Josie Posey from Clocked Out, a Josie Posey mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us a bit about her life in English Village.

Welcome, Josie. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

Well look at you, arriving right on time for our interview. I’m Josie Posey and I’m happy you were able to meet me here, at The Cozy Cups Café. It is one of my favorite spots in English Village.

Did you know my friend Lorene runs the place? Help yourself to one of the mugs at the coffee station and feel free to add your own cream or a few squirts of flavoring. Don’t you love the mismatched cups? There’s a story behind that, but I’ll save it for another time.

I have to admit, when you asked to interview me I was surprised and flattered. As you know, I’m a freelance reporter for The Village Gazette, our local newspaper. It feels odd to be the subject of a story, you see?

Of course you do. Yes. Well. Shall we begin with some basic information? I retired from a career as a crime reporter in the city and moved into the sweet cottage my grandmother lived in for many years. I lost my husband about the same time, so it’s just me now. And Moe, of course. He’s my Old English sheepdog. The perfect pup to live in English Village, don’t you agree? He is the best companion ever. That sweet, funny, fluffy dog keeps me laughing. Sometimes I wonder who’s in charge at the cottage: Moe or me.

Yes. Yes. We enjoy a quiet life in a small town. Though I do try to keep busy.

I became friends with some ladies through a bit of volunteer work in the village. Now we play a weekly game of mahjong. We call ourselves the Mahjong Mavens. Me, Kate, Sharon and Nellie. They outrank me by their longevity in the village and their age (don’t say I told you, but, at I’m a decade younger than those women – a couple of them are pushing 70). And that’s everything about me. Not much to tell.

Except…we did have a little excitement around the murder investigation last summer when the local ballerina’s husband was found face down in a field of flowers. I was one of the last people to see the man alive, for goodness’ sake. At first, some thought I might be a suspect. Me! Josie Posey. Can you imagine? Anyway, I figured, what could it hurt to have another set of eyes on the evidence? It only made sense to dig into the case myself.

Then, because of my background in crime – I mean, crime reporting – the local police chief asked for my help. Naturally, I got the mavens involved.  Then he changed his mind and told me to keep my “biddies” out of the way. As you might imagine, that didn’t go over well. In the end, the chief admitted he couldn’t have caught the murderers without us.

Confidentially – and don’t breathe a word of this – I’m working with Chief Marshall on another case right now and it’s a doozy. No worries. We’ll figure it out. But the clock is ticking on this one and the chief is waiting.  

I’m afraid we’ll have to continue our interview another time. Enjoy your visit here in English Village. There’s a big art show in town this week. You can’t miss it. Do call again soon, won’t you?

Yes, I will. Thank you for sharing this with us, Josie, and good luck to you and your author, Anna St. John, with Clocked Out, the latest book in the Josie Posey mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Josie and her author, Anna St. John by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page.

The book is available online at Amazon

About Anna St John: Anna St. John writes cozy mysteries featuring a mature, yet feisty, former crime reporter, Josie Posey, as the amateur sleuth. Her debut novel, DOOMED BY BLOOMS, was released by Level Best Books in February 2023. CLOCKED OUT is the second book in her Josie Posey Mystery Series. It is scheduled to release Feb. 6, 2024.

A former journalist, award-winning advertising copywriter, and ad agency owner, Anna is married to her high school sweetheart. She writes from her home office in Kansas, with her Old English Sheepdog by her side.

Anna is represented by Cindy Bullard, of Birch Literary Agency. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Kansas Authors Club.