Emily Brightwell Books

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Emily Brightwell is an American author who writes YA, romance, and cozy mysteries. Brightwell, whose real name is Cheryl Lanham, is a native of West Virginia. Her parents moved the author and her sisters to Los Angeles in the sixties.

She attended California State University Fullerton, graduating with an American Studies degree. Brightwell met her husband, Richard, during a visit to England in 1975. They planted roots outside London after marrying in 1976.

The pair had already returned to California when Brightwell began writing fiction. She worked in the shipping industry at the time. However, storytelling was her primary passion. Her husband was concerned.

He thought the life-changing transition might spell disaster for the couple. Nonetheless, the author persevered, joining the Romance Writers of America. Initially, things went well. The Orange County chapter of the organization gave Brightwell the support she needed to find her footing.

In fact, she entered a contest aimed at unpublished writers and became a finalist. But then a New York editor ripped her work to shreds, dampening the author’s spirits. Rather than surrendering to the despair, Brightwell kept writing.

Her hard work paid off when she penned a proposal that her agent sold to Silhouette. The company published the manuscript using the ‘Sarah Temple’ pen name, turning Brightwell’s dreams into a reality.

Later on, Berkeley offered the author an opportunity to write Victorian mysteries. She jumped at the chance because the author was dissatisfied with the type of fiction she was writing for Silhouette.

Brightwell reached out to a Brother-in-law in London and asked him to send her old London newspapers from the 1800s as well as books exploring Victorian households. The books and newspapers laid the foundation for the ‘Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries novels.

She dabbled in YA using her maiden name (Cheryl Lanham), but those books are out of print. She appreciated her time in the YA genre because it allowed her to write about extremely emotional teenagers.

She enjoyed switching between murders in Victorian households and the dramatic lives of angsty teens because the experience was therapeutic. Surprisingly, Brightwell’s YA novels sold well in Norway but poorly in the United States, which is why her publisher canceled the series.

The latter stages of Brightwell’s publishing career are less stressful than what she encountered when she wrote her first novel. First, she is a full-time writer. She abandoned her part-time job in 2010 to dedicate her efforts to storytelling.

Secondly, her children are grown. They have their own homes. The author has fewer responsibilities now that she lives alone with her husband and their cat. Even though she’s written dozens of books in the series, her ‘Mrs. Jeffries’ novels are still going strong.

Although, Brightwell admits that keeping things fresh for readers is far from easy. Then again, she has enjoyed guiding her characters through the organic changes they’ve undergone over the years.

Best Emily Brightwell Books

The author’s literary heroes are Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, P D James, Earl Stanley Gardner, and Per Wahloo, to mention but a few. Brightwell’s best books include:

The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries: Doctor Slocum was eating lunch when he died. No one liked him, so naturally, many people suspected murder. Inspector Witherspoon was charged with solving the case, and fortunately for him, Witherspoon was not alone.

The inspector’s strongest attribute was his kindness. After inheriting a house and a fortune, Witherspoon had chosen to keep his aunt’s staff around even though he had little use for them.

Unbeknownst to the inspector, his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, has a keen intellect, and she doesn’t mind working behind the scenes to nudge his investigation in the right direction.

Mrs. Jeffries Dusts For Clues: Mary Sparks went missing two months ago. Now, Lucy Belle Crookshank is determined to find the young maid. Her only hope is Mrs. Jeffries, who has a knack for solving mysteries. The case takes an interesting turn when Inspector Witherspoon finds a decomposed female body in a cellar.

It doesn’t take Mrs. Jeffries long to notice the connections between the two cases. First, the decomposing body is wearing Mary’s dress. Secondly, it has the same brooch Mary was accused of stealing from her former employer.

Third, the decomposing body has a ring on a chain, the same ring the fiance to Mary’s employer lost. What do these clues mean?

When Does The Next Emily Brightwell book come out?

Emily Brightwell doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Mrs. Jeffries Aims to Win and was released on August, 29th 2023. It is the newest book in the Mrs. Jeffries Series.

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