Barbara Cummings

"Books are my passion; but I never thought I’d write one "

Then a friend challenged me—and my latest adventure began. Latest, because in my life I’ve been everything from an editor to my current persona—a professor of literature at our local university. From editing I learned to be terse with words, like Hemingway. From teaching literature I’m constantly exploring why people do what they do. That career path has been a bit peripatetic, I know; but, then, I’m a Gemini. And no Gemini can settle for one thing and one thing only. So I don’t limit myself to writing about one genre. I write everything—from romance to women’s fiction, from young adult comedy to mystery. Thus far I’ve written 18 novels, 15 of which have already been published. One (Prime Time) was honored with Romantic Times Magazine’s Best Glitz Novel award. And the other three? I’m finishing them to send to my agent.

Currently I’m at work on a series of mysteries for Five Star Publishing. Each is set in my home state of Rhode Island in the 1930s and stars two not-so-typical Roman Catholic nuns. Sister Agnes of the Merciful Sisters of Mary is a horror to her Mother Superior. She is not, and never will be, a “good” nun because horror follows Aggie wherever she goes. In the first novel (A Killing on Church Grounds) she discovers a dead body sprawled on top of the convent’s carrot heap. The search for the killer leads Agnes and her friend Sister Winifred on a chase that includes investigating the Rhode Island underworld bosses and trying to dig out a well-hidden enemy who doesn’t hesitate to spill blood in the pursuit of evil. The second book in the series will be on the shelves in late October, 2009. A Killing in Retrospect leads Aggie and Winnie on a simple quest from a favorite student to discover the truth about his mother’s death. It should be simple. The Providence police investigated and deemed the death an automobile accident. But now Sister Agnes is involved. She sees beneath the surface, and discovers that the wife of Rhode Island’s crime boss was murdered! I’ve attached an excerpt from this novel—to whet your interest. After all, Sister Agnes is the only nun with a gun you’re likely to meet. And she serves up great mysteries—and fabulous Rhode Island recipes, too.