“Ellie Ferguson” was born at an RWA convention. I’d been challenged to write a romance novel by my mentor. Well, never one to take the direct path, I wound up writing a romantic suspense novel. Because I already had several urban fantasy titles planned, as well as science fiction, and because of the state of the profession back then, I decided a pen name was needed for what I thought would be a one-off book. What I hadn’t expected was for “Ellie” to take up residence in my subconscious and demand equal writing time. Here are the titles currently available under this pen name.
Weddings always bring out the worst in people. Or at least that’s the way it seems to Jessica Jones as her younger sister’s wedding day approaches. It’s bad enough Jessie has to wear a bridesmaid dress that looks like it was designed by a color blind Harlequin. Then there’s the best man who is all hands and no manners. Now add in a murder and Jessie’s former lover — former because she caught him doing the horizontal tango on their kitchen table with her also-former best friend. It really is almost more than a girl should be expected to handle. . . .
Lexie Smithson’s family had never been what most folks would call “normal”. They had more than their fair share of oddballs and loners and even crazy cat ladies. Most families in Mossy Creek did, especially if they lived on the “wrong side of the tracks”. But things took a decidedly sharp turn to the left of weird the day Lexie’s sister came home from school, complaining about how Old Serena Duchamp had given her the evil eye. When her mother decided it would be a good thing to confront the town’s resident witch, Lexie knew life would never be the same. How could it when their loved ones began returning to the old homestead the day after their funerals. Lexie knew she should be happy none of her neighbors reported mutilated cattle or corpses with missing brains. But that can be hard to do when your loved ones have passed but not passed on.
Skeletons in the Closet is a novella set in the Eerie Side of the Tracks universe. It is the first of a series featuring Lexie, her family – both living and dead, not to mention furry – and their friends.
Fifteen years ago, Juliana Grissom left Mossy Creek in her rear view mirror. She swore then she would never return for more than a day or two at a time. But even the best laid plans can go awry, something she knew all too well, especially when her family was involved.
Now she’s back and her family expects her to find some way to clear her mother of murder charges. Complicating her life even further is Sam Caldwell, the man she never got over. Now it seems everyone in town is determined to find a way to keep her there, whether she wants to stay or not.
Bodies are dropping. Gossip is flying and Juliana knows time is running out. After all, holidays can be murder in Mossy Creek.
Long before the Others made their existence known to the world, Mossy Creek was their haven. Being from the wrong side of the tracks meant you weren’t what the rest of the world considered “normal”.
Normal was all Quinn O’Donnell wanted from life. Growing up on the “wrong side of the tracks”, she had been the only normal in the family. The moment she was old enough, she left and began life as far from her Texas hometown as possible. Now she has a job she enjoys and a daughter she loves more than life itself. Their life is normal, REALLY normal, until her daughter starts calling forth fire and wind.
Quinn knows they must go back so her mother can help five-year-old Ali learn how to control her new talents. But in Mossy Creek nothing is ever simple. Quinn’s mother has gone missing. Secrets from Quinn’s past start coming back to haunt her.
And the family home is more than a little sentient.
Can Quinn keep everyone — particularly Ali — safe? And will she ever get back her illusion of normalcy?
When Meg Sheridan arrived in Mossy Creek, Texas, she had one goal in mind: to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. Now, less than a month after burying her mother, all Meg knows about the town is that it has always been a haven for the Others, even before they made their existence known to the world. As an Other herself, that should reassure Meg. Instead, it raises more questions than it answers. More than that, she has one very large problem. She doesn’t know why her mother wanted her to come to Mossy Creek. Worse, she soon learns not everyone is willing to welcome her with open arms.
Faced with the daunting task of discovering not only why her mother sent her to Mossy Creek but also with uncovering why her mother fled there years before, Meg is determined to find the truth. Along the way, she discovers something else. Even in death, her mother is looking out for her – if Meg will let her.
And if she will accept the friendship and love of those who knew her mother all those years ago.
But danger awaits her as well. Secrets decades old and resentments going back generations seethe just below the surface. Do those secrets have anything to do with why Meg’s mother wanted her to come to town? Will discovering them help her understand why her mother fled Mossy Creek so long ago?
Or will they lead to something much more sinister. . . and deadly?
Christmas is a magical time, especially in Mossy Creek, TX. Quinn O’Donnell can’t wait to share such a special time with her six-year-old daughter, Ali. But this being Mossy Creek, nothing is ever as it seems and the holiday season promises to be the most magical ever.
Join Quinn and Ali as they enjoy Ali’s first Christmas in Mossy Creek where dreams can come true if you believe and are willing to fight for them and for the people you love.
This short story is set in the Eerie Side of the Tracks “universe” and takes place between Witchfire Burning and Light Magic.
Trouble comes to Mossy Creek.
Jaqueline “Jax” Powell left town after high school, wanting to put as many miles between small town Texas and herself as possible. Mossy Creek, however, isn’t your normal small town and once it gets its hooks in you, you never really escape. It has already brought home two of its wayward children. Will Jax be the third?
When her best friend and “sister from another mister”, Annie Caldwell, is attacked and left for dead, Jax wastes no time in returning home. But is Mossy Creek ready for her return? Before long, everyone will remember why she’d been called “the rogue” growing up. An Earth Elemental, she will join with Wind and Fire to protect those they love.
As storm clouds gather over the small town, danger grows. Jax will have to use all her gifts as an Other to keep her friends safe.
But will it be enough?
Meg Finley knew her parents didn’t kill themselves, no matter what the police said. Alone and with no one to protect her, her life became a nightmare. Her clan’s Alpha, Michael Jennings, didn’t care she was grieving any more than he cared that she was only fifteen. Knowing she had only one option if she wanted to live, she ran and she’s been running ever since.
But now, years later, her luck’s run out. Meg, now known as Finn, finds herself in a game of cat and mouse with Jennings’ trackers. She’s learned a lot over the years but, without help, it might not be enough to escape a fate she knows will be worse than death.
What she doesn’t expect is for help to come from the local Alpha. But will Matt Kincade turn out to be her savior or something else, something even more dangerous than Jennings?
This re-issue of Hunted, originally published in 2013, contains substantial rewrites from the original edition, including an additional 10,000 words (approximate) of new content.
Maggie Thrasher is looking for a man, not to love but to kill. Duty to her pride and loyalty to her family demands it. Joshua Volk has betrayed pride, pack and clan. All he cares about is destroying the old ways and killing anyone, normal or shape-changer, who gets in his way.
Jim Kincade is dedicated to two things: upholding the law and protecting his pride from discovery. When Jim is called to the scene of a possible murder, the last thing he expects is to discover the alleged killer is a tracker from another pride. Now he’s faced with a woman who is most definitely more than she appears. Complicating matters even more, there’s something about her that calls to him and his panther is determined to claim her for his own.
Joshua Volk is looking for revenge. Maggie killed one of his own. His vengeance will bring Maggie’s worst nightmares to life. Is the passion between Maggie and Jim enough to defeat Volk’s plans or will Maggie’s determination to fulfill her duty to her pride be the death of them both?
Tracked is a re-issue of Hunter’s Duty, originally published in 2014. This edition contains substantial rewrites from the original, including an additional 6,000 words (approximate) of new content.
Upcoming titles include:
Prey, the third book in the Hunter’s Moon series. (Originally released as Hunter’s Home. Prey will have new material included in the release.)
A Magical Portent, the next entry in the Eerie Side of the Tracks series. Scheduled for September 2020.
Magic Rising, the next novel in the Eerie Side of the Tracks series. Scheduled for Oct/Nov 2020.