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.