What You Don’t Expect When You’re Expecting

When you're expecting your first child any day now, you don’t expect to deal with . . .

•  A femme fatale French bulldog who likes designer clothes cut down to size
•  A diva Afghan hound with a penchant for escape and sexual escapades
• A musician husband who fails to tell you he’s recording with the hottest girl group around
•  A mother who tracks your every move with her smart phone’s spy app
• A grandmotherly chauffeur who wants to hand-feed you
• A hometown that’s re-branding itself as a pet-friendly resort
• A trusted worker who might be a corporate spy  
• An arson investigator who may not exist
• A social media account designed to destroy you

And I haven’t even mentioned the double murder. Or the rumors about your unfortunate incarceration. Or the fact that you’re due to deliver, and you’ve never even changed a diaper; the good news is your husband’s French bulldog will let you practice on her.

Thirty-eight weeks pregnant, Whiskey Mattimoe must deal with all that and much more in Whiskey, Large, the 7^th book in the series. 

Whiskey Mattimoe meets the Wall Street Journal

One afternoon about two weeks ago, just before I left my office, I opened my email and spotted this subject line in the long list of unread messages:

Wall Street Journal article

The sender was someone named Tanaka, Sanette.

Between the unknown sender and the unlikely subject line, I decided the message was spam. My cursor hovering over the “delete” tab, I was poised to click when a tiny voice in my head said, “What the hell. Open it.”

So I did.

The email contained a credible-sounding invitation for a Wall Street Journal interview from Ms. Tanaka, a real estate reporter. She said she was writing an article about novelists with backgrounds in real estate who now write fictional characters working in real estate. Her research had led her to Whiskey Mattimoe and me.

Two days later Ms. Tanaka and I had a delightful half-hour conversation followed by a shorter chat the following week. Although I had been interviewed many times about my books and plays—not to mention the fact that I interview people in my work as a journalist—I was thrilled to be part of a story in the world’s most widely read newspaper.

I never dreamed that my diverse (to put it nicely) professional background would attract the attention of the Wall Street Journal. Rather than tell you today what Ms. Tanaka and I discussed, I urge you to pick up a copy of the February 22, 2013 edition of the paper and read her well-written piece.

If you're an online Wall Street Journal subscriber, you can read it here.

If you're not a subscriber, Google

"real estate truth in fiction" wall street journal

Excerpt: Nina Wright, author of six mystery novels featuring real-estate agent and sleuth Whiskey Mattimoe, says she often embellishes absurd situations to suit her series. In real life, Ms. Wright, who lives in Oakland County, Mich., found out that one of her tenants was running an underground day-care service. In the fourth book, "Whiskey and Water," agent Mattimoe discovers that her tenant is operating an illegal adoption ring.

"There are so many things that can go wrong in real estate," says Ms. Wright. "I've bought and sold a lot of properties, but I haven't seen a single transaction where there aren't colossal screw-ups." 

Speaking of potential screw-ups. here's what I learned from this experience: Think twice before dumping the contents of your in-box.

Finally: WHISKEY AND SODA (May 2012)

You’ve waited almost three years for it, and here it comes at last. Whiskey and Soda, Book #6 in the humorous Whiskey Mattimoe mystery series, will be out in both print and ebook formats at the end of May. I want to personally thank my loyal readers for letting me know that they wanted more Whiskey. Cheers!
Update: Whiskey and Soda is now being served. To order it as a trade paperback (available only at Amazon), please click here. Or you can start reading it today on your Kindle. Ebook versions are coming soon to Nook and Kobo.

For a recap of the previous five books, you can either check my website or tune in here again soon for blog entries that highlight Whiskey’s many misadventures. I’ll guide you in a jaunty stroll down Memory Lane—or should I say, Broken Arrow Highway—with Abra the Afghan hound, plus assorted friends and felons from Magnet Springs, Michigan. Of course, Whiskey would not approve. She is the self-proclaimed Queen of Denial, preferring to forget she even has a dog, let alone one with a criminal record and an unleashed libido.

You might prefer to check your personal bookshelf or your local library for the previous five titles. If so,here they are in order: (#1) Whiskey on the Rocks, (#2) Whiskey Straight Up, (#3) Whiskey and Tonic, (#4) Whiskey and Water, (#5) Whiskey with a Twist.

The next time I post, I promise to whet your appetite for Whiskey and Soda with a preview of the new book. Until then, here’s my toast to my readers: May you always have a dog to hug and lots of reasons to laugh. Thanks again for requesting another Whiskey.

What Would Whiskey Want for Christmas?

Whiskey Mattimoe is a Michigan real estate broker who runs her own agency and runs after her errant Afghan hound. In terms of her business, we can guess what she wants for Christmas. It’s what we all want: a solid economic recovery.

What Whiskey wants for Christmas on a personal level is a little more complicated. No matter which book in the five-book series we drop in on, Whiskey needs someone to babysit her felonious Afghan hound, Abra. Whiskey has relied on her young neighbor Chester, her stepdaughter’s nanny (and Coast Guard Damage Control Specialist) Deely Smarr, and anyone else foolish enough to volunteer—once. So that item is always on Whiskey’s wish list.

In any book, if Whiskey could have her way, she’d wish for her late husband Leo to be alive and well at her side. Since that’s not going to happen, Whiskey wishes for someone else to come along and light up her world. In Whiskey and Water and Whiskey with a Twist, someone does come along—or should I say, come again. Whiskey’s ex-husband Jeb Halloran finds his way back into her heart, or at least her bedroom. But Whiskey is left ruminating on that old saw, “Be careful what you wish for.”

As her author, I know Whiskey almost as well as she knows herself although she does occasionally surprise me. Here’s what I wish for Whiskey Mattimoe this Christmas:

5) A new hairstylist. If I can learn to manage unruly curls with the right cut, so can Whiskey.

4) A wardrobe with less beige and more bling.

3) An ample stock of Pinot Noir so that she won’t end up drinking scotch, which always gets her in trouble.

2) A way to lure Deely Smarr into working for her again. Whiskey’s going to need a nanny, and not just for Abra.

And the Number One gift I would wish for Whiskey is . . .

1) One more phone call to Jeb. Read Whiskey with a Twist all the way to the end, and you'll know what I mean.

Wait! Sorry. I have another gift to add to her list. I wish Whiskey Mattimoe many more adventures and much more laughter. Exactly what I wish my readers.

As for what Abra wants for Christmas . . . that's another story entirely.

P.S. The first two Whiskey Mattimoe mysteries (and their cool new covers) are now available on Kindle and Nook. Whiskey Straight Up is a wicked wintry romp, complete with blizzards and deadly plunges through the ice. A perfect fireside read.