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Maureen McMahon
Maureen McMahon
"If you like Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, this author is for you!"
Maureen McMahon is a teacher, mother, wife, lover of animals, lover of the sea, sunshine and wide-open spaces, but first and foremost a lover of writing. "I have been pursuing that passion all of my life," says Maureen, who left Michigan to marry the love of her life and reside in Australia. "I graduated from Niles High in 1970 (go Vikings!) and went on to study for teaching certification at Western Michigan University, graduating in 1973 with an English Major/Creative Writing Emphasis and an Elementary Education minor. I am currently certified in both Australia and the U.S., and have taught creative writing locally, via my website and for Writer's Digest's online school, Writer's Online Workshops."
When Suzanna Dirkston, daughter of wealthy shipping tycoon Leopald Dirkston, is told her father is dead, only she believes it cannot have been an accident. Reluctantly forced to return to the family homestead, Beacon, a huge, ostentatious mansion set high atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, Suzanna is quick to sense the air of mystery and intrigue that hangs over the house and its inhabitants.
But her first shock comes when she discovers that her father, true to form, is still trying to manipulate her life even from the grave. His will stipulates that she must marry Grant Fenton, the dark, handsome, brooding man Leo rescued as a child from poverty and groomed to replace him at Dirkston Shipping. If she does not accede to the conditions of the will, Suzanna, her half-brother Colin, Colin's wife, Alicia, and Grant will be left penniless.
As if this is not enough she is suddenly plagued by strange dreams, mysterious apparitions and ghostly visitations. Suzanna begins to fear not only for her sanity, but for her life as she unravels bit by bit the gruesome reality that lies hidden amid the shadows in the mist.
A NIGHTINGALE IN THE SYCAMORE:
Despite the flasher, the marching band and Uncle Frank's unexpected dousing in the duck pond, could it still be The Perfect Wedding? Is old Emaline really as forgetful as she seems, or is she fully aware of the Legacy she will be leaving behind? When bigoted George Barker refuses to accept his new neighbor, what is the catalyst that triggers The Battle Of Bell Boulevard? What fate awaits such Star Crossed lovers as the iguana and the mermaid? Will Bridgette ever overcome her weight problem -- and what tragedy of fate is in store for her? What arrangement will The Devil and Beano McDuff come to in order to win Shady Grove Rest Home's beanbag tossing championship? Read these stories and many more in A Nightingale In The Sycamore. Humor, intrigue, romance, inspiration ... author Maureen McMahon provides it all in this fine collection of short fiction.
Includes Joey, winner of the Publisher's Choice Award
Futures Magazine, June/July 2001
Stacey Christian unexpectedly runs into her ex-boyfriend, Peter Mansfield, while touring Ireland. They join forces to help solve the puzzles surrounding Lady Katherine O'Flannery, Peter's formidable great-aunt.
Finding herself implacably installed in Katherine's eerie castle, referred to by the locals as Faoilenn Màrrach (Gull Castle), Stacey becomes obsessed with the castle's disturbing legends - legends of suicide, desertion, embezzlement and revenge that culminate in dark mysteries and ghostly hauntings.
Skepticism quickly turns to shock and finally terror as Stacey and Peter come face to face with a reality that neither could ever have imagined.
"I'm a fan of gothics - especially if they stand above the crowd in the genre - and RETURN OF THE GULLS certainly does that. Well fleshed, interesting characters, all with quirks and warts, a truly evil antagonist, a legend that comes to life, and a plot that meanders, twists, curls back on itself, and refuses to allow the reader a chance to escape.
"Mary Stewart mentored Ms. McMahon, at least in spirit, and this book shows how apt a pupil the author has proven herself to be."
Review for: CRESCENT BLUES
Rating: Four out of four crescents
Reviewer: Patricia Lucas White
Romance, mystery, danger and paranormal encounters...authors Kim Cox, Elizabeth Delisi, Chris Grover, Elaine Hopper, Maureen McMahon, and Sheryl Hames Torres provide them all in this intriguing collection of holiday magic entitled ENCHANTED HOLIDAYS:
In GHOSTS OF AULD LANG SYNE, Stacey Christian and Peter Mansfield, super sleuths from RETURN OF THE GULLS, reunite to celebrate New Year with friends at a remote New England homestead. Are the incidents that befall the guests only accidents, and why does the specter of a young woman walk the halls?
In FATE'S LITTLE TRICK, can Gemma McKenzie Fuller learn from a troubled child that you can go back again, or will she have to suffer yet another Christmastime loss?
Can psychic Lottie Baldwin, the MISTLETOE MEDIUM, and the handsome new man in her life pool their talents and solve the mystery before the bandit strikes again?
Will Lana Malloy solve the twenty-year-old double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt's fiancé by Valentine's Day? If she can, they'll spend eternity together; if she can't, they'll be stuck as HAUNTED HEARTS for another year.
When a stranger and a stray cat appear at VALENTINE'S INN one cold February morning, will Rianna Gordon realize it's the past that holds the key to her happiness?
Is the CURSE OF SETH just a legend? Four years after breaking her heart, Zane Ryan is back and determined to protect Alexis Hart from the 3,000 year old mummy who has designs on her and the future of all mankind.
© Copyright 2003
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ONE TOUCH BEYOND an anthology of five paranormal novellas by Maureen McMahon, Elizabeth Delisi, Sheryl Hames Torres, Kim Cox and Chris Grover
In 'NEATH HALLOWED HALLS AND IVIED WALLS, Maureen McMahon:
brings Stacey Christian and Peter Mansfield together again to attend the funeral of their beloved Harvard history professor, Bertram Donelson. Stacey’s emotional stint as a reporter in Afghanistan, and Peter’s exhausting high-profile business takeover, make them even more vulnerable to the chemistry that’s always been between them.
Little do they know their old Alma Mater holds an evil and deadly secret that will propel them into a whirlwind of ghostly, shocking and even deadly experiences. Will this adventure be enough to finally bring their love to fruition?
NEW RELEASE!!
