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The Bellman, is Heidi Barnes' first novel set on the majestic coast of Maine, 1987. Stanley Douglas, a recent high school graduate, is filled with dreams and ambitions and desperately wants to flee his parochial town. He stumbles into a chaotic, but intriguing job as bellman in a historic mansion turned luxury inn, and is thrust amongst eccentric guests and odd staff, as he struggles to keep order in mayham. Stanley finds that joy and loss, humor and tragedy, friendship and betrayal are all part of the job---and life. Most important, though, is the discovery that everything is going to be all right even if everything is going very, very wrong.
With wit, humor, and a sense of nostalgia, The Bellman brings readers back to a day of classic American storytelling, with colorful characters, a picturesque backdrop, and a story that inspires and delights.
The Bellman was Published, Fall 2016 by Rare Bird Books, Los Angeles, CA. Available where all books are sold.
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Heidi Barnes ran her family's inn on the coast of Maine for years, which inspired The Bellman Series --- The Bellman and The Bellman's Secret. She is a realtor and property manager based in Los Angeles, California. Heidi has lived around the world --- including Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Dubai, and Canada. She enjoys outdoor activities, loves animals, and is a devoted mother of three.
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The Bellman Series. The third book will be released in 2020.
The Bellman's Secret, the sequel, is Heidi Barnes' second novel and will be released this December, 2018.
The Bellman's Secret continues the adventures and misadventures of nineteen-year-old Stanley Douglas, the sometimes bumbling, often unlucky, and always endearing hero from Heidi Barnes's acclaimed debut novel, The Bellman. Working at the historic and stately Maycliff Inn on the picturesque coast of Maine, Stan must balance a revolving coterie of eccentric guests, solve the mystery of the disappearing beets, and stop an invasion of lovemaking fish from keeping everyone up at night. Above all, Stan must navigate the fickle, everchanging moods of the girl he's sure he loves before she falls into the arms of his rival.
A mad romp through workplace hijinks, friendships, betrayal, and the joys and pains of first love, The Bellman's Secret is a coming-of-age tale that will humour and delight.