Hi. I’m Heather.
I write mysteries.
Cleopatra Almost Slept Here, Book 11 of the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries Debuted August 15, 2026. Yippee! This is my favorite book. But, of course, I would say that! Like a proud mama, I love all my books as I give “birth” to them. As to writing this story with the Alvarez family in Egypt, it was huge fun. Anything that can go wrong does and nobody knows why! Until …
| THE ALVAREZ FAMILY IS ON THE VACATION OF A LIFETIME – IF IT DOESN’T KILL THEM FIRST! |
| When the entire Alvarez family – including private investigator Lee Alvarez and the rest of the members of the family’s P.I. business, Discretionary Inquiries, Inc. – is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to volunteer on an archaeological dig, they’re airborne in hours. It’s billed as “a nice, relaxing family vacation”— all they have to do is identify Cleopatra’s mother! But they’ve barely landed in Cairo when someone tries to run their van off the road. |
| Author Haven hasn’t missed a trick in this modern-day interpretation of the classic mystery-at-a-dig genre.It’s got everything – pyramids, train rides, a Nile cruise, the requisite cobra, exotic history, mysterious messages, and, of course, there’s a haboob! (That’s “sandstorm” to us boobs.)Naturally, Haven adds her own delightfully off-center flourishes: imagine the witty banter of the statuesque P.I. and her hunky ex-SEAL husband dropped into Death on the Nile with a world-class chef, a computer genius, hovering in-laws, two cats, a toddler, and a hat maker. Dame Agatha meets Nick and Nora Charles, if you will. If Nora had a blueberry yogurt stain on her shirt. And a charming camel called KFC standing in for Asta. What is nearly unimaginable is Alvarez matriarch Lila loosening up enough to wear Birkenstocks – in public. Otherwise, the extended Alvarez family is up to their usual hijinks: brother Richard, the computer genius, has the answer before the question is asked; Tugger the cat inadvertently reveals the culprit(s); hunky husband Gurn needs rescuing; Lee goes rogue; and Tío the chef, as always, plies them with delicious food.As spoofy and goofy as the set-up is, the danger is real: two waiters have disappeared from the hotel boat housing the dig crew. The boat is peopled almost entirely by eccentric and suspicious characters who are hiding something – right up to and including Lee’s father-in-law! At the heart of the mystery, as always when ancient treasures are involved, is a solution as old as time: greed, running rampant in every imaginable form in a witty and refreshing tale that would make even the Dame laugh out loud. |
Fans of PI stories, cozy mysteries, and women sleuths will lose their own heads over Lee Alvarez and her adorable (and vexing) family of investigators, including Tugger the cat! Lee’s sharp and funny like her fellow female protagonists Kinsey Millhone (Sue Grafton) and Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich), but she cleans up better – say, Nora to her dapper husband’s Nick. And the rest of the large, loving, interfering, and resourceful Alvarez family will delight lovers of Lisa Lutz’s family series, The Spellman Files.
A Wedding to Die For, Book 2 of The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries is still under development by a major original programming production company (no names) for a series of television movies. However, my advice to anyone trying to do this is to start when you are very young. It’s been five years in the making with still no signs of going forward, backward or dying. But you know what? The thrill is still there. And I’m still in the game! It’s hard to say how these things go, but the fact that someone wants to turn my stories about the Alvarez family into movies for television makes me jump for joy.
Hotshot Shamus, book 4 of the Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries, won the second place Insipere Award for Best Clean Mystery 2023. Go Percy! Percy Cole is one of the first female detectives in New York City’s history, and a woman very comfortable in a man’s world. It was a joy getting back to this series. Percy’s my kinda gal. Sort of how I’d like to be if I had the nerve.
Lucky me. I get to travel the world in my mind and be all the characters in my books, including the cats! As Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
While I love a funny mystery, I tend to read anything of interest to me, especially if it’s well-written. Most of the time, though, when I read a book, I like it to be on the lighter side of life. If I want to cry, I only have to step on a scale. l tend to write about what I consider to be some of the important things in life: the recently immigrated, one of America’s natural resources, the family unit, relationships, and the seeking of justice. They may be wrapped around a mystery and a laugh, but those subjects will always be there.
Or visit my blog below where I muse upon occasion.
Thanks,
Heather
A Mystery Writer’s Musings
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Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries
For the past two weeks, nine authors and I have been either posting or commenting on posts regarding our newly released set of 10 books, Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries. Boosting over 3,000 pages of fine reading at $2.99, I had to buy a copy for myself. I just couldn’t pass it up. During the past…
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American Association of University Women
The AAUW has been empowering women since 1881. Women who have accomplished something, anything, reach out to help other women, especially the younger ones. It’s a tradition among these fine, learned women and a noble one, at that. As a writer, I am proud to say that I have been moderating some author events, mainly…
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Killarney Sheffield, The Author, And Barbie, The Horse
This is the third installment of the story of a woman, Killarney Sheffield, who gives her all to her writing such as her latest book, The Emperor’s Concubine. She also gives her all to her family and her horses. One horse in particular, Barbie, learned that gentleness does exist through the care and guidance of Killarney’s love.…
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Killarney Sheffield, In Her Own Words
Today I’m continuing with the talented and fascinating Killarney Sheffield. The picture to the right is one of her happy and healthy horses. To the left, her latest novel, The Emperor’s Concubine, a post-apocalyptic romance. Below is her life story, told in her own words. Just Who Is Killarney Sheffield Anyway? This month my publisher…
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My Guest Blogger is J.Q. Rose, Author of Deadly Undertaking
J.Q. Rose and I are exchanging blogs today. She and I are fast virtual friends, as we’ve never met in person. However, through the years I have come to know and respect my pen-pal colleague, not just as a mystery writer, but as a fine human being. Please join me in welcoming J.Q. Rose, who has a…
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Guardian Angels et al
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Hamlet Act 1, scene 5 When I was twenty, I had life all figured out. When I hit forty, not so much. Now at this number of spent decades I realize I don’t know squat. I used to be a doubting…
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1% Polynesian Princess
I just had my DNA tested. 99 bucks and you find out who you are, although I thought I already knew. For a girl who is the off-spring of a 100% Italian/American on my mom’s side (both her parents came from Bari, Italy) and the other (my father), with a mother named Margaret MacLaughlin (can you get any more Irish…
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Time To Chuck The Bengay
Hubby and I just returned from a ten-day cruise. Cruising seems to be what more ‘mature’ people do these days. I suspect it has something to do with not having to pack and unpack every time you hit a new place. That can be such a drag. Add into the mix someone comes in to…
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What’s With Men And The Godfather I, II, and III?
Yes, they were good movies, especially the first one. Yes, they had wonderful actors, story line, yada, yada. Well, maybe using Coppola’s daughter might not have been the best idea, but nepotism is alive and well in America. I remember seeing all three of them waaaaaaay back when. And I got over it. I have already…
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Why I Write Short Stories
I try not to be fazed when people say I write light-weight books. Mainly, because I do. It’s hard to be taken aback when someone calls it as it is. I also write genre. Mysteries, to be exact. For the most part, they are well received, more so than I thought possible. I suspect that…
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Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
When I was a kid, I asked my mother why people lied. She said, “Usually it’s because if that person tells the truth they won’t get what they want.” That’s probably more true than not. However, I find it interesting that there are so many words that mean a lie or liar, and most of…
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This Writing Thing
I have discovered there might be a perk or two to being a writer. For sure, my crossword puzzle skills have improved dramatically. I will now grope for the rest. Perk #1 – I can enter a world I create when all around me is chaos. There’s a lot to be said for that. The…