Braxton College is throwing the Heroes & Villains Costume Extravaganza to raise money for renovations to the antiquated Memorial Library. While attending, Kellan stumbles upon a close family friend standing over a dead body that’s dressed as Dr. Evil. Did one of Maggie’s sisters kill an annoying guest at the Roarke and Daughters Inn or does the victim have a more intimate connection to someone else on campus?
As Kellan helps the school’s president, Ursula, bury a scandalous secret from her past and unearth the identity of her stalker, he unexpectedly encounters a missing member of his own family who’s reappeared after a lengthy absence. When all of the peculiar events around town trace back to the Stoddards, a new family who recently moved to Wharton County, the explosive discovery only offers more confusion. Between the special flower exhibit that’s made an unplanned stop on campus and strange postcards arriving each week from all around the world, Kellan can’t decide which mystery in his life should take priority. Unfortunately, the biggest one of all has yet to arrive at his doorstep. When it does, Kellan won’t know what hit him.
A few of your favorite things: Books, school projects, holiday and birthday cards. Things you need to throw out: Old tax returns and clothes that don’t fit .
Things you need in order to write: Quiet, laptop, water, paper, pen. Things that hamper your writing: Noise, stopping to eat, errands .
Things you love about writing: The freedom to express ideas, make people smile, and feel proud of creativity. Things you hate about writing: Making the decision on grammar rules and fictional content– some are flexible, some are not . . . just because it’s wrong doesn’t mean it’s wrong in a book if it’s intentionally done a certain way or exaggerated to make the plot more fun.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with the characters and plots . Hardest thing about being a writer: Knowing you can’t make everyone happy and that people won’t like something you’ve done in the book .
Things you love about where you live: Always something to do, every option for food, Things that make you want to move: Expensive, noisy, congested.
Things you never want to run out of: Love, friends, time. Things you wish you’d never bought: Cell phone? Ha…
Favorite foods: Sushi, chocolate, desserts. Things that make you want to throw up: Mushrooms, eggplant.
Favorite beverage: Coffee, seltzer, champagne . Something that gives you a pickle face: Grapefruit juice.
Something you’re really good at: Creating new dishes . Something you’re really bad at: Following recipes .
Things you’d walk a mile for: Good coffee. Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Conflict.
Things you always put in your books: Odes to friends. Things you never put in your books: Detailed religious or political views.
Favorite books: Mystery, family drama . Books you would ban: None . . . unless they are intentionally hateful. I’m all for books that expose negativity, but if the book’s purpose is to degrade someone or something, it’s generally wrong (unless of course you’re trying to stop something bad from happening).
Things that make you happy: Pets, cooking, gardening, reading . Things that drive you crazy: Arguments, highly opinionated people who get rude about it.
Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Become a writer and put myself out there to be judged. Something you chickened out from doing: Writing a movie script.
Most call James J. Cudney "Jay." He grew up on Long Island and currently lives in New York City, but he's traveled all across the US (and various parts of the world). After college he spent 15 years working in technology and business operations in the sports, entertainment, and media industries. Although he enjoyed his job, he left in 2016 to focus on his passion: telling stories and connecting people through words. His debut novel is Watching Glass Shatter, a contemporary fiction family drama with elements of mystery, suspense, humor, and romance. To see samples or receive news from his current and upcoming books, please subscribe with your email address at his website.
What Jay does outside of writing: He's an avid genealogist (discovered 2K family members going back about 250 years) and cook (he finds it so hard to follow a recipe). He loves to read; between Goodreads and his blog, he has over 750 book reviews which will give you a full flavor for his voice and style. On his blog, he started the 365 Daily Challenge, where he posts a word each day that has some meaning to him, then converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where he pokes fun at himself all the time. Even his dogs have segments where they complain about him. All these things make up who he is; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real and show how he lives every day. A bit of humor: Everything doubles as something else when you live in NYC. For Jay, it's the dining room, his favorite space in the apartment, where more than just his cooking is on display! As he looks out the windows onto a 12th floor terrace, various parts of nature (trees, bushes, flowers, bugs & animals) inspire him to write. How else can you pen the best story possible without these things by your side?
One week before his law school graduation, Jake Rutledge is shattered. His fraternal twin, Blake, has died of a drug overdose. When Jake returns to his hometown of Oakley, West Virginia, he discovers that his brother was not the only person hooked on opioid painkillers. The entire region has been ravaged by an epidemic insidiously planned and carried out by one of America’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
Still wet behind the ears, Jake is determined to seek justice for all the victims of Big Pharma’s greed. He soon learns that the drug companies’ tentacles reach far and deep. His only hope is to get Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis to help. A partner at one of the country’s most powerful law firms, Deke’s “as tough as a two-dollar steak” and well-known for his winning tactics against corporate wrongdoers. With just enough persistence, Jake coaxes Deke to see Oakley’s devastation firsthand. Overwhelmed, Deke agrees to join forces with Jake.
And that’s when the real heat begins. Death threats, bribes, unlawful property seizure schemes – all are connected to the massive distribution of both legal and illegal drugs. Everyone is impacted, from the highest levels of corporate America to corrupt local officials to their lackeys and hapless victims. The complexity of the schemes is overwhelming.
Working tirelessly, the lawyers begin to uncover the truth. Along the way, Jake falls in love with Anna Fowler, a former homecoming queen who has succumbed to the power of opioids. With his support, she weans herself off the drugs. Hope begins to bloom ― when suddenly, Jake disappears. As Deke undertakes a desperate search to find him, questions swirl. Has Jake abandoned Anna and his crusade? Can the case against the evildoers move forward without him? Will Oakley and its residents survive? Law and Addiction is real-life drama at its finest ― a book that clears away the darkness page by page, spotlighting a profound truth about our society through expert storytelling.
Q: What’s the story behind the title of your book? A: As an attorney, when I was first approached about representing plaintiffs in an action against the major corporate opioid distributors, I knew little about the opioid epidemic. It was only when I started peeling back the opioid onion that I had no choice but to confront its ugliness. The more I discovered, the more outraged I became. My hope in writing this novel is to both edify and entertain. I want to provide readers with a front-row account of this epidemic, but not bludgeon them in the process. While I didn’t try to gloss over the human suffering, I still remain a believer in the power of the human spirit to prevail. I hope this novel sparks a certain level of outrage in readers. As a nation, we need to be outraged by this crisis
Q: Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order? A: All three of my novels feature the resolute trial lawyer Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis, but each book is a standalone.
In Law and Disorder, money, power, and politics line up against Deke, and he must fight for his freedom, his family, and the future of his prestigious law firm.
In Law and Vengeance, Deke joins forces with Gina Romano, a young lawyer who runs headlong into a life and death struggle against weapons manufacturers, a gun rights lobbyist, psychopathic Chicago police, a hi-tech genius assassin, and the U.S. Department of Justice
And in Law and Addiction, Deke is fighting Big Pharma on behalf of the thousands of American’s trapped by the opioid crises.
Q: Do you have another job outside of writing? A: Yes. I’m senior partner at Levin Papantonio, a plaintiff’s law firm based in Pensacola, Florida. We’ve handled many important cases, taking on Big Pharma, tobacco companies, and the automobile industry, among others. I am also one of the hosts of the syndicated Ring of Fire radio show and the host of America's Lawyer on RT America network.
Q: Where’s home for you? A: Pensacola, Florida.
Q: How did you create the plot for this book? A: I think most novelists are driven by stories they’ve heard or experienced. All of my novels – Law and Addiction as well as Law And Disorder and Law and Vengeance – were driven by real events. These weren’t events that I read about in a newspaper – I’m actually in the middle of them. I’m in court and taking depositions on these issues.
Q: Are any of your characters inspired by real people? A: The characters in my books are based on people I’ve worked with. They’re all composites. I collect little notes about the people I encounter of the years, and those qualities that I’ve found interesting become part of future characters. Take Jake in Law and Addiction, for example. Every day, you have young lawyers who are graduating from law school and trying to figure out what they want to do that’s important – what kind of legacy they want to build. Right out of law school, Jake confronts one of the biggest cases in the country. Oddly enough, this isn’t really unusual for really superb trial lawyers. You have the 1-800-AUTO-CRASH lawyers who handle ten thousand auto cases in their career, and that’s their legacy. But there are other lawyers who want to tell their children that they’ve really accomplished something – they’ve gotten a bad drug off the market, they’ve cleaned up an environmental catastrophe. In this case, Jake decides he can take on the biggest pharmaceutical industry in the world.
Q: Is your book based on real events? A: Yes, I actually wrote Law and Addiction in real time, while I was handling a similar lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies. So, the book is based on real events that I’ve sought to mold into a good story that people will enjoy reading.
Q: Are you like any of your characters? A: Deke is a character that can best be described as a composite. Because of the unusual quality of my practice, I have had the opportunity to work with the very best trial lawyers in America. There are probably fewer than fifty trial lawyers in the entire country who specialize in trying what would be considered complex cases on behalf of injured claimants. I have borrowed both the best and the most problematic qualities from that small group of trial lawyers to create Deke.
Q: Do you have a routine for writing? A: It may be counterintuitive, but the best writing advice I’ve ever gotten is to stop writing when you have a “hot hand.” In other words, when I’m writing a chapter and it’s going very well, I stop. I take a break, think about it, and get some sleep. When I come back the next day, I’m not in that pit looking for the next clever thing to do. I do follow a detailed, chapter-by-chapter outline, but I try to pace the actual writing so that each morning, when I pick up where I left off, it’s to work on something I’m already excited about.
Q: What are you working on now? A: Along with preparing for a West Virginia trial against opioid distributors, I have been focusing on building a national consortium of America’s best trial lawyers lawyers to handle human trafficking cases against corporate entities that have helped the problem flourish. In fact that is the subject of my next book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Papantonio is a truth-teller, a crusader who uses fiction to entertain and inform his readers about some of the most pressing issues of our time. In each of his thrillers, from Law And Disorder to Law And Vengeance, and now Law And Addiction, he lays bare the conspiracies and white-collar crimes that hurt ordinary Americans ― and that are rarely covered by the national media.
A senior partner of Levin Papantonio, one of the country’s largest plaintiffs’ law firms, Papantonio uses his own cases as springboards for his novels. He has aggressively taken on Big Pharma, tobacco, weapon manufacturer, and the automobile industry, among other bastions of corporate greed. One of the youngest inductees into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, Papantonio is also a well- known media presence as host of America’s Lawyer on the RT America television network and co-host of the syndicated radio show Ring of Fire. A skilled musician and athlete, he is based in Pensacola, Florida.
Alberta Scaglione and her twenty-something granddaughter, Jinx, love to spend time—and solve crime—together . . .
Ever since Alberta Scaglione inherited her spinster aunt’s Cape Cod cottage, she’s been enjoying the good life in Tranquility, New Jersey, with her black cat, Lola. But since things are mostly quiet in this town, she finds other things to do—like joining Jinx for morning jogs in Tranquility Park. She has to do something to stay healthy, as long as it doesn’t involve Jinx’s healthful tofu sausages and gluten-free pasta. But when they stumble across a treehouse hidden in the trees, and a dead body underneath it, they take a detour into solving a murder. Now the Ferrara ladies will have to exercise extreme caution to avoid a permanent decline in their health . . .
What do you think of when you think of family? Holiday celebrations? Crowded, love-filled kitchens with the intoxicating aroma of homemade lasagna in the air? Dead bodies falling out of tree houses? Wait, what? These may not be the thoughts that pop into your mind when you think of family, but if you’re the Ferrara’s they definitely are. Because ever since Alberta Ferrara Scaglione moved to Tranquility, New Jersey, murder is only one dying breath away.
As readers found out in Murder On Memory Lake, the first book in the Ferrara Family Mystery Series, Alberta moved to Tranquility rather unexpectedly, but totally expected to live a quiet, peaceful existence surrounded by family, friends, and the countryside. Ragazzo era lei sbagliato! That basically means, Boy was she wrong.
Almost immediately a dead body showed up in her backyard. Being the feisty Italian she is, Alberta didn’t run from the scene of the crime she became part of it. When her granddaughter Jinx suggested they take action instead of remaining innocent, uninvolved bystanders, Alberta instantly agreed. But like every Italian woman from Lucretia Borgia to Sophia Loren to Lady Gaga, both Alberta and Jinx knew they couldn’t solve the mystery on her own so they enlisted the help of Alberta’s sister, Helen, and her sister-in-law, Joyce, who readily agreed to join forces with them. That’s how the unofficial Ferrara Family Detective Agency was born.
This time around in Murder In Tranquility Park the action shifts from the lake to the park as Alberta and Jinx discover yet another dead body under a huge tree house while jogging through, you guessed it, Tranquility Park. Why a 65-year-old Italian woman who was never an exercise buff is jogging through the park at the crack of dawn with her granddaughter is another mystery, and you’ll just have to pick up the book to find that one out. The good news for us – not so much for the dead body – is that this means we’re going on another wild, crazy, adventure with the Ferrara Ladies as they investigate why Tranquility Park has been turned into Tran-Killity Park.
Along with the plot twists and turns, I’ve sprinkled pieces of my own Italian heritage into the book. The noise, the laughter, the crowded dinner tables, the bickering, the love, the sense that no matter where you go in life you will always have a home to return to and be welcomed with open arms. This is the foundation of the Ferrara’s, this is their code, and it’s how they approach solving each murder. They aren’t doing this because of ego or money or any type of recognition, they do it out of a sense of duty to right a wrong. Which is what family does.
So get ready for Murder In Tranquility Park coming out this month. Then sit back, dim the lights, and get ready to take another wild ‘n cozy ride with the Ferrara’s. And you’ll be glad these feisty Italian ladies are on your side.
To find out more about my books and special events, visit my website at michaelgriffo.com or my Amazon.com author page. I’m also on Twitter @Michael2264, Facebook, and Instagram #j.d.griffo.
I look forward to hearing from you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Italian by birth, Jersey by upbringing, J. D. Griffo is an award-winning playwright and author who has written ten novels, over twenty plays, and a handful of screenplays that have yet to see the light of day.
Griffo studied Journalism and Marketing at New York University, graduating magna cum laude many, many years ago, as well as Creative Writing at the New School and Gotham Writer’s Workshop.
And the J. D. stands for the author’s mother – Jean Dolores – who absolutely loved to read and tell stories.
This powerful, passionate, highly emotional novel tells the story of Jane Fairly and her struggle to find love and happiness after being adopted as a baby and then coerced into marriage at the age of sixteen. She only narrowly avoids being killed by her abusive husband and manages to escape to Cornwall, where she tries to rebuild her life. Only after numerous other ups and downs does Jane start to find herself and discover how to be happy. Fairly Jane will move you, shock you, and warm your heart.
Things I need in order to write: An uncluttered mind. Things that hamper my writing: Too much going on around me.
Things I love about writing: It takes me to a an imaginary place where I can create the characters and scenarios I want to. Things I hate about writing: Proof reading, I go through my books several times to make sure there are no mistakes and by the time I've read it a dozen times, I never want to look at it again.
Things I love about where I live: I live in Cornwall and couldn't imagine not living close to a beach and open countryside. Things that make me want to move: Absolutely nothing.
Easiest thing about being a writer:Creating new characters. Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting the general public to know that my books are out there and available to read.
Words that describe you: Ambitious, passionate, creative. Words that describe you but you wish they didn't: Bossy, and a little controlling.
Something I wish I could do: Fly, but I'm too frightened - I've never been any place. When my daughter got married in Malta, I went by car and boat. It took three days and everyone else arrived in three hours. Something I wish I'd never learned to do: Nothing at all.
Kathryn Cowling and is 52 years old. Fairly Jane is her third book to be published. Her first two books were published by a company called Novum. This company didn’t charge her to publish the books, but she feels it was a mistake on her part to use them. They priced the books at £16.99 which is far too expensive for and unknown author, and they did not proofread them or advertise them, so no one actually knows they’re out there. They are called Some Day Soon…. and When will the War be over?
Kathryn’s main interest is writing books set in WW2. Both her first two novels are set in this period as well as her fourth book that is yet to be published. Fairly Jane is, however, set in the 1950s and 1960s.
Kathryn lives in Cornwall and has done all her life. Once her two children flew the nest she began to write books and would love to her living as an author. Her books are set in both Bristol and Cornwall. She runs a business carrying out Energy Performance Certificates at the moment but would love to write full time.
Kathryn is hoping that Publishing Push will ensure that the public knows her book exists. She has spent months trying to make her books known to the public but constantly comes up against a brick wall. She wonders how successful authors actually get themselves recognised and established in the industry. Fairly Jane tells the story of a girl that was born in WW2 to parents married to other people. She is subsequently adopted, and when she does find out about her true identity at the age of sixteen years old she is so shocked.
Truman Capote’s bestselling book In Cold Blood has captivated worldwide audiences for over fifty years. It is a gripping story about the consequences of a trivial robbery gone terribly wrong in a remote village of western Kansas.
But what if robbery was not the motive at all, but something more sinister? And why would the Kansas Bureau of Investigation press the Attorney General to launch a ruthless four-year legal battle to prevent fresh details of the State’s most famous crime from being made public, so many years after the case had been solved?
Based on stunning new details discovered in the personal journals and archives of former KBI Director Harold Nye—and corroborated by letters written by Richard Hickock, one of the killers on Death Row—And Every Word Is True meticulously lays out a vivid and startling new view of the investigation, one that will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they pick up where Capote left off. Even readers new to the story will find themselves drawn into a spellbinding forensic investigation that reads like a thriller, adding new perspectives to the classic tale of an iconic American crime.
Print length: 310 pages On tour with: Partners in Crime Book Tours
INTERVIEW WITH GARY McAVOY
Gary, how long have you been writing, and how did you start?
Started writing when I was 10 years old, so a very long time now.
What inspired you to write this book?
While a lifelong writer, I am also a literary manuscript dealer. In 2012, I was approached by Ronald Nye, the son of former Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Harold
Nye (who was also the lead field investigator for the 1959 Clutter
murders, on which Truman Capote based his book, In Cold Blood), who consigned to me several books and letters from Truman to his father during the 1959 murder investigation. Shortly afterward, the State of Kansas sued both Ron and me to prevent the material from being made public.
We prevailed in that litigation, but as I dug more deeply into the Nye archives, I found that Capote’s book didn’t tell the whole story—and there is much more to tell. It looks as if robbery was not the motive at all, but something more sinister. Based on stunning new details discovered in Nye's personal journals and archives—and corroborated by letters written by Richard Hickock, one of the killers on Death Row—my book, And Every Word Is True, meticulously lays out a vivid and startling new view of the investigation, one that will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they pick up where Capote left off.
What do you hope readers will get from this book?
That one of the most well-told stories in American literature has much more to it than was told by its author.
How did you come up with the title of your book?
It comes from a quote Truman Capote made in an interview, claiming his book was immaculately factual; but it isn’t.
Do you have a day job?
Yes, I am a professional dealer of historical manuscripts and literary memorabilia.
How would you describe your book in a tweet? And Every Word Is True lays out a fresh, meticulously-researched perspective on the Clutter murder case made famous in In Cold Blood.
How did you come up with your cover art?
A good friend designed it for me, based on the actual documents used in my research.
Tell us about your favorite chapter in the book.
The suspicions voiced by so many people who questioned robbery as the motive for the Clutter murders.
Who are your favorite authors?
Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, Robert Ludlum, Eckhart Tolle.
What book are you currently reading and in what format? A New Earth by Eckhard Tolle, on ebook.
Do you have a routine for writing?
First thing every single morning straight through to around 6PM.
Where do you prefer to do write?
At my desk in my lakeside home.
Name one thing you couldn’t live without.
My trusty Mac, Scrivener writing software, and the Oxford English Dictionary.
That's three, but since those are my three also, I won't be a stickler for details. Name five people with whom you would pick to be stranded in a bookstore.
Elaine Petrocelli (from Book Passage), Mark Bittman (NY Times), Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Bradley Cooper (director).
Where would your dream office be?
In a villa on Lake Como, Italy.
Where do you call home?
The Pacific Northwest.
What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"My tastes are simple. I’m easily satisfied with the very best." —Winston Churchill
For what would you like to be remembered?
This book: And Every Word Is True.
What scares you the most?
Running out of money and being homeless.
YouTube is . . . At once entertaining and frightening.
Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Harrison Ford.
3D movies are . . .
A headache.
If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Of course, I’m an Army veteran. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert with brief periods of unforced leadership. What's your relationship with your TV remote?
There are always too many to judge.
What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Sea-salt caramel chocolate bars.
What's the biggest lie you ever told?
I was a spy in the Army (only partially untrue).
What is the most daring thing you've done?
Getting drafted and not moving to Canada.
What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Bought a home I couldn’t afford, many years ago. What is your most embarrassing moment?
Winning an award while chairman of the Awards Ceremony. Awkward.
What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
I would have gone into filmmaking.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Read.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
THIS BOOK! Nearly seven years of often excruciating challenges.
What is your favorite movie?
The Wizard of Oz. Do you have a favorite book?
Not particularly, I have wide-ranging interests.
How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?
Gerald Clarke’s Capote, with a great film by Bennett Miller.
Do you sweat the small stuff?
Nope.
How long is your to-do list?
Endless. What are you working on now?
A follow-up book to my current book, And Every Word Is True.
Gary McAvoy is a veteran technology executive, entrepreneur, and lifelong writer. For several years he was also a literary media escort in Seattle, during which time he worked with hundreds of authors promoting their books—most notably Dr. Jane Goodall, with whom Gary later collaborated on Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating (Hachette, 2005).
Gary is also a professional collector of rare literary manuscripts and historical letters and books, a passion that sparked the intriguing discoveries leading up to his latest book, And Every Word Is True (Literati Editions, March 2019), a revealing look at startling new disclosures about the investigation surrounding the 1959 Clutter family murders, heinous crimes chillingly portrayed in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. And Every Word Is True pulls back the curtain for a suspenseful encore to Capote’s classic tale, adding new perspectives to an iconic American crime.
An irrational need for blood draws the killer, compelling them to kill. Two Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents, Carrie Border and Randy Jeffries are working hard to find and take down the killer before their own tangled lives trip them and take them down first.
A few of your favorite things: Custom painting from my friend, Angela Westerman, warm coffee first thing in the morning by my fireplace (winter) or on my patio (summer), spending time with grown children and grandchildren. Things you need to throw out: Old electronics! (they need to be in a museum), business files from a decade ago, and my worn out sofa which I can’t bear to part with.
Things you need in order to write: Quiet. I prefer to work at home in my office in the quiet, coffee, my iMac or iPad (which has its own little keyboard). Things that hamper your writing: Being interrupted with other things I have to do. I get distracted and drawn into marketing as well, creating graphics, video trailers, etc.
Things you love about writing: I love stories, always have. Now I get to be in the big middle of creating a story just the way I want it. Things you hate about writing: Waiting to hear what people think. Also, being bombarded with companies who want to sell me the best way to help me make a million dollars writing.
Easiest thing about being a writer: The writing. Coming up with a story. I have a list of books I hope to write. Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting it broadcast out for everyone to see. Amazon has removed more reviews that it has left, that is discouraging.
Things you love about where you live: Oklahoma is a great state to live in, but the neighborhood I live in is amazing, not because of the homes, but the people here are like family. They rally around me in whatever I’m doing. I know that if I should need one of them, they would be here for me. Things that make you want to move: I don’t like the cold. I lived in Tucson for awhile and loved the scenery and the climate. But I missed my family and friends.
Things you never want to run out of: Coffee and creamer, toilet paper (that happened once), days spent only enjoying family and friends. Things you wish you’d never bought: I yearned for a sports car years ago, but could never have a vehicle with just 2 seats since I transport grandkids, etc. Got married, got a husband with a vehicle where I could do that, so I bought a Nissan 350Z convertible. Loved it passionately for a few months. SO not practical, and SO loud, and SO hard to crawl in and out of. Finally gave it to my husband and now I can hardly stand to ride it in.
Words that describe you: Optimistic. Creative. Content. Love people, but love being alone. Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Inactive (I’m a bit of a couch potato), introvert (although others are surprised at this).
Favorite foods: Pizza, pizza, pizza. I could eat it everyday, but it has to be from my favorite places with my favorite stuff. Ice cream, and steak. Things that make you want to throw up: I’m blank on this one.
Favorite music or song: "Reckless Love" by Cory Asbury, anything by Willie Nelson which is odd because I am not a fan of C&W music. I grew up in the 70’s so those tunes always get my attention. Music that make your ears bleed: Metal Rap
Favorite beverage: Coffee, then water. Something that gives you a pickle face: Pickles, but I love them!
Favorite smell: Clean babies and spring/summertime. Something that makes you hold your nose: Poopy babies, and sometimes the inside of my fridge.
Something you’re really good at: Jewelry design, metal/silversmithing.
Something you’re really bad at: Cleaning house
Something you wish you could do: Art painting. Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I love learning so I am thrilled that I’ve been able to learn so much.
Something you like to do: Watch TV, read, go to neighborhood BUNCO. Something you wish you’d never done: OH NO!!! Can’t answer that one. But maybe I could say I’ve been married a few too many times.
People you consider as heroes: Anyone who will suffer hardships and loss for others. That includes our military, missionaries, and so many more unsung heroes. People with a big L on their foreheads: Selfish people. They lose so much by focusing on themselves. By giving of yourself, and of what you have, you will always get far more than you ever wanted.
Last best thing you ate: Ice cream. Last thing you regret eating: Hot link with chili and cheese.
Things you’d walk a mile for: My family and friends. Pizza. Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Arguments. I hate it when people argue and fight.
Things to say to an author: I loved your work, I liked (a specific thing) about your work. We love specifics. Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I found a typo… Who edited your book… I wouldn’t have written it that way…
Favorite places you’ve been: Hawaii, Tucson (I love the desert and I love the beach) . Places you never want to go to again: Lubbock.
Favorite genre: Murder mysteries, but I love true stuff too. One of my favorite books is Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last by Mike Campbell. Amazing!!! Books you would ban: Not sure I want to go there. I don’t like to start fights or make others feel bad even if I disagree.
People you’d like to invite to dinner: Truthfully, my family. They are my favorite people. But I know that this question is not about that. I would say John Grisham. I have a few all-time favorite authors, but he has inspired me the most. He and Ted Decker. People you’d cancel dinner on: Politicians.
Favorite things to do: Spend a quiet morning on my back patio with coffee. Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Sweep my floor.
Things that make you happy: People, particularly family and friends. Doing what I love. Writing, making jewelry, reading. Things that drive you crazy: Communicating with people who do not have their thinking caps on.
Proudest moment: Each time I held one of my newborns in my arms for the first time. Most embarrassing moment: I ran through a busy airport with toilet paper hanging out of my pantyhose.
Biggest lie you’ve ever told: Nothing jumps out at me, but probably something like… The check is in the mail… A lie you wish you’d told: I can’t think of a situation where I would lie. I really don’t like to do that. But if it would not hurt someone, and would genuinely comfort them, I might.
Best thing you’ve ever done: I am an encourager, and when I look back, the best thing I have ever done was to constantly come alongside others and cheer them on. Biggest mistake: Loving the wrong people to the point of marrying them.
Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Walked the French Quarter in New Orleans all by myself at night, more than once. Something you chickened out from doing: Nothing comes to mind, but I’m not fond of heights so it probably involved that.
The last thing you did for the first time: Stood in a bookstore with my first novel. Something you’ll never do again: Get married.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nancy Jackson is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and lives
in Oklahoma. She discovered a love for writing in seventh grade. When
given writing assignments, she found she flourished. The praise of her
teacher fueled that passion.
She worked in various corporate jobs where she was responsible for writing policy and procedure manuals. Her creative writing side was satisfied as she wrote at home and shared various stories and then blogs.
Working in many different industries in many roles, she was exposed to a treasure trove of people, places, and things that would later serve her well as she wrote her first, and subsequent novels. She writes both fiction and non-fiction in various blogs and short stories as well.
Before publishing her first novel, she spent many years as a silver/metalsmith designing and making jewelry. She is also a full-time realtor. Her true passion though, is writing, and she is thrilled that she is now able to pursue it with the passion she has always desired.
When a camping trip uncovers a murder, this amateur sleuth is stuck putting out the fire . . .
Marty Golden enjoys time with his nieces, but he wanted to spend the weekend with his new girlfriend — not chaperone a Girl Scout camping trip. Once he stumbles upon the corpse of a friend in the woods, the outdoors adventure becomes an open-air disaster. When the police label it an accidental death, the meticulous Marty vows to investigate the murder. After all, it’s poor manners to let your friend’s death go unsolved.
On the hunt for clues the cops ignored, Marty uncovers a disturbing connection to himself. And as he digs deeper, a misbehaving pup, a kooky cousin, and a maniacal ninja put his survival skills to the test.
Will Marty unravel the mystery before the killer, or his imagination, gets to him?
Chutes and Ladder is the side-splitting second novel in the Silicon Valley cozy mystery series. If you like quirky sleuths, wacky side characters, and laugh-out-loud moments, you’ll love this offbeat whodunit.
Buy Chutes and Ladder to decode a great mystery today!
Easiest thing about being a writer: Working from a detailed outline. I don’t have to try to remember who dies, or whodunit, or why. And believe me, without an outline, I get confused partway through. (I’ve tried.) With an outline, I can focus on crisp writing and coming up with funny situations/anecdotes to throw in there. This also means less editing, and I can hang on to what little sanity remains. Hardest thing about being a writer: For me, it’s figuring out the details of the plot in advance. I’m definitely an outliner. Other authors are ‘pantsers.’ While I wear pants about as often as the next author, I definitely can’t write without an outline. I like to have all the main parts of the novel pretty much settled before I start writing.
Things you love about where you live: Like my protagonist, Marty, I live in Silicon Valley. What I like best about living here includes the weather; the rich, diverse culture which also brings great food along with it; and lots of things to do from kayaking and hiking to museums and plays. Things that make you want to move: What I like least is the traffic, the high cost of living, and did I mention the traffic?
Things you never want to run out of: Cheese. Things you wish you’d never bought: Percussion instruments for my kids. No wait, that was my sister who bought a drum set for my kids. So the thing I bought that I wish I hadn’t would be a record player for my son. Do you know how hard it is to transport albums and a record player across country to college? Why can’t he listen to Spotify like everyone else?
Words that describe you: I’d say ‘persistent.’ I hate to give up when one more attempt might solve the problem. That’s usually a sign of a good engineer. Or detective! Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Others have called me ‘aggressive’ or ‘obsessive.’ Yet, one of my favorite bosses once told me that often a person’s biggest strengths are also their greatest weaknesses. So, I’ll stick with ‘persistent;’ it’s more positive.
Favorite music or song: If I’m just listening, I like rock and classic rock. When I’m writing, I need to have instrumental music in the background. It drowns out the noise of my brain scurrying around to look for good sentences. Whenever I listen to music with lyrics while writing, I find that I end up writing down the lyrics. Sometimes I think this works out pretty well, and when my editor agrees, they stay in the book. Chutes and Ladder has a variety of song lyrics woven into the dialogue so pay attention when you read! Music that make your ears bleed: I hate loud, thumping music. I’d tell you what kind that is, but I never stop on those stations long enough to figure it out. Just enough to know it’s not for me.
Favorite smell: I like the smell of Italian food, Mexican food, Indian food, Chinese food . . . I guess you could say I pretty much like the smell of food . Something that makes you hold your nose: I recently discovered that I hate the smell of boiling bones. Don’t ask me how I know this.
Things you always put in your books: Humor, goofy side characters, mostly realistic decisions made by characters. Things you never put in your books: I write clean cozy mysteries where violence or sex takes place off the page, if at all — mostly because writing violent scenes when it’s dark outside would probably frighten me and writing sex scenes would frighten my family and friends.
Things to say to an author: “I liked your book.” Or “I think you could have done xxx better.” Or just about anything, good or bad. Most authors love to get emails or social media comments from their readers. The connection to actual readers is awesome. Public service announcement: contact an author today. Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I don’t read.” Or “Are you into writing because of the money?” Or “I have this great idea for how someone could be killed off in your next book.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marc Jedel writes humorous murder mysteries. He credits his years of marketing leadership positions in Silicon Valley for honing his writing skills. While his high-tech marketing roles involved crafting plenty of fiction, these were just called emails, ads, and marketing collateral.
For most of Marc’s life, he’s been inventing stories. Some, especially when he was young, involved his sister as the villain. As his sister’s brother for her entire life, he feels highly qualified to tell tales of the evolving, quirky sibling relationship in the Silicon Valley Mystery series.
The publication of Marc’s first novel, Uncle and Ants, gave him permission to claim “author” as his job. This leads to much more interesting conversations than answering, “marketing.”
Family and friends would tell you that the protagonist in his stories, Marty Golden, isn't much of a stretch of the imagination for Marc, but he accepts that.
Like Marty, Marc lives in Silicon Valley where he can’t believe that normal people would willingly jump out of an airplane. Unlike Marty, Marc has a wonderful wife and a neurotic but sweet, small dog, who is often the first to weigh in on the humor in his writing.
Visit his website, for free chapters of upcoming novels, news, and more.
