I now have a release date for the first book in the Gull Bay Mysteries. The Channel Islands Mystery which was previously called Burned At The Bake is set for release on the 16th March and I can’t wait for it to be back for sale on Amazon. In advance of the book being re-released I thought I would provide a little bit of an insight into Gull Bay and it’s inhabitants.
I wrote the first five books when I lived on the beautiful island of Jersey, and although Gull Bay doesn’t exist in real life it has elements of some of the many bays in Jersey. I got the inspiration for the first book whilst sitting having breakfast one morning in a cafe in a bay on the north coast of the island, All the bays in Jersey have something to offer; Greve De Lecque has a crescent of golden sand, Bonne Nuit Bay a little harbour where you can buy fresh scallops hand caught that day, St Aubin an array of little independent shops and bars to name just a few. Gull Bay offers everything including the Sea Breeze Bakery which April the owner inherited from her late grandmother, Ruby.
April is the main character in the series, cafe owner and reluctant amateur sleuth. Then there is Hope, the most inappropriately named woman on the island, April’s octogenarian godmother who promised Ruby on her deathbed that she would look after April until her dying day. April loves her though it’s a tough ask some days. Fortunately she is also supported in the cafe by Rachel her baker, Miguel her cook and Martha her waitress. Together they somehow keep the café running when disaster strikes and April’s life is at risk of descending into complete chaos.
It wouldn’t be a cozy mystery series without, well a mystery, and there are no shortage of murders, and attempted murders, throughout the series. Ironic really as Jersey is one of the safest places in the world. I’m looking forward to the books being released, they are on a monthly schedule with the first one released next week and the final book in the series being released in October. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
