Thanks to Evelyn David, for not only letting me guest blog today, but for creating me in the first place. My name is Rachel Brenner. I do hair, makeup, and a few more substantial restorations for the clients of O'Herlihy Funeral Home. I believe it's never too late to look your best.
I'm single. Wow, that sounds strange after 18 years of marriage. My ex has moved on to younger pastures - actually he moved on long before the marriage ended. I just pretended not to notice until my pride finally said no more.
My son Sam is a freshman in college. I see him every couple of months - more often if he's between girlfriends or needs money. I love it when Sam comes home. He and his friends bring my old house to life. I don't even mind the piles of dirty laundry and empty glasses and tomato-stained pizza cartons scattered around.
In between visits from Sam, I spend my time worrying about how to pay for his education, the maintenance on the old house my great aunt left me here in Washington D.C., and cat food. I have one four-footed dependent, Snickers. She's happiest when it's just her and me in the house.
Last fall, I'd just been settling into a new job and my single, empty nest, life when someone broke into my house, stole half of a ham, and had me hiding in a closet until I located my backbone and a hockey stick.
The purloined pork was only the beginning chapter in a "bigger than my life" tale of murder, mystery, Irish wolfhounds, and one very interesting private detective, Mac Sullivan. Tell me the truth; don't you think a detective should own his own car? I mean, who does stakeouts in a hearse with a giant dog riding shotgun?
Mac may just be the man I've always wanted. Or he might be the one my grandmother always warned me about. Either way, I'm ready for a change.
You can stop in and find out more by picking up a copy of Murder Off the Books!
Murder Off the Books is available in trade paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon. Also the trade paperback is on the shelves at The Digital Bookshop. Other e-book formats can be found at the Apple iPad store and The Digital Bookshop.
If you already know how my story started, you can catch up on my latest adventures in the sequel, Murder Takes the Cake. ebook versions are available now at Amazon, Apple iPad store, and The Digital Bookshop. A second edition trade paperback will be available this fall. (Note: I have issues with turkeys not pigs in that book.)
All my best,
I'm single. Wow, that sounds strange after 18 years of marriage. My ex has moved on to younger pastures - actually he moved on long before the marriage ended. I just pretended not to notice until my pride finally said no more.
My son Sam is a freshman in college. I see him every couple of months - more often if he's between girlfriends or needs money. I love it when Sam comes home. He and his friends bring my old house to life. I don't even mind the piles of dirty laundry and empty glasses and tomato-stained pizza cartons scattered around.
In between visits from Sam, I spend my time worrying about how to pay for his education, the maintenance on the old house my great aunt left me here in Washington D.C., and cat food. I have one four-footed dependent, Snickers. She's happiest when it's just her and me in the house.
Last fall, I'd just been settling into a new job and my single, empty nest, life when someone broke into my house, stole half of a ham, and had me hiding in a closet until I located my backbone and a hockey stick.
The purloined pork was only the beginning chapter in a "bigger than my life" tale of murder, mystery, Irish wolfhounds, and one very interesting private detective, Mac Sullivan. Tell me the truth; don't you think a detective should own his own car? I mean, who does stakeouts in a hearse with a giant dog riding shotgun?
Mac may just be the man I've always wanted. Or he might be the one my grandmother always warned me about. Either way, I'm ready for a change.
You can stop in and find out more by picking up a copy of Murder Off the Books!
Murder Off the Books is available in trade paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon. Also the trade paperback is on the shelves at The Digital Bookshop. Other e-book formats can be found at the Apple iPad store and The Digital Bookshop.
If you already know how my story started, you can catch up on my latest adventures in the sequel, Murder Takes the Cake. ebook versions are available now at Amazon, Apple iPad store, and The Digital Bookshop. A second edition trade paperback will be available this fall. (Note: I have issues with turkeys not pigs in that book.)
All my best,
Oh, wait, don't go yet. I meant to leave you with a tip - Ladies, if you are going to carry a cell phone, keep it close and charged, especially at night. I can't tell you how many times I've had to resort to just throwing the darn things in self-defense. Would have been so much easier to just punch in 911 on the keypad. For instance, if I'd had a working cell phone I wouldn't have had to steal that garden gnome ... uh wait.
Can I take that back? I meant to say that I don't know anything about my neighbor's missing garden gnome. Nothing. I know noth...ing.
Rachel
Evelyn/Rachel,
ReplyDeleteGood Morning. I enjoyed reading your post. Where do I go to find all of your books? Do I have to read them in order or can they stand alone? My book buying budget is shot already and it's only the second day of August. But when you depend upon the government for an income, health insurance and food stamps benefits it really sucks. After I list all of the bills to pay sometimes I have nothing left over to be a book buying budget and other times I have a little bit more. But this month is gone.
Have a great day.
Robin
Robbibird3@aol.com
ladybirdrobi@yahoo.com
You can find print copies of the first two books on-line at Amazon and at The Digital Bookshop. If you'd like e-book versions instead, you can find them there too. We have a limited number of first edition print copies available through our website http://www.evelyndavid.com Contact us there and I'm sure we can get some books in your hands. (Your local brick & mortar bookstore can order them for you through Wolfmont Publishing too.)
ReplyDeleteThe books can be read as stand alones but you'll enjoy them more if read in order - Murder Off the Books is the first one. Murder Takes the Cake is the second. There will be a third one out in Spring 2011. Each book's plot takes place 2-3 months after the preceeding one. The characters are reoccurring.
Thanks for the interest!
Evelyn, who is answering Rachel's mail today.
Rachel, you are utterly delightful and truly a character (um, so to speak)! I love hearing that another woman has a hockey stick around to use as a weapon, if need be (although Ed wouldn't be too happy if I broke one over someone's head--then he wouldn't have a spare at his games). ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI've read both your adventures and I'm looking forward to reading your third adventure following you and Mac through the paces.
How fun this was! I liked learning more about your heroine.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
Thanks for reading about me today. I didn't have a chance to tell you about my assistant,Carrie, and her first try at making a fake ear for a corpse that was in need. Maybe next time. And I need to go on record that my boss does not store frozen food in the morgue coolers. That was just a nasty rumor started by the guy who wanted his father's bug exterminator truck back. Jeff had taken it in trade and ... uh I've got to go - I'm late for a viewing.
ReplyDeleteRachel
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, you are one of the most interesting people I've ever met! (Don't tell my wife, she'll be very jealous!) I'm honored to be part of letting people get to know and meet you and all your friends, and am looking forward to a long association with all of you.
Tony