Jen Dodrill has taken the cozy mystery concept and created a new series from a unique point of view. Released February 27, 2024, you’ll want to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this book relating to empty-nesters.
The book: Peg—widow, mom blogger, and empty nester—is desperate for a new hobby. After a late-night blog post leaves her dedicated Mamma Birds followers fearful that she’s closing her blog, she adopts a reader’s suggestion and forms the Empty Nesters Birding Group. On their first outing overlooking beautiful Pensacola Bay, a birder dies from an allergic reaction to peanuts in the birdseed. Seed that should be peanut-free.
Solve the mystery by reading more about Peg and her birding group. Below are some interesting facts author Jen Dodrill shared with me.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on book #2 in The Empty-nesters Cozy Mystery Series! Book #1, Birds Alive!, released February 27, 2024. Book #2, Where’s the Quetzal?, will be out February 2025. I love this cozy mystery series because it’s about an empty nester, and I relate to that so well!
What is your next writing project?
I have a completed women’s fiction manuscript, Finding Ginny, for which I’m seeking a publisher. I’m also working on another women’s fiction manuscript, Wrong Side of the Tracks. It’s written in present tense, first person, and it might be my favorite thing I’ve ever written. It is completely different from the cozy mystery genre, but I like being challenged.
How do you relax and recharge when you step away from writing?
I read a lot! I crave being able to read. I also spend time with my kids and grandkids. They bring me so much joy.
Do you journal?
Funny story. The short answer is no! I recently subscribed to a journaling service and even bought some neat gel pens. My daughter asked me why because this is not something I do. Ever. I got the first journal, and I just can’t. It’s painful. She will get the rest, and I canceled my subscription.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you like?
This one is tough, but I think I’d pick coffee. Or chocolate. Maybe both, but you said only one…I suppose coffee. (Or chocolate.)
What is the one thing we would never guess about you?
The summer after I graduated high school, I spent six weeks on a pig farm in Denmark as part of a summer student exchange program. It was fun and educational. This was many years ago (over 40), but the country was clean and safe. The two girls in the family I stayed with traveled with me from one side, where they lived, all the way to Copenhagen, where we stayed with their aunt. We also went to Germany one day and visited a beautiful church.
What genre would you like to consider in the future that differs from that/those you do now?
I just recently started reading fantasy, and I think that would be fun and very challenging. It looks like a hard genre to write because you make up everything and have to keep track of it all. I tease my fantasy writer friends by saying that they make up names by adding several sets of double consonants.
What’s your best advice for other writers?
I try very hard to remember that anything I do is for others. People are more important than numbers. I would advise other writers to serve people and love them. Keeping that first and foremost will guide you well.
What are you most thankful for?
I’m most thankful for my family. My husband is the perfect man for me. I didn’t appreciate him as much when I was younger, but I’ve learned to lean on and trust him. He’s amazing. My kids are wonderful. And the three grandkids are perfect! It’s true that we should have grandkids first.😉
Jen Dodrill is married and is the mother of five adult children and grandmother of three: two girls and a boy. She homeschooled for thirteen years, taught Oral Communication for her local community college, and is a ‘retired’ Navy wife. After her youngest graduated high school, Jen started writing her first book. Her inspiration comes in many forms, and she loves incorporating humor and personal experiences into her stories. Her first book, Birds Alive! An Empty-nesters Cozy Mystery, released February 27, 2024.
Jen is an avid fiction reader with an eclectic collection of novels, many of which sit in an old embalming fluids box belonging to her great-grandfather, Captain Alfred, MD.
When she’s not writing, you’ll find her spending time with her family or curled up on the couch with her favorite black cat, reading and drinking a mug of dark roast coffee.
For more information about Jen, her books, writing info and tips, and author interviews, check out her blog: https://jendodrillwrites.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jendodrillwrites/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenDodrillWrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jen-Dodrill/author/B0CSDW3CHR
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47887511.Jen_Dodrill
Thank you, Ellen, for having me on your blog! It was fun!
It was a delight to have you. Thank you for participating.