She set out to solve a mystery, not to fall in love.In 1997 Virginia Beach, some truths refuse to stay buried…
Dani Jones is used to lesson plans and late-night grading, not murder. But when a student’s uncle confronts her after class and then disappears, her world tilts. Days later, during a Chesapeake Bay cleanup, she is there when his body is found, hidden in the marsh. As the last person to see him alive, Dani is suddenly at the center of a mystery that rattles the quiet coastal town.
Enter Gavin Larkhurst, a sharp-tongued radio newsman with a protective streak. His feelings for Dani make him desperate to keep her safe—even when she refuses to stop digging. But trust is fragile when danger lurks around every corner, and someone will do anything to keep the past buried.
Equal parts mystery and romance, A Pilgrimage of Whispered Truths is a spicy whodunit about uncovering secrets, risking your heart, and the lessons that change everything.
Dani Started Out Married (And Miserable) Did you know Dani Jones, my protagonist, didn't even start out as a single woman? In the first draft, she was married and on the verge of divorce—complete with baggage, bitterness, and a subplot that made me tired. But as I wrote, I realized she deserved better. She wanted a fresh start. So I did what any reasonable author would do: I set that entire storyline on fire and gave her a romance that grows alongside the mystery instead. Much better for everyone's blood pressure.
Dot Swan Is Real (Sort of) Some characters practically wrote themselves. Dot Swan, for instance, is based on a dear friend I taught with for years—a southern lady who knew everyone in Virginia Beach, had taught generations of kids, and could extract a confession faster than any detective with nothing but a disappointed look and plate of banana bread. She was too delightful not to bring to life on the page. The real Dot never solved a murder, as far as I know, but I wouldn't bet against her.
Mysteries Are Hard, Y'all Mysteries are tricky to write—much trickier than rom-coms, in my experience. With a rom-com, you know they're getting together; the fun is in how. With mysteries, I'm constantly writing myself into corners: a new clue pops into my head, and I think, "But if I include this, how does it change the ending? Does this make the killer too obvious? Not obvious enough? Wait, does this accidentally implicate the cats?" I always know the how and where of the ending, but the details evolve like a game of narrative Jenga where one wrong move brings the whole thing down.
Research Gets Weird While looking into arsons in Virginia Beach for the book, I discovered that the school I'd taught at and described in my story had actually been set on fire in real life.
Virginia Beach, 1997 The setting is near and dear to my heart. I’ve lived in Virginia Beach since 1989, and so many of the locations are places I frequent. Great Neck Park sits right on the Lynnhaven River and became the perfect backdrop for finding a body. And, one of my favorite scenes takes place at the pool of the Mayflower Apartments, where Dani, Chanice, and Dot gather to gossip and share "hot tea" (the juicy kind, not the beverage kind). It turns out mysteries can be solved with friendship, laughter, a hint of drama, and the faint smell of chlorine.
I Write Like a Normal Person (Apparently That's Weird) Yes, I draft chronologically. Beginning to end. No jumping around. I've always wondered how authors skip to the good parts without losing track of who knows what, who's mad at whom, and whether someone's shirt is still missing in Chapter 7. Maybe that's a skill I'll never master. Or maybe I just like the scenic route.
Short Chapters Were a Battle Finally, readers might be surprised to know I wrestled with chapter length. Compared to my other books, these chapters are short—some barely a few pages. But the pace keeps the mystery moving while giving room for chemistry, humor, and romantic heat, and who am I to argue with that?
The ocean had always been her refuge. Even now, with storm clouds bruising the horizon, Dani walked the shoreline barefoot, the wind tugging strands of hair across her face. The water hissed over the sand like something whispering secrets it could no longer keep.
She tried to quiet her mind—to let the rhythm of the waves wash away the questions still circling like gulls. But the past few days wouldn’t let her rest: Carl Rendell’s fury, the burned church, Brian’s haunted silence. Each memory rose and fell with the tide, reshaping itself into something sharper.
A flash of color caught her eye—a shard of glass half-buried near her foot. She bent to pick it up. Red, warped by heat. A fragment of stained glass.
Her breath hitched.
She turned it over in her palm, the edges cutting faintly into her skin, and for a moment she imagined the flames reflected there, licking at the sky. The wind howled, cold and certain.
Whatever she’d stumbled into, it wasn’t finished with her yet.
She slipped the shard into her pocket, the salt wind stinging her eyes, and kept walking toward the dark line of the pier, where the sea met the secrets she could no longer ignore.
M. Jayne LaDow is a playwright and author who leapt into writing romance after thirty-three years wrangling middle school English students. Her rom-coms and spicy cozy mysteries are inspired by her years in education, where she was regularly pied in the face, sang classroom karaoke, and dressed up like characters from novels.She’s the author of The Marchfield Series — One Night Stands and Lesson Plans, Learning Goals and Dancing Poles, Pop Quizzes and Stolen Kisses, Tardy Pass, No Questions Asked, and the upcoming Budget Cuts and Midnight Lust — and the Tides of Truth Series, beginning with A Pilgrimage of Whispered Truth: A Steamy Cozy Mystery set in 1997 Virginia Beach.
She firmly believes every great story starts with a dash of trouble and a happily ever after.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for this beautiful post. I am honored to have my book posted here.
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