Author Spotlight: J.C. Kenney Is Back with More Elmo Simpson!
We have a winner! Congratulations Cindy McCarter! You are J.C.’s giveaway winner. He will be in touch! Thanks to everyone who stopped by–the flamingo suit was worth the trip–am I right?
I say it so often, but maybe not often enough–I do love J.C. Kenney’s mystery hero, Elmo Simpson! I’m lucky enough to be on his Tule Publishing team as copy editor, so I get a first peek at each new Elmo book! What a delight! The added bonus is that J.C. and I are friends, so I get to tell him right away how much I love his newest Elmo book.
J.C. Kenney is the Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author of mysteries full of oddball characters in unusual settings. Panic In the Panhandle, book 1 of his Elmo Simpson Mysteries series, was named one of the Ten Best Cozy Mysteries of 2024. He’s also the co-host of The Bookish Hour and A Bookish Moment webcasts. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He has two grown children and lives in Indianapolis with his wife and a cat.
Website | Bluesky | Tule Publishing | BookBub
Flamingos, Flamingos Forever (and a Giveaway!)
Hello and happy Wednesday. Friends! I hope you’re having a great week. I’m having a fantastic one myself because my latest Elmo Simpson Mystery, Dead in the Ditch, came out on Monday. Woohoo and cue the confetti!
You may notice that there are flamingos on the Dead in the Ditch cover. This continues the theme of displaying animals native to the Florida Panhandle area, which is where Paradise Springs is located, on the series covers. Panic in the Panhandle, the first Elmo book features an alligator. The second book, Murder Under the Marquee, prominently displays a marlin. Now we have Dead in the Ditch and flamingos.
Confession time. I’m borderline obsessed with flamingos. This obsession goes back decades to the time when my wife and I first started attending Jimmy Buffett concerts. We decided one way to display our fandom was by purchasing a pair of plastic flamingo lawn ornaments. Over the years, we’ve added flamingo ornaments for our Christmas tree. We also have flamingo tea towels in the kitchen.
Not surprisingly, we also have a strong flamingo presence in our wardrobes. Hats, shirts, socks, even a beach towel. For those of you who missed the photos of me at the Malice Domestic Mystery Convention, I even have a flamingo suit. Here’s proof.
The suit was a hit at the at the convention. It made people happy and was also a fun way to promote Dead In the Ditch. A total win-win in my book (pardon the pun).
Enough about me, though. Let’s talk a little bit about these amazing birds I love so much.
Flamingos get their bright pink color from beta-carotene. It’s a reddish pigment that’s found in the algae and shrimp that flamingos eat.
The collective name for a group of flamingos is a flamboyance. How fun is that?
Flamingos may live for 20 to 30 years in the wild. That lifespan may increase to 50 years in a sanctuary setting.
Flamingos are chill birds and will only attack if they feel threatened. As long as we’re cool with them, they’ll be cool with us.
GIVEAWAY! Now you have some trivia about flamingos for your next pub quiz. Are you a fan of the birds? Have you had any close up encounters with one? Tell me. A random commenter will be selected to receive an eBook (epub or pdf) copy of Dead in the Ditch.
Thanks for visiting and until next time, bubbles up!
Dead in the Ditch
Wild animal removal specialist Elmo Simpson needs to act fast before the good people of Paradise Springs decide to remove him!
Halloween has arrived, and all is well in Elmo Simpson’s life until his beloved cat Oscar wanders off and doesn’t return. While searching for Oscar, Elmo discovers a body in a ditch. A body that turns out to be Elmo’s former arch-nemesis, a man who Elmo believes stole intellectual property from him worth millions.
When word gets out who the victim is, the town becomes convinced Elmo is the murderer, intent on taking revenge. With nowhere to turn and the reputation of his recently purchased Sea Breeze Resort on the line, Elmo takes it upon himself to figure out who the real killer is. All the while, trying to assemble the threads that connect a dark time in his past with the equally perilous present.
19 Comments
Julie Sturgeon
Love the flamingo obsession! Back in the day, my BFF’s mom thought flamingo lawn ornaments were tacky. It became a running joke between us, with me collaborating with the grandkids to somehow sneak a flamingo-themed item into her house during Christmas. My favorite was the night we set up a flamingo kiddy sprinkler in her yard in the middle of the night.
But I did learn just what wide a variety of things you can buy with this bird on them.
Kate Moore
Love the flamboyance! Intrigued by the plot. Elmo seems to have lots of “irons in the fire.” Congrats on your new release! Kate
J.C. Kenney
Thanks so much, Kate! Yeah, Elmo sometimes gets himself into more than he can handle. Cheers!
Latesha B.
Congratulations on your latest release! Sounds like a great story. I’ve only seen flamingos at the zoo, but they are beautiful.
J.C. Kenney
Thanks so much! I would love to see flamingos in the wild some day and am so appreciative that I can enjoy their flamboyance at zoos.
bn100
like birds, see pigeons in street
J.C. Kenney
Yep. We have lots of pigeons in my neighborhood.
Carol Light
Hi J.C. and congratulations on your latest book! I also haven’t had any close encounters with flamingos, despite the fact that they suddenly showed up on the West coast of southern Florida where I live after Hurricane Ian. You didn’t mention that they practice yoga, balancing on one leg and even sleeping that way. I’m not that far along in my own yoga practice…
J.C. Kenney
Thank you very much, Carol! I am so jealous of their yoga ability. Whenever I try to stand on one leg, i’s seconds from falling over.
Cindy McCarter
I’ve seen flamingos at zoos. What’s funny is I get the words pelican and flamingo mixed up sometimes and my kids laugh at me.
J.C. Kenney
I feel for ya, Cindy! They’re both such fashionable creatures it can take a second to remember which one is which.
Roseann McGrath Brooks
Just finished reading _Murder Under the Marquee_, and I love Elmo and Oscar. I do enjoy watching flamingos and their sense of “the herd.” I never had a close encounter, though. I do wonder why the plural of “flamingos” without the “e” is the preferred spelling, although the latter is acceptable. 🙂
J.C. Kenney
Thank s so much! I’m thrilled you enjoyed your time with Elmo and the gang. And I’m with you on the whole flamingos vs. flamingoes thing. That threw me for a loop!
Melissa Westemeier
Congratulations on your new book, J.C., I can’t wait to read it!
Your flamingo suit ROCKS and I’m also a fan. They’re such elegant and striking birds with their tall posture, but the COLOR! Can’t help but pay attention to something covered in bright pink feathers!
J.C. Kenney
Appreciate it, Melissa! Flamingos are amazing, aren’t they. Here in Central Indiana, we have some gorgeous birds but nothing like a flamingo!
Liz Flaherty
No close encounters, but I’m feeding a host of hungry orioles right now and pimping for hummingbirds to find my feeder. I LOVE flamboyance of flamingos. If I’ve heard it before, I don’t remember it.
Dead in the Ditch is waiting patiently on my KIndle. I’m looking forward to more time with Elmo. Good luck with the release, J.C.!
J.C. Kenney
Enjoy the orioles, Liz! They’re such gorgeous birdies. Cheers!
Janine
Congratulations on your latest book! I love flamingos. I also have several pieces of clothing featuring them.
J.C. Kenney
High five to flamingo clothing, Janine! Thank you for the kind words. Cheers!