My name is Sierra Sullivan. I was formerly the cruise director of the Celebration, a mega ship that sailed to the Caribbean, Europe, and Alaska. For five years I sang, danced, and generally entertained the passengers. But then things slowed down and the cruise line furloughed me, which made me feel lost at sea. Not literally, although they’d virtually pushed me off the ship with a whopping two weeks’ severance pay.
That’s when I decided to move closer to my married daughter. I relocated to Spindrift Cove, a small town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I figured the proximity to Vancouver, Canada, affectionately referred to as Hollywood North, would provide numerous acting opportunities for me. I was willing to take on any role, even that of a corpse.
No lines. Easy, peasy.
It turns out entertainment gigs aren’t that plentiful for someone approaching (ouch) fifty, so I accepted the first job I could get. Even though it meant dressing up as a party princess for a six-year-old’s birthday party.
Performing at the party proved even more problematic than I could have imagined. I certainly didn’t expect to stumble over a dead body. In a pink bouncy house of all places! I also didn’t anticipate that I would become the chief suspect in the murder.
When the detective from the Spindrift Cove Police Department knocked on my door, there was nothing I could say other than “Hi, honey.”
Who knew having a detective for a daughter would be such a drag!
Birthdays Are Murder, A Spindrift Cove Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: January 2022
Purchase Link
From Cindy Sample, national bestselling author and five-time finalist for the lefty award for best humorous mystery comes a new series – Spindrift Cove mysteries.
After Sierra Sullivan is furloughed from her cruise director position, she moves to Spindrift Cove, Washington, to be closer to her married daughter. She soon discovers that gigs for middle-aged entertainers are scarcer than good hair days in the Pacific Northwest. With her bank account sliding toward zero, she swallows the indignity of donning a ten-pound wig and elaborate costume to perform at a child’s birthday party.
Little does Sierra know she’ll soon be upstaged by a corpse and become the leading-lady suspect.
As the bodies pile up, the entertainer adlibs her own crime-solving gig, a performance putting her in the crosshairs of a killer, and a finale that truly may be final.
About the author
Cindy Sample is a former corporate CEO who decided plotting murder was more entertaining than plodding through paperwork. She retired to follow her lifelong dream of becoming a mystery author. Her eight-book Laurel McKay Humorous Mystery series is primarily set in the California Gold Country, unless Cindy feels like traveling. Then the characters tag along with her on trips to Hawaii, the Caribbean and Las Vegas. Cindy is a five-time finalist for the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery, a two-time finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for best traditional mystery, and a two-time finalist for the Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Award for best cozy mystery. Birthdays Are Murder, the first book in her new Spindrift Cove Mystery series set in Washington state was just released.
Connect with Cindy on her website at cindysamplebooks.com and on Facebook. Sign up for her newsletter here.
All comments are welcomed.
Thanks Cindy for introducing us to Sierra
Thanks for letting Sierra share her story, Dru.
Looking forward to more books in this new series. Sierra is just as fun to follow along with as her younger cousin Laurel McKay from Cindy Sample’s first series. And the setting is a fabulous backdrop. I want to visit!
Thanks, Karen. I enjoyed writing about this new setting on the Olympic peninsula. Such a beautiful part of the country.
Sierra’s antics are funny but relatable. Good writing and good storyline.
Thanks for commenting, Rae. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the book.
I always love your books, Cindy. Woohoo – a new series. Sierra is fun to spend time with and I really enjoyed snuggling on the couch with it the other weekend. As usual, a page-turner and I giggled a lot.
I’m glad you enjoyed the new series, Liz. Giggles galore!
I am just getting to know Sierra, as
I’ve just started reading your new book Cindy! I already have fallen in love with her and I can’t wait to see what escapades she gets into! I’m such a fan of your “Dying For” series and looking forward to following your new one as well! Thank you for all your great reads!
Thanks so much, Jana. Much appreciated.
Boy, a new series by Cindy! Can’t wait to read this one, particularly since it’s set in the great Pacific Northwest, a place I love!
Thanks, Michele. We both seem to love writing about that area.
Cindy, your new series is terrific. So happy to have a new heroine to love! It’s so easy to root for Sierra–a loving mom who greets adversity with humor instead of bitterness. Hoping I have a chance to have many future visits to Spindrift Cove!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed reading about Sierra’s adventures. I really enjoyed creating her character. Humor is the best way to deal with adversity!