Author Spotlight: Shelly Jones Is Back for More Fun & Games!

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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