Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest’s
2025 Hugh Holton Award
for an unpublished manuscript
Sixty-something Ellen Sesso, author of the senior sex blog Forever 69, is bludgeoned by an unseen assailant during her own party, revealing an uncomfortable truth: a friend wants her dead.
Featuring an ensemble cast and peppered with Ellen’s blog posts, think SEX AND THE CITY meets THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB.
At her annual harvest party, somebody bludgeons Ellen and leaves her in a coma. The only clue is an unfinished text: “Tom.”
Unfortunately (or fortunately, darling, as Ellen might beg to differ) she has a lot of Toms in her life: her scoundrel of an ex-husband, a tantalizing married friend, and the police chief who privately pines for her.
But Ellen’s love life is only half the story. She’s uncovered a secret in the town’s history that somebody is willing to kill to keep buried. When she awakens with no memory of who attacked her, every new revelation brings the investigation closer to the truth—and gives the killer one more reason to finish the job.
FOREVER 69 is a 72,000-word upmarket mystery about having the courage to tell the truth and knowing you’re never too old to live—and love—how you choose.
Currently seeking representation.