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.
  

Proposal For Article

Greetings! A local publication has a call out for creative magazine submissions. Since I am a mystery writer, I am considering submitting a proposal for a series about mysteries that have occurred in our area. Haunted houses (and other structures), suspicious deaths, disappearances, UFO sightings...anything along those lines. I would write about mysterious happenings and invite readers to send in clues or any background information they may have. Also, readers could submit instances that they know of to see if they can get more information, or even have the mystery solved. What do you think of this idea? Any suggestions to improve the concept? Janet