Coffee with Virginia

Pull up a chair and pour yourself a cup of coffee. Today, I want to share a first peek at the psychological thriller I’m writing.

For now, we’re calling it The Inheritance. It’s a working title, and the story is still in progress—but I’m ready to let you step inside the mystery.

It begins with an ordinary afternoon at a veterinary clinic. Patience is at her desk when an attorney calls about an inheritance from Aunt Terry.

There’s just one problem: Patience has never heard of Aunt Terry.

The woman knew her, though. And she left very specific instructions.

A house that has been in the family for generations. A file meant only for Patience. And a condition: she must live in the house for one full year to receive the rest of her inheritance.

Then Patience opens a letter from her aunt and finds a request that changes everything:

“I need you to find out who killed me.”

Suddenly, the question isn’t simply whether she wants the house. It’s why she was chosen—and why nobody in her family ever mentioned the woman who left it to her.

That’s the doorway into this story. I’m keeping the later discoveries to myself for now.

Alongside the mystery are the everyday moments that make Patience’s world feel familiar: work, marriage, family dinners, teasing, and laughter. Those ordinary comforts sit beside something increasingly difficult to explain. An old photograph. An unanswered question. The feeling that someone knows more than they’re saying.

I’ll be sharing more here as the manuscript develops: small glimpses, writing updates, and a few questions to keep you guessing. No release date yet—there’s more writing to do.

For now, I’ll leave you with this:

If a relative you’d never heard of left you a house, would you agree to live there for a year to discover what else you’d inherited?

Pull up a chair and tell me in the comments. I’d love to know.

— Virginia