Day 13 ~ Over Maya Dead Body

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

As you can tell, my editorial team and I had a lot of fun creating punny titles for my Serena Jones Mysteries. Over Maya Dead Body, about smuggled Mayan antiquities, was the final instalment in the series…at least for now.

I sincerely still hope to write Easy Come Easy Go, A Cezanne for Love, and whatever other fun titles present themselves. 🙂 

Midwest books review: another deftly crafted masterpiece

The Spoilers Facebook Chat Group

After Over Maya Dead Body released, an awesome Serena fan from Australia, Katie Donovan, suggested we start a Facebook group where readers could discuss the books, and commiserate over broken dreams (if Serena didn’t choose their male pick). She even volunteered to be the group’s admin with me, and so the “Let’s Chat About Serena Spoiler Group” was born!

It’s on Facebook and to join the group, you need to answer 3 questions to prove you’ve read the books, (or at least the final one), because we sure don’t want to spoil the ending for you. 😆 

Since it’s been 5 years since Over Maya Dead Body released, we don’t chat much these days. But new readers, who hear about the group, trickle in from time to time, and it’s always fun to hear what they thought about the ending. I’ve also shared deleted scenes there that I didn’t want to share publicly, because they’d be spoilers to those who haven’t read the books. There’s even a fan fiction proposal from one of our members for the opening of the next Serena Jones mystery. 😎 

So…if you’re reading A Fool and His Monet for the first time, or the hundredth…

You do know A Fool and His Monet is FREE this week, right? 

Get it for your favourite device or all of them:

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Google Play, and iBook

…when you finish the series, consider joining the chat group. You’ll be the first to hear when that elusive next instalment finally comes to fruition. 

Our Eighth Book Recipient: 

In honour of the chat group, today’s recipient was randomly chosen from that group. Congratulations Pam Kellogg! Let me know which book you’d like. And as a special thank you, Katie Donovan and Laurie Benner, I want to send you books too. Let me know your picks. (We won’t count those 2 toward the 25 book giveaway 😉 )

In other News…

Tomorrow is the last day to get Identity Withheld at the special $1.99 price. 

And you still have all this week to enter the rafflecopter giveaway for Boughs of Folly. 10 books to be given away!

 

Day 11 ~ A Fool and His Monet

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Funnest Story to Write Ever!

I absolutely loved every aspect of writing A Fool and HIs Monet, about FBI Special Agent Serena Jones and the art crimes she investigates.  

First of all, St. Louis–Serena’s hometown–is an amazing city to explore. 

My friend Vicki McCollum and her sister-in-law treated me to an in-depth tour of the city’s neighborhoods, eateries, famous places, hospitals, the art museum and all the other awesome destinations within the amazing Forest Park. We explored potential locations for Serena’s apartment, her folks’ home, the locales of various crimes and so much more. 

Secondly, I was permitted to visit Serena’s workplace, the FBI headquarters in St. Louis, and interview her real world counterpart. What an enlightening experience that was. 

Then there was the fascinating research into art crimes and how they’re investigated. 

We all lose a piece of our common heritage when art is stolen.

Creating Serena Jones

Lastly, creating the character of Serena Jones was a delicious escapade all its own!

her quirky characters are laugh-out-loud funny and reminiscent of...

 

The Serena Jones Mysteries were my first foray into writing in first person, and I discovered I really enjoy writing in that point of view. Of course, it helps when the character has as active a thought life as Serena. The two great–and seemingly opposite–guys in her life helps too. 😆 

I'm pretty sure this is not what my mom meant when she said I needed more men in my life.

Serena’s personality is partly based on my experience growing up as the daughter of British parents and is partly inspired by my friend Laurie Benner’s quirks and wit. I affectionately call Laurie Serena’s alter ego. 😎 

We spent many laughter-filled evenings hashing out several scenes.

Did I mention the guys in Serena’s life? 😉 

Their relationships are strictly friends, but I invited readers to tell me which of the two she should end up with at the end of the series. Unfortunately, my publisher decided to end the series after only three books, which meant mere months after this book released, the tally had to be taken. 

And what a heated race it was! 

His gaze skittered from my Glock to my face...

Download A Fool and His Monet for FREE

The best news of all is that for the next 6 days, you can download a digital copy of A Fool and His Monet for free!

Get it for: Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Google Play, and iBook

Although if you prefer holding a book in your hands, some retailers still have print copies for sale. 

If you missed downloading Deadly Devotion for FREE, today is your last day. 

You can also still enter: the rafflecopter giveaway for Boughs of Folly. 

Your Turn:

Are you a Serena Jones fan? 

P.S. Our 7th book recipient is…

Randomly selected from amongst newsletter subscribers, today’s recipient is: “jers1958.” Congratulations! I’ve sent you an email to ask you which book you’d like mailed.  

Signed Copies of Novels in Online Auction

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

The Niagara Children’s Centre  is hosting their Superhero Run as an online fundraising auction, and signed novels from two of my mystery series will soon be open for bids.  [Links now updated!]

The Niagara Children’s Centre provides rehabilitation and support services to children and youth with physical, developmental and communicative delays and disabilities. This is where my grandson honed his walking skills after receiving his first prosthetic leg.

Please be aware that most items will need to be picked up by successful bidders at the centre. The auction runs from August 9th, 2021 – October 4th, 2021. My books go on the auction block at 2 pm EDT on August 9th. 

Interested in browsing? 

Visit: https://www.32auctions.com/SuperheroRun2021

 Items include gift cards, various services (such as salon and massage), toys, small appliances and much more. 

Interested in acquiring a set of Serena Jones Mysteries? 

Click on the picture above or here: to go straight to the action!

 

Interested in acquiring a set of Port Aster Secrets? 

 

Click on the picture above or here: to go straight to the action!

Visit their website to learn more about what the services the Niagara Children’s Centre has to offer.

Download A Fool and His Monet for Free in August

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

If you haven’t met my plucky FBI art crime agent, Serena Jones, this month is your chance to read about her first adventure for free! 

 

 

Almost every online retailer is on board, offering a legal free download of A Fool and His Monet by Sandra Orchard.

Here are links to some of the most popular retailers: 

Amazon US.    Nook.     Kobo.    CBD

Google Play      iBooks.  

Amazon Canada

Amazon AU

Amazon UK 

If you know others who might enjoy A Fool and His Monet or all the Serena Jones Mysteries, please let them know about this great deal.

Click here to learn more about A Fool and His Monet.

Click here to checkout its bonus features.

In the Mood for more Art Crime? Book Sale

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Hey, everyone. Sorry I’ve been quiet here for so long. The past six weeks have been a blur. I had a fabulous time at my first Bouchercon Mystery Conference. It was especially fun to meet Maureen Jennings, the author of the original Murdoch Mysteries, and to hear how they evolved into a popular TV series. 

Then my grandson had another surgery on his whole leg to straighten it, so I’ve been spending a lot more time with him and his siblings, helping out, since they also have a new little baby in the family, and it will be a few more weeks yet, before he’s mobile again. He is progressing fabulously, though, and we so appreciate the prayers of the many who have been remembering him. 

Now . . . to the book sale news. 

If you’ve only recently discovered my novels, you may not realize that before Serena Jones and the Port Aster Secrets series, I wrote several romantic suspense novels. 

One of them, Perilous Waters, is about another member of the FBI Art Crime Team, Sam Steele, and he’s chasing down the bad guys aboard an Alaskan cruise.  

Cover for Perilous Waters

May I just inject here how much fun I had researching this novel!  😉 

The great news is that right now, Perilous Waters is on sale for 99¢ on all the Ebook platforms. 

Sooo, if you’ve enjoyed following Serena Jones’s cases, now is a great time to pick up Perilous Water, because I’m not sure how long the sale will last. 

Click on the book’s cover above to go to the book’s page on my site, where you’ll find links to iBooks, Kobo, kindle etc. through the “buying options” button. And after you read the book, check out it’s bonus features here. 

A Fool and His Monet Releases TODAY in Ebook

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Join me at Patricia Bradley’s blog and meet the men in Serena Jones’s life. I had soooo much fun writing this.

285273_andHisMonetOrchard_Pins7

They and I are competing–game show style–in Are You Smarter Than Your Characters?

I’m not sure how I feel about creating characters who might actually be smarter than me.  😕

We’re also giving away fun stuff.

Hope to see you there!

 

On another note:

afoolandhismoney

Goodreads members, there is still time to enter the 5-book giveaway here:  https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/170107-a-fool-and-his-monet 

Why Art Crime?

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

With only 3 weeks until A Fool and His Monet releases (2 weeks for the Ebook release), I thought it would be a great time to share with you some of the inspiration behind the Serena Jones Mysteries series, which tracks the exploits of art crime agent Serena Jones.

Art thieves aren’t as cultured and clever as shows like the Thomas Crown Affair and White Collar would have us believe. But when they succeed in making off with millions of dollars worth of fine art in a daring or brazen escapade, their thefts do make for sensational news stories.

Gardner Museum Courtyard 1
Central courtyard of the Gardner Museum during my visit last year

The arguably most famous is the 25+ year old, unsolved case of the Gardner Museum theft. In the wee hours of Mar 18th 1990 (while Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were beginning to wind down), two thieves disguised as police officers entered the museum, tied up the guards and proceeded to steal 13 very different works of art. Considering the specific pieces stolen, some have speculated that it was a theft to order. Others, such as Robert K. Wittman, founder of the FBI’s art crime team, believe the men were merely incompetent. Art that hot is impossible to sell. The buyer could never display it.

Yet, the museum remains optimistic that the stolen art will yet be recovered. Until then the empty frames from which priceless paintings such as Rembrandt’s Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee remain hanging on the walls as haunting reminders of the collective heritage stolen from all of us that night.

Screenshot 2016-02-08 09.18.50

To aid in their recovery, the museum is offering a $5 million reward for their recovery. Click the image above to link to their virtual tour of the theft and pieces stolen. Maybe you have a clue to where one of these pieces could be now and don’t even realize it!

As I began communicating with the FBI during my research for this series, one person suggested I write a mystery to solve this case. Maybe it would help the FBI solve it, she said.

Wouldn’t it make an intriguing story for a fiction writer to elicit the help of her readers in recovering priceless paintings and solving a 25+ year old crime?  😀

Your Turn: What do you think? Have any theories?