I'm pleased to welcome Marcy Blesy to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Marcy writes the Ghost Texter Paranormal Mystery series. COOKING TO DEATH is the first book in the series.
%20(1)%20(1).jpg)
Kathy: In COOKING TO DEATH we meet Vivien Belcher, a twenty-four year old kindergarden teacher. Did you ever want to be a teacher? What grade level would you prefer?
MB: I am a former teacher! That's where a lot of my inspiration came from! I have taught kindergarten, fourth, and fifth grades. I was also an elementary school librarian for grades Pre-K through fourth grade. I have MANY years of experience in the schools.
Kathy: We also meet Kasper, Vivien's ex-boyfriend, who happens to be a ghost. Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had any ghostly encounters?
MB: I have had some strong feelings of being reminded of special people that they are still with me.
Kathy: Kasper is trapped in the Transitional World and has to atone for his many sins in life. Do you think this should be a requirement for all of the departed?
MB: No. That's not my thought process, but it was fun to fictionalize.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
MB: I loved watching Murder, She Wrote with Jessica Fletcher when I was young. I love the mystery, but I really like the ensemble casts and feel-good stories.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
MB: Yes! I wrote children's books for a decade, mostly early chapter books.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
MB: The Ghost Texter Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series: 24yo Kindergarten teacher, Vivien Belcher--Ms. B, for obvious reasons--is just trying to balance being a new teacher when her life is upended after she gets an unexpected text message from her jerk of an ex-boyfriend......her dead ex-boyfriend. Jealous ghosts only complicate things!
The Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series: 39yo Rosisophia Doroche Laruee, so named from her mother's beloved Golden Girls, has experienced some challenging knocks in life. A visit to her parents' 55+ retirement community is exactly what she needs for a reset. Surely there won't be any trouble. Surely.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
MB: I always love my protagonists. I loved writing about Vivien as I recalled my years in the classroom. Teaching is HARD. It's frazzling and frustrating and exhausting, but her love for the children always came through.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
MB: Yes, my Ghost Texter series was inspired by two things: One, my experience in the school system and Two, a TikTok video where a man received a phone call from his dad, but his dad had died years before. Unbeknowst to him, his mom had kept his dad's phone and used it sparingly. That experience sparked the idea of a texting ghost.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
MB: I've had a passion to write books for years. I write full-time now and love it.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
MB: Agatha Christie, Kristin Hannah, Mo Willems, Janet Evanovich
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
MB: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
MB: I like to read and travel and take walks along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
MB: Coca-Cola, black cherry yogurt, eggs, muenster cheese
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
MB: Absolutely! Book 2 in the Ghost Texter Paranormal Series came out on July 25th. Book 3 should be out at the end of the year. I am writing book 7 in the Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
MB: I love it when I'm stuck and find a way to make the pieces of the story come together like a beautiful puzzle.
**********************************************************************
Cooking to Death: Stirring the Pot (The Ghost Texter Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series) by Marcy Blesy
About Cooking to Death
Paranormal Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Michigan
Publisher: Independently Published (June 14, 2024)
Paperback: 302 pages
A Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series:
Twenty-four-year old Vivien Belcher--Ms. B, for obvious reasons--teaches a full class of kindergarten students in Southwest Michigan in a Lake Michigan beach town. Trying to maintain control of her overly enthusiastic students while managing life as a fully-fledged adult, Vivien's life is balancing as perfectly as a gymnast sticking her landing until the scale tips when she receives an unlikely and unwelcome text message from her ex-boyfriend…her dead ex-boyfriend.
Trapped in the Transitional World and having to atone for his many sins in life, Kasper must "make good" by helping to solve the murder of his beloved high school lunch lady. The problem? It's hard to solve a murder as a ghost. But Kasper doesn't count on Vivien's reluctance to help him, not to mention her doubt. And he really doesn't count on his reaction to Vivien moving on with relationships in her life that don't include him.
What ensues is hilarity and frustration as Kasper's time is running out to convince Vivien to help him. Being a ghost is hard. But so is being a new teacher.
Marcy Blesy is the author of The Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series which has sold thousands of books in the hilarious whodunit series.
About Marcy Blesy
Marcy Blesy is the author of over thirty books including the popular cozy mystery series: The Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series. Her adult romance mystery series includes The Secret of Blue Lake and The Secret of Silver Beach, set in Michigan. Her children's books include the best selling Be the Vet series along with the following early chapter book series: Evie and the Volunteers, Niles and Bradford, Third Grade Outsider, and Hazel, the Clinic Cat. Marcy enjoys searching for treasures along the shores of Lake Michigan. She's still waiting for the day when she finds a piece of red beach glass. By day she teaches creative writing virtually to amazing students around the world. Marcy is a believer in love and enjoys nothing more than making her readers feel a book more than simply reading it.
Author Links:
Website www.marcyblesy.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550966870826&mibextid=kFxxJD
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marcy_blesy?igsh=MXhlYXpibnhoeWkyNw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Purchase Links - Amazon Book 2: Dribbling to Death (Taking His Shot) August 2024, Preorder Now!
Thank you so much for featuring my book on your blog. I really appreciate your kindness to authors. Have a great rest of your summer!
ReplyDelete