Murder at Mother’s

A new release by Maighread Mackay

If you were enthralled with Stone Cottage, you are sure to enjoy the second book by Author McKay that continues to look at the past, present…and beyond.

Both books are available on Amazon and other online booksellers.

 

 

A Killer lurks at the Bancroft estate and the Matriarch, Martha Bancroft, is murdered. Royally pissed, she hangs around to see what happened. When she doesn’t go immediately to the light, a member of her soul group, shows up from the other side. Gladys is adamant Martha needs to come with her, but Martha has no intention of going anywhere until she helps Detective Ian (Mac) MacKellar and Coroner Dr. Cecilia (Cissy) Walsh find the murderer. Gladys joins Martha and the two set out on their quest.

 

“Death couldn’t visit tonight!”

I hope that Author MacKay had fun writing this story, because I know I had a marvelous time reading her latest book. I have been looking forward to the release of Murder at Mother’s ever since the Author announced the title. Isn’t it the best? This book is a delightful hoot, that also gives you plenty to think about.

Mother is Martha, a matriarch in every sense of the word. She has gathered her somewhat odd family for an important meeting at her lovely estate. Can’t you already guess the problem? You’re right- Martha is changing her Will. And soon, Martha finds herself dead.

Martha is met by a Being, who is charged with bringing Martha “home.” Gladys is from a soul group, a team. No way is Martha going anywhere until she solves her own murder, so Gladys is a good sport and stays to help, too. Solving the murder involves lots of surreptitious spying on family members. “Martha and Gladys, cloaked as orbs of light, took up their spots in the drapes.”

Martha and Gladys are a hilarious team, but you will also be laughing at the antics of the family members. Most of the mystery tropes are here- the son who has married beneath him, the relatives who scheme for more money, the grandson who is a non-working Creative, and the hard-working grandson who loves his Grandmother. One of my favorites, was Vanessa, who appears to be a dim klutz, but who ends up being the most loving and perceptive. There are also the typical detectives. All the characters are given fresh and vibrant roles in Ms. Mackay’s care and they add to the enjoyment of the book. There is a hilarious scene in a walk-in closet. And just as I was thinking that this seemed to be a classic Agatha Christie story, one of the characters said that!

In addition to the humor and fun of trying to solve this mystery, we are also given some life lessons. Thanks to Gladys, Martha gets to review scenes from her past and she learns from these visions.

The mystery is solved in a satisfying manner, mostly due to Martha’s efforts to assist the detective. “Martha if that’s you can you bob up and down?” (that line still makes me laugh.) And at the end, Martha is given a new name to replace her title of “Mother”.

Gladys ends the book with the best line of all, “Sheesh! That’s all it took?”

The author explains that this novel is a work of Visionary Fiction. VF enlightens and encourages readers to expand their awareness of greater possibilities. “Love and hope are there, ready for anyone who will accept them.”

I know you will love this book as much as I did. Author MacKay- we want more Martha and Gladys.

 

I am delighted to introduce you to a wonderful writer and person.

 

Ghosts, spirits and things that go bump in the night. Ancient mysteries and the riddles of our vast universe. Questions – lots of fascinating questions about the reality of our cosmos. Are there other dimensions or planes of existence? Are they inhabited? Do our parallel universes ever converge? Angels, Spirit Guides. Are they real? Can we communicate with them? What about other entities such as the Fae, Unicorns, or Dragons? Could they exist? What happens when we die? Has the soul that inhabits our body been here before? Why would we come back? What about animals? What happens to them when they die?

These questions have led me on a journey of investigating Christian Mysticism, Yogic Spirituality, Native Theology, Wicca, Celtic Shamanism, Quantum Physics, the Realm of the Fae and many other related topics.

Using my studies to draw on, I weave tales of Visionary Fiction for both children and adults. Whether nine or ninety, I hope readers will join me in exploring alternate paradigms about life and the after-life experience.

Maighread MacKay is the pen name of Margaret Hefferman, a Canadian author and visual artist from Durham Region in Ontario. She is a member of the Writer’s Community of Durham Region (WCDR), the VFA (Visionary Fiction Alliance) and SINC (Sisters in Crime) Toronto Chapter

You will enjoy getting to know Maighread:

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I knew we would all like to learn more from Maighread, so she graciously are to answer some questions.

Maighread, please tell us more about Visionary Fiction.

The definition of Visionary Fiction that I have been given is:

Besides telling a good story, VF enlightens and encourages readers to expand their awareness of greater possibilities. It helps them see the world in a new light and recognize dimensions of reality they commonly ignore.

For example: My novel Stone Cottage deals with reincarnation, past life regression and pre-birth planning. Many people in our western culture aren’t familiar with these concepts. I wanted to present the paradigm in a story format, so that readers could say “Huh. Never thought of it that way”. The novel asks the question “What if you could plan your life before you were born? What could it look like? The book is by no means a definitive answer to the questions, only a way of presenting a theory that might get readers thinking.

There is a website for VF  if anyone would like to learn more.

 

How did you get interested in this fascinating area?

I love learning new things and the universe fascinates me. It is so vast. My heart swells when I contemplate the wonder of the images from the Hubble telescope. They are so beautiful. There has to be more to life than what we’ve been taught. I have lately been studying a tiny bit about Quantum Theory and the premise of parallel universes. Our limited minds have trouble grasping the idea of “eternity”, let alone some of the more advanced proposals put out by modern science, but to me, it’s just so captivating. I try, in my stories, to present some of these ideas in an interesting storyline that intertwines normal, everyday living with a different approach to why we are here and a grander scheme of things.

 

Do you have your own personal “ghost stories or occurrences”?

I have never encountered a ghost yet, but I have talk with a few reputable people that have seen spirits around me and given me messages from them. While being fascinated with the subject of spirits, I am also a very rational and skeptical person. There are a lot of frauds out there and you need to be careful, but I have met a few who were genuine and I was able to get a glimpse of the other side.

 

I don’t have any knowledge of this part of our world- will I ever meet a ghost or spirit? How could I facilitate this?

I haven’t a clue if you’ll meet a spirit or ghost. 😊 If you need to meet them, you will discover that they will find you. I’ve been travelling this road for over 40 years and have met a lot of people who claim a variety of talents. Some are good, some not so good and some just plain wacko, but there’s always been a few that are genuine and can help you discover what it is you need for this life. Maybe meeting a ghost isn’t what would be for your greatest and highest good. The more you search, the more you will learn who you are and what you planned for this life.

 

Gladys was one of my favorite characters from Mother’s. Who is yours?

Gladys is one of my favourite characters, too, as well as Martha. The camaraderie between the two was so much fun to write. I also love Vanessa and the way she comes into her own in the story. I’m such a sucker for the underdog.

 

Please share your plans for future books- I know your readers want more! Me, too!

I am just starting to research a new novel. This time it will be about parallel universes, since that’s what’s got me hooked at the moment. I learned a poem called the Inn of Infinite Dreams that I have loved for years. I’ve wanted to write a story about it for a long time, so I have a few ideas rumbling around in my head. We’ll see.

 

Anything fun you want to share about yourself?

Ah, let’s see. Your readers may be interested to know I was a clown way back when. My husband and I put on children’s magic shows for a few years. He was Jellybean and I was Sonshine at the time. My character was a Mime (it was the only way to shut me up!) and we had a lot of fun. I retired my character, but as we got older, my husband morphed into Santa Claus. That’s just one small slice of our life, but we’ve had a lot of fun.

Thanks so much, Jena, for having me on your blog. I really appreciate it.

My pleasure, Maighread!