What genre do you write in?
I write a cozy mystery series with an amateur sleuth. I like the elements of
this genre. There are interesting characters and a small town setting. There is
no graphic violence so the reader doesnβt need to worry about suddenly finding a
scene that puts an unpleasant image in their mind. Itβs a βsafeβ read. You know
your favorite person will be back in the next book.
Tell us about your books.
In the first one,
MURDER AT
REDWOOD COVE, Kelly Jackson, executive administrator for Resorts
International, flies to Redwood Cove, California, after the manager of a bed and
breakfast has a fatal fall off of a seaside cliff. It's a straightforward
assignment until a group of crime-solving senior citizens, the Silver Sentinels,
cry murder. Kelly and the Sentinels work together to find out the truth about
what happened. In the second book,
MURDER AT THE MANSION, a
guest is found stabbed and one of the Sentinels, Gertie Plumber, is attacked.
Kelly and the Silver Sentinels must solve the crimes before another life is lost
What makes your books different than others in this genre?
I have a crime-solving group of five senior citizens, the Silver Sentinels. The
Professor, Hebert Winthrop on his birth certificate, drives a vintage gold
Mercedes. In addition to the Professor, the group consists of Gertie Plumber
with her cane, Mary Rutledge carrying the ever-present container of goodies, and
the Doblinksy brothers, Ivan and Rudy. Their monochromatic hair color ranges
from the Professorβs white to Rudyβs steel gray. They began their crime-solving
career when pickpockets were preying on tourists. They helped catch the thieves
and decided to continue their investigations in other areas that were creating
problems in their community. Theyβre a caring group of people someone can turn
to in a time of need.
Dogs with special abilities are featured in the books. I read about a clinic
training dogs to detect cancer. They were having a great deal of success. I
began collecting articles about many of the unusual ways dogs add to our quality
of life and decided to incorporate what I learned into my books. Fred, a
cancer-sniffing basset hound, romps his way through
MURDER AT REDWOOD COVE.
Jack and Jill, two rescued beagles trained to sniff out bedbugs and termites,
appear in
MURDER AT THE MANSION. Princess, a feisty, bow-legged
Chihuahua and retired hearing assistance dog wearing a jeweled collar, will
debut in book three.
What are you currently working on?
The third book in the series is tentatively titled
MURDER AT THE FORTUNE
TELLERβS TABLE. Despina Manyotis, better known as βAuntie,β predicts the
future by reading patterns in Turkish coffee grounds. Murder occurs and one of
the members of the Silver Sentinels is attacked. My protagonist works with them
to solve the crimes.
Janet Finsilver is the USA TODAY best-selling author of the Kelly Jackson
mystery series. She worked in education for many years as a teacher, a program
administrator, and a workshop presenter. Janet majored in English and earned a
Masterβs Degree in Education. She loves animals and has two dogsβKylie and
Ellie. Janet has ridden western style since she was a child and was a member of
the National Ski Patrol. One of the highlights of her life was touching whales
in the San Ignacio Lagoon. Murder at Redwood Cove, her debut mystery,
was released on October 13, 2015. Her second book, Murder at the
Mansion, is scheduled to be available on June 7, 2016.
Kelly Jackson returns to California to manage Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast.
While the inn is being renovated, she is assigned the task of inventorying a
historic collection of objects from the 1800s housed at nearby Redwood Heights
and to assist at the mansion during the Whale Frolic Festival. Sheβs also asked
to learn what she can about the disappearance of some jewelry from visitorsβ rooms.
Shortly after she arrives, Kelly finds a guest stabbed in one of the rooms, the
door and windows locked from the inside. Then Gertrude βGertieβ Plumber, a
member of the Silver Sentinels, a crime-solving group of senior citizens, is
attacked. The police question Gertieβs son, Stevie, who is working at the
mansion with his bed-bug and termite-sniffing team of beagles, Jack and Jill,
about the jewelry thefts as well as the murder. Kelly and the Silver Sentinels
must work together to solve the crimes before another life is lost and Stevie is
put in prison.
Bed, breakfastβ¦and a body!
If it werenβt for the fact that sheβs
replacing a dead man, Kelly Jackson would love her new job managing the Redwood
Cove Bed and Breakfast on the coast of Northern California. But Bob Phillips did
plunge off the cliff to his deathβ¦and Kellyβs starting to think it may not have
been an accident. Bobβs retired friendsβThe βSilver Sentinelsββare also on the
case, especially when Kelly is attackedβ¦and another body turns up. Kelly has her
hands full with overseeing the B&Bβs annual Taste of Chocolate and Wine
Festival, but sheβs also closing in on the killerβ¦whoβs ready to send Kelly on
her own permanent vacationβ¦
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