Bette Lee Crosby Books In Order

Publication Order of Wyattsville Books

Publication Order of Serendipity Books

Publication Order of Memory House Books

Publication Order of Magnolia Grove Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Bluff Mystery Books

Bette Lee Crosby is am American award-winning author best known for bringing in the wit and charm of the southern story telling traditions into fiction. Crosby was born in Detroit but spent most of her life in many of the Northeast and Southern states. The result of her southern upbringing is an eclectic mix of romance, mystery, humor and a dose of quirky characters to steal the heart of any southern fiction reader. She would study art and become a packaging designer writing copy on the backs of packaging packs. It was while she was working for the packaging company that she discovered her love for writing, even though she had always written since she was child. After writing for her design company for years, she quit the packaging company to concentrate on fiction writing. Storytelling has always been in her blood as she says the Southern belle in her has always loved storytelling. In fact, she asserts that while her mother was not a writer by any means, she was a very good storyteller and voice makes its way into her novels now and then. Crosby first came to the attention of the literary world when she was the recipient of the National League of American Pen Women Award for a manuscript she had as yet not published. Since that time the author has gone on to win numerous awards for her series of novels that include Memory House, Wyattsville, and Serendipity. The novels have won the Readers View Southeast Fiction Literary Award in 2010, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal, three time Royal Palm Literary Awards, and the NLAPW award among others.

Betty Lee Crosby took quite a while before she got started with publishing her works. Just like many of her contemporaries, she has the obligatory several unpublished manuscripts in her desk drawer. She was a fan of the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz and would write her first mystery manuscript twelve years before finding success with her debut novel “The Twelfth Child”. She never loved the story but it showed her that mystery writing was not her forte, which led to several more years of trying to find her voice. She would find it when she learnt that she was very good at understanding the emotions of persons, rather than describing their outward dispositions. Her first ever southern was a novel called “Beneath the Snow” that was accepted by an agent but was never published. With a little more manuscripts under her belt she finally got the first in the Serendipity series “The Twelfth Child” published by Publish America. However, disagreements over pricing led to Crosby publishing the novel as an eBook and the rest is history. The novel sold over 42000 copies on its first day on Amazon Kindle and became a USA today bestseller. She credits the success of her novels to people falling in love with her delightful characters, particularly the boy in the first novel. Fans could not get enough of him and asked that she release another novel, which led to the series.

Bette Crosby Lee’s novels are intriguing works with incredible twists and turns that would make for awesome reads for anyone that loves the mystery, romance, danger, tears, laughs, deceit, drama, faith, and crisis of the southern female. Her characters reach out to touch the reader, making one feel as if they have known them for years. Reading the novels there is a feeling that you could pop into the lives of the leads and have a cup of coffee with them. What makes these characters so relatable is that they are not perfect rather they start out being very flawed and in the course of bonding with others in their lives, they attain a sense of family. However, there are some of the characters that fail to grow for the better. Each book comes with at least two nasty characters that are greedy, selfish, and mean. These exhibit their actions so viciously as to leave the reader breathless at the extent of their wickedness. Expect novels full of heartfelt emotion that will have you enthralled right from the first page to the last of each novel.

“The Twelfth Child” is the first novel in the Serendipity series of novels that showcase Bette’s ability to put the reader right in the middle of her characters’ lives. Trust friendship and love are things that Abigail Lannigan has been looking for all her life. Now that she is aging, she has teamed up with free spirited girl and total stranger that moved across the street from her. It is an unlikely friendship, which soon runs into headwinds when a lot of money goes missing. A distant relative of Abigail has made the sensational claim that Abigail has been involved in high stakes money laundering, possibly influenced by her new mysterious friend. A million dollars is a lot of money, particularly during such a turbulent period as the great depression. Exploring the relationships between the members of a prominent Shenandoah Valley family, it is a great story full of tenderness, humor, and emotion.

“Previously Loved Treasures”, the second novel in the Serendipity series is a heartwarming mystery full of magic and imagination. The lead character in the series is Ida Sweetwater, a recently widowed woman who is struggling to survive the economics of single hood. With little money coming in, Ida is forced to convert her home into a boarding house though, she first needs to find the furniture. Her search for furniture leads her to Peter Pennington and his small Previously Loved Treasures shop. The proprietor is a man with a knack for anticipating his client’s needs. In addition to selling second hand wares, Pennington also provides age-old advice. When the watch of one of the small town’s residents is stolen, he warns of impending danger and asks Ida’s granddaughter to be more wary, but the headstrong girl will have none of it. The novel is a well-told story that showcases the best of Crosby’s quirky albeit heartwarming characters who have live according to the pay it forward philosophy.

One Response to “Bette Lee Crosby”

1. Matt Zito: 1 year ago

   Betty,so nice 2 c your friend request recently.Your success with your publications does not surprise me.u have chased a dream with success, congratulations. Say hello 2 Dick & hopefully some day we can rekindle our old friendship, stay well & hope 2 hear from u ,your friend ,Matt

   Reply