It’s been too darn hot this past week. So I immersed myself in doing the final edits on Malice at the Mansion, Book 2 in the Lamb’s Bay Mysteries series. That was a great way to deal with the heat. In Malice at the Mansion, it was November in Lamb’s Bay. It was cooler there than it was outside my office window. So I cranked up the air conditioning and joined Hilly slogging through rainy, windy weather as she went to meet a business contact at an empty mansion.
I have been asked a few questions about the location of my series and my characters. Here are some answers:
Where is Lamb’s Bay? Is it based on an actual town? Could I visit it one day?
Sorry folks, but Lamb’s Bay is a figment of my imagination. It represents my idea of a great place to live – a small town on the eastern seaboard complete with a beach, motels, hotels, Bed and Breakfast (B & B) establishments and a downtown area with wonderful shops and restaurants. And, of course, there is a lighthouse – I have a thing about lighthouses and don’t have any idea why. I just think they are cool.
Is it a busy place or really quiet?
If you read the books, you will see it gets pretty busy there what with crimes and mysteries to solve. In the summer, there are tourists enjoying the warmer weather and beach time. But in November, it is cold and windy and rainy – just the perfect place for me to be mentally when the temperatures hit 30C like they did this past week.
What kind of house does Hilly live in?
Well, it is a pretty simple house – two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, four rooms downstairs (one of which used to be her father’s study, but is now Hilly’s office). The house has covered porches front and back. There’s a fenced yard which is good or her dog Heidi might go wandering off into the wood lot at the back of the property.
Hilly used to be a private investigator. Why did she change careers?
Hilly worked in corporate security with her former boyfriend, Zach. When they split (see Peril at the Point), she came back to Lamb’s Bay to take care of her ailing father. She started the Internet-based research business which allowed her to work from home. That way she was able to care for her father until he died. And she soon found she preferred her new business to her old one. She makes a decent living and, since she is pretty frugal, has a comfortable life.
Yes, Lamb’s Bay is a quiet little town and Hilly’s life is pleasant. That is until mayhem and murder come calling. Working with the police force, and sometimes without them, Hilly ferrets out the necessary clues to solve each mystery. Then Lamb’s Bay goes back to normal.
Normal? What’s normal in Lamb’s Bay? Follow the series to find out what happens next.
