Hi, I’m Laura Bishop.

I always dreamed of having a job I enjoyed, and working as an IT specialist, which bored me to tears, wasn’t it. So after watching way too many home staging shows on HGTV and helping friends stage their homes for sale, I decided to chuck the security of my well-paying job in IT, get certified, and start my own business as a professional home stager.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to start a new business without references, so I accepted a commission to stage a 19th century mansion owned by Victoria Denton, the most difficult woman in town. Friends warned me she would be impossible to work with, and sure enough, pleasing her proved to be hard. But if it would help launch my career, I’d stage a home for Hannibal Lecter.

My young assistant, Tyrone, and I were making slow but steady progress turning the mansion from dark, dank, and detestable into something bright, breezy, and beautiful. But when Victoria fell from a laundry chute and landed at my feet, replacing flowered wallpaper became the least of my worries.

The police are convinced Tyrone killed her. And no matter what I say about his good character, I can’t convince them otherwise.

Tyrone’s grandmother believes I’m the person to clear Tyrone. I don’t know where her faith in me came from, but it certainly is misplaced. I’ve never solved a mystery more complicated than finding a bug in a computer system.

To clear Tyrone of the murder and save my fledgling business, I have to find the killer. Not an easy task since I have to deal with dark and brooding Alex Spangler, the police detective assigned to the case, and Doug Hamilton, the real estate agent and young Robert Redford lookalike, who is trying to save the mansion from foreclosure.

Did I mention I have an aversion to handsome men? Strange, I know, but every time someone made me unhappy, took credit for my work, or just generally embarrassed me, a handsome man was involved. My feelings have definitely complicated my dealings with Detective Spangler and Robert, ah. . .Doug Hamilton.

My mother warned me that handsome men were trouble. She believed that if my father hadn’t been so handsome, he wouldn’t have been unfaithful and left us.

Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to her and married Derrick—as handsome as they come. Big mistake. I should have listened to my mother. When he and his female companion (long story) were killed in an automobile accident, I swore off handsome men forever. But until I can help clear Tyrone, I’m destined to run into Detective Spangler. And until I can finish staging the mansion, which is really hard with Tyrone in jail, I’m left dealing with Doug Hamilton.

Worse, I made the mistake of telling my best friend, Nita, about my investigation. I should have known better. Throughout our lives I’ve played Ethel to her Lucy, and she’s frequently gotten us into the bizarre situations. Today was no exception. She dragged me and Tyrone’s grandmother to a campground searching for some Hells Angels she was convinced could have been involved with Victoria’s death. Yesterday she brought someone to the Denton house to sweep it of Victoria’s spirit. Heavens give me strength.

Nita’s meddling, Tyrone’s determined grandmother, and the machinations of the local funeral director could get us all killed.

To say I’m a reluctant sleuth is an understatement.

You can read more about Laura Bishop in Staging is Murder, the first book in the NEW “Laura Bishop” cozy mystery series, coming April 30, 2019.

Laura Bishop just nabbed her first decorating commission—staging for sale a 19th century mansion that hasn’t been updated for decades. But when a body falls from a laundry chute and lands at Laura’s feet, removing flowered wallpaper becomes the least of her duties.

To clear her young assistant of the murder and save her fledgling business, Laura’s determined to find the killer. Turns out it’s not as easy as renovating a manor home, especially with two handsome men complicating her mission: the police detective assigned to the case and the real estate agent trying to save the manse from foreclosure.

Worse still, the meddling of a horoscope-guided friend, a determined grandmother, and the local funeral director could get them all killed before Laura props the first pillow.

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Meet the author
Grace Topping is a recovering technical writer and IT project manager, accustomed to writing lean, boring documents. Let loose to write fiction, she is now creating murder mysteries and killing off characters who remind her of some of the people she dealt with during her career. Fictional revenge is sweet. She’s using her experience helping friends stage their homes as inspiration for her Laura Bishop mystery series. The first book in the series, Staging is Murder, is about a woman starting a new career midlife as a home stager. Grace is the current vice president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a member of the SINC Guppies and Mystery Writers of America. She lives with her husband in Northern Virginia.

You can reach out to Grace at website, gracetopping.com, or on Facebook, or on Twitter.

All comments are welcomed.

Thanks to Grace Topping for donating a print copy of Staging is Murder. Contest ends May 2, 2019 and is limited to U.S. residents. Please leave comment in box below. The winner will be notified by email (so check your spam folder). Good luck everyone!