Murder by bees? Private investigator Georgia Lamb has seen her share of humanity’s cruel and unusual side, but even she is skeptical when Theda Kovac’s eccentric twin brother hires her to look into his sister’s death. In The Killing Jar Georgia uses creative lies and her quick lip to uncover the festering poison of family secrets.
Georgia understands that bizarre things happen for cold, logical reasons. By age sixteen, she buried an alcoholic mother, rebelled in an abusive foster home, and fought to become emancipated. When she uncovers a truth about her dead mother, Georgia makes self-destructive choices. From that descent she gains insight into the obsession and cunning of Theda’s murderer.
Books, books, and more books. The Oregon Writers Colony’s fall festival for readers and writers, Stumptown Lit, will be Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014, in Cheatham Hall of the World Forestry Center in Portland. Join us for a book fair and readings by Oregon authors. Copies of our book, The Killing jar will be available here or later you can buy it at:
Another Read Through
3932 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, Oregon 97227
Though our book launch party has come and gone, we want to thank all the people who filled Copley Commons and made it a success. Special thanks to George Mason and Salli Slaughter for their great camera work. A shout-out to Marilyn Beard Buchanan, Cary Buchanan, and all the others who helped us; because of their hard work we can now share memories of that busy and exciting day. For those who couldn’t make the party, we hope you enjoy the reading.
Here is the video provided by George. Photographs taken by Salli will be ready soon.
Don’t forget, Amazon customer reviews are always welcome.
Killing Jar, Ann Brandvig & Rick Becker – Grey Cells Press imprint
Until fairly recently, I didn’t read mystery novels, and they still aren’t a go-to genre for me. Having said that, I’ve found that periodically I really enjoy dipping my toes into a good mystery. I will say that the title was a bit off-putting, making me expect something more hard-boiled and perhaps cheesy. I’m so glad I was wrong about that. I absolutely love our PI, Georgia. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that the authors found a really nice balance to the overall tone of the book. It was fun and lighthearted in places, but it had enough darkness to give it depth. Georgia herself is a complex character, and not a cardboard cut out. I’m not enough of a mystery aficionado to comment on how well designed the puzzle of the mystery was…but I did enjoy it!
In September 2013 Susan Finlay, a fiction writer herself, interviewed us for her long-running series Meet the Authors on the blog Susan Finlay Writes. Enjoy the interview and be sure to check her novels on Amazon. Susan, thanks again.
Meet the Authors: Rick Becker and Ann Brandvig
I’d like to introduce you to the seventieth interviewee(s) in my ‘Meet the Author’ series. They are the husband and wife writing team of Rick Becker and Ann Brandvig.
Hi, Rick and Ann! Welcome to Susan Finlay Writes blog site. Can you tell us a bit about your background as writers?
Thank you for having us.
Chronicle Books published our non-fiction book, Save Oregon, which focused on regional environmental issues. We’ve also published a variety of humorous, gardening, and environmental articles for local magazines and newspapers. Rick has received awards from the American Academy of Poets. Ann was one of five finalists in a $50,000 contest for best first mystery from Mysterious Press. Continue reading →
Those of you with an Amazon or Kindle account have a hidden magical power that you probably have never used: you can post customer reviews. Most people think that the pot at the end of the rainbow is filled with gold; for a writer that pot is filled with Amazon customer reviews. Don’t let your power go to waste!
In an age when white kids
blister their fingers
to play what black kids
try to forget,
I take a straightback chair
out on the porch, tilt
into a late August twilight and,
one foot tapping, thump
a few iambs
along the bass line of your heart,
humming songs my clumsy hands
can’t touch for their dancing- Continue reading →
By now most of us have come across variations of the “What kind of blankety-blank are you?” quizzes made popular by Buzzfeed. They pop up like mushrooms after rain. Answer a few questions, and your true nature will be revealed. Easy is good; short better. Are you a diamond or a rhinestone? An orchid or a dandelion? A hurricane or a fart? One recently hit the inbox and snagged our attention. Sent by John Bayliss, author of the mystery, Five and a Half Tons, and like us, published by Grey Cells Press, this quiz asked “Which TV detective are you?”
We answered every question.
Rick came up as Morse. Not Endeavour, just Morse. He’s unsure about the Wagnerian connection, though he’d enjoy a pint of good stout and a crossword after tooling from crime scene to crime scene in that red and black Mark 2 Jaguar. Ann was hoping for a different Oxford-educated cop, Sergeant Hathaway.
Given a choice Ann might have preferred Miss Marple, even Veronica Mars. The chance never arose. Welcome Hercule Poirot. Ann knows how to put those little grey cells to use. She’s even okay with patent leather shoes, the Homburg, and pince-nez. But the curly waxed mustache is a bit much.
Do you have fantasies about ferreting out who-done-it like a bumbling Columbo or a sophisticated Jane Dennison? Take the test and PLEASE share your surprise with us.
The Killing Jar, a Georgia Lamb mystery written by Ann Brandvig and Rick Becker, is now available in paperback and eBook formats. Order from your favorite bookstore or through Amazon.
The white car, headlights bobbing, paced her through downtown Lake Oswego and north toward Portland. For the first time since becoming an investigator, she was the followee, not the follower. Who had she pissed off? Most everybody. Georgia punched the CD button and Son House growled out “John the Revelator” …
This procession thing was becoming a goddamned bore. She eyed parking areas, any old place to call home, and came to a rocking stop next to a child’s Big Wheel. The hatchback idled at the curb. Georgia snatched her new purchase, the Louisville slugger, from the back seat and opened the door. In three long strides she was across the parking lot, wielding the bat above her head, “Eeeyyow” splitting the night…
The car skidded into a U-turn and came again. The right tires on the street, the other two popped up across the driveway apron and rode the sidewalk. In a cockeyed tilt the car rocketed at her. Inches from the pole, it turned sharply to the street, and rounded the corner.
She retrieved the bat and waited, leaning against the car to catch her breath. No heads appeared at windows; no light flicked on. Going apeshit had quenched her frustration and almost killed her. She keyed the ignition, and Son House hit the final refrain on the CD: Don’t you mind, people grinnin’ in your face.
*
Eddie James “Son” House, Jr. (March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988) was an American blues singer and guitarist, noted for his highly emotional style of singing and slide guitar playing. Continue reading →
Murder by bees? Private investigator Georgia Lamb has seen her share of humanity’s cruel and unusual side, but even she is skeptical when Theda Kovac’s eccentric twin brother hires her to look into his sister’s death. In The Killing Jar Georgia uses creative lies and her quick lip to uncover the festering poison of family secrets.
Georgia Lamb PI 