Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate - An Interview

Today I'm happy to welcome Elaine Faber back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. It's Election Day in the United States thus a perfect time to talk about Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate, the fifth book in the Mrs. Odboddy Mystery series.

Kathy: Today is election day in the United States of America, a fitting day to talk about your latest release. The Mrs. Odboddy series takes place during WWII. What are the major similarities and differences regarding voting then and now?

EF: On November 7, 1944, a Presidential election was held during the final stages of WWII, the setting of my latest mystery novel, Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate. 48,025,684 voters turned out to return Mr. Roosevelt to his unprecedented fourth term, making him the longest-serving President in U.S. history. By contrast, in 2020, 158,481,688 voters went to the polls. (This year, 2024, there are 186 million registered voters.)

Kathy: Was there specific inspiration for this story? 

EF: In the previous mystery novel, Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings, Agnes ran afoul of the prejudiced city council as she searched for a permanent home for Shere Khan, the displaced carnival tiger she adopted. It seemed natural that when a seat opened up on the Newbury City Council, she should run for office. Of course, campaigning for any office has many snags, and it’s not surprising when Agnes begins to experience her unworthy opponent’s skullduggery! And boy, do things heat up as the campaign draws nearer to Election Day.

Kathy: After Mrs. Odboddy makes the decision to run for office, all manner of troubles befall her. She's certain her political opponent is behind it all. The question is posed, "is winning an election worth it when her family is at risk?" 

EF: Agnes faces soul searching questions about continuing the campaign when political shenanigans put her family at risk. Should she become a quitter when things get tough or keep fighting for a righteous cause?

To complicate matters, the State has received an anonymous letter declaring Agnes and Katherine are unfit foster parents, and continued care of their foster child is threatened.

In the midst of domestic and political challenges facing the family, Katherine’s ex-boyfriend, who left her at the altar the year before, returns in an attempt to restore their relationship. Katherine feels unable to send him packing when he manages to ‘save the day’ on multiple occasions. 

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Blurb:

As the war continues to rage in Europe, Election Day approaches in Newbury. Among other inequities, the Newbury City Council makes it difficult for local women to obtain business licenses even for home-bases businesses. Mrs. Odboddy decides to run for the vacant city council seat, but she has no idea what political obstacles she will face. The trouble starts, first with disasters in her home, to violence and racism against her friends, and then theft charges are filed against her!

To make matters worse, her granddaughter’s old boyfriend has returned to town declaring his unwanted, undying love. His heroic responses to multiple adverse events affecting the family make it difficult for Katherine to send him packing.

Agnes suspects her political opponent is behind all the trouble, including the state’s attempts to remove their beloved ward, Mattie. It seems that Agnes is up against a conniving opponent who will stop at nothing to prevent her winning the election. How can she prevail against such sinister deeds? Is winning an election worth it when her family is at risk?

Join Agnes as she faces overwhelming odds in her efforts to bring much needed change to Newbury.

 

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Other Mrs. Odboddy adventures.  Amazon. (e-books $3.99 and paperback $16.00)

Mrs. Odboddy - Hometown Patriot is a riotous romp through a small California town in the days following Pearl Harbor. Agnes joins other American housewives as they fed their families with rationed food, collected papers and cans, knitted sox for the troops; all the while exposing local conspiracies and spies. http://tinyurl.com/hdbvzsv

Mrs. Odboddy Undercover Courier. Planning to join Mrs. Roosevelt on her Pacific Island Tour, Mrs. Odboddy and Katherine carry a package to President Roosevelt. Sure the package contains ‘secret war documents,’ Mrs. O is fully prepared to fend off Nazi agents on her train trip across the USA. http://tinyurl.com/jn5bzwh

Mrs. Odboddy – And Then There Was a Tiger   Asked to bank the War Bond money, Agnes loses it instead! In her attempt to restore her reputation, she learns more than she thought possible about counterfeit money, Good Will stores, and tigers!  https://tinyurl.com/yx72fcpx

Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings   Locating a home for a tiger and exposing a thief becomes paramount, but as her own mental health is questioned, Agnes’s challenges mount. https://tinyurl.com/5xah4cnt

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Author links: 

www.mindcandymysteries.com  (Elaine’s website)

Elaine.Faber@mindcandymysteries.com (email)

Author Bio:

Elaine is a member of Sisters in Crime (SIC), Northern California Publishers and Authors (NCPA), and Elk Grove Writers Guild (EGWG). She has published eleven cozy mystery novels, an anthology of short cat stories, and multiple short stories published in twenty-one independent anthologies. Novels include a WWII humorous historical fiction series, cozy cat mysteries, and a paranormal mystery adventure series.

Elaine has won numerous awards for her novels and short stories.

Elaine volunteers at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Elk Grove, CA. She lives with her husband, and feline companion, Truffie, who contributes inspiration for many of her cat-related stories and novels.