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Thursday, June 28, 2018

Guest Ellen Jacobson #NewRelease MURDER AT THE MARINA @ellen_Jacobson



I'm happy to have Ellen Jacobson join us today. I met her through the fabulous Insecure Writers Support Group. Because she lives on a boat, when I had a question about sailing, I asked her. Not only did she answer my questions, she even contacted other sailors. That was a great help. 

Ellen's blogs are hilarious, so I was sure her book would be, too. It is. Cozy mysteries are great reads, and Ellen's is no exception. Loved her character Mollie whose droll observations made me laugh. Here she is to tell us about her new release.



Thanks for hosting me on your site today to celebrate the release of my cozy mystery, Murder at the Marina. This is the first book in the lighthearted and humorous Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery series, featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth.

My own sailing adventures and misadventures inspired me to write this series. My husband and I bought our first sailboat in New Zealand in 2012. After a couple of years cruising in those beautiful waters, we returned to the States and bought a bigger boat which we moved onto in 2015. We've since cruised in Florida and the Bahamas, labored over endless boat projects, and worked to keep our cruising kitty (savings) topped up.

I wanted to reflect my experiences learning to sail, cruising and living aboard a boat, and being part of the boating community in my cozy mysteries. You could say that there's a little bit of me in my main character, Mollie.

I thought I'd share one of the boating tidbits which I wrote about in Murder at the Marinanamely, buying a boat. Mollie wasn't actually involved in the boat buying process. Instead, her husband worked with a boat broker (kind of like a marine real estate agent) on the deal and “surprised” Mollie with it later. If she had been involved upfront, things might have turned out differently.

Buying a new-to-you boat can be stressful. First, you figure out what type of boat you want, how much you can afford to spend, pore over a zillion listings, and finally identify a few prospects. Then you go check them out in person. Sometimes, you find that the boat you're looking at bears no resemblance to the photos and description online. Eventually, you find your dream boat and arrange for a survey and sea trial. The surveyor presents you with a list of everything that's wrong and you either walk away or start negotiations with the seller. If you do close the deal, inevitably you discover more issues with the boat later. It will be interesting to see how Mollie copes with the long project list that they'll have to tackle to get their boat ship-shape.

If you'd like to learn more about Mollie and her sailing adventures, you can find details about Murder at the Marina below.


Blurb

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?

Buy Links

Murder at the Marina—A Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery #1
Print ISBN 978-1-7321602-1-7
eBook ISBN 978-1-7321602-0-0
Mystery


Author Bio

Ellen Jacobson writes mystery and scifi/fantasy stories. She is the author of the “Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery” series. 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.

You can connect with Ellen on:

The Cynical Sailor Blog - http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/
The Cynical Sailor Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/TheCynicalSailor/
Newsletter Sign-up - http://eepurl.com/dpy5sv


15 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog and all of your support, Diane!

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    1. My pleasure, Ellen. I'm waiting for the next Molly MdGhie book to come out.

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  2. You get a list of everything that's wrong? I don't think that would go over well if one was buying a house.

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    1. I think home sellers have to disclose things that are wrong, like foundations, appliances, furnace/AC, etc. Honest people do. We've bought homes from some people who were less than honest. Oh, well. Buyer beware.

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    2. It's kind of similar to having a home survey done. It's definitely buyer beware when it comes to boats.

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    3. Where I live a home inspection that lists problems is always part of the deal, unless the buyer waives it.

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  3. I have never sailed in my life. Speed boats, yes. But sailing, nope! I have a fear of water. Luckily, I don't fear reading about it. LOL! Good luck to you.

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  4. Kara - That's one of the things I love about books - you can experience things from the comfort of your living room that you wouldn't want to experience in real life :-)

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  5. Living on the water has never appealed to me (motion sickness!) but this sounds like a really fun read.

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    1. I have friends who suffer from sea sickness and it just sounds awful. So far, it hasn't happened to me - knock on wood :-)

      Cheers - Ellen

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  6. Sounds like a great story!
    Good luck and God's blessings
    PamT

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  7. I live on a lake and have multiple boats (sold the sailboat, however, as we just kept turtling it), so I find your theme appealing! Best wishes for success.

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    1. Ooh...turtling a sailboat - yikes! If you do check out Murder at the Marina, I hope you enjoy it. :-)

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  8. My kind of read! I don't know the first thing about boats, but I love the idea of them. :) And, of course, murder! Best wishes.

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