I'm pleased to welcome Shelley Marsh to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Shelley writes the Estate Sale Mystery series. DYING TO LIVE HERE is the first book in the series and today is its release day!
Kathy: In DYING TO LIVE HERE, we meet Emma Stewart, a tech burnout who decides to view a quaint beachside home in Harbor Shores, Florida. Is this the type of home you'd choose?
SM: Absolutely. I live within walking distance of the beach, and that’s a big part of why the setting felt so natural to me.
Kathy: Emma is soon confronted with the death of the former HOA president. Personally, you couldn't pay me to live in a place with an HOA. Have you ever lived with one? Did that experience lead you to murder? At least fictionally.
SM: I do live in an HOA community, but I didn’t really consider what that would entail until I’d moved in. If I had it to do over again, I might choose differently. A couple of years after moving here, a neighbor convinced me to join the HOA board of directors, and it was an eye-opening experience. I often joke that I was concocting fictional murders in my head during long, boring meetings.
Kathy: Emma has a dry wit, a talent for digital sleuthing, and an adorable bulldog named Hopper. Do you possess any of these?
SM: All except for the bulldog. I have a shih-tzu/poodle mix named Zoe.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
SM: I love the humor, but the appealing settings and quirky characters are what kept me coming back.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
SM: I stick to mystery for the most part, but I do write other subgenres. I have an eco-mystery coming out in October called Up the Creek.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
SM: It’s a funny Florida mystery about friendship and what happens when neighborhood politics turn deadly, all set against the backdrop of estate sales and a beachside community.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
SM: The romantic lead, Sam. He’s a charmer. I picture him looking like the actor Glen Powell, with an accent like Matthew McConaughey. He’s so patient with Emma, even when she shies away from commitment.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
SM: Mary Kay Andrews’ books, Savannah Blues and Savannah Breeze, inspired me to write about best friends. I wanted to explore the kind of friendship that forms at a pivotal moment in the characters’ lives and lasts even when people change and mature.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
SM: An instructor in a writing workshop encouraged me to pursue traditional publishing for this book. It turned out to be a long and sometimes challenging process, but I’m proud that I persisted.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
SM: Carl Hiassen and Dave Barry would keep us laughing with their Florida-man stories.
Dorothy Parker and Nora Ephron would keep the conversation lively with their sharp-witted humor.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
SM: The Slow Horses series by Mick Herron
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
SM: I love to walk or bike on the beach. I also enjoy crocheting, and I make amigurumi (stuffed crocheted critters).
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
SM: I have an entire drawer dedicated to cheese (doesn’t everyone?). Other than that, I almost always have canned sparkling water, 5-10 containers of Greek yogurt, and a bottle of Peruvian Gold sauce from Angie’s Subs in Jacksonville Beach.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books, either in your current series or a new series?
SM: The Estate Sale Mysteries will be released in rapid succession, so readers won’t have to wait long to find out what trouble Emma and Laura get into next! Book two, MORE THAN SHE BARGAINED FOR, comes out on March 25, and book three, EVERYTHING MUST GO, comes out on May 5.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
SM: Seeing my work in print. A few years ago, while browsing a used bookstore, I noticed that many of my favorite books had creased, cracked spines from frequent reading. I thought, “Someday, I want one of my books to have a spine like that.”
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Review
DYING TO LIVE HERE by Shelley Marsh
The First Estate Sale Mystery
Emma Stewart and Laura have been best friends since college and Laura would kill to have Emma move even closer to her. Houses rarely come available in her community of Harbor Shores so when her elderly neighbor dies, Laura persuades Emma to visit that house that night so she can put in a bid. After all, Laura has a key, so what could go wrong? Plenty. As Laura opens the door she stumbles and falls into a dead body! With Laura as the prime suspect it doesn't take much to convince Emma to help find the real killer. Almost everyone hated the victim, but who actually killed her? With help from Laura's neighbor, who also happens to be a good looking lawyer, they'll search for clues and suss out suspects before Laura finds herself behind bars for good.
Best friends always have your back, whether it's against murder charges, Mother Nature, or a killer! I really enjoyed my first trip to Harbor Shores, though it reinforces my stance that you couldn't pay me to live in a community with a home owners association! Or in Florida! The setting was fun with plenty of quirky characters, most of whom make good suspects. I really liked Bina and Hopper.
There's quite a lot of romance in the first Estate Sale Mystery. In fact, I'd say there was just as much romance as mystery. Personally I enjoyed it as it felt relevant and natural to the story. I did think that things progressed a bit too quickly, but maybe because I like the romance in my mysteries more drawn out. This felt more like a romance in a romance novel.
Friendship, romance, and excitement mingle in DYING TO LIVE HERE creating a solid start to a new series.
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Dying to Live Here (Estate Sales Mysteries) by Shelley Marsh
About Dying to Live Here
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Florida
Publisher: Fawkes Press
Publication Date: February 10, 2026
When tech burnout Emma Stewart follows her best friend’s advice to view a quaint beachside home in Harbor Shores, Florida, she expects palm trees, sea breezes, and maybe a fresh start. What she doesn't expect is to stumble into a murder scene—and become a prime suspect.
With the HOA president lying in a pool of blood and her bestie splattered with the evidence, Emma suddenly finds herself knee-deep in neighborhood secrets, rivalries, and a suspiciously missing knife. Armed with nothing but her dry wit, a talent for digital sleuthing, and an adorable bulldog named Hopper, Emma must navigate a world of nosy neighbors, passive-aggressive happy hours, and one dangerously charming lawyer.
In Harbor Shores, the homes are charming—but the secrets are deadly.
About Shelley Marsh
Shelley Marsh writes laugh-out-loud mysteries set along Florida’s sun-splashed coast. Her forthcoming debut, Dying to Live Here (Feb 10 2026), launches the Estate Sale Mysteries series, pairing clever puzzles with a hint of romance. When she isn’t prowling estate sales for story fodder, Shelley combs beaches and bookstores, searching for treasure.
Website: www.ShelleyMarsh.com
Press Kit: https://writershelleymarsh.com/press-kit/
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Purchase Link - Amazon
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