Routine is good, especially at my age (not quite ready to collect social-security, but getting a little too close to that precipice for comfort.) My day begins with morning coffee while reading the paper the old-fashioned way (something about the tactile sensation of turning those huge pages). Next, I fire up my iPad to check my VISA statement online. I found that is the best way know what my three grown children are up to. They are only supposed to use the joint card for emergencies—and some could argue that a Starbucks run to get through a late-night study session at medical school is an emergency—but I like to think they at least think of me when the swipe it. Late mornings find me at the gym with my BFF Tasha. I volunteer in the afternoons at the elementary school helping children learn to read. Evenings find me watching old movies on TCM while snacking on Moose Munch or some other guilty pleasure. Life was good.
WAS being the operative word.
Last year I walked into my husband’s office and saw something I can never un-see. We are now divorced. He got the large, stone house nestled in a bend on the Gaddams River, along with all the furnishings, and all of the memories of our 20 years together there. I got my books, my favorite kitchen gadgets, and my freedom. Small comfort that I also got a decent financial settlement. I moved into an apartment on the 13th floor, overlooking the 17th hole in the new country club community. This bird’s-eye view gave me a new perspective on life, yet I found myself in the same old rut…I mean routine.
Then I had this bright idea to re-invent myself. Call it a mid-life crisis, call in a post-divorce tailspin, call it just plain crazy! Honestly, there is no explanation as to why I packed up my worldly belongings and drove off in search of a new me.
I figured the best way to contemplate life involved long walks on the beach, followed by viewing sunsets over the water while sipping a favorite merlot. Based on Internet pictures, I’d rented the cutest pink cottage that was a flip-flop’s throw of the Chesapeake Bay. In hindsight, that was the stupidest thing I ever could have done, signing a long-term lease on something sight unseen. I was horrified when I pulled into the neighborhood to find over a dozen abandon houses. There was hope at the end of the street. One lone cottage occupied by a little old lady whom you wouldn’t expect to hurt a fly. A new best friend? I hoped!
But our first chat over triple-chocolate cupcakes had me wishing I had never left my routine in search of adventure. I was sooooo not cut out for adventure. And yet that’s exactly what I found myself up to my receding hairline in, adventure that began when my new neighbor admitted to me that she’d killed a man.
You can read about my adventure in the new novella, Home is Where you Hang your Flip Flops, written by my friend Jayne Ormerod. It’s available in e-book. The printed version is included in a collection of cozy mysteries set along the shore. In Goin’ Coastal, you get four stories. It turns out I’m not the only middle-aged woman who has a nose for trouble, as each story features a different amateur sleuth. But it makes me wonder what kind of company Jayne keeps if she’s telling the stories of all these women who happen to stumble across dead bodies!
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win copy of Goin’ Coastal, either Kindle/Nook (open to everyone) or print (U.S. residents only), winner’s choice. The giveaway will end January 2, 2019. Good luck everyone!
You can read more about Sydney in Home is Where you Hang your Flip Flops, one of the four novellas in the anthology, Goin’ Coastal.
All is not quiet on the coastal front as dead bodies emerge, marring these idyllic seaside escapes. Enter four intrepid sleuths who hit the sandy shores in search of clues, leaving not a single grain of sand unturned in pursuit of truth, justice, and the occasional adult beverage. Goin’ Coastal is a collection of two novellas and two short stories that have two things in common; a coastal setting and a gruesome murder. The following stories are included:
“Home is Where You Hang Your Flip Flops” searches for the details of a decades-old murder.
“Down by the Bay” connects a woman with a home she lived in as a child, a house that holds many secrets.
“Seas the Day” finds two women involved in a crazy plot to frame an ex-husband for murder, but the script flips and they end up framing themselves.
“The Tide Also Rises” shows how a quiet summer by the shore can turn deadly when you delve into a past someone would rather stay buried.
Purchase Link
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About the author
Jayne Ormerod grew up in a small Ohio town and attended a small-town Ohio college. Upon earning her accountancy degree, she became a CIA (that’s not a sexy spy thing, but a Certified Internal Auditor). She married a naval officer, and off they sailed to see the world. After nineteen moves, they, along with their two rescue dogs Tiller and Scout, settled in a cottage by the Chesapeake Bay. Jayne writes cozy mysteries about small towns with beach settings. You can read more about Jayne and her many publications at JayneOrmerod.com.
All comments are welcomed.
I would love to win a print copy of this book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks for stopping by Doward! Good luck!
Sounds like the start of a fun new series.
Thanks Gram. I had a lot of fun with this character. Thanks for stopping by and good luck with the drawing!
Sydney sounds like someone I would love to know! I think we may have tons in common!
If I win, I would like the print edition.
Sydney and her bff Tasha are a lot of fun! I enjoyed hanging around them while i wrote. Good luck in the drawing!
Your book sounds like a lot of fin. Congratulations, Jayne. I hope we’ll see you at Malice.
Thanks Grace! And good luck with your new book STAGING IS MURDER! Looking forward to reading it. And i do hope to make it to Malice this year!
Sounds like an interesting collection of stories. Love the contrast of a peaceful coastal setting as a backdrop for a violent murder.
Thanks for stopping by, Sharon! I combined my two great passions…beach life and cozy mysteries. Good luck in the drawing!
I’d really be pleased to win this book.
Good morning Amy! Thanks for stopping by. I had a lot of fun writing these stories. Good luck in the drawing!
I like the idea of amateur sleuths and a beach setting. I’d love to win the ebook version.
Morning Beth…no better way to spend a snowy January day than curled up with a beach mystery! Good luck in the drawing!
Sounds like fun stories! In this cold weather, warm weather reads are what I need right now.
Thank you for offering the giveaway!
Happy New Year!
Shelley…thanks for stopping by! happy new year to you too! And good luck with the drawing!
Always enjoy reading your stories. I’m looking forward to these.
Thanks, Patrick! Happy new year!
New to me series..I love paper back books! Thanks for this interview
Hi Sheryl…Dru does such a great job intoducing authors and readers! Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the drawing!
As a fellow Ohioan it is a pleasure to see an author featured from my home state. Thanks Dru Ann for the introduction to Jayne Ormerod and her book. My fingers are crossed my New Year’s kicks off with a win.
O-H-I-O! You can take the girl out of Ohio but you can’t take the Ohio out of the girl! Happy New Year Robin and thanks for stopping by Dru’s blog! Good luck in the drawing!
Change can be wonderful, but it often brings discomfort!
True dat, Libby. And I think its natural to be adverse to change but good things can come from it too! Happy new year!
I love beach settings in a cozy. This collection sounds awesome.
Thanks, Gabbi. It was a really fun story to write. The house is based on a cute pink cottage across the street from me. But to my knowledge none of my neighbors have killed a man! Thanks for stopping by! Happy new year!
I’d love to read this beach story.
I enjoyed the short review of Jayne Ormerod; what an interesting life. Her location in Chesapeake is a great place.
Thanks, Pauline! I think “interesting lives” come with age! Do love where we live, but I am an Ohio girl at heart! Thanks for stopping by. Good luck with the contest, and happy new year to you!
Really liked the description of the book. Would really like to read.
Thanks for stopping by, Diane. Just hear from my mother in law…and she enjoyed it, so that’s a good sign! Good luck in the drawing! And happy new year!
A new author for me. I like the stories are about middle aged women. Read where author is from Ohio. I live in Ohio. Thanks for a chance to win a print copy of her book. Happy New Year!
Hi Linda! As I mentioned to another Ohio reader, you can take the girl out of Ohio but you can’t take the Ohio out of the girl! I try to visit as often as possible, preferably in the summer and not the winter! 🙂 I do have another series, the Blonds at the Beach series (The Blond Leading the Blond and Blond Luck) that features two middle aged women in a fictional small-town Ohio setting. I hope to get the third one written this year! Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the contest!
Looks Great 👍 Thanks for Sharing this book with us 😍❤😍
I bet lots of people would love to reinvent themselves sometimes
Shared on Twitter 😍❤😍
Thanks for the chance
💖🍯🐝
https://mobile.twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/1079828110902784000
And thanks for sharing on twitter! Good luck in the contest!
Hi Linda, with 19 moves in conjunction with my husband’s military career, I got to “re-invent” myself a lot! Sometimes for better (but not always!) Thanks for stopping by. Happy new year!
Yes please Dru, this one looks like a fun read. Enter me in the giveaway please.
Nora-Adrienne…is that the Cape Cod potato chip factory???? I have been there! Love me some potato chips! They are my snack food of choice! In fact I have a bag, along with a tub of French Onion Dip to help me ring out the old year! Happy new year, and thanks for stopping by. Good luck in the contest!
Sounds amazing.
Hi Jessica, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. These were really fun stories for me to write, and quick reads, the perfect quick escape for our busy lives! Good luck in the contest and happy new year!
I love the cover of Goin’ Coastal. I’d like to win the print copy. Happy New Year!
Hi Bonnie, I know a “momma” isn’t supposed to have favorites, but this is probably my favorite cover! Done by San Coils at coverkick.com. She’s done all of my covers. Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the contest!
I love the cover and title, and the post! This is a new to me author, thanks for the chance to win!
Good morning Holdenj, glad we had a chance to “meet” and thanks again to Dru for this wonderful opportunity to connect with new readers! I know, so many books/so little time! But if a cover sells books, I hope this one works. As soon as I saw it I wanted to read the book…but then I remembered I wrote the stories! Ha ha ha. Good luck in the contest and happy new year!
A new to me book/author. Would love to win a print copy! Sounds great and great cover too. Thanks a ton
Good Morning Kay, thanks for stopping by! I worked hard to make sure the “whimsy” of the stories was reflected in the cover. Hope it works! Good luck in the drawing and Happy new year!
This book sounds outstanding. Hope I get to read it soon!
Good Morning Renee, Sydney has a great story to tell and I’m honored to be the one she told it to! It is fiction, of course, but I do believe the characters tell the story. Good luck in the drawing!
Sounds like this will be a fun new series. Thank you for this chance.
Happy new year, Peggy! Hope 2019 wins you the change to read more about Sydney and her coastal adventures! Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for this giveaway…
Would like to read this book….
Good Morning Cyn, looks like you are lining up your reads for 2019! Good luck in the drawing, and Happy New Year!
Thanks for the opportunity to share Sydney’s story, Dru! Wishing you and all of your readers a plethora of good reads in 2019! Happy new Year to all!
Awesome! I would love to win a print copy of this book!
**** WINNER ****
Goin’ Coastal is Sharon Marchisello
Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS Sharon! Nook will be in the mail tomorrow! Thanks for everybody who stopped by and left a comment I really do appreciate it.