Get to know the characters of “This New Job’s Murder” in this behind-the-scenes preview...
Arthur Snugg: “Did I ask you, who is this author who wants to speak to us, Melody?”
Melody: “She’s a mystery writer, Snugg. It’s pretty exciting because I’m the star of the book!
Snugg: “Melody, I know I’m just your boss, not your P.R. person, but do we want to meet the author of our story in the cemetery?”
Melody: “What? It's fine. I had J.J. set up the picnic table here, on the lawn. Alex and J.J. will be here soon. I guess they are a little late.”
Snugg: “That’s my nephews, always stopping to smell the beer garden. But why so close to Republic Street?”
Melody: “This one has a great view of the headstones in the back lawn, and as you can see, no recent burials nearby.”
Snugg: “Perfect. Is my tie adjusted correctly?”
Melody: “You look great, Mr. Snugg. Very professional."
Snugg: “Thank you.”
Melody: “...I got this vintage dress at Claire’s. I told her I might stop later as she got some new Mary Janes in that I want to try.”
Snugg: “And she wants to talk to us? The author?”
Melody: “Yeah, I’m excited. Normally, the only time someone wants to talk to us is when someone dies, and then they want to talk to you mostly.”
Snugg: “Well, your Dad would be proud of you, Melody. You’ve made The Peaceful Rest Funeral Home and Cemetary the talk of the town. And this story might just put Pleasantview on the map. Maybe they’ll make a statue of us...”
Melody: “I don’t know, Snugg. She’s a writer, not a sculptor or an artist. But we can get her autograph, maybe take a picture for the lobby.
Snugg: “Do you think my tie is too bold? Maybe I should change into one of my solid grey ones?”
Melody: “Sorry, Boss, the theme is vintage fashion. Red is the new black. Know what I mean?”
Snugg: “Melody, I don’t think it’s a good idea to divulge any information until the book comes out. Let’s just sit here and keep an eye out for the author…What’s her name again?”
Melody: Carole Lynn Jones, she’s from Pittsburgh."
Snugg: “Figures. Look, a car other than the coroner just pulled in and parked next to the hearse. That must be her."
Melody: "This could be fun!"
Book Release News!
Title: This New Job’s Murder
Author: Carole Lynn Jones
Event: Saturday, June 26th, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. EST
Where: Mystery Lovers Bookstore 514 Allegheny River Blvd, Oakmont, PA 15139
The Reviews Are In!
Melody Shore puts the “fun” back in funerals. ~Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries
Fast-paced and rollickingly hilarious. This New Job’s Murder will keep you chuckling and turning the page from beginning to end. ~Annette Dashofy, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Zoe Chambers Mystery Series
A feisty new amateur sleuth who always has the right accessory for murder. Melody Shore is back in her quaint home town and working at the local funeral home, but there’s more in those caskets than dead bodies. In her vintage heels, she stumbles upon secrets and unravels crimes…you’ll fall in love with Melody and all the residents of Pleasantville. ~Tina deBellegarde, Agatha and Derringer-nominated author of the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Series
Summary:
Meet Melody Shore, a sassy, calamity-prone millennial who leaves her legal secretary career in Pittsburgh to work as a funeral assistant. She's trying her best to send the dearly departed off to a “peaceful rest” back in her hometown of Pleasantview. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to keep herself out of the crosshairs of murder. Join Melody as she buries her past, digs for clues, and unearths small-town secrets. "This New Job's Murder" is a collection of five award-winning short, cozy mysteries by Carole Lynn Jones.
Comps:
If you like Tea by the Sea Mysteries (Delany) or Tourist Trap Mysteries (Cahoon), you’ll love The Melody Shore Mysteries.
Book Details:
Title: This New Job’s Murder: The Melody Shore Mysteries
ISBN-13: 978-1-970151-39-8 , LCN; 2022936464
MSRP: $12.99
Editions, Kindle, Nook, Ebook, $6.99
Hardback coming summer 2022, Audio coming 2023
Author Name: Carole Lynn Jones, carolelynnjones@carolelynnjones.com
Publication date: June 18th, 2022
Imprint/Publisher: Flying Ketchup Press ®
Editor: Polly McCann, Managing Editor roundtable@flyingketchuppress.com
Phone: 816-507-4193
Author website: carolelynnjones.com
Publisher Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Page count: 180
Interview with writer Amy Buster:
Lovers of cozy mystery will be charmed by debut author Carole Lynn Jones in This New Job’s Murder. Set in a small fictional town outside of Pittsburgh in the 2010s, sassy, calamity-prone Millennial Melody Shore gets a new job working for widow-chasing Arthur Snugg and his twin nephews at a one-stop-shop cemetery and funeral parlor. Melody wants to send the dearly departed off to a “peaceful rest,” but when she can’t hold back her epic admin skills as a former paralegal, she digs up more than dirt in this anything but deadly dull “rollickingly hilarious” collection of five short Melody Shore Mysteries.
The book will be released on June 18th by Flying Ketchup Press in Kansas City, Missouri. Carole Lynn Jones mixes intrigue with humor, appealing to fans of light-hearted mysteries with a taste for quirky characters. The book’s official Pittsburgh launch will be at Mystery Lovers Bookstore in Oakmont, PA, on June 26 at 1:00 p.m.
"It is exciting to see my stories coming to print and a chance to bring laughter and enjoyment to readers. I wrote the first story in my collection about six years ago,” explains Jones, “then won the Flying Ketchup Press’s Cozy Catbird Mystery Contest in 2019. When asked how she came up with Melody Shore’s situational humor, Jones says, “There are a lot of great characters out there. They bake or run small businesses, etc., but I wanted to create a character in a situation with a career most would never consider–a funeral home assistant.”
The author’s inspiration for a protagonist with ninja-style admin skills began with her own career. Jones worked for years troubleshooting and formatting legal documents for a law firm. She explains that high-power administrative skills were a necessity to those starting back in the day when an analog law library looked like something out of Harry Potter. “With Melody, I wanted to create a character who is thrown into an unappealing job, dying for want of organization.” And that’s what she did, adding a twist of humor that whistles in the dark recesses of the funeral home’s embalming room to its headstones on the grassy knoll not too far off Main street.
Jones' protagonist is a young woman who loses her big-city career and her longtime boyfriend to end up back in her small hometown, alone and unemployed. Despite everything, Melody’s empathy, her curiosity, and her keen eye for detail prove helpful. Jones explains that Melody is someone who “has a good heart.” She stands out in a sea of mournful black in her colorful vintage clothing and her plucky attitude. While facing her fear of death and dying, Melody must also confront uncomfortable memories from her past, a lot of dead bodies, and her own broken heart. Jones says that Melody Shore brings readers back to someone who has a kind of lost art, someone who isn’t afraid to be a “friend.” Even more, Melody fiercely won’t let go of her drive to be the best career girl she can be.
An avid participant in the mystery writers’ network, Jones is the current treasurer of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Chapter of Sisters in Crime and a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Jones is also a cat fancier and bike-riding enthusiast who loves to take the trails at Cooks Forest or float down the Clarion River with her high school sweetheart–now-husband–in their free time.
When asked about the future, Jones says she is already hard at work on the next project after This New Job’s Murder, “My next book is a stand-alone novel, Alumni with Alibis. It will continue with the same characters in This New Job’s Murder, and it will be another cozy mystery. I would love to write a hard-boiled mystery, but first, I want to enjoy talking to readers about Melody Shore, hearing their stories, and making them laugh,” Jones says.
This New Job’s Murder will be available through online retailers on June 18, 2022. Bookstore and event orders can be made through Ingram or by contacting the Publisher.
Author Bio:
Carole Lynn Jones is the author of the Melody Shore Mysteries. To her, mystery writing is like solving a crime. You crack open the case, sleuth through the suspects then create a killer story– all while whistling in the dark. When she isn’t writing mysteries, Carole spends her days and sometimes nights formatting legal documents for a large law firm. She enjoys spending time with her family, biking the many bike trails of Western Pennsylvania, and telling her cat Elvis to get off the keyboard. Carole and her high school sweetheart/husband live in a suburb of Pittsburgh. Find her online at www.carolelynnjones.com to find out about the many upcoming author events or follow her @CaroleJonesy (Twitter), @carole_lynn_jones (Instagram), Join her FB Humor club: I'm Shore You're Joking.
Social Media:
FB @flyingketchuppress
IG @flying_ketchup_press, @carole_lynn_jones
Twitter@press_flying, @CaroleJonesy
Follow the action on social media via these hashtags: #melodyshoremysteries #vintagecozymystery #cozymystery #notamashedpotato #thisnewjob’smurder #I’mshoreyou’rejoking
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