Merry Mary
A young woman longing for a child
stumbles upon a Christmas miracle.
Ashley Farley writes books about women for women.
Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues.
Merry Mary
A young woman longing for a child stumbles upon a Christmas miracle.
Investigative journalist Scottie Darden is photographing the homeless for her Lost Souls series when she makes a discovery that could change her life forever. Under a makeshift tent in subzero temperatures in a downtown city park, she finds a woman’s dead body with her infant child. Without her cell phone to call for help, Scottie makes the split-second decision to take the baby home.
Her initial instinct is to provide the baby with food and shelter until her family can be located. But as her fondness for the baby grows, she finds herself facing a life on the run or worse—prison time for abduction. Curl up with Merry Mary this holiday season. A heartwarming story of the powerful connection between a caring soul and an innocent child in need.
Monroe Park,
Richmond Virginia
I recently spent the afternoon at Monroe Park in Richmond, Virginia, the setting for my opening scene in Merry Mary. My protagonist, investigative journalist Scottie Darden spends her spare time bringing food and supplies to the homeless people who live in Monroe Park. In exchange for her generosity, these five unusual friends permit her to take pictures of them for her Lost Souls series. I encountered a number of homeless people on my outing, normal people down on their luck. The experience reminded me of how easy things can go wrong in our lives.
I thought I’d share some of those images with you. While definitely not a snowy day, I hope the photographs will create a vision of the setting in your mind when you read the first chapter of Merry Mary.
Read an Excerpt
Celebrating Mrs. Claus
As a child, I aspired to be just like my mother when I grew up. Especially at Christmas time. She made everything look fun—the cooking and shopping and decorating. She never complained nor acted tired, although I’m sure she was exhausted. I followed her around the...
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The Truth About the Biscuit
A reader recently asked me if I would be willing to share my cheese biscuit recipe from Nell and Lady. If you read the novel, you know the one I’m talking about. When I was growing up, every year at Christmastime, I’d wait with great anticipation for my grandmother’s...
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Fall TBR Giveaway
Before we get to the giveaway, I'd like to share my favorite books of the summer. I LOVED every single one of these. I read more novels during the past three months than I have in several years. And it feels good to be back in the reading saddle. Hildebrand, Frank,...
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Lessons Learned: My Inspiration for Writing Nell and Lady
The idea for Nell and Lady came to me as I stood at the same window on the sixth floor of the medical center in Charleston where Lady waits for Nell in the opening scene of the book. I’ve spent a lot of time at that wall of windows recently, looking out over the boats...
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Beach Read Giveaway
We're celebrating the beginning of summer with a Beach Week Party over on my Facebook Author Page. Hop on over and join the fun. I'm hosting a giveaway in conjunction with the party. Be sure to check out my Beach Reads lists before scrolling to the bottom of the post...
read moreAshley Farley Novels
I love hearing from readers
Consistently at the top of Kindle and Audible bestseller lists for four years, Ashley Farley has built an impressive following in women's fiction for someone who was a “closet writer” until the moment she clicked publish on Amazon. Her self-published books are written about women and for women, with many of her fans being just like her—mothers with grown children who rarely find heroines of the same age depicted in women's fiction. Readers will discover something of themselves through her characters. Her novels promise a dash of romance and a heaping of Southern-style family drama.
