It’s good to change things up every once in a while – as much as I love writing fantasy adventures, sometimes it’s nice to write a character-driven tale. That’s where Caly comes in for me. She’s all about fixing some bad karma from her shady past as a con artist – but she’s not sunshine and roses. While Ari might usually believe in the best possible outcome, Caly’s more inclined to hedge her bets.
The Fortunes series takes place in one of my favorite places in the world, Salem, Massachusetts. As a North Shore girl, I wanted to pay homage to the fun and quirky vibe of that town. I love going there, no matter the time of year! I do admit that I tend to steer clear during October, though – crowds aren’t really my thing.
This series allowed me to combine several things I’m interested in. In addition to the location, I centered the first two stories around art. I’ll confess, the third one will touch on that as well – but after that, Caly might have some new clients to help.
I’m also impressed by good tarot card readers. Growing up, my mom had a friend who read cards – and she was scary accurate at times. Intuition is something that I always listen to; if I have a feeling about something, it’s hard to get me to change my mind. I think we listen to our intuition more than we’d care to admit – so Caly owns it for all of us!
These are light, fun mysteries along the lines of the TV show Leverage. Caly’s a con artist using her shady skills to help people who need a way out that doesn’t involve the police. Her supporting characters are ordinary people, but every once in a while, Ari walks by her on the street, or Caly stands in line to get coffee behind Gray. I think the fantastic and the mundane exist side by side – both in real life and fiction. That’s the only connection between the two series (except for a walk-on by another character which I can’t mention because it might be a spoiler). This is a fast-talking, heist crime sort of series, and I love crafting the adventures of yet another smart, strong heroine who’s not a young adult.
For subscribers to my email list, you might see a survey asking if you want to beta read for one series or the other (or both!). The beauty of multiple series means there are choices – and some days it’s nice to escape into magic, and others, it’s nice to get snarky just because I can.
R. Leonia Shea 