The Nanny Song

January 12, 2022

The Nanny Song

The Nanny Song
by Misty Mount
GENRE: Sweet Romance

A dismal pall hangs over the Colt residence. Since the death of his wife, Brendan Colt has struggled to care for his children, Kason and Meela. Each is lost in their own deep grief, but there is more to this family than meets the eye.

After her tumultuous childhood, Mallory Riscoe has deftly avoided change. But her life is due for an upheaval when she’s fired from her sales associate position and takes on the role of nanny in the Colt household.

Mallory soon realizes she might have taken on more than she can handle when she finds more than two mischievous children haunting the grand, creaky house. If it isn’t the children’s brash uncle or schoolyard bullies, she finds herself confronted with strange sounds coming from the attic and suspicious late-night behavior from Brendan Colt himself.

It’s only when Mallory begins to feel a connection between not just herself and the children but their father too, that an unspeakable secret is uncovered. Is this new bond—and possibly Mallory's life itself—now at risk?

Excerpt:

The old house seemed to come alive at night with unknown creaking and moaning sounds. It was as if the attic was whispering to the cellar, the home’s nighttime voices snaking up pipes and linking below the floors. It was no wonder Meela was afraid to go to bed alone.

Mallory gazed up at the ceiling, wide awake and speculating. The room was so dark that the white plaster overhead appeared blackish-gray in color. Every noise in the room was strikingly evident and relentlessly pestering: the clock on the nightstand, the squeaky bed frame, even Mallory’s own heartbeat. A new scuffle resonated into the room from somewhere out in the hallway.

Mallory froze, all other sounds hushed in the background of her ears. It seemed as if something was moving very slowly down the length of the hallway in front of her room, advancing closer and closer. Then, just as abruptly as it had started, the noise stopped. Silence engulfed the atmosphere like a dull static in her ears and Mallory wondered if she had imagined the noise completely. After a few seconds went by, she sighed and shifted in bed. That’s when a definite metallic squeaking sound started, and Mallory bolted upright.

About the Author:

Misty Mount has written since age five and was first published at fourteen. She resides in Wichita, Kansas.

Q&A With the Author
When did you first consider yourself to be a writer?
In kindergarten, my teacher read a story to the class, and I was hanging on the edge of my carpet square until the very ridiculous and anticlimactic ending. I was so disappointed by the way the story finished that I couldn’t relax until I had rewritten it at home using my best crayons. I’ve been writing ever since.

What advice do you have for a new writer?
I think it’s important to make sure you’re writing for yourself and not restricting your words and ideas for a possible future audience. If you focus on what you love and write from your heart, you might find that your target readers aren’t at all who you thought they were going to be.

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
That first spark of an idea that comes so naturally and when I least expect it . . .that’s definitely the easiest part. The hard stuff is everything after that. 😊

What is your favorite part of this story?
I love the mysterious elements in The Nanny Song. I wouldn’t say it has a full-on “whodunnit” vibe, but I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery behind the creepy house and its inhabitants.

Which Character was the most fun to write about? Why?
I think eight-year-old Meela was the most fun to write. She’s immature, even for her young age, and struggling quietly with the trauma of losing her mother. She’s described by many readers as quite the insufferable brat, but hopefully they can see through into her heart of gold.

Which Character was the hardest to write about? Why?
I dislike conflict by nature, so writing the tense moments between Brandon and Mallory, and even more so between Mallory and the children’s grandmother, can make me quite uncomfortable!