Introducing the 'Barefoot Sleuth' and Calling all German fans...

Published: Fri, 07/24/20

Hello - I'm really excited today to tell you about my new project!

As most of you will have read in my last newsletter - due to a challenging time in the past few months - I've decided to take a break from my Oxford Tearoom and Bewitched by Chocolate series this year.

I will be releasing new books in those series, plus my English Cottage Garden series, in early 2021.

In the meantime... I’ve been working on something new for a change! This is a project I’ve been wanting to write for a few years now but never got the time. It's inspired by a big trip I made back in 2017 to attend a professional writers conference at a beach resort in Florida.

It was my first time visiting the Gulf coast and - in spite of the terrible jet lag (it was a 40-hour journey and 3 plane changes from Perth to Tampa!) - I had a great time in the Sunshine State. I had lots of fun experiences which set my imagination buzzing and I immediately began thinking about a mystery series set in a beautiful beach resort in Florida...

... and so the "Barefoot Sleuth Cozy Mysteries" was born!

My NEW cozy mystery series: the Barefoot Sleuth Mysteries!

Welcome to the deadliest beach resort in Florida...

English girl Ellie is a 'fish-out-of-water' when she arrives in sunny Florida for an unexpected vacation with her aunt at a beach resort. But she's barely dipped her toe in the ocean before she finds mystery and murder lurking between the swaying palm trees.

Now she must battle sunburn, jet lag and a cheeky parrot named Hemingway, while trying to snoop around for clues. But life gets even more complicated when she meets the resident cat Mojito, who leads Ellie on a wild 'gator' chase - not to mention the handsome resort doctor who sets her pulse racing in a different way!

As more red herrings than sand dollars wash up on the beach, Ellie must use all her wits to solve the cases, before her visit to the Sunshine State becomes deadlier than she ever imagined...

***

This series is slightly different from my previous in that it will not be a long, ongoing series.

The complete series is a shorter arc which takes place over the few weeks that Ellie is at the resort (and during which she finds more than a few dead bodies!)

Also, the books are slightly shorter – more like the standard cozy mystery length (my previous books tend to be longer than many others in the genre) - and they follow American English spelling, usage and punctuation.

But you'll still enjoy a fun H.Y. Hanna story filled with twists, humour (or should I say 'humor'?), quirky characters and animals with big personalities! :-) 😊

Book 1: FLIP-FLOPS AND MURDER will be releasing next week at the special launch price of $2.99 for the Kindle version, for a limited time (you can also pre-order it first if you like: Amazon | Amazon UK).

Yes, it will also be available in paperback. And for all the audio fans - my narrator Pearl Hewitt is already hard at work recording the audiobook version. She does a mean parrot voice, I can tell you!! ;-)

And now, for my German fans...

I'm delighted to announce that the German edition of "Two Down, Bun To Go" - the 3rd book in my Oxford Tearoom Mysteries - is now in production and will hopefully be released just before Christmas!

The translator is already busy with the story but we've haven't managed to find the perfect German title yet.

Can you help? We'd love to hear any ideas you might have!

Ideally, the title should be short (no more than 4 - 5 words) and contain a word related to tea/ baking/cakes + a word relating to murder/death/crime... and if you can add a pun or play on words, that would be wonderful! It does not have to relate to the English title, although a mention of "buns" would be nice.

Please email me your suggestions by 30th Jul (just reply to this message) and if your title is chosen, you'll receive a signed copy of the book plus a mention in the Acknowledgements! :-)

Well, I hope you're all staying safe and well - and coping with the madness in the world right now.

When I haven't been writing, I've been busy gardening. It's mid-winter now in Western Australia and the weather is cool and lovely, with lots of rain (at last!). My azaleas are just starting to bloom! 😊 (can you spot the kitty?)

Thanks for reading - talk soon!

Hsin-Yi
(H.Y. Hanna)

Website: www.hyhanna.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hyhanna.books

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