Maris Matherly-Reed, senior fiction editor of her family’s publishing house, receives a captivating prologue from an individual who identifies himself only as P. M. E. Intrigued by the writing style and the promise of a good story, Maris traces the pseudonymous writer to a remote sea island off the coast of Georgia where he lives in semi-seclusion . . . for reasons which become obvious to her.
Indisputably talented, Parker Evans is also the most complex and contrary individual Maris has ever dealt with. He is mysteriously reluctant to continue writing his book despite Maris’s virtual promise of a contract upon its completion.
This presents Maris with a challenging opportunity she can’t resist: working hands-on with an incredibly talented author during the crafting of his novel. Parker requires constant prodding, yet he’s driven by demons that Maris can’t identify.
Parker’s writing entrances her. His island home beguiles her. Parker himself is terribly seductive.
Of course, not all is as it seems.
Parker hadn’t sent his partial manuscript to Maris Matherly-Reed by random selection. As the plot of Parker’s novel unfolds — which, coincidentally, is also entitled ENVY – so does his plot for revenge against Maris’s husband, the suave, debonair, and duplicitous Noah Reed.
Inevitably these two storylines are destined to intersect.
BEHIND THE BOOK WITH SANDRA BROWN: Frequently I’m asked where I get the ideas for my books. Whether referring to a specific story, or my body of work, readers want to know what sparks the ideas. I’ve sometimes answered that if I knew the source of the ideas, that’s what I’d sell.
That’s an obnoxiously coy reply, but I say it with absolutely no smugness. Truthfully, I rarely know where the idea for a story comes from. Ordinarily it just emerges from somewhere deep within my subconscious.
With ENVY, however, I can honestly say that I know who inspired the story. You did.
Readers, including myself, especially myself, are curious about the authors who write the books they read and enjoy. So I decided to write a book about writers. It’s fiction. Nevertheless, as I worked on the manuscript, it was amazing to me how much I revealed about the psyche of a writer, particularly a novelist. One character in the book describes us as “a gloomy bunch, for the most part.” He’s probably right. But there are moments of transient joy, which make the terminal torment worthwhile.
