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                                                                                                                              SOPHIA SARAH MADISON WRIGHT

Stella Isabella McKay is a very blessed girl. But even with all her blessings, she isn't truly happy. If only she had a cousin of her own to play with. Just that one more blessing. Then she is positive she would be the happiest girl in the whole world.  Aunt Lucy travels halfway around the world to the same adoption store where she found her dear daughter Lena Katrina fourteen years before.  But that was when babies were in plentiful supply. These days, babies are very difficult to find. The Adoption Store is nearly empty. Mr. Moody, the adoption man, doesn't know what to do. Will Aunt Lucy find a little girl to adopt? And if she does, will Stella Isabella McKay become the happiest girl in the whole world?

                       What's a cozy mystery?

                     
The cozy mystery genre is defined by a lighter, gentler approach to mystery: less supense, more humor. The sleuth is generally an amateur who gathers evidence by listening to gossip, relying on intuition and inate knowledge of character to solve the crime. Blood and guts are kept to a minimum. Pets and crafts such as quilting or cooking are usually an integral piece of the story.

                                                                 Examples of cozy mysteries:
(by no means a complete list)

Miss Marple mysteries by Agatha Christie
                                                 Amelia Peobody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters
                                                 The Cat Who mysteries by Lillian Jackson Braun
Goldy Schulz mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson
                                                 Ivy Malone mysteries by Lorena Mc Courtney      

                                                                                    INTRODUCING
                                         CHRISTINE STERLING
AND HER FAITHFUL SNOOPING PARTNER, MOLLY THE BORDER COLLIE

Christine Sterling never set out to become a sleuth. She's not technically a senior, either. At fifty-five, she's a member of the Baby Boomer generation--with perpetual energy and youthful vitality--although perhaps you have to be a Baby Boomer yourself to appreciate the difference. What most certainly can be said of Christine, involves her penchant for snooping. With time on her newly-retired hands, snooping becomes her primary diversion. Christine's beloved Border collie, Molly, is the perfect sleuthing partner, possessing a nose for sniffing out clues, so to speak.   

                                                                          NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The Saga of the Snoopy "Senior" Sleuth #3
   Parrish the Thought

     In Parrish the Thought, Christine Sterling struggles with God's requirement to love others. Unlovable people plague Christine's world. Most difficult of all is Jenny Colter, a Goth teenager accused of the murder of elderly Bessie Parrish, a pillar of the community. Christine met Jenny during the investigation into Baxter Dunn's murder. Answering Jenny's call for help thrusts Christine into a frightening new world to search for proof of Jenny's innocence. What Christine uncovers forces her to confront the ugliness of her own prejudiced heart and to concede Jenny's possible guilt. Will she find a way to get Jenny released? Should she even try? And how does Molly's mysterious malady complicate the quest?

                    Payne & Misery

Payne & Misery is the first book in my cozy mystery trilogy, The Saga of the Snoopy "Senior" Sleuth. It is completed and awaiting a publisher.

       Christine Sterling is intrigued--with time on her hands to investigate. Recently relocated to northerna California, she isn't enjoying her newly entered retirement years. In fact, she's bored and struggling with lack of purpose. Until her elusive neighbor, Willian Payne, begins dragging out  boxes big enough to hide a body.

        During a visit to the Payne house, Christine encounters Lila, an emaciated woman whose injuries cause Christine to suspect abuse. But is there anything Christine can do when the woman refuses to talk? 
      Determined to rescue Lila, Christine's efforts are derailed when her beloved dog Molly goes missing. Did the man next door take her? All signs point to him when Molly's dog tags are found beside the neighbor's garage. A woman in a brown car is seen fleeing the neighborhood, Lila disappears, and the next day, fire destroys all trace that she ever existenced.
      Christine's unofficial investigation soon embroils her in a world of misery and tangled secrets. Two dead children, a dead dog, a dark stain on the floor, and a host of other puzzling clues draw Christine in, but the questions keep piling up. 
    As she struggles for truth, Christine discovers that God answers prayer. But who took Molly and Lila? And why? Even with God's help, will Christine reach them before it's too late?

                       The Dunn Deal

    The second book in The Saga of the Snoopy "Senior" Sleuth, The Dunn Deal continues Christine Sterling's adventures. It is also completed.

     Midnight on Firday the thirteenth, clandestine meetings, and rumors of dirty cops--these elements don't add up in the sensational murder of Deputy Sheriff Baxter Dunn, son-in-law of Christine's best friend, Zora Jane. The subject may be frightful, but our heroine tackles it with her characteristic nosiness and tenacity, especially after Molly the Border collie is dognapped. To complicate the investigation, media people from the big city descend on the community, hoping for an exclusive morsel to titillate their audiences.  
    When coverage reaches national ears, an influential newswoman takes interest. Her postmodern philosophy masquerades as Christianity until she encounters straight-speaking Zora Jane. Media attention fuels the rising conflict between Christine and the authorities. Christine begins to question God's sovereignty. When a second murder jolts the tranquil community, Christine get tagged as the prime suspect. Where is God in this? And how will she rescue Molly if she ends up behind bars?