BOOK TOUR
I'm happy to be a stop on the blog tour for
CHUTES AND LADDER
Book 2 in the Silicon Valley Mysteries
by Marc Jedel
When a camping trip uncovers a murder, this amateur sleuth is stuck putting out the fire …
Marty Golden enjoys time with his nieces, but he wanted to spend the weekend with his new girlfriend — not chaperone a Girl Scout camping trip. Once he stumbles upon the corpse of a friend in the woods, the outdoors adventure becomes an open-air disaster. When the police label it an accidental death, the meticulous Marty vows to investigate the murder. After all, it’s poor manners to let your friend’s death go unsolved.
On the hunt for clues the cops ignored, Marty uncovers a disturbing connection to himself. And as he digs deeper, a misbehaving pup, a kooky cousin, and a maniacal ninja put his survival skills to the test.
Will Marty unravel the mystery before the killer, or his imagination, gets to him?
Chutes and Ladder is the side-splitting second novel in the Silicon Valley cozy mystery series. If you like quirky sleuths, wacky side characters, and laugh-out-loud moments, you’ll love this offbeat whodunit.
LKBR: Marc, thank you for being here today!
Marc: Hi, Lisa. Thanks so much for featuring me.
LKBR:
Please tell us a bit about your new release, Chutes and Ladder.
Marc: Chutes and Ladder is the second book
in my Silicon Valley Mystery series. It can also be read as a
standalone novel. My reluctant amateur sleuth, Marty Golden, bumbles his way
through the investigation, armed with nothing but an eye for detail and powers
of self-delusion. He stumbles across the corpse of a friend while helping out
at a Girl Scout camping trip. When the police call it an accidental death,
Marty launches his own investigation. After all, friends don’t let friends’
deaths go unresolved.
LKBR: Any
hints or spoilers you can give us about Chutes
and Ladder?
Marc: Marty uncovers some disturbing connections between his
friend’s death and himself. As he digs deeper, a misbehaving pup, a kooky
cousin, and a maniacal ninja put his survival skills to the test.
LKBR: Have you ever written a scene that you loved but had to
remove it for the sake of the story?
Marc: Yes. Fortunately my editor helped me realize it had to
go. Editors can be bad people, even if they’re really valuable. Fortunately,
mine also laughs at Marty so I like her. I’ve also found that restricting my
novels to take place within about a week helps me keep the pace, tension, and
plot moving along quickly. There’s simply no time in Marty’s day to put in
extraneous scenes — unless, I think they’re really funny. I have tons of notes
for scenes, dialogue, and characters that don’t make it into each book. I roll
these into the next one and see if they work.
LKBR: Have you ever
gotten reader’s block? Just find it hard to get into reading because
you are so into your writing?
Marc: I never have this problem. I can’t fall asleep at
night unless I read something. Reading made me interested in becoming an
author. I read a wide variety of genres, including cozy mysteries, thrillers,
sci-fi, biographies, and science non-fiction. When I’m in the midst of some
difficult sections of a book, I will stop reading other mysteries and cozies so
I don’t get myself confused.
LKBR: Are there any
magazines/publications that as a writer you subscribe to? Are these or others
something readers could also benefit from?
Marc: There are a number of writing bloggers that I follow,
which help me with craft, marketing, and more. Perhaps the best resource that
inspires me to come up with plot ideas comes from using the Flipboard app on my
iPad. I stumble across a lot of different articles and blog posts in a wide
variety of topics. Something wacky, or interesting, or funny grabs my attention
and then I ask myself, “What would happen if …”
LKBR: Is there anything you
would give up if you thought it would make you an even better writer?
Marc: If I knew the answer to that one, I’d probably have
tried it already.
LKBR: Any new projects
in the works?
Marc: I can tell
you that book 3 in the series — Serf and Turf — begins the morning
after Chutes and Ladder ends. Looks like Marty’s hectic life doesn’t
ease up anytime soon. Readers can get the first chapter and get notified of
special offers, prizes, and more by joining my mailing list at www.marcjedel.com.
LKBR: If you
could ask your readers 3 questions, what would they be?
Marc: My three questions would be:
1. What aspect of a
cozy mystery do you especially enjoy?
2. What annoys you when you see it in a cozy mystery novel?
3. I’d love to know what other author/books that my novels
remind you of? I know you may not have read them yet, but send me an email when
you’ve read one.
LKBR: Where can
readers go to learn more about you and your books?
Marc: I’d love for readers to contact me. Tell me what you
liked, or didn’t like, what you wish would happen next, what book mine reminded
you of, or just tell me a funny story about a pet or family member. Authors
love to hear from readers — it’s much more exciting than staring at a blank
screen. Please contact me at:
LKBR: Thank you
so much, Marc, for letting us get to know you better!
Marc: Thanks again for
featuring me today! I hope your readers enjoy my books as much as I have
writing them.
📚📖📚📖📚
!!!GIVEAWAY!!!
1 lucky reader will win a signed copy of
CHUTES AND LADDER
USA only
Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.
Winner will be chosen after April 7 at the end of the tour
This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.
📚📖📚📖📚
MY REVIEW
If
you’re looking for a quirky, fun mystery, you’ve just found it.
It’s
not unheard of, but rare to have a male protagonist in a cozy mystery. Well,
this isn’t a typical cozy mystery and Marty Golden isn’t a typical protag. Think
Sheldon Cooper, Clark Griswold, and Columbo all rolled into one. This nerdy,
intelligent, goofy, silly man, will have you laughing your butt off.
Author
Marc Jedel’s CHUTES AND LADDER was a fast paced, fun read of a mystery. I never
knew when I’d be laughing or holding my breath. The author added just the right
amounts of mystery, mayhem, humor, and sweetness to assure this book would hold
his readers’ attention, and have them coming back for more.
This
was my first book in the Silicon Valley Mysteries, but I doubt it’s my last.
About the Author
For most of my life, I’ve been inventing stories. Some, especially when I was young, involved my sister as the villain. As my sister’s brother for her entire life, I’m highly qualified to tell the tale of this evolving, quirky sibling relationship.
My writing skills were honed in years of marketing leadership positions in Silicon Valley. While my high tech marketing roles involved crafting plenty of fiction, we called these marketing collateral, emails and ads.
The publication of my first novel, Uncle and Ants, gave me permission to claim “author” as my job. This leads to way more interesting discussions than answering “marketing.”
My family would tell you that Marty’s character isn’t much of a stretch of the imagination for me, but I proudly resemble that remark.
Like Marty, I live in Silicon Valley and can’t believe that otherwise normal people would willingly jump out of an airplane and call it fun. Unlike Marty, I have a wonderful wife and a neurotic but sweet, small dog, who is often the first to weigh in on the humor in my writing.
Author Links
- Email: marc@marcjedel.com
- Website: www.marcjedel.com
- FaceBook: www.facebook.com/MarcJedel.Author
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mjedel/
- GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/18403497.Marc_Jedel
- BookBub: www.bookbub.com/profile/marc-jedel
Purchase Link
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 25 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
March 25 – The Journey Back– REVIEW
March 25 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
March 26 – My Reading Journeys – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 26 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 26 – Teresa Watson – SPOTLIGHT
March 27 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 27 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST
March 27 – Here’s How It Happened – GUEST POST
March 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 28 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
March 28 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 29 – I’m Into Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 29 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 30 – 4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼ – SPOTLIGHT
March 31 – ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ – SPOTLIGHT
March 31 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
April 1 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
April 1 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 2 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 2 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
April 3 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 4 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 4 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
April 5 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 5 – Literary Gold – REVIEW
April 5 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
April 6 – ❧Defining Ways❧ – GUEST POST
April 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
April 7 – Readeropolis – GUEST POST
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Thanks, Lisa. Happy Monday!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the lovely review and for hosting me today. I'm very glad you enjoyed CHUTES AND LADDER. I hope your readers will enjoy reading my book as much as I did writing it. At www.marcjedel.com, people can get the first chapter FREE for UNCLE AND ANTS (book 1) or CHUTES AND LADDER (book 2) simply by signing up for my newsletter. Book 3, SERF AND TURF, is underway, so now's a great time to enjoy Uncle Marty's adventures as he bumbles through his investigations.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review and for being part of the book tour for "CHUTES AND LADDER" by Marc Jedel. Enjoyed reading the interview with Marc and can't wait to read the book.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net