About the book:
Andi’s
stepmother is a real piece of work! But is Ruby a murderer?
Andi
Anna Jones, so-so travel agent/amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her
father’s widow and books a 60th birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three
friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will lead to the murder of a
has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby will be the main suspect.
Excerpt:
“Tell me what’s going on. Slowly, and about
fifty decibels lower. Why are you in jail?”
“Well, honey, I’m not sure. Oh, I know what
they’re saying, but I didn’t do anything. I swear. Well, at least nothin’ I can
remember. You see, it all started on the cruise ship dance floor, quite
innocently, mind you.”
“What started?” I located my slippers and
shuffled to the bathroom.
“As I was saying before you interrupted, it
all started on the dance floor. You know, they play such romantic music on
these cruises like, Shadow of Your Smile and Mandy. Oh, don’t you just love Manilow?
Well, anyway, Lenny and I were having a lovely time, and he was obviously
enamored, if you catch my drift.”
I knew this was a mistake. Still, I asked,
“Lenny who?”
“Why, Lenny La Mour, of course!”
I drew a blank.
“Lenny La Mour,” Ruby huffed, “The famous
Las Vegas performer? He’s the reason I picked this cruise. He had his own
humongous nightclub and everything. Oh, Andi Anna, don’t tell me you’ve never
heard of him. Why, women my age swoon at the sound of his voice. But, I suppose
your generation only has eyes for that Bon Ami person.”
“Uh, are you, by any chance, talking about
Bon Jovi?”
“Well, you know who I mean.”
Get it at:
Inspiration behind the Andi Anna Jones Mysteries:
Did
you ever wish you could take a horrifying job experience and turn it into
something positive? My latest character, Andi Anna Jones, is my way of coming
to terms with a short-lived, yet disastrous career as a travel agent. Oh, yes,
I was truly awful, and often wished, during that time, I could disappear into
the life of a fictional confident protagonist who could think on her feet.
Unfortunately, my crowning achievement was pretending to be invisible when
customers walked through the door.
Which
brings me around to my determination to write Andi’s story. One of the first
bits of advice I received when I became serious about writing books and getting
them published was, “write what you know.” I followed that advice with Andi,
the South Florida location, and even Andi’s assistant, Ellie. It was a priority
when writing the story line to pay tribute to the real agent who saved my
backside in Miami more than once: the very efficient Ellen from Tennessee who
made my Southern Indiana accent sound like I grew up in New Joisey.
I
suppose it was a bit mean to make Andi go through some of my trials and
tribulations, but it was a cathartic experience for me. Fortunately, I went on
to teach travel and the airline reservation system with much more success.
Still, this series will go far in finally exorcising those ghosts!
My favorite quote? Oh, there are so many! This scene speaks volumes about Ruby
and her ill-fated cruise connection.
“I’m
okay. As long as I don’t think about poor Lenny. Ohhh! My poor, sweet Lenny!”
That
did it. I grabbed Ruby by the shoulders. “Snap out of it! You barely knew the
guy!” Her tears shut off instantly. “Well! You don’t have to be rude.” She
dabbed at streaks of mascara, and tried, unsuccessfully, to straighten her flea
market hairpiece.
Review
Blurbs for Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder!
“If
Evanovich's Stephanie Plum were a travel agent, she'd fit right in working this
case alongside Andi, a wanna-be detective readers are sure to love.” —Regan
Black, USA Today bestselling author of the Escape Club Heroes and Knight
Traveler novels.
Margaritas,
Mayhem & Murder... WOW. Snappy dialogue, quirky characters, opens with a
curious bang and yanked me through the pages. A fun, fantastic read. —Jean
Rabe, USA Today Bestselling author, Piper Blackwell Mysteries.
“Grab
a margarita and hold on tight; you're in for a wild ride.”
—Karen
MacInerney, Agatha Award nominee and author of the Dewberry Farms Mysteries
“An
intoxicating mix of laughter, kooky characters, and a yummy setting.”
—Joanna
Campbell Slan, bestselling/award-winning author of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery
Series
“A
zany murder mystery with a touch of romance and a handful of humor.”
—Nancy
J. Cohen, author of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries
Meet the Author:
Mary Cunningham, grew up on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon,
Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no
doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn”.
Childhood
experiences, and a recurring dream about a mysterious attic, inspired
characters, Cynthia and Augusta Lee, for her award-winning, five book middle-grade series,
Cynthia's Attic, set in her childhood home in Southern Indiana.
Andi Anna Jones, travel agent/amateur sleuth, was inspired by Cunningham's own horrifying stint as a travel agent and more rewarding experience teaching
travel and tourism. She is now writing book two, along with another middle-grade series, The Adventures of
Max and Maddie, a historical time-travel.
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ReplyDeleteThanks, so much, Christine, for hosting Andi Anna Jones and me!
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