My Books

Sea-Devil: A Delilah Duffy Mystery Book 1

You never get over your first love...how about your first murder? When a man is murdered in her bookstore the night before her grand opening, island newcomer, Delilah Duffy, makes a name for herself as prime suspect. If Delilah Duffy hopes to create a life on the island, she must navigate through a vicious family feud, shoddy police work and the mistakes of her past. Will Delilah uncover the truth before her past and her present destroy her?

Luna-Sea: A Delilah Duffy Mystery Book 2

We're all just one pain away from lunacy. A seaside inn. An elegant party. A black dress. What could go wrong? For Delilah Duffy, just about anything. With her bookstore failing, the last thing she needs is a party or another mystery to solve. With nightmares, anxiety, and panic intensifying, Delilah doesn’t know what’s real and what’s in her head. With everything at risk, Delilah discovers what’s worse… becoming a lunatic or facing one.

Sea-Crossed: A Delilah Duffy Mystery Book 3

Some secrets are kept to be kind. Torture, pain, misery - that’s all someone else wants for her. When a dinner party turns deadly, Sam goes missing, and Delilah realizes she's being watched, the “book queen with a thing for crime scenes” must battle to get her life and love back. Can love and determination save them or will dark secrets ruin her chances for a normal life? With mysterious messages taunting her and a killer eluding her, what lines will she cross to get to the truth?

Pyra-Sea: A Delilah Duffy Mystery Book 4

Everything can change in seconds. Bookstore manager and crime-solver, Delilah Duffy knows that better than anyone. When her Happily Ever After Valentine’s Day Bash ends in fiery destruction, everything she’s worked for burns with it. Pregnant and brokenhearted, Delilah fans the flames of her anger toward what she’s good at: solving crimes. Hot on the trail of an arsonist while her nemesis is on hers, Delilah fights to get her life back. Will she turn ash to treasure before the pyromaniac strikes

My Vella Story

Water World

After a tough move with his Mom and sister from his beloved country home, Ethan isn't adjusting well to city life. In trying to escape his problems in this world, he opens another, dropping him and his sister, Abby, into Water World. This trip is no vacation, not with legendary monsters and deadly sea creatures to battle. But teaming up to help the merpeople through their home-related crisis might help Ethan and Abby navigate theirs, if they survive long enough to make it home.

Jessica Sherry
- Feb 26, 2020
- 1 min read

15+ Romantic Gift Fails for Story Ideas

Valentine’s Day got my crazy-writer-brain thinking about romantic gifts and how, oh so often, they can go wrong. Whether its V-day, Christmas, a birthday, anniversary, whatever, these are gifts that maybe shouldn’t be given—unless specifically asked for, of course. In fiction, a romantic gift fail could drive the plot forward in a telling and amusing way—it’d say to the audience, hey, this guy, gal, or robot isn’t right for the main character. Here are some not-so-great, unasked-for gift ideas:

A treadmill—a co-worker received one for her birthday from her husband and it did not go well for him
A kitchen aid mixer, unless of course, your significant other is into baking. Otherwise, it’s a not-so-gentle shove into the kitchen
A cookbook, another shove into the kitchen, again, unless they enjoy it
Wrinkle creams, duh
Hair regrowth treatments
Subscription to Jennie Craig or Nutrisystem or the like
Recycled jewelry—this can be sweet, like a family heirloom, or creepy, like jewelry that used to belong to other girlfriends/boyfriends or bought from a pawn shop, making it a badge of a failed relationship
Spanx
A gym membership
House cleaning supplies
Anxiety teas, pills, gummies, etc.
Products for excessive sweating
Awkward self-help books
Anti-snoring products
A framed picture of the gift giver--without you; kind of cocky, right?
The same gift over and over again showing a minimal amount of thought, effort, creativity
Really, anything that says to the person, you need to change