Author Spotlight: Shelly Jones Is Back for More Fun & Games!
We have a winner! Congratulations to Donna E Hammer Durnell! You are Shelly’s giveaway recipient. Shelly will be in touch with you. Thanks to everyone who stopped by–we love talking to our readers!
Shelly Jones is a professor by trade and a nerd by design. Woefully introverted, their pockets are full of post-it notes and their head is full of (unsaid) witty come-backs and un-won arguments from years past. When they aren’t grading papers or writing new cozy mysteries, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on.
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Thanks for having me on your blog, Nan! I always enjoy getting a chance to chat with folks, especially about books and the like.
Today I thought I’d pull back the curtain a bit on my latest book, Murder, She Rolled, the second book in the Wren Winters cozy mystery series. When I first started writing about Wren and her BGFs (best gaming friends), I knew I wanted one book to be focused around roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. Why? Because roleplaying and getting into character is a lot of fun and lets you see things from other points of view, to understand how someone else might feel. For a long time, I was hesitant to play. None of my friends in high school did and when someone in college asked me to play, I declined. I was afraid of looking foolish, of making a mistake. Of getting it wrong. But roleplaying games are free, open spaces for you to explore and storytell, something I love to do. When we finally did create characters, my husband joked that I should play a Cleric because I like to help others. To this day I prefer playing a support role when playing (think: best supporting actor instead of the main lead). It’s probably why I enjoy teaching so much: buoying and boosting others, elevating them on their journeys, instead of being the leader of the pack.
Roleplaying games like this are rooted in collaborative storytelling. It’s no different than sitting around a campfire telling stories (okay, maybe there’s some math in there…and probably you should eat a less sticky snack than s’mores…but still very similar!). I’ll often use games like this in my classes, to encourage students to collaborate, to communicate effectively, to come up with creative solutions, and to understand one another. That’s key.
But what Wren can’t understand, in Murder, She Rolled, is why anyone would want to kill her new friend, Noelle Williams, just as they’re about to play. And worse, as the investigation begins, another friend falls ill, exhibiting the same symptoms as Noelle did before she died. Now, it’s all hands on deck as Wren tries to discover who poisoned her friends. Meanwhile, Wren needs to help organize the local Harvest Festival, coming up with games and activities to entertain the folks in Hollows Way. Charlie has helped design the hay maze for this year’s Harvest Festival and secrets might get spilled and danger may lurk within its labyrinthian twists and turns.
Giveaway: A signed, paperback copy of Murder, She Rolled, a bookmark, a keychain of a potted plant reading a book, a little notebook that looks like a library check-out card, a pen that reads There is no such thing as too many books, and a set of green/gold dice.
Giveaway question: Wren Winters and her friends are getting ready for the local Harvest Festival. Do you have a favorite fall activity? Do you love pumpkin carving or apple picking? Or is there a go-to recipe/comfort food you like to share with others in fall? Share your favorite fall tradition for a chance to win a signed copy of Murder, She Rolled.
Murder, She Rolled
Solving a murder can get dicey.
Wren Winters is thrilled when her gaming group is invited to join the town’s new superstar streamer Noelle Williams for a live demo—after all, a little publicity could put Wren’s board game shop, the Cardboard Sheep, on the map. But moments before they go live, Noelle collapses on camera, and by the time Wren arrives at her house, Noelle is dead and the police are swarming.
Detective Greene, who still remembers last summer’s murder at Wren’s shop, is back with questions—and suspicions. As Wren and her friends reel from the shock, secrets about Noelle’s life emerge: relentless online harassment, jealous exes, and a sister desperate to pull her offline. Then another member of the group falls ill with similar symptoms.
With danger closing in and a game board full of suspects, Wren refuses to sit on the sidelines. She’s determined to solve the puzzle before her friend’s game is over for good.
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21 Comments
Patricia Barraclough
I like picking apples and the other Fall produce. I love apples. I grew up across the road from an apple orchard and spent many hours there. I love pies and make many apple pies, especially in the Fall. I have good apple bread and apple cake recipes. Apple sauce is another favorite to make. I am so disappolinted that we can’t get unpasturized apple cider anymore. We would throw in a handful of raisins into a gallon and let it sit for a week or so. Best home made hard cider ever. For my apple pies, I try to get MacIntosh apples. They are good baking apples. Slice the apples, toss with cinnamon sugar, flour, orange zest, add to crust, dot with butter, put on a top crust, lightly wet the top of the crust and sprinkle with sugar. Sometimes I add walnuts to the apples.
Shelly Jones
I do love traditional apple cider. And yes! Macintosh are great baking apples. I tend to love Granny Smith apples for eating because I like them crisp and tart. I don’t love biting into a mushy apple, but they are great for sauce or baking. Yum!
Latesha B.
Autumn/fall is my favorite season. I love watching the leaves change colors, sweater weather, caramel apples and football.
Shelly Jones
I am a big fan of sweater weather. My friends just sent me a meme about it being flannel season…but admittedly I’ve been wearing flannel for months already! (I tend to run cold…)
Cherie J
I love fall. One of my favorite fall activities is baking. I love to make loaves of pumpkin bread and apple cinnamon muffins. Makes the house smell so good and it also makes my family happy.
Shelly Jones
Cinnammon, nutmeg, and cloves are such intoxicating aromas. We also do a lot of ginger cookies this time of year. Anything rich with spices that will warm you up from the inside out.
bn100
pumpkin carving
Shelly Jones
I loved pumpkin carving when I was younger. I don’t know why I don’t do it more now. My pumpkins were always goofy faces. I could never quite get them to look remotely scary – always awkward. Admittedly, gourd isn’t an easy medium to work with!
Donna E Hammer Durnell
Reading is my favorite fall activity — curled up in my big chair, in the corner of the sofa, or even out on the patio if it’s not too cool. I want a throw over me, a snack nearby, and a cup of hot coffee to hand.
Shelly Jones
That sounds perfect. As I write this, I have a cat curled up on my lap, keeping me warm (or maybe vice verse). Add a cup of coffee and a good book: perfection.
Gary Bronstein
Love to go get apple donuts and have them with coffee
Shelly Jones
Ohhh I haven’t had an apple cider donut in ages. I’ll take an apple fritter too. One of the local farmstands that always sold apple donuts sadly closed last year. I’ll have to investigate and find a new source nearby. I think a taste test for best apple donut is in my future…
Debra Pruss
My favorite Fall activity is reading covered in a blanket. I also enjoy looking leaf peeping. Thank you so much for the opportunity. God bless you.
Shelly Jones
Leaf peeping is a great fall activity, especially because there’s so much variety out there! I feel like this year the trees around here aren’t as vibrant as usual (probably because we’ve been in a bit of a draught). But there’s a gorgeous ash tree on my daily walk and I just marvel at its bright yellow colors.
Liz Flaherty
Other than the wind and rain that accompany too many autumn days (although we’re in a drought; I’ll take some rain now), I love everything about the season. A writers’ trip, the daily overload of the senses, and general coziness all combine to make October a favorite time of year.
Shelly Jones
I hear you on the current drought. We just got a decent rainstorm last night thankfully (although my poor cat, Agatha, is scared of the rain and hides). It’s cool and rainy today, perfect for sitting with a cup of tea and reading all day!
Doris Lankford
We like to go as a family to the pumpkin patch to pick our own pumpkins. This year we have gone to the Virginia State Fair and had a great time.
Shelly Jones
I used to love going to the state fair as a kid. I was fascinated by the butter sculptures there!
Linda Danis
I love everything about Fall. The smells, the decorations, going to fall festivals and baking fall treats. A favorite treat I make is pumpkin bars. When I bring them to work they dissappear in minutes…lol
Shelly Jones
Pumpkin bars are so yummy! I really like making pumpkin bread. My grandmother used to make it in old coffee tins when I was a kid.
Linda Danis
My grandmother made brown bread that way. I miss that.