Jenn McKinlay: I was lucky enough to get an advance look at our guest Laura Bradford's brand new book and it is exceptional!!! Clever, fun, original, and a heck of a mystery. I can't recommend A Plus One for Murder enough! But here's Laura to tell us more about what inspired it.
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Laura Bradford: As the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, I grew up on Irish blessings, some by way of pictures and artwork on the walls of my grandparents’ apartment, and some via their thick Irish brogues.
While I don’t necessarily remember every single line of every single blessing they ever shared with me, I do remember the feeling of hope they always gave me.
These days, I find my thoughts often revisiting one particular line in one particular blessing for both the truth it’s been in my life thus far, as well as the promise it holds for the future.
May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you may roam.
As I write this post, I am poised to move for the tenth time. In fact, by the time you’re actually reading this, I’ll be unboxing the physical contents of my life thus far, and finding new places for everything in what will be my forever home.
There will, of course, be the usual suspects. The kitchen gadgetry… The clothes… The board games… The beloved books (quick side bar here: I have built-in book shelves everywhere!)… But there will also be countless pictures and keepsakes from so, so many good and faithful friends I’ve made in my many moves—living, breathing manifestations of that Irish blessing who have claimed a piece of my heart and blessed my life in innumerable ways.
May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you many roam.
Yes, those words, uttered by my grandparents so many years ago, have proven true time and time again in my life. And I know they will prove true again as I prepare to set down roots in my new home.
I’ve been blessed. I am blessed. And I know I will be blessed again. Because I believe in friendship. I believe in its power to heal, to nurture, to grow, to ground, and, most importantly, to make life infinitely more fun.
It’s why, at the core of everything I write—including my new A Friend for Hire Mysteries—you’ll find one common denominator: friendship. Everyone needs it. In some form or another.
After all, who else is going to help you bury that body? Or help clear your name when the next door neighbor’s dog digs it back up?
Jungle Red Question: Tell us about one of your friends; how did you meet and why you’re blessed to have them in your life?
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About A Plus One for Murder, the debut book in Laura’s new A Friend for Hire Mysteries:
Emma Westlake has always wanted to be in business for herself. As a kid, she had her own successful lemonade stand and dog-walking business. And when she entered adulthood, Emma sunk all her cash into her dream job of travel planning. But as her customers became more and more internet savvy, the need for her services declined. At a loss for what to do next, she turns to an elderly friend who suggests she try to get paid for doing something she's really good at--being a paid companion. Emma thinks it's a crazy idea until requests start pouring in. Big Max from down the block wants her to act as his wingman at the local senior center's upcoming dance, nurse practitioner Stephanie needs a workout partner, and writer Brian Hill asks Emma to be his cheering section at an open mic night.
Brian will be reading from his latest work and wants to know someone will clap for him when he's done. When Emma balks at the notion that people wouldn't, he tells her the room will be filled with people he's invited--most of whom will likely want him dead by the time he's done reading. Assuming he's joking, she laughs. But when Brian steps up to the mic and clears his throat to speak, he promptly drops dead. Emma is one of the last people to see him alive, and so she becomes an immediate suspect. Now she'll have to cozy up to a killer to save her skin and her new business.
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Bio:
While spending a rainy afternoon at a friend’s house as a child, Laura Bradford fell in love with writing over a stack of blank paper, a box of crayons, and a freshly sharpened number-two pencil. From that moment forward, she never wanted to do or be anything else. Today, Laura is the USA Today bestselling author of both mysteries and women’s fiction.
Her mystery series include: the Amish Mysteries, the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Tobi Tobias Mysteries, the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries (written as Elizabeth Lynn Casey), and the new A Friend for Hire Mysteries. To learn more about Laura and/or her books, visit her website: laurabradford.com.
