This is so doggone refreshing! In this day of Cozy Mystery authors adopting a pseudonym for each of their various series, New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, rather than adding a new pseudonym to her repertoire, is consolidating most of her various Cozy Mystery series to be under her “Ellery Adams” moniker!
Way back in 2006, J.B. Stanley started writing both the Supper Club and Collectibles mystery series. Her Collectible Mystery Series features Molly Appleby, an antiques magazine reporter. Stanley’s Supper Club Mystery Series quickly became one of my favorites. It features James Henry, an English Lit. professor who gives up his college teaching job to return to Virginia in order to move in with his aging dad. Their relationship was never close in the past, so there are some major adjustments that have to be made for both of these men. James becomes his hometown’s librarian and founds the Flab Five Supper Club. I was drawn to the series because of the dieting theme, but stayed with it because of the characters, settings, mysteries, and writing.
Back to the purpose of this entry!
Three years later, in 2009, Jennifer Stanley began writing the Hope Street Church Mystery Series. This series features Cooper Lee and the Sunrise Bible Study group.
In 2010, the Cozy Mystery arena was introduced to Ellery Adams when she published her first Books by the Bay mystery book. In 2012, the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series premiered, and in 2014 we were treated to Ellery Adams’ Book Retreat Mystery Series.
So, this is where the refreshing thing comes in!
In 2014, Ellery Adams released her Hope Street Church books (which she wrote as Jennifer Stanley), this time changing the books’ titles. She made a point of telling her readers that although the plots are the same, she has edited them so they are “crisper, cleaner, more engaging books.” (She has since then also released a new Hope Street Church mystery, with Elizabeth Lockard.)
The reason I decided to write this entry is that I recently was made aware that as Ellery Adams, she is now releasing all of the books she wrote as J.B. Stanley and Jennifer Stanley. So, for those of you who have been having a difficult time following your favorite Cozy Mystery authors’ pseudonyms, at least some of you are going to be helped in a major way!
