding killer. Working with Sam Logan, a security consultant, she follows her father’s trail, chased by criminals who want the evidence he’s stolen. Caught in a race for the prize, Kelsey doesn't know if the truth will set her free, or get them all killed.

Came Home too Late – (Book 3, 2016) - When revenge explodes into violence, both the guilty and the innocent are caught in the fallout. Growing up on-the-run with her criminal father, Emily Martin knows two truths; her safety depends on hiding in plain sight, and the police are not her friends. But when the sins of her father's past catch up with her present, who in Caleb’s Cove can she trust to help her fight for her life. In a race for the truth, will trust be the obstacle that destroys them all?

Came Home from the Grave – (Book 4, 2018) Uncovering hidden bodies reveals a past that shatters the present. When seeking to solve a cold case in order to give closure to two families, Natalie Parker ends up suspended. Refusing to give up, she walks a fine line between law and justice as she hunts for the evidence to catch a killer from the past. Will she catch the murderer or end up as his next victim.

Canadian Historic Bride Collection, BWL Publishers

The Left-Behind Bride (#10 in the Collection, Published 2018)
1929 - Maggie Benson lost one husband to the war, and one husband-to-be to the August Gales. Resigned to a single life, she finds comfort caring for her father and younger brother. Her father’s death rips away her security and plunges her into a man’s world where she must fend for herself against the odds. Will her survival attitude help her find a way? Or will she listen to society’s dictates and find a husband to support her?

 Non-fiction:
           Write Your Book, Your Way (coming mid 2022) Learn the basics of the five elements of a novel and acquire tools and exercises to put the concepts to use in your book in any way you like.
 

A BOOK HAS FIVE BASIC COMPONENTS

The first half of writing a book is creating this content

PLOT

CHARACTERS

STORY

SETTING

Who, what, when where, why & how?

Character (internal beliefs), characteristics (habits, goals & agendas)

Character interactions with the plot points, hurdles, options

Geographic location

Sequence of Events - Cause & Effect - “and then”

Natural Abilities (physical, mental, emotional,) & specific LEARNED skills

Choices, decisions, actions, reaction & new goals, failures & accomplishments

 

Time of year, weather decade/era

Happenings &results, Hurdles & solutions

How characters cope with life & this plot in particular.

learning, shifts in beliefs, external portrayals

Community & cultural norms

THE ACTION IS PLOT

THE PEOPLE ARE THE CHARACTERS

CHARACTER INTERSECTING WITH PLOT EQUALS STORY

THE STAGE WHERE STORY PLAYS OUT IS SETTING.

CONFLICT & RESOLUTION DRIVE THE STORY

PLOT + CHARACTERS + CONFLICT = STORY 

 STORY + SETTING + RESOLUTION = THE BOOK

             
 
ALSO PUBLISHED IN:

            Medium.com (online magazines)
The Western Producer
High River Times
Dawson City/Klondike News
The Sun/Calgary/Weekend Supplement
 
Contributor to "Book in a Year," an anthology coming in summer 2022

             


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