Call her the Church Lady?

The lighthearted first Hope Street Church mystery introduces 32-year-old Cooper Lee as she grapples with the end of a five-year romance. Stanley's faith-based crime detection has plenty of charming appeal.

**Publishers Weekly on Stirring Up Strife

Talk about charming appeal! PW might have been talking about Jennifer (JB) Stanley herself.

Next time you're at a mystery party or convention or gathering--stop and listen and figure out where the laughter is. And there, right in the center of it all, is where you will find Jennifer Stanley. You probably know her from the Supper Club mysteries, but now Jen is venturing into new territory with her Hope Street Church series. We wish her all the best--and hope she has good luck with it!

Good luck, huh? Jen is wondering about that today..and wants to know how you whether you've given your car or desk or purse a special "charm" of its own.

(And at the end--she's got a contest!Two little words: free book.)

Lucky Charms For the Road

JENNIFER: Though we’ve been snowed in for days, I’ve been making my spring travel plans. I’ll do some flying, but most of treks will be road trips. Lately, I’ve been noticing the variety of objects folks hang from their rearview mirrors. I’ve got a little toy (Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter, to be exact) hanging from mine because my little brother gave it to me for my Honda back in the early 90s. I’d always considered it a good luck charm because I haven’t had an accident while that little gizmo was in the car.

In Greece, most of the drivers have an evil eye protector in their vehicle and if you’ve ever seen their treacherously narrow, winding, and steep country roads (flanked on both sides by memorial altars with photographs of those who did not safely make the turn) you’d understand why.

I did a little research on good luck charms. Celebrities certainly carry them. For example, Geoffrey Rush of “Shine” fame carried a plastic Daffy Duck to the Oscars, Cameron Diaz wears a special “Anti-aging” luck necklace given to her by a girlfriend, and singer Meat Loaf won’t travel anywhere without his plush bears, Mandy and Marietta.

After the Miracle on the Hudson, people became vocal about the items they need to have boarding an airplane. Whether a rabbit’s foot, a four-leaf cover, or lucky coin, people like to have their lucky objects close at hand. Or they just use their hands as a lucky charm. For example, the hunky host of Extreme Home Makeover, Ty Pennington crosses the fingers of his right hand during take-off and remains stock still until the plane reaches cruising altitude.

In addition to portable charms, some folks have lucky clothing. My husband won’t spend the night in the hospital on call without wearing a specific black t-shirt. He wears it because none of his patients have died while he was on an overnight call wearing that shirt. It’s a good reason to keep it in circulation despite its holes and bleach stains.

Then, we’ve got our number hang-ups. Me, I have no problem with the number 13. As far as dates go, my luckiest day is Monday. It’s the day when my agent has always phoned to tell me about selling one of my series and it’s also the day of the week when my son was born. The Chinese love the number nine and I do as well as STIRRING UP STRIFE is my 9th book.

Do you carry a charm in your car? Do you wear one? Have a lucky color, article of clothing, number, or ritual? I will send a signed copy of STIRRING UP STRIFE to a lucky commenter.

J.B. Stanley has a BA in English from Franklin & Marshall College, an MA in English Literature from West Chester University, and an MLIS from North Carolina Central University. She taught sixth grade language arts in Cary, North Carolina for the majority of her eight-year teaching career. Raised an antique-lover by her grandparents and parents, Stanley also worked part-time in an auction gallery. An eBay junkie and food-lover, Stanley now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, two young children, and three cats.

TRUE CONFESSIONS

Talk about a literary tell-all!

I can't believe how brave she is.

First, let me say, you know, sometimes you just meet someone who’s the real deal. The genuine article. A stalwart pal. But I’m realizing now, I’ve never met Janet Koch in person. Which is odd, because I really feel as if I know her. Miracle of internet technology.

She’s hilarious. Clever. Talented. Makes fantastic book videos. And is soon to be multiply-published! But today, she comes to Jungle Red as the bravest blogger this side of –ah, maybe she’s actually the bravest.

And this was all her idea.

Favorite Books I’ve Never Read

JANET: As my husband can attest, I read a lot. (“Turn off that light. It’s time to go to sleep.”) Once he asked me how many books I’d read in my life. Um, no clue. Since I’m the kind of person who alphabetizes her spices and keeps the clothes in her closet organized by color, in 2004 I started keeping a spreadsheet of the books I’ve read. On average, I read 138 books per year, or just over two and a half books a week. At that rate you’d think I’d have read everything I wanted to read, right? Not quite.

Yep, there are still an awful lot of books out there that I want to read. The list would be shorter if I’d chosen English for my college major instead of geology, but back in 19-whatever my wishes and desires were different than today.

So. I’ve never read The Old Curiosity Shop. I’ve also never read Anna Karenina or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Never read On the Road or Jude the Obscure and I’ve never once managed to make it all the way through Gravity’s Rainbow.

Sad, isn’t it? But it gets worse.

On the mystery side of things I’ve never read The Big Sleep, The Woman in White, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Maltese Falcon, The Talented Mr. Ripley, or The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Pathetic situation for someone who claims to be writing mysteries.

Then there are the children’s books I’ve never read. Children’s literature fascinates me, but I’ve still never read Wind in the Willows. Or Where the Red Fern Grows. I’ve also never read The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, The Wheel on the School, or The Cricket in Times Square.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

And that’s just the fiction. If I tallied my unread non-fiction (Silent Spring, The Guns of August, The Double Helix, Up From Slavery, etc.) we’d be here all day.

But in spite of my haven’t-read-this-yet list, I don’t quite feel like gum on the bottom of a shoe. Every year I make sure to read some classics, some non-fiction, and a number of new authors. Examples? From my 2009 list: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, Symphony of Spirits by Deborah Forrest, and In the Woods by Tana French. Not so bad, eh?

And I feel sure that eventually I’ll get around to finishing Gravity’s Rainbow. Right after I read Wind in the Willows. Which comes right after The Big Sleep and The Old Curiosity Shop and…

HANK: Fine. I’ll play. I’ve never read The Woman in White, either. (Hallie is going to kill us. But I have the book RIGHT HERE. Does that count?) Or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. (Rosemary, yeah, I know. My bad.)
(And Janet—a list? You are so wonderfully organized. But you have to read Ackroyd and Ripley. Really. You’ll be glad.)

How about you guys? Fess up! What books have you never read? You’ll feel better if you tell. And we will, too.

*******
After 11 years and 6 1/3 unpublished manuscripts, Janet Koch (writing as Laura Alden) recently signed a three-book contract with NAL for a cozy series.

(JRW: Who hoo! We’re so delighted.)

The series features a divorced mother of two who was goaded by her so-called best friend into becoming the new secretary of the local Parent Teacher Organization. With a little bit of luck (Janet says this—JRW knows she’s already worked harder than anyone and she’s made her own luck), the first in the series will be published in late Janet lives in northern Michigan with her husband and two cats. When she’s not working on her cozy manuscript, she’s freelance writing for the local newspaper, studying for her nurse’s aide exam, reading, or doing some variety of skiing.