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.
Congratulations, Laura . . . your new a friend for hire series sounds terrific. I’m looking forward to meeting Emma.
ReplyDeleteBuilt-in book shelves?! Wow! Lucky you . . . .
I must agree with you . . . Friends are indeed one of life’s most treasured blessings . . . I met one of my friends at church; we are like long-lost sisters . . . more than “just” friends, it’s like discovering another person in your family . . . .
Sounds like you have some good ones in your life, too, Joan. Thanks for being here!
DeleteCongratulations on your book release Laura. Loved the book and can't wait for the next one.
ReplyDeleteSometimes friends are more important than family. I met one of my friends at my first full-time job. We discovered that we lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same high school. I was there when her daughter was born and when her daughter got married and when her daughter had her first grandchild. We don't live near each other, but when we talk on the phone, it's like we just saw each other the day before.
When you don’t miss a beat after time apart, you know you have a true friend. Thanks, Dru!
DeleteLAURA: Congratulations on your new book and "final" move into your forever home. I feel your pain about moving around a lot. I moved to different cities over a dozen times in my 20s and 30s but settled down after that. My last move was in 2014 and thankfully my employer paid for that move again.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, it's important to keep good friends with you during those turbulent times.
One really good friend started out as my boss in 1987 for a 4-month work term. She became my mentor, then colleague and good friend after that. We have lived in different cities for the past 30 years (Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa, ON, respectively so we rarely see each other in person. Once she retired from work, she is now on FB. We connect regularly online and it's like we never had been apart.
That's the very best part of Facebook, isn't it? To help us stay connected to our faraway friends and family.
DeleteAgreed. Before she retired, Linda would have signed on to FB maybe once a month. Now, she is on FB several times a week, and we also chat on Messenger.
DeleteGrace, she sounds like a true blessing, for sure!
DeleteLaura, as you know, I've been a fan for a long, long time. So pleased for this new series! And very excited that you are finally moving into your beautiful new home. What a blur, and I give you mad props for being able to keep writing through that process.
ReplyDeleteAt a certain age you don't really expect or have a chance to make really close new friends, so I feel doubly blessed to have found a soul sister in a friend of a friend. We've known one another for over four decades, but only in the last five years or so have we really become close. We are almost nothing alike, but understand one another perfectly.
Sometimes the most wonderful friends come from the most unusual places. Thanks for sticking with me for so long, Karen. I hope you enjoy the new series’
DeleteLaura, welcome to JRW and congratulations on the first book in your new series! What a great premise! I really admire your ability to keep in touch with friends from the many places where you've lived. That is an enviable trait, especially with the busy lives we all have. Even though we can keep in touch through social media, it takes dedication to maintain lasting friendships.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend from high school and I have stayed close throughout our lives. Although she married 10 years before I did, each of us has 1 child and they were born 6 months apart. They are still close friends with one another.
She and her husband live in a neighboring state, about 2 hours away. We still laugh about the antics we pulled in high school, the boys we liked back then and our many adventures together. We continued to have adventures with our little families when our kids were young. When the libraries closed during the pandemic, I mailed her all my Deborah Crombie books so she could read them in order. She'll stay with me the weekend of our high school reunion this spring. Just like old times!
Judy, friends that read make the best friends!
DeleteShe sounds like a gem, Judy! I’m glad you found each other!
DeleteCongratulations on the new series!
ReplyDeleteI have friends all over and yes, one of the reasons I can't completely quit Facebook is that it's connected me with friends in other parts of the country I only see once or twice a year. And then there's my best friend from school. We've been friends for 36 years. Busy lives (her daughter is middle-school aged) mean we don't talk a lot, but when we do it's like no time at all has passed.
Thank you, Liz! I actually just heard from a co-worker from 30 + years ago and what fun that was! FB does have its plusses for sure...
DeleteCongrats Laura, and what a surprising premise! One example of friends we treasure is right here at Jungle Red Writers! Couldn't keep writing without all these people in my corner...
ReplyDeleteLucy, so true!!!
DeleteCongratulations Laura on A Plus One For Murder ! I’m looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI met my best friend at work thirty years ago. She is twenty years younger than me (nearer the age of my daughter ). Never, when she entered the office, did I think that we would become so close through the years.
We are so much alike in many things and complete one another in others. Her friendship is very precious.
I’m glad you found her. I’m sure your friendship is precious to her, as well!
DeleteWhen I was teaching I had several good friends but when I lost that job it seemed like I lost the friends too. When my mother died I realized she had been my best friend; we talked almost every day and I saw her often. Oddly enough it was difficult for her to hear in person but on the phone she could hear just fine. Now I would say my teenage granddaughter is my best friend.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the book, Laura.
Friends come in all shapes, sizes, and ages, for sure. One of my dearest is an 89 year old man I met at my old gym!
DeleteCan I just say, brilliant concept: "new friend for hire" - suggests all KINDS of story ideas. My longest-time bestie lived around the corner from me growing up and we had the same piano teacher. She played chopin and the piano teacher gave up on me and taught me to play treble with chords. She's on the other side of the country but we still manage to talk regularly and get together when she comes to NY to visit her son. We have almost nothing in common but it doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hallie! Sounds like the piano lessons succeeded with something even better than a musical ability!
DeleteLaura, I love the premise of your new series--oh, the places you can go with this! Adding to my TBR stack now!
ReplyDeleteI met one of my best friends at work 30+ years ago now. Currently she lives in the northwest part of Dallas and I'm here in northern Ohio. We had the opportunity to visit for a weekend this summer--and never stopped talking--just like old times. We don't live in each other's back pocket--we don't call or text or even email regularly--but have a bond that time and distance can't break.
Flora, she sounds wonderful!! A true treasure.
DeleteSo many congratulations Laura. I love the premise of the new series.
ReplyDeleteI'm met my friend Jennifer during our first week of graduate school in 1977. We are still best friends, and our children are like siblings to each other. I'm very blessed.
Thank you, Edith. I love that your friendship has created ones for your kids, as well!
DeleteWhoa, love the friend for hire concept. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky to have some amazing friends that span more than 60 years. My college roommate, though, is extra special. No matter how long we have been apart, time dissolves when we are together, on the phone, in person, and most recently, by letter!
Thanks, Kait!
DeleteSounds like you both scored!
Thank you for having me! Just got the key for the house and bringing the cat in.
ReplyDeleteI’m reading all of these great comments as I’m able (no internet yet).
When we moved from Philadelphia to the suburbs when I was 6 years old, I met Judy, who lived down the street. She came to my door and asked if I could play. From then on, we were best friends, although we went to different schools. Later on, Judy eloped and I moved to California, and we ultimately lost touch. Fast forward 40 years or so, and I found Judy online and we started an email relationship. It was as if we'd never been apart, although we actually lived 3000 miles apart.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years later, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. As he went through chemo for the next 22 months, I credit Judy with keeping me sane. She is a very spiritual person, and she became my rock. I don't know what I would have done without her. She's still in Pittsburgh and I'm in El Dorado Hills, but I still consider her my best friend. Sometimes we actually get to talk on the phone (for 2 hours at a pop!), and it is pure love. Thank you, Judy.
Margie, wow. What a beautiful frienship!
DeleteOn the flip side of knowing who your friends are, 7 years ago we had a major breakup with a couple who had been friends and travel companions for almost 20 years. After the heartbreak of that experience we redefined what it meant to be "friends." We weathered the terrible sadness and came to a new understand that your friends are those who stand by you and accept you for who you truly are.
ReplyDeleteThat's heartbreaking, Emily. My condolences.
DeleteThey are, indeed! Hugs to you!
DeleteI have just a handful of close friends from various stages of my life. All of them live elsewhere but on the rare occasions we meet up or talk it is like no time has gone by. My oldest friend is from my senior year of high school. My family had moved to a different state and I went to a private school for that last year. Ugh. I think she and I were the only sane, normal girls in our class. Like finds like!
ReplyDeletePat, a handful of close is all you need. They make al the difference.
DeleteI loved this mystery so much, Laura. So clever! How many mystery series have you written and do you have plans for more?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenn! This is my 7th series. I have a fun idea for another, but time will tell...
DeleteCongratulations on the new series, Laura! What a clever concept! I'm looking forward to meeting Emma and sharing her adventures.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine life without friends, many collected over the years, especially through the writing/reading community and travels to the UK. And my bestie since third grade and I still talk every day, even though she lives in another state. It's a blessing, for sure.
Thank you, Deborah! My bestie is a writer and I can’t imagine not having her in my life. Love that your bestie is from childhood!
DeleteI'll echo Jenn. This book is fabulous! That theme of friendship comes through loud and clear.
ReplyDeleteI've made some friends is some unusual ways. One of my oldest friends (for how long we've stayed connected), I made via an internet message board devoted to the Trixie Belden series. We just spent Saturday at Disneyland together, in fact.
Another way? The TV show Babylon 5. I love the show, but I've never watched it by myself. I've always watched it with people who have become some of my best friends. Only one wedding I've been a groomsman in was for someone I haven't watched the show with, for example. (And that was my brother's wedding.) As much as I love the characters and story, I do wonder how much of my love for the show is the memories of the friendships I've made over the years while watching that show.
Thank you, Mark. I love your last sentence...I bet it’s a big part!
DeleteCongratulations, Laura, on the new book and series and on your new move. May all be huge successes. I love the concept of your series, a friend for hire.
ReplyDeleteFriends. That's a topic that could be talked about endlessly. There are friends for life and friends for different seasons or stages in your life, and they all serve to help you be the person you were meant to be. I do have a special fondness for my friends I've had since childhood--the boy next door I still talk to and see when possible(he lives across the country), my friend with whom I played Barbies down the street, my friend from kindergarten with whom I've taken several trips in the past decade, my friends from school with whom there was a big reconnection at our 40th high school reunion. Sharing a growing-up past with these friends is precious. I've lost two of those best friends in the last few years, and I miss them so.
One friend I want to mention is my dear friend Bonnie, a friend who was as close to my twin as I'll ever get. First, we both were readaholics and loved to talk about books. We enjoyed going to author events and music events and craft art fairs. And, we loved to laugh together. Oh, how we laughed. On one of our book adventures, we traveled out of town to see Diana Gabaldon, who we found out is a low talker. Neither of us could understand much of what she said, but we played along with the crowd and laughed when they laughed. Thinking she'd heard what they were laughing about, I'd ask her what Diana had said, and Bonnie would shrug her shoulders and say she didn't know. We'd laugh at that. Then, Bonnie would think I'd heard something, and a repeat of the shrug, this time by me, and more laughing by us. After the event, I drove us back to where we were staying, at Shakertown, a restored Shaker community place. Well, it was pouring rain, and we got lost on the country roads and almost peed ourselves laughing so much. Bonnie passed away very unexpectedly two years ago, and I've keenly felt that loss.
But, at my age, now 67, there are bound to be friends who aren't around forever, and I'm grateful for the time we had. I have friends who are still very much here and who I try to appreciate to the fullest. And, I will say that being a reader and involved in the mystery/crime community of readers and authors, I have such dear friends who are only a phone call or a click of the computer keys away. And the communities within the mystery/crime community, like here at the Jungle Reds, provide friends we can visit with daily. When we meet up at conferences, which hopefully will be 2022 again, we have the best reunions, filled with love and fun and our similar interests. Keeping my fingers crossed for LCC and Bouchercon next year.
I’ so sorry for the loss of Bonnie! What a gift you both gave each other, though.
DeleteI’m so sorry for the loss of Bonnie, she sounds as if she was a treasure. I’m glad you had her. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteYour new series sounds thrilling, Laura! And, you're right. Friends are so important to our lives and our mental well-being. My BFF and I will be celebrating 60 years of friendship over the holidays. Through around 15 moves between us, we managed to stay in touch and never lose track. What's nice is that whether we're on the phone or together, we manage to laugh until we cry. Nothing beats a great friend and a hearty laugh.
ReplyDeleteSo, so true. Thank you, Mary!
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