Marlene M. Bell Weaves Romantic Mystery and Sheep Into Enthralling Novels

Championing The Art Of Storytelling

Marlene M. Bell masterfully blends mystery, romance, and deeply personal experiences to craft award-winning novels and children’s books, all enriched by her artistry, photography, and passion for sheep.

There are few authors whose creativity spans across such diverse genres and art forms with the seamless grace of Marlene M. Bell. A masterful storyteller, she has garnered accolades for her Annalisse series of romantic mysteries, which consistently capture the imagination with their international intrigue, dynamic suspense, and powerful emotional depth. Bell’s beautifully detailed prose reflects her rich background as an artist and photographer, painting scenes so vivid they immerse readers completely in her intricately woven narratives. Her love for antiquities, history, and compelling characters shines through in every twist and turn of her stories.

But Bell’s versatility doesn’t stop there. From thrilling mysteries to heartfelt children’s books, she knows how to engage readers of all ages. Her award-winning children’s book, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team, is a heartwarming true story inspired by her own experiences raising sheep on her picturesque East Texas ranch. It’s impossible not to be captivated by the sense of love and loyalty that infuses this tale, much like the life she shares with her woolly companions.

Marlene’s work, whether set against the backdrop of New Zealand’s breathtaking landscapes or the small-town charm of rural East Texas, merges her personal passions with rich, evocative storytelling. With her ability to balance suspense, romance, history, and culture, she creates worlds where readers lose themselves while forming deep emotional connections to her characters. In this exclusive interview, Marlene shares the inspirations, challenges, and personal experiences behind her writing journey, providing a glimpse into the heart and mind of one of today’s most multifaceted storytellers. Prepare to be inspired.

What inspired you to include sheep as characters or subject matter in your books? 

It’s easier to “write what you know.” With each new series installment or standalone mystery, there is always a fair amount of research involved for subject matter I’m unfamiliar with, such as describing countries I haven’t visited. Raising livestock for over forty years has become second-nature for me, and I make sure that my protagonists have a soft spot for sheep because that life is a part of me. In Annalisse series book #4, Copper Waters, I had the opportunity to add a little about sheep husbandry in the story due to the New Zealand location and its lovely environment.

How has your experience as an artist and photographer influenced your writing style? 

My artistic abilities have made me a better writer, I think. I adore painting visual pictures in text for my readers by placing each person in the chapter. Deep descriptions of the surroundings and sometimes relying on sensory details make the reading experience more enjoyable. Taking local photographs and looking at photos from seaside locations, as an example, help to portray a sense of what my characters see, and how they feel in these scenes.  

Can you share a behind-the-scenes story about writing “Copper Waters”?

During the drafting of Copper Waters, I recalled an event from a personal experience while innocently working around the Suffolk stud ram on our ranch. This near-miss incident helped me craft one of the casualties near the barn in Copper Waters. My husband’s warning, “never turn your back on a ram” was the basis for the scene with the ranch manager in this novel.

My experience: While trimming trees from inside the pasture where the sheep were grazing, I had my back to the sheep and forgot about our ram in the group. Rams are especially territorial during breeding season. By the time I realized Zeus the ram was stalking me, he was mid-stride, charging my wheelbarrow. When I turned to face him, I was forced to run backward pulling a wheelbarrow heavy in foliage. My boot heel caught a divot in the ground, and down I went. I remember looking up at Zeus towering over me. My husband intervened and managed to distract the ram so that I could stand and leave the paddock. For the ranch manager in Copper Waters, a disaster occurs.

What’s the most challenging aspect of blending mystery with romance in the Annalisse series?

The biggest challenge is setting up a realistic scene for the reader. I ask myself if Annalisse and Alec’s romantic encounters are believable during the constant peril they face from multiple villains. Will some readers consider scenes too far-fetched and keep reading anyway? My goal is to balance it all. Writing international adventures while offsetting a love story element, is tricky business. Blending multiple genres in the Annalisse series takes more thought than a standalone mystery with one focus. Even though my novels are fiction, the reader has to believe the stories are plausible.  

How did true events from your sheep ranch shape “Mia and Nattie: One Great Team!”?

Raising a lamb in the home has happened only once in our long career with sheep. Natalie was special and almost human because we raised her away from the flock. The day she had to go out with them was as hard on us as it was for her. Because Natalie was born so tiny, and we had zero success bottle-feeding lambs that small previously, my husband wasn’t convinced she would survive. Nattie had the will to live, and in my opinion, that saved her. From a three-pound miracle of survival, she had a special place to wander around the home for thirteen years. Mia and Nattie One Great Team portrays me as Mia, Nattie as herself, and the difficult grandmother in the story is my husband—who had to come around in the end and see things from my point of view. The children’s book is our true story in every respect.

What led you to write a standalone cozy mystery like “A Hush at Midnight”?

The challenge of trying something else. Following Copper Waters, I thought a standalone mystery might be a nice break from a whirlwind series installment. Still crime and still a mystery, but with no gory details and less romance. Cozies also move more slowly. Now that I’ve written A Hush at Midnight, my series readers seem to be on the fence about the genre after reading the faster moving Annalisse series. Although A Hush at Midnight has won many book awards, I prefer the faster pacing of the chase.

How do you balance suspense and character development in your romantic mystery novels?

Similarly to the balancing act of romance and mystery. I try to write a believable story while having each character be true to themselves. The suspenseful story comes naturally, if I’ve plotted the outline well. My characters tend to speak to me or guide me as I write, which helps.

What inspired you to create the cursed jewelry storyline in “Stolen Obsession”?

Stolen Obsession has actual historical elements in it. Because I’m an avid fan of antiquities and strange history, these things were a must for my first work of fiction. Many relics carry interesting backstories with them. The events I created in book one use real Persian history as the basis for a curse that sends diabolical evil barreling toward my characters.

Can you discuss the process of crafting the small-town secrets in “A Hush at Midnight”?

Secrets come naturally when one has a creative mind. I tend to write what’s familiar to me, and find it enjoyable to add a few quirky elements of personal stories to craft my novels. Living in small towns throughout California to East Texas where Hush takes place, rural community personalities come alive in A Hush at Midnight because of the generosity and uniqueness of native Texans.

How do real locations and cultures influence the exotic settings in your stories?

As a rule, I take small bits of fact and blend it with fiction when writing settings in my novels. I like to use fictitious names for towns, yet leave the general areas intact for countries easy to find on a world map. As in Copper Waters, the Māori culture is prevalent in this story because they are indigenous to the region. I believe that weaving fact with fiction makes for a more interesting and enlightening read.

Marlene M. Bell crafts unputdownable thrillers blending meticulous research, international settings, and sizzling romance. Her Annalisse Series delivers suspense, vivid detail, and intricate mysteries that captivate fans of crime and adventure.

Dive into The Annalisse Series Books 1–4, where international intrigue collides with romance at breakneck pace. Antiquities expert Annalisse Drury and enigmatic Alec Zavos navigate murder, conspiracies, and deadly secrets across New York, Italy, and New Zealand. Twists, thrills, and forbidden sparks keep readers on edge until the unforgettable finales.