“I’m not boasting when I say I’ve got the smartest daughter in the world! Who wouldn’t be proud to have a daughter who zoomed off to Washington, D.C. to interview big whigs in Congress? I’m not going to lie. Over the eight years she worked for the Chicago Tribune, Mitzy gained ten pounds stuffing her face at those fancy-shmancy restaurants! Fortunately the newspaper picked up the bill. Bike riding and working out at the gym really knocked off those extra pounds. Mitzy says I was a real pain in the ass, always nagging her to lose weight, but Diabetes runs in our family. It’s a mother’s job to keep her family healthy, right?

“When I tell my friends Mitzy was an investigative reporter, they always ask why she quit such a plush job? It wasn’t all plush, I’d tell them. Much of her career was spent exposing crooked politicians, gang-bangers, and drug lords.

“She’d tell me all about her adventures. It was thrilling, you know? Living vicariously through your kid. Was I scared for her? You bet! I’d urge her to wear a bullet-proof vest when she’d go undercover. ‘Butt out,’ she’d say. Is that anyway to talk to your mother?

“But in Mitzy’s last year at the newspaper, her whole demeanor changed. Her eyes dulled, her posture stooped. She’d hole-up in her luxurious downtown loft, answering two out of my twelve phone calls. “Boyfriend problems?” I’d ask. Click would go the phone. “Need to talk to a therapist?” Click. Click.

“Then one miraculous day, Mitzy appeared in the lobby of my Edgewater condo building. Her eyes sparkled. ‘I just quit my job and enrolled in National Louis University’s 18-month teacher certification program. I’m going to teach kids with special needs!’

“I’m stupefied! My daughter thrives on designer clothes, shoes, purses. ‘But how are you going to afford your sports car and your loft?” Mitzy tells me she’s subletting the loft and moving to Evanston so she can ride the ‘L’ train to school. She says she’s donating her designer stuff to charity.

“As I observe her glowing transformation, I’m filled with joy that she’s risen like a phoenix from a serious depression and is on the road to a new beginning. Yet, I’ve read newspaper articles about emotionally disturbed students who kill their teachers or other students. I paste an encouraging smile on my lips. Still I ponder whether this new voyage will deliver her from the frying pan to the furnace. I seriously pray it’s not the latter.”

You can read more about Mitzy in Fatal Reaction, the second book featuring Mitzy Maven and tough-talking CPD detective Maggie O’Connor, published by Create Space, which will be available in February 2014. The first book is Window of Guilt. The first two books are available through Amazon or www.untreedreads.com.

Testimonials for Fatal Reaction:

“A school setting with a special education environment that exudes authenticity. Mitzy Maven is a solid entry in the detective world.” Barb D’Amato, author of Hard Bargain and Help Me Please!

“A fascinating array of characters lead the reader through the mysterious inner life of an emotionally disturbed girl and her dysfunctional family. Fatal Reaction bursts with intrigue and ends with a satisfying conclusion.” Marilyn Meredith, author of Night Watch and Deadly Trail.

“A vulnerable young girl, a murder victim with too many enemies, and a gutsy teacher-turned-sleuth who won’t take no for an answer…FATAL REACTION is a page-turner that keeps you guessing even as it tugs at your heart.” –D. M. Pirrone, author of NO LESS IN BLOOD

Meet the author
About Jennie Award-winning suspense author Jennie Spallone wrote over one hundred profiles and feature stories for local and national newspapers and magazines, as well as Deadly Choices and Window of Guilt before putting pen to Fatal Reaction.

Jennie, an active member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, has spoken at local bookstores, schools, and libraries, in addition to Mystery Conferences throughout the country, including Scene of the Crime, Bouchercon, Printer’s Row, Sleuthfest, Malice Domestic, Magna Cum Murder, Midwest Literary Fest, Love is Murder, Public Safety Writers of America, Romantic Times Writers’ Conference, and the University of Wisconsin Writer’s Institute.

Read excerpts of her books on her website. Also visit Jennie on Facebook or on Twitter.

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