ABOUT THE BOOK
At thirty-four, Santa Cruz County Law Librarian Pat Pirard is living her perfect life. She has a job she loves, she’s just purchased her dream car, and she is almost over being dumped by her long term boyfriend. But her thirty-fifth birthday marks the end of life as she knows it, and Pat has to reinvent herself. As a birthday present, Pat’s best friend enrolls her in a glass flower making class. She learns a lot in the class, but she never expects her final lesson will be all about murder.
Book Details:
Title: The Glass House
Author: Nancy Lynn Jarvis
Genre: cozy mystery
Series: A planned PIP Inc. series, book 1
Publisher: Good Read Mysteries (July 2019)
Print length: 260 pages
On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours
IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH NANCY LYNN JARVIS
Ifs
Q: If you could talk to someone (dead), who would it be and what would you ask them?
A: I’d like to speak to Queen Elizabeth I and ask her how she felt about her father.
Q: If you could be anything besides a writer, what would it be?
A: I have worked for a newspaper, been the sole librarian in a small library (where my oldest son took his first steps) been the business manager for Shakespeare/Santa Cruz, and was a Realtor for almost twenty-five years. I loved all those jobs, but if money was no object, I would look for shipwrecks.
Q: If you’ve done community service, what was it?
A: I volunteer for a local group called Grey Bears. I live in an agricultural area of the Monterey Bay and there are lots of crops that are still fine, but might not survive shipping well. Local stores and farms donate leftovers and twice a week they are bagged and distributed to over 4500 seniors. Grey Bears also does recycling and has stores full of interesting donations. What impresses me most about the organization is how efficiently it runs with only one hired person and dozens of volunteers.
Q: If you were on the Amazon bestseller list, who would you choose to be one before and one below you?
A: I was once. My first book, The Death Contingency, was number four between James Patterson and Sue Grafton. Worked for me.
Q: If you could meet any author for coffee, who would you like to meet and what would you talk about?
A: I’d like to have coffee with Amy Tan. I heard her say as a child she made up stories about people she saw waiting in lines, eating in restaurants, riding the bus, etc. I did too, but didn’t tell anyone because I thought that was weird. I’d like to talk to her about her experiences.
Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
A: Right where I live. I have commanding views over Monterey Bay from 1600 feet above the water. Lights around the Bay are amazing at night. Sunrises are breathtaking, sunsets, not bad, and storms coming in across the ocean and Bay are something out of Greek mythology.
Ands
5 things you need in order to write:
• coffee or tea in my mug
• a laptop
• no phone calls
• an internet connection for some of the bizarre research I do
and
• often a talk radio show. There’s something about tuning out the talk that helps me focus.
5 things you love about writing:
• the wonderful other writers you meet in person or online
• speaking about my books to book clubs and others
• doing research about things like body decomposition
• reading my stories to a group called Well Connected
and
• just getting lost in the stories.
5 things you always put in your books:
• a Shakespeare reference
• at least one body by the end of the second chapter
• at least one quirky character
• a pet reference
and
• a just ending.
5 favorite places you’ve been:
In no particular order:
• Victoria
• British Columbia
• Bath and York, England
• Carcassonne, France
and
• Chichén Itzȧ, Mexico
5 living people you’d like to invite to dinner:
• Hillary Clinton
• Elizabeth Warren
• Michelle Obama
• Meryl Streep
and
• Beyoncé. I’d also have to invite friends, Vicki and Pat, because they would never forgive me if I assembled such a group and didn’t invite them.
Whats
Q: What’s your all-time favorite place?
A: A redwood forest.
Q: What’s your all-time favorite memory?
A: Having a drink at the bar at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on the third date with my husband and realizing I was already in love with him.
Q: What’s your all-time favorite library?
A: Porter Memorial Library in Soquel, California.
Q: What’s your favorite time of day?
A: Dawn. It’s beautiful and full of promise.
Q: What’s your favorite ice cream?
A: Rocky Road.
A: Santas. I have fifty-three of them at last count.
Q: What’s your favorite quote?
A: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” —Eleanor Roosevelt.
Q: What’s your favorite candy bar?
A: Three Musketeers.
Q: What’s your favorite color?
A: Red.
Q: What drives you crazy?
A: Politics.
Q: What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
A: Most worries you have don’t matter at all.
Q: What movie genre do you prefer: drama, comedy, action, adventure, thriller, or horror?
A: Drama, preferably British mysteries.
Q: What’s your latest recommendation for:
Food: Korean food.
Music: The Beatles are still the best.
Movie: Star Wars is still my favorite.
Book: Lostart Street.
Audiobook: I’ve only listened to one: 1776. I am about to start recording my books, however.
TV: PBS
Netflix/Amazon Prime: Just finished season four of Queer Eye.
Miscellaneous: Write that book. It will change your life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nancy’s work history reflects her philosophy: people should try something radically different every few years, a philosophy she applies to her writing, as well. She’s written seven Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries and “Mags and the AARP Gang” about a group of octogenarian bank robbers. She has edited “Cozy Food: 128 Cozy Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes” and “Santa Cruz Weird,” a short story anthology. She’s even written “The Truth About Hosting Airbnb” based on her hosting experiences.
The Glass House, the first book in a planned PIP Inc. series, introduces Pat Pirard who turns to private investigation after she’s downsized from her law librarian job.
Nancy is a member of Santa Cruz Women of Mystery, Sisters in Crime, and Mystery Writers of America.
Connect with Nancy:
Amazon page | Facebook | Goodreads | Linkedin
Buy the book:
Amazon
