Serf and Turf by Marc Jedel
Character Post from Megan Tran, niece of protagonist Marty Golden, in Chutes and Ladder.
Recently I caught up with Megan, the young niece of Marty Golden. Although Marty is the protagonist in my new humorous, cozy mystery book, Serf and Turf: A Silicon Valley Mystery, I thought Megan’s perspective might be interesting.
Marc (author): Hi, Megan. Thanks for talking to me.
Megan: [looking at phone] Yupper.
Marc (author): What do you want to be when you grow up?
Megan: I keep changing my mind. Before, I wanted to be a race car driver. They can drive their cars as fast as they want and don’t get tickets on the highway like my mom. Last month, I thought I wanted to be a nurse because they help people get better and they can tell visitors what to do. I’m good at telling people what to do.
Marc (author): So, have you changed your mind?
Megan: Yes. [looking up]. Now I want to be a doctor. Last week, I saw this woman doctor help some boy on an airplane. That was really cool. And, she got to stand up and walk around even though the flight attendant told me I had to sit down. Doctors get to be in charge. That’s more me.
Marc (author): I hear your Uncle Marty had a crazy week. Have you talked to him recently?
Megan: Why does everyone want to know about him? He rushed around all week trying to figure out how this guy died. Big deal! Everything is always super crazy for me. Try being a little sister around here, why don’t you? Two weeks ago was Halloween and Uncle Marty kept messing up our plans. This last Saturday was my birthday party. It was super fun. Now I can’t decide what theme I want for my next birthday party. Do you think it should be a Herbie the Love Bug party since he’s like ‘Sunshine’, my mom’s old car, or Frankenstein Monsters because Halloween is the best holiday?
Marc (author): Oh yeah. Marty mentioned that to me. Happy Birthday. So, how old are you now?
Megan: Did he tell you to ask me that? He doesn’t remember how old I am and he’s always asking me. Ooo, it makes me mad. Uncles should remember how old their nieces are, shouldn’t they?
Marc (author): Yes they should. But your Uncle Marty isn’t all bad, right? Didn’t he get you this new dog, Buddy?
Megan: [squeals and hugs Buddy] Yes! That was so amazing. I love Buddy. He’s our new Labrador puppy, but he already weighs like sixty pounds. I told Uncle Marty Buddy would be my best friend. [Hugs Buddy]. But, my mom doesn’t always like him. Buddy can be a troublemaker.
Marc (author): What’s he done this time?
Megan: Well, nothing today. So far. But two weeks ago, he escaped out of his dog crate, jumped on the stove and turned on the gas. The firefighters had to come to the house. Three fire trucks! Buddy was unconscious on the floor. Mom says we’re lucky there wasn’t an explosion. And our neighbor won’t walk near our house now. It’s super funny. She parks her car down the street and she’s sniffing the air when she rushes out of her house.
Marc (author): Have you read my new book, Serf and Turf? It’s about your uncle and you’re even in it.
Megan: [looks up from her phone] What?
Marc (author): My books. Have you read them?
Megan: Nah, I like to watch YouTube videos. Your covers are cool, though. Maybe I’ll read them later. Are they about me? You know they would be funny if they’re about me.
Marc (author): Yes, it sure would be funny. But they’re more about Uncle Marty and how he solves the mysteries while juggling his work, his family, his girlfriend, and not getting killed.
Megan: Ok, never mind then. Hey, Buddy, come back here. [Runs off after dog.]
Marc (author): Well, I guess that’s all we’ll get from Megan today.
My books, Serf and Turf, Chutes and Ladder and Uncle and Ants, are humorous murder mysteries. Silicon Valley is not your typical cozy mystery locale and Marty Golden doesn’t fit the normal profile of a mystery protagonist. Despite finding himself thrust into challenging situations, Marty isn’t exactly hero material. He combines wit, irreverent humor and sarcasm mixed in with nerdy insecurities, absent-mindedness, and fumbling but effective amateur sleuthing skills. With an active inner voice and not a lot of advanced planning, he throws himself into solving problems. Sometimes, he even succeeds.
Serf and Turf, book 3 in the Silicon Valley Mystery series, can be read standalone. All the books in the series are free for Kindle Unlimited readers. Buy them on Amazon at: amazon.com/gp/product/B07PHNT7XM and watch for the audiobooks of the whole series from Recorded Books coming later this year. For more about my books or me, please visit www.marcjedel.com.
Recently I caught up with Megan, the young niece of Marty Golden. Although Marty is the protagonist in my new humorous, cozy mystery book, Serf and Turf: A Silicon Valley Mystery, I thought Megan’s perspective might be interesting.
Marc (author): Hi, Megan. Thanks for talking to me.
Megan: [looking at phone] Yupper.
Marc (author): What do you want to be when you grow up?
Megan: I keep changing my mind. Before, I wanted to be a race car driver. They can drive their cars as fast as they want and don’t get tickets on the highway like my mom. Last month, I thought I wanted to be a nurse because they help people get better and they can tell visitors what to do. I’m good at telling people what to do.
Marc (author): So, have you changed your mind?
Megan: Yes. [looking up]. Now I want to be a doctor. Last week, I saw this woman doctor help some boy on an airplane. That was really cool. And, she got to stand up and walk around even though the flight attendant told me I had to sit down. Doctors get to be in charge. That’s more me.
Marc (author): I hear your Uncle Marty had a crazy week. Have you talked to him recently?
Megan: Why does everyone want to know about him? He rushed around all week trying to figure out how this guy died. Big deal! Everything is always super crazy for me. Try being a little sister around here, why don’t you? Two weeks ago was Halloween and Uncle Marty kept messing up our plans. This last Saturday was my birthday party. It was super fun. Now I can’t decide what theme I want for my next birthday party. Do you think it should be a Herbie the Love Bug party since he’s like ‘Sunshine’, my mom’s old car, or Frankenstein Monsters because Halloween is the best holiday?
Marc (author): Oh yeah. Marty mentioned that to me. Happy Birthday. So, how old are you now?
Megan: Did he tell you to ask me that? He doesn’t remember how old I am and he’s always asking me. Ooo, it makes me mad. Uncles should remember how old their nieces are, shouldn’t they?
Marc (author): Yes they should. But your Uncle Marty isn’t all bad, right? Didn’t he get you this new dog, Buddy?
Megan: [squeals and hugs Buddy] Yes! That was so amazing. I love Buddy. He’s our new Labrador puppy, but he already weighs like sixty pounds. I told Uncle Marty Buddy would be my best friend. [Hugs Buddy]. But, my mom doesn’t always like him. Buddy can be a troublemaker.
Marc (author): What’s he done this time?
Megan: Well, nothing today. So far. But two weeks ago, he escaped out of his dog crate, jumped on the stove and turned on the gas. The firefighters had to come to the house. Three fire trucks! Buddy was unconscious on the floor. Mom says we’re lucky there wasn’t an explosion. And our neighbor won’t walk near our house now. It’s super funny. She parks her car down the street and she’s sniffing the air when she rushes out of her house.
Marc (author): Have you read my new book, Serf and Turf? It’s about your uncle and you’re even in it.
Megan: [looks up from her phone] What?
Marc (author): My books. Have you read them?
Megan: Nah, I like to watch YouTube videos. Your covers are cool, though. Maybe I’ll read them later. Are they about me? You know they would be funny if they’re about me.
Marc (author): Yes, it sure would be funny. But they’re more about Uncle Marty and how he solves the mysteries while juggling his work, his family, his girlfriend, and not getting killed.
Megan: Ok, never mind then. Hey, Buddy, come back here. [Runs off after dog.]
Marc (author): Well, I guess that’s all we’ll get from Megan today.
My books, Serf and Turf, Chutes and Ladder and Uncle and Ants, are humorous murder mysteries. Silicon Valley is not your typical cozy mystery locale and Marty Golden doesn’t fit the normal profile of a mystery protagonist. Despite finding himself thrust into challenging situations, Marty isn’t exactly hero material. He combines wit, irreverent humor and sarcasm mixed in with nerdy insecurities, absent-mindedness, and fumbling but effective amateur sleuthing skills. With an active inner voice and not a lot of advanced planning, he throws himself into solving problems. Sometimes, he even succeeds.
Serf and Turf, book 3 in the Silicon Valley Mystery series, can be read standalone. All the books in the series are free for Kindle Unlimited readers. Buy them on Amazon at: amazon.com/gp/product/B07PHNT7XM and watch for the audiobooks of the whole series from Recorded Books coming later this year. For more about my books or me, please visit www.marcjedel.com.
Serf and Turf: A Silicon Valley Mystery
by Marc Jedel
. . . I think this is the
best one yet. It has a good mystery, a great setting, some humour, a
little dash of danger, lots or relationship building, and good writing. I
definitely recommend this cozy mystery series, especially if you want a
fun and amusing mystery read.
~Carla Loves To Read
~Carla Loves To Read
About Serf and Turf
Serf and Turf: A Silicon Valley Mystery
BGM Press (October 9, 2019)
Paperback: 213 pages
ISBN-10: 1732716420
ISBN-13: 978-1732716421
Digital ASIN: B07YF2CN1B
He’s afraid of losing his girlfriend. But maybe he should be more concerned about the dead body she’s crying over?
Marty Golden can barely string a voicemail message together, let alone keep up with his new love. This quirky uncle’s hectic Silicon Valley lifestyle needs a reboot when a youth league soccer game becomes a murder scene. And nothing can stop him from donning his amateur sleuth uniform when he discovers his sweetheart used to have quite a thing for the dead guy …
With a not-so-helpful paw from Buddy the Labrador, he does his best to sniff out a long list of possible suspects. But between gossipy soccer moms and the costume-clad members of a Renaissance Faire, Marty’s theories fall harder than a jousted knight.
Can Marty solve the case before the trail and his new flame grow cold?
Serf and Turf is the third book in the zany, Silicon Valley cozy mystery series. If you like laugh-out-loud comedy, dorky sleuths, and a festival of old-world fun, then you’ll love Marc Jedel’s humorous murder mystery.
Buy Serf and Turf to sign in to a great mystery today!
My Review
Serf and Turf is the third book in Marc Jedel's Silicon Valley Mystery Series. The book can be read as a stand alone, but I have found that reading books one and two prior in the series has added value.Once again, Uncle Marty Golden has found himself somewhat entangled in a murder mystery taking place in his real life. Marty works as and engineer for a company in Silicon Valley that specializes in driverless cars. He really isn't cut out for the private detector life, but as he had managed to get himself involved in two previous investigations, he feels that he has a slight edge of experience over the average person.
In this third book you'll come across characters found in the previous stories. You'll love getting to know Marty's sister and his nieces a little better while laughing at Marty's well-intentioned investigation.
If you need a break from reality, I highly recommend Marc Jedel's Silicon Valley Mystery Series.
I received an advance copy of the book, but this is my own opinion.
About Marc Jedel
For most of my life, I’ve been inventing
stories. Some, especially when I was young, involved my sister as the
villain. As my sister’s brother for her entire life, I’m highly
qualified to tell the tale of this evolving, quirky sibling
relationship.
My writing skills were honed in years of
marketing leadership positions in Silicon Valley. While my high tech
marketing roles involved crafting plenty of fiction, we called these
marketing collateral, emails and ads.
The publication of my first novel, Uncle and Ants,
gave me permission to claim “author” as my job. And achieving Amazon
Best Seller status gave me even better adjectives to use in front of
“author.” This has led to way more interesting discussions than
answering “marketing.”
My family would tell you that Marty’s
character isn’t much of a stretch of the imagination for me, but I’m
comfortable with that situation.
Like Marty, I live in Silicon Valley and
can’t believe that otherwise normal people would willingly jump out of
an airplane and call it fun. Unlike Marty, I have a wonderful wife and a
neurotic but sweet, small dog, who is often the first to weigh in on
the humor in my writing.
Author Links
Website: www.marcjedel.com
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/MarcJedel.Author
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mjedel/
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/18403497.Marc_Jedel
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/profile/marc-jedel
Purchase Link – Amazon
October 14 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
October 14 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
October 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 15 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
October 16 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT – Reading Is My SuperPower
October 16 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 18 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 19 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 20 – Literary Gold – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
October 21 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
October 22 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
October 22 – I Read What You Write – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 23 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
October 24 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
October 24 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW
October 25 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
October 26 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 27 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW, GUEST POST
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Comments
Post a Comment
Wait! Stop! Are you leaving the same old comment on all the blog pages? Try switching things up a bit. I love reading your comments, but if its the same thing each time... it feels like spam. And NO ONE likes spam...
Please make sure the comments you leave are related to the post, and are at least eight words in length.