Andy Shirley is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Rivers and Creaks, the latest novel in the Redwoods Country mystery series.

Welcome, Andy. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

No. I didn’t sign up to do this interview. That author, Marc Jedel, tricked me into doing this. People are a nuisance and I’d rather not talk to them. I certainly don’t need their noses in my business. I’m working towards becoming a hermit. Strike that. As a word, recluse suits me better. I expect you to make that edit before the final edition is printed.

I overheard Marc Jedel tell someone that his novel, Rivers and Creaks, is a bit like Grumpy Old Men meets Schitt’s Creek. As the so-called grumpy old man in that description, I’m not sure I like his glib characterization. In fact, Marc hadn’t disclosed he’d written this novel about my move to the Redwoods Country north of San Francisco until just recently. I moved up here by myself after losing my wife a year ago. It was our shared dream to relocate here to run a bed and breakfast after my retirement. Actually it was more Catherine’s dream than mine. My plan had been to go fishing and fix things around the place. Now, I’m stuck up here by myself in a place needing far more work than I anticipated. To top it off, someone was killed on my first day. In addition to dealing with faulty plumbing and annoying guests, I had to solve the murder or I’d have lost my entire investment. Again, not what I signed up for.

Apparently Marc plans to write more novels in this humorous murder mystery series. He better think again if he plans to have me solve all of his mysteries for him. I’ve got better things to do.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

It’s a little philosophical to ask someone whether they control their own destiny, isn’t it? All I know is when something bad happened around me or I was struggling to find the killer, I noticed the author didn’t bother helping me out. Basically he got in touch with me after the fact, asked me a bunch of questions about what happened and then wrote it all down. In fact, his copy editor did all the important polishing. As a former copy editor myself, I understand the incredible value these professionals add. Without them, novels would be mere collections of random author drivel. Marc managed to convey a reasonable facsimile of the truth despite his butchering of my character.

How did you evolve as the main character?

That’s an imprecise use of the word evolve. Credible copy editors would share this opinion. In modern times, “evolve” is generally used in reference to Darwin’s conclusions on how species change over eons. If that was your intention, I take objection to the insinuation that I’m old enough to have undergone a biological evolution. In relation to the concept of character development, I resent the implication that I’m not a real person. “I think, therefore I am,” as Descartes famously said.

Give me a moment to take a deep breath. If my wife Catherine were still alive, she’d have told me to stop being such a grouch well before I finished writing that previous paragraph. She had great insight and she was able to convince me to use this new mindfulness hokey-pokey.

Assuming you meant to ask how Marc wrote my character arc, I’ll tell you this. There was no so-called evolution. Neither character, nor biological, changes can occur over the course of four days. Perhaps I did feel a bit more settled in this new town and a little more connected to other humans than I’d been in almost a year. Becoming a recluse is still my goal, but maybe I would stop by that hardware store on occasion to shoot the breeze with the old fellas who sit on the porch outside. And perhaps go to the local pub on their trivia nights. Only occasionally though.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

Oh, there are some real characters in this story all right. Not to say I enjoyed spending time with them of course. If I am ever to achieve my life goal of becoming a recluse, I need to learn to live by myself. Although it would be okay to run into Charlie from time to time. She’s got a sharp wit and is occasionally funny. Plus, she is a capable plumber and electrician who does good work at a low price. These are all qualities I can appreciate in a handyman. Strike that last word, Charlie doesn’t like that job title and prefers I refer to her as my fixer.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

Some would describe Monte Rio as an idyllic small town located about ninety minutes north of San Francisco. There are about a thousand people living here, some less annoying than others.  Located near a redwood forest, with the Russian River running through town, there are having rolling hills and wineries all around us. Catherine fell in love with the place during an impulsive trip up there and convinced me to purchase the Quilt House Inn as our retirement project. After she died, I lost all interest in running a bed and breakfast. Frankly I didn’t want to do anything but escape from people. But all my money was sunk into the place so I sucked it up and moved in.

It’s not as terrible a place as I expected. Beyond that, I’m taking it one day at a time. About the only firm decision I’ve set into concrete is never to accept a wedding party as guests again.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

Marc’s novel, Rivers and Creaks, is on sale for only $0.99 during this tour. It’s available at: https://mybook.to/RiversandCreaks. You can find all his cozy mysteries at: https://www.amazon.com/Marc-Jedel/e/B07H7MVKJL. All of his books are free for Kindle Unlimited members. The first three books in the Silicon Valley Mystery series are out on audiobook from Tantor Audio, available everywhere audiobooks are sold.

Marc loves hearing from readers as that motivates him to keep going on the next blank page.

Thanks for answering my questions, Andy, and good luck to you and your author, Marc Jedel, with Rivers and Creaks, the latest book in the Redwoods Country mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Andy and his author, Marc Jedel by visiting the author’s website and his Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub and LinkedIn pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – https://mybook.to/RiversandCreaks

About Marc Jedel: Marc writes humorous murder mysteries. He credits his years of marketing leadership positions in Silicon Valley for honing his writing skills and sense of humor. While his high-tech marketing roles involved crafting plenty of fiction, these were just called emails, ads, and marketing collateral.

For most of Marc’s life, he’s been inventing stories. It’s a skill that’s served him well as both an author and marketer. The publication of Marc’s first novel, Uncle and Ants, gave him permission to claim “author” as his job. This leads to much more interesting conversations with people than answering, “marketing.”

Like his character, Andy, from the Redwoods Country Mystery series, Marc continues to grow older and would prefer not to run a bed-and-breakfast inn when he retires. Like his character, Marty from the Silicon Valley Mystery series, Marc now lives in Silicon Valley, works in high-tech, and enjoys bad puns. Like his characters Jonas and Elizabeth from the Ozarks Lake Mystery series, he grew up in the South and spent plenty of time in and around Arkansas. Like all his protagonists, Marc too has a dog, although his is neurotic, sweet, and small, with little appreciation for Marc’s humor.