This is a year of mysteries, with entries in most of my mystery series as both Ashley Gardner and Jennifer Ashley. (If you are a romance fan, don’t worry! Those are coming next).
First was Murder on the Rhone, Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 18 in March.
August sees the release of Murder in Blackfriars, the ninth book of the Below Stairs (Kat Holloway) Mystery series. I cannot believe I’ve written nine books in this series already! I started with an idea and a forgotten novella, and now, here we are! (Pre-order Murder in Blackfriars here.) In this one, we delve into Daniel’s background and secrets from his past people are willing to kill for.
In September will come Brother at Arms, Book 4 of the Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries series. I have the finished book back from the editor, and I’m going over the edits now. (Pre-order Brother at Arms here).The book will be out in paperback (as well as e-book) on day of release (Sep 16), or you can pre-order the paperback directly from me. I have already set up the narrator for audio, so that is coming too!
It has been a while since my last Leonidas book, though I was able to slide in Saturnalian Gifts this past December to catch everyone up on the characters and world.
Then in October, will come another Kat Holloway novella, in time for Halloween! I’m not posting anything about that yet. (I do have a cover peek below plus on my Upcoming Books page). Once Murder in Blackfriars is out, I will spill the beans about that. Watch this space!
Speaking of beans, Brother at Arms, which is set in May, AD 64, features the festival of Lemuria, celebrated on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of the month. At Lemuria businesses and even temples were closed, while everyone placated or banished whatever evil spirits lurked in their homes. It’s an animistic festival, not dedicated to any of the gods, but specifically targeted to spirits tied to the house.
Why beans? Apparently, the rituals to send evil away involved black beans, either tossing them or spitting them onto the floor. When I researched this, I thought, “They can’t mean black beans–those are a crop from South and Central America.” (And very tasty. I make black bean chilaquiles whenever I can.)
Further investigation showed that they meant fava beans, but a variety that has a dark color. These beans were tossed around while the head of the household wandered about the house asking the evil-minded spirits to go.
I like to put these long-forgotten festivals into the Leonidas books–there were several every month. It helps to ground the book in that world, and maybe give readers information they might never have known about Ancient Rome.
I have planned more books in the Leonidas series, as well as Kat Holloway, Captain Lacey, and Robert Archer paranormal mysteries (more about my series planning in another post).
For now, enjoy all these mysteries, and yes, romances are coming! (So are more mysteries.) Check out my Coming Soon page on the Jennifer Ashley / Allyson James website as well as on the Ashley Gardner site for some hints at where I’m going.
As always, if you have read this far, thank you!
Writing from My Heart 