Website for author Vicki Stewart
Hello, fellow book enthusiasts! If you’re anything like me, you’ve exhausted the stack of books you queued up for your summer reading and are still wanting more. I’ve got you. I am excited to announce that My Fortune Lies with You is now available to order on Amazon in both digital and paperback formats!
I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer, hopefully with my new book in hand!
Happy reading!
Vicki
My Fortune Lies with You is in its final editing stages! Fortunately, I was able to submit a draft to the Readers’ Favorite Book Award Contest just before the deadline this year, and I am honored that it received a 5-star review. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Jessica Barbosa for her glowing review.
Reviewed by Jessica Barbosa for Readers’ Favorite
My Fortune Lies with You by Vicki Stewart follows Elise Ashby, a widowed writer with a flair for the romance and mystery genres. Her husband, Jack, passed away unexpectedly because of a brain aneurysm, and her baby boy Noah died of leukemia. It was just her and her daughter, Anna, now, trying to fill the empty spaces of their once four-person home. Their seemingly peaceful days are interrupted when Elise gets a call that prompts an unexpected trip to Whitecliff Manor at Whitby, owned by Jack’s grandfather. There, she discovers many unexpected truths and a mystery that seemingly haunts Jack’s side of the family. As Elise further explores her husband’s old family home, she uncovers secrets she was never meant to find out.
Some memories refused to be buried. Elise Ashby has faced her fair share of tragedies, but I admired the side of her that remained positive and loving despite the unforeseen challenges life presented. My Fortune Lies with You by Vicki Stewart drew me in with its layered mysteries and subtle clues. From the moment Elise received the news to go to Whitecliff Manor, I was gripped with a quiet but persistent need to know what came next. What mysteries or secrets could she uncover while she was there? I was taken on a paranormal adventure that danced on the edge of secrecy and ghosts of a long-forgotten past. This book was a hauntingly delightful read with surprising revelations that kept me on my toes right to the very end! There is a rare kind of magic in a tale that can make you feel at ease one moment and then chill your spine the next. By the final page, I was not only left with goosebumps but also a spark of wonder and mixed feelings of sadness and joy. This is an imaginative book that moved me. Excellent work!
As a young girl, if I wasn’t holed up in my room with my nose buried in a book, I was likely lying on the floor in our living room in front of the television, fixated on a black-and-white science fiction movie. One of those movies left a lasting impression on my memory, about a widowed woman with a young daughter who moved into a house haunted by the former owner. It was the first time I’d ever seen a love story between a human and a ghost, and to this day, it remains at the top of my favorites. That movie was The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, based on a story written by Josephine Leslie.
I recently rewatched the movie after not having seen it for many years, and later that night, while I slept, my mind created a beautiful story of an aristocratic family living on the cliffs of the English coast, fraught with betrayal, murder, and unrequited love. The protagonists from my dream remained in my consciousness in the days that followed, and I began formulating conversations between them. Before long, I had composed a full outline for a new story and written the first two chapters. Inspiration had struck!
I’ve titled the new novel ‘My Fortune Lies with You’ and am dedicating it as an homage to Ms. Leslie in honor of her beautiful story.
Here’s a teaser and a working draft of the book cover to get started!
A father murdered by his brother.
A nephew murdered by his uncle.
A family’s fortune in jewels and gold hidden in a secret burial chamber.
Murder, mystery, and intrigue are all storylines that romance and mystery writer Elise Ashby has incorporated into her novels for years. Imagine her surprise when she discovers those same storylines are historical facts in her late husband’s family legacy, recently passed down to her young daughter, Anna.
After discovering a painting of a descendant named Oliver, who bears a striking resemblance to her late husband, Elise begins dreaming of Oliver, and he tells her his story. A story so startling and unbelievable that she begins to believe the rumors of an Ashby family curse.
In a quandary about whether it’s her vivid imagination or the plausibility of being haunted by a ghost, Elise explores the places Oliver shows her in her dreams, uncovering deadly secrets that the family has kept hidden for generations.