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Lucy Arlington is an author that writes cozy mysteries. She started writing the ‘Novel Idea Mystery’ series after taking an interest in the lives and careers of literary agents.
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Order of Novel Idea Mysteries Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buried in a Book | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Every Trick in the Book | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Books, Cooks, and Crooks | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Played by the Book | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Off the Books | 2016 | Description / Buy |
Initially, Arlington had a false perception of literary agents. She placed them on a pedestal because she thought their lives were glamorous. The author could imagine these mythical creatures flying to all corners of the globe, dining with editors at expensive restaurants, and negotiating with influential Hollywood executives.
But after landing a literary agent, the author realized that she was severely mistaken. Literary agents spent their days reading queries, crushing dreams by mailing rejection letters to aspiring authors, and refining book proposals.
Arlington was impressed by the work these individuals did to connect writers to the right editors. She came to appreciate the role they played as gatekeepers in the traditional publishing arena.
As such, Arlington couldn’t wait to introduce Lila Wilkins, her most prominent creation, to readers. The literary agent wants to turn her clients’ dreams into a reality. Arlington uses the ‘Novel Idea Mystery’ series to explore Lila’s day-to-day life, not just the tedious work she does as a literary agent but the mysteries she has to solve.
Arlington lives vicariously through Lila, experiencing the rush of ushering a new writer into the publishing arena through the character’s eyes.
It should be noted that ‘Lucy Arlington’ is a pen name. Initially, it belonged to Ellery Adams and Sylvia May.
Ellery loves open water, a consequence of the many years she spent in landlocked towns. She worked a variety of jobs, including tutoring, selling cars, catering, and writing poems. Eventually, she became a full-time writer best known for the ‘Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries’ series.
Sylvia, on the other hand, started writing at a young age. For the longest time, music education and computer programming kept her busy. Once her children entered the picture, the author could barely find the time to write.
But eventually, her children left the nest, allowing Sylvia to expand her horizons. Besides golfing, painting, and scuba diving, she started writing full-time.
While she dabbles in women’s fiction, Ellery’s primary interest is the cozy mystery genre. The authors joined forces to write the ‘Novel Idea Mystery’ series under the Lucy Arlington pseudonym.
However, they couldn’t balance the demands of the Lucy Arlington pen name with their personal responsibilities. Once their individual workloads ballooned, they decided to leave the Arlington books in the hands of Susan Furlong, the author responsible for the Georgia Peach Mysteries.
Best Lucy Arlington Books
Of the three authors, Ellery is the most active. She has dozens of books in her bibliography. Arlington’s best novels include:
Buried in a Book: Lila Wilkins couldn’t afford to lose her job. But that is exactly what happened. The journalist was 45 when the worst came to pass, and the prospect of starting over was hardly appealing.
Fortunately, a fascinating opportunity came along. ‘A Novel Idea’ was a thriving literary agency that wanted to hire Lila as an intern. She couldn’t have asked for a better position.
Working at the literary agency meant that she could spend her days reading. Her quirky co-workers made her task challenging. And the piles of query letters were more intimidating than she had realized. But Lila was ready to tackle the challenge.
The last thing she expected was for an aspiring author to die. The penniless writer passed away in their waiting room. If that wasn’t bizarre enough, Lila discovered several threatening letters which suggested foul play. Even though no one expected her to take action, Lila did not hesitate to investigate.
Every Trick In The Book: Lila was happy. Inspiration Valley was a great town, and her new home was every she wanted. Additionally, she had a police boyfriend who couldn’t have been more perfect.
Her job was satisfying, and she couldn’t wait to discover new talent at the Book and Author Festival her literary agency had decided to sponsor.
The only problem was the murder. The victim was disturbing because she bore a striking resemblance to Lila.
When a second death occurred, Lila knew that the two murders were linked. A killer was on the prowl. Lila’s hope of finding them before they struck again lay in a hidden manuscript with a significant clue.
When Does The Next Lucy Arlington book come out?
Lucy Arlington doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Off the Books and was released on February, 2nd 2016. It is the newest book in the Novel Idea Mysteries Series.