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Showing posts with label sailboats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sailboats. Show all posts

Monday, July 1, 2019

Guest: Ellen Jacobson & her #NewRelease POISONED BY THE PIER #mystery

I'm happy to welcome Ellen Jacobson back to the blog. I met her through Insecure Writers Support Group and was thrilled when her first Mollie McGhie book, Murder at the Marina, came out. When she asked for readers to review this book, I waved my hand wildly. Check out my review at the bottom of this post. Now, here's Ellen Jacobson.

People often ask me if I’m anything like the main character in my cozy mystery series, Mollie McGhie. Well, we both like cats, chocolate, and Star Wars, but there are also many differences—including her ability to fix things on her sailboat. I’m great at breaking things. Fixing them, not so much.

Like Mollie, I live on a sailboat with my husband. Boats can be expensive. Do you know what BOAT stands for? Break out another thousand (dollars). And it’s true. Something is always broken, something always needs replacing, and there’s always something new you need to buy.

To save on costs, Mollie and her hubby, Scooter, are fixing up their boat themselves. Despite not wanting the boat in the first place, it turns out that Mollie actually has a knack for repairing equipment, like a broken marine fridge.

I loved writing the passage below because it shows that women can be just as good at men at repairs and maintenance. Nobody bats an eye that Mollie is the one fixing their fridge, rather than Scooter. Of course, she many not always know what the right terminology is (she calls refrigerant “magic gas”), but she gets the job done.


What about you? Are you good at fixing things? Curious about what Mollie gets up to when she isn’t working on her boat? Pick up a copy of the latest Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery, Poisoned by the Pier, and find out. Spoiler Alert: She investigates murders and eats way too much chocolate.



Poisoned by the Pier Now Available! 

Poisoned by the Pier, the third book in the Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery series, is now available in ebook, paperback, and large print.

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play

When Mollie's husband signs the two of them up for an extreme diet, she's not amused. When someone ends up poisoned by a cake, things get even worse.

While she tries to identify the killer, Coconut Cove’s annual boating festival is in full swing. In between getting ready for her first sailing race and cheating on her diet, Mollie and her cat, Mrs. Moto, uncover clues, interview suspects, and do their best to avoid rutabagas.

Can Mollie nab the killer before someone else is poisoned?

If you like quirky characters, adorable cats, and plenty of chocolate, you'll love this cozy mystery. Pick up a copy of Poisoned by the Pier and laugh out loud from the first page to the last.


New to the Series? 

If you're new to the series, you might want to start with Murder at the Marina. Now is the perfect opportunity as the ebook is on sale for 99c/99p for a limited time.

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play

About the Author 

Ellen Jacobson lives on a sailboat with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon. When she isn't working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she writes cozy mysteries and sci-fi/fantasy stories.

Connect with Ellen on her Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | Blog

You can also sign up for her newsletter for updates about new releases, current projects, sales and promotions, and other fun stuff.

REVIEW

Diane's review:

What a fun book! Just like the two previous books starring Mollie McGhie, you can expect humor and a dead body. Mollie has a bad habit of finding the body. But first, Mollie's husband has come up with another brilliant (according to him), lame-brained (according to Mollie) idea. This time it's a diet featuring rutabagas. My folks made me eat rutabagas as a kid. No way would I ever eat them willingly. Finding clues connected to the rutabaga diet lead Mollie on a merry chase after the killer. Though the reader will probably figure out who the killer is before Mollie, you might not figure out the motive as easily. Ellen's books are always entertaining. Hope she writes more.

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