Monday, November 28, 2011

Jackie King: MYSTERY WE WRITE guest of the day












Book giveaway! Leave a comment and Jackie King will put your name into a drawing for a signed copy of THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE and a signed copy of THE FOXY HENS AND MURDER MOST FOWL! http://www.jacqking.com/
jackie@jacqking.com


Today Jackie is going to tell us why: Killing People on Paper Is My Therapy.
Thanks, Jinx, for hosting me.
It’s the 4th day of our Holiday Mystery Blog Tour and Thanksgiving is behind us. (The literal truth of those words hit me just as I keyed them into my computer. Alas, I did over-indulge and have to sit on what I ate, transformed by nature into soft padding, of course.)

Christmas is just ahead with all of its fun and challenges and I’m excited. I suggest giving books to each person on your list! Be sure and add yourself, I always do.

Or you might win a mystery on our GIANT MYSTERY TOUR GIVEAWAY! Be sure and leave comments on each blog site to give yourself the best chance. (Don’t you just love free stuff?) We’re giving away 44 books during this two-week period.*

My latest book THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE is a cozy mystery set in Northern California. Grace Cassidy, the protagonist (heroine to plain folk like me) starts in hot water up to her neck. Imagine opening the door to your Bed and Breakfast bedroom and finding a dead guy in your bed. Buck naked, no less. Next she learns that all of her considerable assets have been siphoned off by her rotten husband, Charlie. Add a 19-year-old son, a stray cat and some quirky old ladies to the mix, and this poor woman has her hands full.
No money, no credit cards, and an empty bank account. Will Grace have to live in a cardboard box or under a bridge? Or perhaps jail since a hard-nosed police sergeant thinks she’s the murderer?

Not Grace Cassidy, she’s made of tougher stuff. After a brief sinking-spell she pulls herself together, finds herself a job in the Bed and Breakfast, and eventually solves the murder. Well, sort of, after a little hand-to-hand combat with the murderer.

My character’s background and reactions are based on my own experiences. (Except for the rich stuff, that’s all pure fiction.) You see, I found myself unexpectedly single after almost 30 years of marriage, and I was ready to murder someone. Then I considered the face that I don’t look good in black and white stripes, so I called to mind my grandparents' courage. The two of them homesteaded in what was once called “No Man’s Land” and now is the Panhandle of Oklahoma.

It also came to me that I could get paid for murdering people on paper. That seemed a better solution for my life than moping over a man struggling with his midlife crisis. (I didn’t have time for a midlife crisis; I had to finish raising our three close-to-grown children.) That’s why when my fingers hit the keyboard I’m all set to murder some odious person on paper.





19 comments:

Caroline Clemmons said...

Jackie,good for you! Your heroine sounds admirable and I look forward to reading your book. I love cozy mysteries and yours sounds just my style. Of course, I'd prefer to win it, but that's human nature, isn't it? So glad Alice and Earl mentioned the tour and I "met" you.

SandyG265 said...

This sounds like a good read.

Jackie King said...

Caroline, I'm so happy to meet you on this tour. It sounds to me as if you and I have a lot in common. And your name is going into my black fedora for the drawing. And that's the second time today that I've written it down. I saw your comment on another of our posts.
Hugs,
Jackie

Jackie King said...

Sandy, Welcome to our Tour! Your name is also going into the drawing for a chance to win a free book. And thanks for your kind comment.
Hugs,
Jackie

Jackie King said...

Jinx, Thanks a million for hosting me today. I've been having some trouble getting online, but I've gone in and cleaned up my "cookies" and now hope to have smooth sailing. (Using nautical talk in your honor.) :-)
Cheers,
Jackie

Jean Henry Mead said...

I loved reading THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE and can't wait to read the next Grace Cassidy mystery. When's it going to be released, Jackie?

WS Gager said...

Jackie: I'm so glad you chose the written word for your murdering objects. It is so much more satisfying to kill several times with different weapons to see which we like best. Great post!
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing

Earl Staggs said...

Jackie, I murder people for the same reason you do now. I used to do it for real, but I ran out of places to bury the bodies. Doing it on paper is much cleaner and doesn't involve all that digging.

Jackie King said...

Jean, The next Grace Cassidy mystery is in draft form. I keep making changes and editing. It's hard for me to turn loose, but I am trying.

Thanks for stopping by.
Jackie

Jackie King said...

Wendy, You're so right! Different methods keep murders interesting. Thanks for stopping by.
Jackie

Jackie King said...

Earl, Thanks for always making me laugh. Murdering real people would be a huge problem for me, I have a very small back yard. And I hate digging.
Cheers,
Jackie

Jenny Milchman said...

Getting paid to kill--a fictional assassin so to speak :) I agree with you about it being therapy. Nice post!

Tess Grant said...

The thing I like about murdering people on paper is that you can try different methods over and over! Good for you, Jackie!

Jackie King said...

Jenny, Thanks for stopping by. I love meeting another writer. Congrats on getting an agent and good luck with that sale.

Your name is in my drawing for a free book.
Jackie

Jackie King said...

Tess, Guess there's lots of us blood-thirsty gals around. Your name is also in my black fedora for the free-book giveaway.
Jackie

Alice Duncan said...

Oh, boy, I couldn't agree more, Jackie: it really IS fun to murder people on paper!

Jackie King said...

Alice, Glad you agree. And some people are more fun to murder than others.
Hugs,
Jackie

pennyt said...

I'm pretty fond of the idea of murdering people on paper too - much less messy but still rewarding. I loved the Inconvenient Corpse and am looking forward to your next book.

Jackie King said...

Penny, Thanks so much! Your words are music to my ears. I'm putting your name into my fedora for my drawing. If your name is drawn, I'll send you a copy of STATEHOOD FOXY HENS AND MURDER MOST FOWL. It has my historical mystery novella called "The Spinster, the Pig and the Orphan."
Hugs,
Jackie