We’re celebrating the release of the third book in the Annalisse series, Scattered Legacy! Today, we interview author Marlene M Bell. Next, she shares an excerpt from the book. On the final day, we learn the author’s Top Ten activities for winter. Plus, there’s an awesome 3-winner giveaway to enter below. Enjoy!
To outsiders, the relationship between Manhattan antiquities assessor Annalisse Drury and sports car magnate Alec Zavos must look carefree and glamorous. In reality, it’s a love affair regularly punctuated by treasure hunting, action-packed adventure, and the occasional dead body.
When Alec schedules an overseas trip to show Annalisse his mother’s birthplace in Bari, Italy, he squeezes in the high-stakes business of divesting his family’s international corporation. But things go terribly wrong as murder makes its familiar reappearance in their lives – and this time it’s Alec’s disgraced former CFO who’s the main suspect.
Accompanied by friend and detective Bill Drake, Annalisse and Alec find themselves embroiled in a behind-closed-doors conspiracy that threatens the reputation and legacy of Alec’s late father – linking him to embezzlement, extortion, and the dirty business of the Sicilian Mafia. The search for the truth sends the trio straight into riddles, secrets, and an historic set of rosary beads. Annalisse leads Alec toward a discovery that is unthinkable, and events that will change their futures forever.
People die, but legends live on.
New York antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury recently lost her best friend to murder. The killer’s identity may be linked to her friend’s expensive missing bracelet—a 500-year-old artifact that carries an ancient curse, one that unleashes evil upon any who dare wear the jewelry created for the Persian royal family.
Weeks later, Annalisse sees a matching necklace at a Manhattan gallery opening. She begs the owner to destroy the cursed piece, but her pleas fall on deaf ears—despite the unnatural death that occurs during the opening. With two victims linked to the jewelry, Annalisse is certain she must act.
Desperate, Annalisse enlists the gallery owner’s son to help—even though she’s afraid he’ll break her heart. Wealthy and devastatingly handsome, with a string of bereft women in his wake, Greek playboy Alec Zavos dismisses Annalisse’s concerns—until his parents are ripped from the Zavos family yacht during their ocean voyage near Crete.
Annalisse and Alec race across two oceans to save his mother, feared dead or kidnapped. When the killer changes tactics and goes after Alec behind Annalisse’s back, can her plan to rescue Alec’s mother save them all?
What started out as a promising relationship with adventurer and tycoon Alec Zavos has fizzled into an uncertain future for antiquities expert Annalisse Drury. Returning to Walker Farm in Upstate New York to see her Aunt Kate should have been a welcome homecoming and distraction. Instead, she finds the childhood home she expected to inherit is for sale, without her permission. What’s worse, Kate’s ranch manager makes a gruesome discovery in the barn: the body of a man, dead by foul play.
Annalisse turns to Alec for help. She and her aunt shelter on his estate in the Catskills while the authorities canvass the scene. But when Kate herself disappears without a trace, Annalisse fears the worst: that one of the many secrets of her hometown has ensnared her family—a secret someone is willing to kill for to keep hidden.
For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book, where should they start?
How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from Scattered Legacy, who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
I would have to choose Bill Drake, their detective friend from Florida. He’s an unassuming person with a past that hasn’t totally been revealed yet. More on that in book four. Bill is single, thoughtful, professional and will become a good friend to Annalisse in the next book. I would like to go to his home away from home, the Florida Keys to understand how he went from being a fireman to a detective working for his friend, Alec Zavos. There’s a history and friendship with him and Alec that needs to be explored further. If I were to get Bill alone, I could quiz the heck out of him!
How long have you been writing?
Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
If you’ve read the Annalisse series to date, you know that I like to color outside the lines. My mysteries are complicated and filled with other genre material like romance, adventure and thriller/suspense. If you’re someone who likes to be taken on a thrill ride you’ll want to stick with the series until the end. I don’t know where the end is yet, so hang on to that thought. My writing is based upon my background in raising sheep and living in a ranch environment. Alec studies to become a veterinarian, and Annalisse is brought up to appreciate livestock and ranch living, also. To those who’ve read my books, thank you for reading the series and your thoughtful reviews. I also write children’s books. If you’d like to venture into my picture book, check out: Mia and Nattie: One Great Team!
About the Author
Marlene M. Bell is an award-winning writer and acclaimed artist as well as a photographer. Her sheep landscapes grace the covers of livestock magazines such as, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living, and Sheep Industry News. She has a mystery series available as well as a children’s book featuring their bottle lamb, Natalie. Marlene and her husband, Gregg, reside in beautiful East Texas on a wooded ranch with their horned Dorset sheep, a large Maremma guard dog named Tia, along with Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats that believe they rule the household—and do.
GRAND PRIZE
A Nicole Miller 50 x 60 inch ultra-soft throw in neutral colors
A signed copy of Scattered Legacy by Marlene M Bell
Two (2) 18 oz. mugs. One says: GRATEFUL the other, BLESSED
Box of 15 Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate Mix
2nd place winner: A signed copy of Scattered Legacy by Marlene M Bell
3rd place winner: A signed copy of Scattered Legacy by Marlene M Bell
