Murder at Morgan House Giant Eagle Book Signing

Greetings! I hope you're getting into the Holiday Spirit! I am happy to announce that Murder at Morgan House is now available at the Giant Eagle in Ligonier. Owner Jim Faccenda has been very gracious about adding the book to the store's offerings, and is also hosting a for a book signing for me on Saturday December 21st and Sunday December 22nd from noon till 2pm. Hope to see you all there!

Janet

Fort Ligonier Days

Hi all! I would like to thank everyone who came by Equine Chic on Fort Ligonier Days for my book signing.  Jason Will continue to carry "Murder at Morgan House", so if you missed the opportunity to scoop it up on Fort Days, it's not too late!

Book Signing!

Book Signing at Equine Chic!

Greetings bibliophiles! A new and exciting feature has just been added to Fort Ligonier Days! I'll be doing my first ever book signing for Murder at Morgan House at Equine Chic on the Diamond in Ligonier. 

Saturday October 12th from 2pm till 4pm, and Sunday October 13th from 2pm till 4pm.

Hope to see you there! 

Janet

"Murder at Morgan House" Now available in print!

 "Murder at Morgan House" now available in print at amazon.com!

   Getting into publishing at this stage of the game has been very interesting. When I began writing the novel two years ago, I did so with some preconceived notions about what was involved with getting a book into print. My notions were not unfounded, as they were based on traditional publishing avenues; write the book, find an agent to sell the book to a publishing house, (or in rare and extremely lucky circumstances sell directly to the publisher) and then work with their editors, graphic designers and marketing department to get the book on the shelves of booksellers, both chain and independent. 

   Fast forward one year later, and a new reality was poised to set in. The publishing world changed at the speed of light. When I attended my first Writers Workshop in New York in the spring of 2012, there was scant mention of independent publishing, relegating  it to the scoffed upon "vanity publishing." It was what one did when no publishing house would accept the manuscript. 

   That was then, and this is now. Several major factors have contributed to the changes. First, the growth in popularity of e-books. With Kindles, Nooks, and i-pads flooding the marketplace people found that they could enjoy their favorite reads on demand , and for a fraction of the cost of a book in print. This of course affected retail sales and resulted in the demise of Borders, and the re-dedication of space in Barns and Noble expanding the gift departments, and of course Starbucks. Many independent bookstores bit the dust, but fortunately for us browsers, not all.  In addition, publishing houses themselves went through mass mergers and consolidations. Actually, there are very few large publishing entities left, they just have numerous imprints under their banners that only look like separate entities. E-book divisions at traditional publishing houses are cropping up daily.

   After much research, I concluded that time, money and aggravation would be saved by going the independent publishing route. Considering the fact that in publishing today, authors all are expected to create their own "platform", including websites, blogs, social media etc. Whether independent or traditionally published, writers must spearhead the marketing of their own books.  At the end of the day, I decided to offer my books in print as well as e-versions for those who prefer to touch actual pages. So, please read my blog, visit my website, and like me on Facebook. I hope you will enjoy "Murder at Morgan House."

I Thought a "Platform" Had Something to Do With Shoes!"

Janet & Ivy Take a Road Trip!

We're heading to Middleburg VA for the Hunt Country Writer's Retreat! It may be an unusual way to spend a holiday weekend, but I'm excited to be attending a writer's retreat sponsored by Jan Neuharth, author of three great novels..."The Hunt", "The Chase" and "The Kill". As you can probably surmise, these mysteries involve the foxhunting, mayhem and murder set in the bucolic Virginia countryside. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from industry specialists and network (or commiserate) about the ups and downs of the writing life. If you've never been to Middleburg, it's definitely worth the trip. It's a lovely little town surrounded by beautiful farms and estates populated by commuters and weekenders from the D.C. area... not to mention the friendly locals who exemplify southern hospitality. If you'd like to know more, I can suggest three books by Vicki Moon: "The Middleburg Mystique", "Equestrian Style", and for Jackie O fans "The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis...Portrait of a Rider."
As for my own riding adventures, my Gypsy Vanner, Pirate (the Pirate King) and I have had a most interesting week with the Rolling Rock Horse Masters. Pirate had his first group lesson ever and I couldn't be more pleased. Under the tutelage of the fabulous Patrick King (PK Horsemanship) Pirate trotted around the ring like he's done it a hundred times, and he took the jump every time (although it was only a few inches high.) Good Boy! What made it even more impressive is that he did it in a deluge. That was pretty impressive for me too as the rain drops dripped off the beak of my cap.
So as not to spoil the pattern, it's raining again today. My hope is that rain won't spoil the holiday celebrations and that it's not raining in Middleburg Virginia!
Happy 4th
God Bless America!

Getting My Act Together With Goodreads

Hi Mystery Fans! I'm in the process of getting my act together with Goodreads. It's a great way to get more exposure for "Murder at Morgan House", and to find out what others are reading and writing. It seems that there are new social media sites popping up every day, so it's going to be a challenge to keep up and link everything together. I could be sitting at this computer all day :)

Cover of my new mystery novel!

Well, the day has finally dawned. My new novel "Murder at Morgan House" is on amazon.com

It took two years to write and publish this baby, and it's been an adventure every step of the way. I thought I knew something about writing after having spent the past several decades (won't get too specific here) crafting ad copy, press releases, brochures, magazine articles, web content, etc. However, I found out that fiction is a whole different ballgame; fortunately, I have found that I love doing it. I would like to thank Lourdes Vernard for the super job she did editing the book, and Rebecca Swift for the dynamic cover design. Now, for the new phase...marketing the book! I'll put my past experience and skills to work and get the word out. My best bet though, dear readers, is your likes and good reviews, so I hope that you will enjoy it. I'm inviting you to join me, Ivy Snow, Jaycee, and the other cast of characters on our literary adventure.

In the meantime, I'll be getting the gang into new precarious situations (mysterious and romantic) in the second book in the series "Death at Hearts Desire." Follow along with us!

Ivy Snow...Our Heroine

Ivy Snow is the new amateur female sleuth on the mystery book scene. She makes her debut in Murder at Morgan House, the first in a series that challenges Ivy, and her psychic teenage daughter, Jaycee to use their wits, and in Jaycee's case psychic "gifts" to solve crimes and restore justice to their
adopted home of Wellington Pennsylvania. Ivy started her career as an Olympic Eventing hopeful, but had to abandon that dream after a nasty riding accident. She segued into journalism, focusing on horse related themes, and eventually found herself a single mom (after a disastrous marriage) trying to raise fraternal teenage twins at Little Paddocks, their horse farm just outside of Wellington. The town of Wellington, being what it is, bucolic on the outside, sinister on the inside, is rife with murderous opportunity. Ivy has a propensity for getting herself sucked into nefarious situations beginning with her unfortunate stumble upon a dead body in a house on fire.

Sometimes frightening, sometimes fun, the adventures of Ivy and her cohorts are never boring!

Cast of Characters

 

Ivy Snow – Former Olympic rider and now publisher of equine themed books, Ivy is moving on after an unfortunate marriage. Mother of teenage twins, Jaycee and Jayson, she is a woman who evolves from one to whom things happen, into one who makes things happen. 

 

Jaycee – Ivy’s bubbly teenage daughter, Jaycee is following in her mother’s footsteps to a career with horses. A typical teen in every way except one…she is psychic.

 

Jayson – Jaycee’s twin brother, Jayson is a good kid at heart, but is always in one scrape or another, to Ivy’s chagrin.

 

Bartholomew Skeleton – Ivy’s ex-husband, “Bart” is a top criminal defense lawyer with an unparalleled narcissistic streak.

 

Michael Tellington Smythe – Heir to a steel fortune, “Mike” is a connoisseur of the finer things in life and socially well connected.

 

Roberta Bristol – Queen Bee of the Colonial House B&B, Roberta knows everyone in town, and where all the bodies are buried.

 

Crystal Prichard – Real Estate agent, and Ivy’s best friend, Crystal has a bohemian style and a propensity for gossip. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

 

Beaufort “Biff” Biddle – Pro-athlete wanna be, Biff never made it further than high school gym teacher and guidance counselor. Fancies himself a bit of a Don Juan.

 

Zachariah “Ziggy” Haskell – Stable hand at the Wellington Equestrian Center, Ziggy was born on the wrong side of the tracks, and struggles to keep his head above water. Where Ziggy goes, trouble follows.

 

Tommy Monroe – Former high school football star and chick magnet, Tommy is handsome and charismatic. Unfortunately, he is saddled with his less-than-astute cousin Ziggy.

 

Sandy Dobrowski –Tommy Monroe’s shy and complacent girlfriend.

 

Jim Kopeck – A big noise on Wellington’s Town Council, Jim sees that things are done right in his town.

 

The Gleason Brothers – Danny and Andy share ownership of Gleason Motors, the family’s down-at-the-heels auto dealership.

 

Ryan Adler - CFO of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra.

 

Sloane Parker (aka Lydia Brown) – Renegade private eye, and Ivy’s former Olympic teammate.

 

Bertrand Reynard – native of Cote de Ivory, and student at the Sorbonne, he comes to Wellington to intern at Ivy Snow Publishing.

 

Melinda – self- proclaimed femme fatale, she shares an office in the Ivy Snow Publishing suite.

 

 

Detective John Garrett - Pennsylvania State Police Detective, he is in charge of the Morgan House murder investigation. He is a hunk.

 

"Murder at Morgan House"

Murder at Morgan House is my first novel, and as you can probably deduce from the title, it is a mystery. My inspiration was an event that happened in the small town I live near. Besides being horrifying, (after all it is a murder) it is an expose on Consequence. After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that many, if not most of our contemporary societal ills are a result of a lack of consequence for anti-social behavior. It starts early. Kids are not held responsible for their actions. For whatever reason my generation has copped the "not my kid" attitude. Johnny is not made to feel a negative consequence for unruly behavior when his parents cannot accept the fact that he is capable of unruly behavior. Maybe it's a backlash from "old school" parenting, when a kid got in trouble at school for behaving badly, he got it twice as bade when he got home!
   This narcissistic training is reinforced when everyone gets the trophy (no negative consequence for not having worked hard enough to earn one.) It's an even playing field, grading on the curve, affirmative action. No one is required to strive for the best, with the result being a generation of mediocrity. I guess they just go home to live in their parent's basement. It seems to be a trend nowadays.
   But what happens when the narcissism turns to entitlement? Just look around at our society today, and you'll see. Only about half of the country pays taxes, and the rates keep going up to support the ever growing populations of non-payers. food stamps, free medical care, free insurance, subsidized housing...and that includes recipients who are not even Americans. As I delve further into researching the components that result in criminal behavior it is becoming evident that a sense of entitlement is at the root of the problem, and entitlement is the result of lack of consequences.