Mystery Is Our Shadow

By Christine E. Collier

The Writer's Club was embarking on another adventure! Little did they know the selling of their co-authored book, Mystery Is Our Shadow, would bring about even more intrigue.

A college manuscript is discovered in a well-known magazine. Now to track down the person who plagiarized it.

One writer takes a job as a live-in ghostwriter in the eerie, gothic style house, Four Gables. This house has hidden a terrible secret for years.

A holiday book signing, a fan letter, and a wonderful writer's conference will bring happiness. While horrible book reviews and an anonymous warning about agent's fees and contracts will cause concern.

A weekend stay at a writer's Bed and Breakfast, The Cliffhanger Inn, will be enjoyed by the members of the Writer's Club. Here they'll learn trouble has been planted within the very walls of the Inn.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 12, 2003
• ISBN: 9781462047475

Christine E. Collier

Christine Collier, the mother of three and grandmother of three, lives in Pine City, New York, with her husband Kent. This is the fourth book in her mystery series, which includes, The Writer?s Club, Mystery is Our Shadow, and Christmas at Cliffhanger Inn. Her children?s books include Adventure on Apple Orchard Road and Twelve Months of Mystery.

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All Rights Reserved © 2003 by Christine E. Collier

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Mystery and Suspense Press an imprint of iUniverse, Inc.

For information address:

iUniverse, Inc.

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Lincoln, NE 68512

www.iuniverse.com

ISBN: 0-595-27232-0

ISBN: 978-1-4620-4747-5(e)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

MYSTERY IS OUR SHADOW

MANUSCRIPT LOST

GHOSTWRITER WANTED

THE AGENT

THE BOOK SIGNING

THE FAN LETTER

THE BOOK REVIEW

MYSTERY IN THE LIBRARY

CONFERENCE AT RAVEN‘S INN

USED BOOKS AND FUDGE FOR SALE

THE BIRTH OF A WRITER’S BED AND BREAKFAST

JANE AUSTEN SAID IT BEST!

MYSTERY IS OUR SHADOW

THE MYSTERY STORY

By The Writer’s Club

The mystery was finished,

The whodunit complete,

Would I be diminished

If I asked for a repeat?

On this dark, stormy night

With fog floating round,

Who committed this fright?

Was it done without a sound?

The crime was accomplished

By poison or gun

Baked in a dish

By the butler in fun!

Should I panic?

There’s a window ajar.

Although I’m frantic

I’ve seen nothing so far!

The police have been called

There’s a dusting of prints

It’s something in the hall

They’ve been there since

A culprit is lurking

Behind every page

The waters are murky

As though in a rage

So settle in your easy chair

With a cup of green tea

And if this mystery raises your hair

Don’t you dare blame it on me!

The Writer’s Club, consisting of four women writers, had finished the true accounting of their mysteries. Amy Collins and Jenna Jenson lived in New York, Taylor Lawson in Massachusetts and Lily Browning in Vermont. The past five years had held so many strange happenings the members decided to write a book. Each writer had written her own story, Amy and Jenna writing the prologue, Lily and Taylor the epilogue. The title had been agreed upon, each deciding that Lily’s idea, Mystery is our Shadow, described the feeling of the book perfectly. The cover had been selected.

Anderson Publishing chose a picture of a large mansion looming in shadows. The old mansion represented a type of generic symbol of mystery. Many of the stories had an old house or building as the central theme. This included Meadows, the old house in Vermont where Lily and Heath lived. A valuable handmade scarecrow had been seen walking through a pumpkin patch in the dark one frosty fall evening. It was later learned the nurse of Heath’s grandmother stole it. Yet another old house was Cobblestone East. Here, one snowy day before Christmas, Taylor’s antique bridal chest was found with a new name carved into it. A beautiful old building named the Inkwell Inn also played a part in a honeymoon mystery of Lily and Heath. Add the Wren’s Nest bookstore, an old building filled with collectible books and first editions. Throw in Belle’s lavish lake home, where Amy and Jenna had been slowly poisoned and indeed many of their mysteries took place in mansion like homes.

Anderson wrote each woman a short note stating, While the cover is important it’s not the paramount reason a book is purchased, the contents is the crucial part. We hope you like our choice of cover.

One morning over the phone, Lily and Amy talked about the cover of their new book; both writers loved the eerie mansion looming in the shadows. Do you believe that old saying, ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’? Lily asked.

Yes, it’s true all right; you can have a great book with a boring cover but even better is a cover you can’t take your eyes off. I must confess I often buy a book because of the cover, Amy said laughing. Lily, how are you feeling? When is the baby due?"

Well, this pregnancy has been more difficult than the twins were actually. I have three more months to go but I seem to need much more rest with this baby. I’m glad the cover has been chosen and soon our book will be on the market, Lily said. I’ll call Will Pier-son, tomorrow. He wants us to have a group picture taken. I think this agent is really going to work for us. He seems to be a power house and came highly recommended.

The Writer’s Club was embarking on another adventure. Little did they know the selling of their co-authored book, Mystery is our

Shadow, which depicted the unusual happenings in their life, would bring about even more mysteries.

A woman will stop by a holiday book signing in Boston and share truths concerning Taylor’s antique bridal chest and its sad history. The woman knows very well the sorrow behind the carved withered rose so beautifully detailed in their book.

A wonderful fan letter praising their book will brighten Jenna’s day. We will learn from the writer of this fan letter that mystery shadows us all.

One writer will take the job of a live-in ghostwriter in a gothic style house that has hidden a horrible secret for years.

An anonymous warning will arrive concerning contracts and agent’s fees that will open the eyes of another writer.

A college manuscript will show up published in a well-known magazine. Now to track down the person that plagiarized it.

A writing conference at Raven’s Inn will bring much happiness to the writers that attend.

A book shed and its sweet old owner will be helped by one of the Writer’s Club in a most unusual way.

The birth of a writer’s Bed and Breakfast, the Cliffhanger Inn, will be enjoyed by the Writer’s Club as they spend their first royalty check on a wonderful weekend there. They’ll discover trouble has been planted within the very walls of Cliffhanger.

Horrible book reviews, coming from seemingly nowhere, will shock the writers and cause them to ask if someone is seeking revenge.

As the women continue the journey of selling their book, they will once again learn that mystery is indeed their shadow!

MANUSCRIPT LOST

Lily Browning looked down at her precious baby girl. It had been a long labor and a difficult birth but that only made her even more cherished. Her name was Mariah Lily and the fuzz on the top of her tiny head already was auburn, the same shade as her mother’s. Matthew and Mark thought she was amazing and the moment Heath laid eyes on his daughter, he knew he would love her for life.

Meadows, the name of the Browning home in Vermont, prepared for another baby. Matthew and Mark were three and shared a room with bunk beds. Mariah would be in the nursery her twin brothers had shared minus the second crib, the same nursery that overlooked the garden and Mr. Scary, the handmade scarecrow.

Heath handed Lily a few baby cards from the morning mail. The Writer’s Club had sent cards and gifts but this morning brought a special surprise, a beautiful baby card from Pamela Terry, her college roommate.

Honey, did any of your friends from college ever get published? Heath asked. He was so proud of the book his wife and her Writer’s Club friends had co-authored, and he told everyone about it.

Jill has written several craft books for kids and Marla wrote a book of poetry, Lily said. You know of all the women that shared that dorm room none had anymore talent than Pam, yet she has never published anything. She had several stories I loved.

Two months later found Lily and Mariah waiting in the pediatrician office for a check-up; the room was warm as always and the wait long. I hope they get me in there before Mariah wakes up hungry.

Lily grabbed a well-known parenting magazine, and slowly turned page after page as Mariah slept in her infant seat. Nursing versus Bottle-You be the Judge, Grandma or Nanny, Is Blood Thicker than Water? Read our Spotlight Fiction story, Mary’s Bows.

Mariah Browning, the nurse called out. Oh, I wanted to read that nanny article. I’ll ask if I can take it home when I leave. Mariah was happy until she got the first vaccination of her life. Her little face puckered in horror as she looked at her mother. She must wonder why her mama brought her here to have someone stick a needle in her.

As Lily stood at the glass partition, waiting for Mariah’s next appointment she asked if she could take home the magazine and return it next visit. The nurse shook her head in agreement, Sure, they’re all outdated anyway. Don’t bother bringing it back.

A week later, lily noticed the magazine she had taken from the doctor’s office. Since all three children were sleeping, she decided to read some articles. Grandma or nanny was a wonderful article. I wish my children had either set of grandparents in their life, even just one grandmother or one grandfather. Lily casually browsed the magazine, reading several other articles and was about to put the magazine in their recycle basket when she noticed the fiction spotlight section. This was usually a very good fiction story about a child or family. I should submit one of my stories to this magazine it’s excellent.

A RAINBOW COLORED BOW

Mary Townsend lived with seven different families by the time she was five. Whenever a new foster family took her in, she would choose a certain color hair bow from the large bag of bows she’d been given at Christmas. The entire time she was with that family, she would wear that color bow in her hair. No one knew why