Hi everyone! My name is Mollie McGhie and I thought I’d tell you about a day in my life at Palm Tree Marina, located in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. To be honest, I never thought I’d write the words, “my life at a marina,” but my husband, Scooter, decided to give me a dilapidated sailboat for our wedding anniversary.

A sailboat! Can you believe that? Everyone knows that you’re supposed to get diamonds after ten years of marriage, not a boat. Then, just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I found a dead body on board. That man seriously needs some help in the gift-giving department.

Anyway, let me tell you what daily life looks like, now that I have a sailboat in my life.

7:00 AM—Scooter makes me a mocha, then has a bowl of his favorite cereal. Usually it’s Froot Loops, but lately, he’s been thinking about switching to Cap’n Crunch now that he’s a sailor.

8:30 AM—We arrive at the marina. Nancy and Ned, the owners of the marina, are on the patio cleaning up after last night’s potluck dinner. Ned smiles and waves. Nancy scowls at us. No doubt we’ve violated yet another one of her marina rules.

9:00 AM—We meet up with Ben, a wannabe pirate who’s helping us out. He’s constantly broke and always looking for odd jobs to make ends meet.

12:30 PM—The air conditioning on the boat breaks. I don’t know about you, but being stuck in a confined space with two sweaty, stinky guys when it’s over 90° outside, isn’t my idea of fun. Ben heads back to his place for the afternoon, while Scooter and I go to the Sailor’s Corner Cafe for a bite to eat. Our waitress, Alejandra, fills us in on the latest gossip while I admire her latest manicure.

2:00 PM—After lunch, we go to Melvin’s Marine Emporium to pick up parts for the boat. Sheesh, everything marine-related is so expensive! BOAT really does stand for “Break Out Another Thousand.” While we’re there, we run into Penny, who teaches sailing lessons at the marina. As usual, she’s dressed in pink from head to toe.

3:00 PM—On the way back to the marina, I convince Scooter to stop by Penelope’s Sugar Shack so I can get some brownies. The only way I’m going to make it through the afternoon is if I have plenty of chocolate in my system.

3:30 PM—Scooter heads to the boat to drop stuff off, while I go to the air-conditioned lounge to check emails. Mrs. Moto, a calico Japanese bobtail cat who lives at the marina, keeps me company.

5:00 PM—Scooter joins me in the lounge and proceeds to tell me about yet another thing he’s found on the boat that needs to be replaced. I’ll tell you, this boat is nothing but trouble.

6:30 PM—We swing by Alligator Chuck’s BBQ Joint on the way home to pick up some ribs for dinner.

8:00 PM—After doing the dishes and sharing a bowl ice cream, Scooter looks through his sailing magazines, while I watch home decorating shows. I figure if we’re going to own a boat, the least I can do is jazz it up with some throw pillows and curtains in a nautical theme.

10:30 PM—We head off to bed. Scooter falls asleep right away, no doubt dreaming about boats and sailing. Eventually, I drift off wondering how in the world I ended up spending my days at a marina.

You can read more about Mollie in Murder at the Marina, the first book in the NEW “Mollie McGhie Sailing” mystery series.

A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse.

Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to.

When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea.

Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigates an alien abduction, eats way too many chocolate bars, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.

Can Mollie discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?

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Meet the author
Ellen Jacobson writes mystery and scifi/fantasy stories. She lives on a sailboat with her husband, exploring the world from the water. When she isn’t working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she blogs about their adventures at The Cynical Sailor. Stop by and visit her at her website ellenjacobsonauthor.com. You can also follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

All comments are welcomed.