Muriel Ellis Pritchett
Women's Fiction & Young Adult Author
DROWNING DAYS
Luke is the coolest sixth grader at Benjamin Wright Middle School. But when his dad dies unexpectedly – leaving the family penniless – his world is turned upside down.
Forced to move with his family to Grandma’s house on Blackbeard Creek in the marsh, Luke must adjust to a strange, new life on the Georgia coast. In addition to the stress of being the new kid in school, Luke finds himself constantly teased and bullied by his mean cousin Buck.
Just when he thinks life can’t get much worse, Luke almost drowns on a cold, moonless night while mullet jumping. Then, after Luke and Buck get into a fight on the school bus, their principal takes them to his primitive island for the weekend to work out their issues.
Unfortunately, the boys and their principal get kidnapped by wild-hog-poaching pirates. Luke and Buck know their families can’t afford to pay any amount of ransom money. Will they be able to set aside their differences long enough to save themselves and their principal, and escape from Little Pirates Island?
PURCHASE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Black Rose Writing
“Sweet coming-of-age story of middle schooler Luke having to cope with his father’s sudden death, moving to his grandmother’s, and trying to fit in at a new school. This was an easy read with some good moral lessons.”
“What a fantastic survival book! When Luke’s dad dies, his family is forced to move to Georgia to live with their grandmother because they have no money. Unfortunately, there are two mean bullying cousins Butch and Buck that make the move even worse. When the principal of the school asks Luke and Buck to help him paint his house on a remote island for money, both boys reluctantly agree. Little do they realize what they’re in for. Wild hog poachers grab and tie up the principal. When the boys try to find where their principal went, they are bound and gagged and put in a shed. They hear the men say they will demand a ransom for them. What happens now? Will they be able to escape? ”
“Sweet coming-of-age story of middle schooler Luke having to cope with his father’s sudden death, moving to his grandmother’s, and trying to fit in at a new school. This was an easy read with some good moral lessons.”
“Drowning Days gets top marks as a brilliantly written adventure novel that deals with difficult topics for middle-graders.”
SOUR GRAPES AND BALMY KNIGHT
After a debilitating stroke, Balmy Knight moves in with her daughter’s family. As she begins to recover her health, she misses her independence. Finding her days full of tedious boredom, Balmy uses mischievous antics to add excitement to her life. Her only joy comes from disobeying her daughter’s rules, aggravating her son-in-law, and feeding buttermilk biscuits to Jake, the homeless guy who lives in a cardboard box.
Life becomes complicated when Balmy’s old friend, Sunny Day – from her Broadway-performing days in the Sixties – arrives from Hollywood and invites her to share her luxury apartment in a high-rise retirement community. When her daughter forbids it, Balmy and Sunny plot to change her mind.
After a visit to the Villas at Kensington Grove, Balmy’s daughter realizes it would be the perfect place for her mother to live out her golden years. At the Villas, Balmy is wooed by a charming, rich British gentleman, who still has all his hair and teeth. But Balmy’s heart longs for the mysterious Jake, who has vanished – along with his cardboard box.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Black Rose Writing
“The storyline kept me glued to my Kindle through the whole book! I definitely recommend reading this book! It’s well worth reading! ”
“Muriel Pritchett is back with a cast of delightfully eccentric, imperfect, impulsive characters who reside in The Villas – the perfect place to live out those golden years. Living in a retirement community with these characters would be endlessly entertaining. ”
“A fun read! Alabama and Sunny are a delight. Sunny is the best friend you want to have when you retire. While this isn’t the normal genre I read—I found it super fun. Who doesn’t adore feisty women?”
“I liked Alabama claiming her life back and demanding respect. Although the cover photo didn’t match my conception of the character it does let the reader know she has a choice to make in the romance department and I was happy with her choice. Entertaining and delightful reading.”
“Life doesn’t end because one enters a retirement community, especially for the characters in this latest novel by Ms. Pritchett. A fun story ab life and problems of the elderly and not so elderly retired community. Will keep you wondering what happens next to thus fun loving, adventurous group of retirees. ”
“What a great book. I am new to this genre, coming from Horror I stumbled on this book and now I’m hooked on these darling books that are are so fun and absolutely make me want to join these wonderful ladies and their escapades”
NOT MYSELF TODAY
East Lake High School soccer star Lindsey Anderson was at the top of her game with graduation approaching and a full-ride soccer scholarship offer in her hand. But after kicking the winning goal for the state soccer championship, she drops dead on the field and wakes up in the body of Annabeth Shepherd, a teenage sex trafficking victim. No one believes who she really is. Not even her dad or her BFF.
Lindsey frantically searches for her own body to get her life back before graduation day. Unfortunately, her efforts are complicated by three things: She is being chased by a murderous, drug-dealing pimp, who wants back the money Annabeth stole from him; a group of “ghostbuster” parapsychologists from Los Angeles have arrived in town to dissect her; and her dad had her body cremated.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Black Rose Writing
“I absolutely loved this book. I stayed up late to read it until it was finished. I really loved the characters and found my heart bleeding throughout the story. I was very invested in the journey of the characters and found it very informative and touched on some very risky topics. A lovely read.”
“This was an interesting twist on the body-swapping theme, with the main character waking up in the body of a sex trafficking victim. . . . I’m guessing (hoping) that there is going to be a sequel. Overall, I thought this was a good book and one that I’d consider ordering for my HS library.”
“Not Myself Today is a unique and interesting story that discusses sex trafficking. Not Myself Today is emotional and thrilling with a lot of action. Not Myself Today is like a mix of a thriller and Freaky Friday. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Not Myself Today. I was pulled in from the beginning. The book discusses an important issue, sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is not the main plot of the story, so it is brought up in a way that is not overwhelming but enough to get the point across how serious of an issue it is in the United States.”
“I couldn’t stop reading this and finished it in one day! The story was very captivating and I loved it. I liked how it dealt with issues like sex trafficking and grief. I would definitely recommend reading this book.”
“Not Myself Today is a book that should be in every high school library. Despite the supernatural elements, it touches on and covers subjects that are very relevant to society today.”
“I was drawn in by the cover because this is obviously a person with some angst going on in her life. But when I read the synopsis I knew I had to give it a shot. I love the premise behind the story and you never know, right? . . . All I can say is that I enjoyed it and if anyone ever comes up to me and says they are someone I used to know in another body but can back it up, I am totally going to believe them.”
ROTTEN BANANAS & THE EMERALD DREAM
After Carolina retires from the university, she settles into her perfect life at the Villas with a multitude of activities, seven days a week. When she tires of bridge and bingo, she always has a new Mrs. Craycraft Super Agent book to read. But soon Carolina feels something is missing in her perfect life – adventure, excitement, and romance. She believes a Caribbean cruise onboard the Emerald Dream will provide that.
Once onboard the ship, Carolina and her two friends cross paths with a stowaway, a hunky spy, a smuggling ring, assassins, and kidnappers. As their fears are brushed aside by authorities, the women do not know who they can trust. Everyone – from Mr. Hunky Spy to Mr. Boring Officer – is suspect. In every island port, they search for evidence to prove they’re not batty old women, while trying not to meet an untimely end in the process.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Black Rose Writing
“In ROTTEN BANANAS AND THE EMERALD DREAM by Muriel Ellis Pritchett, three elderly women travel on an ill-fated vacation cruise in a story that contains humor and intrigue.”
“I loved Rotten Bananas and the Emerald Dream. Adventure, humor, and a little romance with three delightful older ladies who prove that you’re never too old for adventures or romance! Carolina Cunningham is a feisty, smart heroine I’d like to meet. Congratulations, Muriel!”
“Rotten Bananas is a snappy read with characters that one would imagine exist in retirement communities, not too far from a movie called The Bucket List.”
MAKING LEMONADE
On her 50th birthday, Missouri Rothman did not get the Tahiti vacation she dreamed of or the surprise birthday party she expected. Instead, a university student totaled her car, her boss – after 16 years of loyal and excellent service – gave her a letter of termination, and her professor husband of 32 years asked for a divorce so he could marry his post-doc student with the 18-inch waist and perky boobs. Half a century old, jobless, and with only a high school diploma, Missouri must take the lemons that life has thrown her and make the best lemonade ever – even if it means traveling to Italy alone to do it.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Black Rose Writing
“A breezy read that centers on wish fulfillment.”
“An easy read, with a wonderful life affirming storyline for women of a certain age. Life doesn’t stop at 50 it just begins.”
“MAKING LEMONADE treads familiar waters, but its resonant theme makes it an inspiring read. An earnest and honest portrayal of heartbreak and the journey towards wholeness.”
“It was a lovely read, showing age is just a number and the power it has over us is what we let it have in the first place.”
LIKE PEACHES AND PICKLES
The university's selection committee nominates Georgia Davis to become their first woman vice president -- a job she's coveted for more than a quarter century. But the university's new president, Paul Van Horne, sours her plans by ignoring the committee and hiring Carl Overstreet, his old college buddy instead. In spite of her outrage and better judgment, Georgia begins having romantic feelings for the despicable scoundrel who is now her boss -- at least until he fires her. But Van Horne and Overstreet soon learn that a Southern peach like Georgia does not go quietly into the compost bin. And Georgia discovers that revenge can taste as sweet as romance. Like Peaches and Pickles -- a deliciously wicked story -- will make you laugh, love and cheer for one Southern peach with a pit of steel.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Black Rose Writing
“An enjoyable university tale for readers who appreciate an older heroine, drama, and romance.”
“I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great drama in a professional setting with a hint of romance.”
“LIKE PEACHES AND PICKLES offers the reader a heroine with grace, gumption, and brains, who finds her way out of a difficult position with satisfying aplomb.”
“I liked the strong female characters that didn’t back down. It is a great novel to show women that you can get positions just as easily as men and to not back down when being pushed into corners.”
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”