Author Archives: Joanne Guidoccio

Looking for Guest Bloggers

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

guestbloggers

Attention: Authors, artists, coaches, entrepreneurs, and New Age Practitioners. I’m scheduling guest posts for January through June 2021. You can write your own post or contribute to one of the following series: Second Acts, Power of Ten, Author/Book Spotlights.

These are my guidelines. You can obtain a PDF here.

Second Acts Series

The theme of my novels and website is one of reinvention. In the Second Acts series, I have featured the reinvention stories of over 100 women.

You can provide your own post or structure it around the following questions:

1. Briefly describe your first act.
2. What triggered the need for change?
3. Where are you now?
4. Do you have advice for anyone planning to pursue a second act?
5. Any affirmations or quotations you wish to share?

Examples – Second Acts Series

Power of 10 Series

The posts in this series can pertain to your book or any aspect of your life. Some ideas include…

10 Interesting Facts About My Protagonist (Villain, Back Story…)
10 Tips About a Hobby or Special Interest (Parenting, Gardening, Yoga…)
10 Favorite Books (Movies, Actors, Foods, Quotes…)
10 Best Moments
10 Most Embarrassing Moments
10 Life Lessons from… (Mentors, Role Models, Heroes…)

Examples – Power of 10

Author Spotlights

Provide a short post about your writing journey.

Examples – Author Spotlights

General Details

In addition to the post, I will need your picture, book cover(s), social media links, other publications (and anything else you wish to share) at least three days prior to publication.

DO NOT EMBED PICTURES – SEND AS SEPARATE JPEGS.

Contact me here.

30 Things to Start Doing For Yourself

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

When I discovered the following infographic, I knew I had to share it. Pick one thing and try it today.



On Tour with Goddess Fish – Day 8

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

It’s my eighth Monday on tour with Goddess Fish.

I’m visiting the It’s Raining Books blog and sharing five little known facts about myself. I’m also including a blurb, excerpt, and buy links for No More Secrets.

Stop by and visit for a while. Remember to scroll down and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could win a $20 Amazon gift card.

Find out more here.

10 Interesting Facts About My Protagonist – Jordan James, PI

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back Soul Mate author Rachel Sharpe. Today, Rachel shares ten interesting facts about the protagonist of her mystery series.

Here’s Rachel!

Jordan James is the main character of my Jordan James, PI series and its protagonist. Please enjoy reading 10 interesting facts about her and her series.

10 – The best writing advice I ever received came from the wife of the late author Walker Percy, who told me to always “write what you know.” I try to make it a point to do just that.

9 – The premise for Simple Misconception came from my desire to write a story in Jordan’s hometown of New Orleans. The character of Natalie, her friend who turns up missing, is loosely based on an old friend from high school.

8 – The premise for Bitter Retribution came from two separate trips: one to Hollywood where I visited family who work in the entertainment industry, and one to Colorado to go skiing.

7 – The premise for Lost Distinction came from my fascination with the Kennedy family and a trip to Martha’s Vineyard I took prior to writing book two.

6 – The premise for Cold Ambition came one night after I had decided I wanted to write a novel. The first thought that came to my mind was I wanted her to be a girl from New Orleans living in New England who decided to follow a childhood dream and become a private investigator, which was my childhood dream.

5 – Jordan’s childhood neighborhood is based on my grandparents’ neighborhood.

4 – Jordan’s first client and love interest, Rick, is based on former 1950s teen idol, Rick Nelson (hence the name).

3 – The character of Jon Riche, Jordan’s associate, foil, and sometimes love interest, came about during the first draft of Cold Ambition. He’s not based on anyone in particular and almost writes himself. I enjoy writing about him because I never fully know where he may take Jordan or the story.

2 – Jordan’s best friend, Heather, is based on my best friend.

1 – Jordan James isn’t based on me, but on what I’ve considered could have been my alternate life had my life gone differently.

Bio and Links

Rachel Sharpe is the author of Cold Ambition, Lost Distinction, Bitter Retribution, and Simple Misconception, all part of the Jordan James, PI series, a mystery series with sweet romance. Although born and raised in the South, “Yankee” relatives first led Rachel to historic New England, which she has come to consider her second home and is the setting for the series.

Rachel currently resides with her husband and children in the Greater New Orleans area.

Check Out Rachel’s Sites to Keep Up with Jordan James!!!

Facebook | Twitter

Rachel’s Novels

When Jordan James decided to embark on a career as a private investigator, she never could have imagined that a chance encounter would lead to her staring down the barrel of a gun on the roof’s edge of a high-rise building. As she begins to investigate her first case, the puzzling murder of a prominent businessman that has left Boston’s finest mystified for more than two decades, she finds herself suddenly immersed in a treacherous underworld brimming with betrayal, raw greed, and political subterfuge of international proportions. In the midst of this, she discovers she is falling for her mysterious client despite the hints of his dark past. Can this feisty Southern girl with a penchant for trouble solve this baffling case, or is she doomed to become another tragic chapter in an international conspiracy?

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“It all started with a favor . . .”

When private investigator Jordan James agreed to search for the missing son of a U.S. Ambassador, she didn’t realize she was walking into a case one hundred years in the making. The deeper she delves into this unusual assignment, the more shocking, and the more dangerous, it becomes. With time running out and lives at stake, Jordan must race to identify the culprit of an elaborate plot while also uncovering a far more personal truth too intimate to ignore . . .

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“What started out as a star-studded vacation has turned into a sensational avalanche . . .” When private investigator Jordan James decided to join her best friend on the set of her hit television series in the Rocky Mountains, she had no idea she would become a key player in a murder mystery more suited for the big screen than the slopes. With one actor dead and a killer on the loose, can Jordan uncover the culprit before another victim makes headlines on Hollywood Minute?

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A Trip to the Big Easy Turns into a Big Nightmare…”

When private investigator Jordan James returns home to New Orleans for Christmas, she never imagined her holiday could end with kidnapping and death. As she begins to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a childhood friend, she unwittingly stumbles upon a dangerous, international syndicate. With lives at risk and time running short, Jordan must find a connection between these seemingly unrelated events if she ever hopes to find her friend.

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A Short Lesson on Gratitude

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

I was moved by this story on Nick Ortner’s blog, The Tapping Solution:

Today I have a short story for you about gratitude. A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, “I am blind, please help.”

There were only a few coins in the hat – spare change from folks as they hurried past. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. Then he put the sign back in the boy’s hand so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote, “Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.” Both signs spoke the truth. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign conveyed to everyone walking by how grateful they should be to see…



10 Interesting Facts About the Glass Dolphin Mystery Series

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome Canadian author Judy Penz Sheluk. Today, Judy shares interesting facts about the Glass Dolphin Mystery Series and her new release Where There’s a Will (Book 3).

Here’s Judy!

1. The Glass Dolphin is the name of an antiques shop where, according to owner Arabella Carpenter, “authenticity matters.” In early drafts of the novel, it was called the Blue Dolphin, until Judy discovered there was a Blue Dolphin Antiques in Maine (there’s also one in Oregon, and there are probably others, too). It just seemed easier to change the name.

2. The Glass Dolphin got its name from Arabella’s first antique “find,” a pair of cobalt blue dolphin candlestick holders, made by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company in Sandwich, Mass. Production of dolphin candlesticks began about 1840 and continued for 35 to 40 years. They were produced in clear or opaque milk glass, as well as in colored glass, including green, canary yellow, and cobalt blue. Blue is generally the most sought after color.

3. The Glass Dolphin is located on historic Main Street in Lount’s Landing, a small town about ninety minutes north of Toronto, Canada. The town of Lount’s Landing (on the Dutch River), is loosely based on Holland Landing (on the Holland River), where Judy lived for 25 years.

4. The fictional Lount’s Landing was named after Samuel Lount, a blacksmith, farmer, and politician who lived in the village of Holland Landing in the nineteenth century. He was hanged for treason on April 12, 1838. There is a historic plaque dedicated to Samuel Lount in front of the Holland Landing Library and Community Centre.

5. Lount’s last words as he headed to his death were, “We die in a good cause; Canada will yet be free.” These words play a pivotal part in The Hanged Man’s Noose, book 1 in the series.

6. The Hanged Man’s Noose is the name of a local pub, owned and operated by Betsy Ehrlich, a history buff and a good friend of Arabella’s. Her signature drink is the Treasontini, a blueberry vodka martini. [Download the recipe here: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-to-Make-a-Treasontini.pdf%5D

7. The Hanged Man’s Noose also offers a good selection of pub food, including Arabella’s favorite: Full Noose Nachos. [Download the recipe here: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FULL-NOOSE-NACHOS.pdf%5D

8. Arabella’s sleuthing partner is Emily Garland, a former freelance journalist and local magazine editor, and now a partner in the Glass Dolphin. A bacon eating “vegetarian,” Emily’s name comes from Emily in Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery and Judy’s namesake, Judy Garland.

9. Arabella’s ex-husband, Levon Larroquette, is an antiques picker (think American Pickers). He is also a major character in each book. In Judy’s head, Levon looks like a young Kris Kristofferson (think A Star is Born, 1976). Levon’s name is a combination of the Elton John song, Levon, and the last name of actor John Larroquette.

10. All factual information in each book has been carefully researched; Judy was the Senior Editor at New England Antiques Journal from 2008 through 2018, and prior to that, the Editor for Antiques & Collectibles Showcase. And like Emily Garland, she was also a freelance journalist for many years.

About the Glass Dolphin Mystery Series

A cozy mystery series without the cats, crafts, or cookie recipes, the Glass Dolphin mysteries follow the investigations of amateur sleuths Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland. The books include: The Hanged Man’s Noose (#1), A Hole in One (#2), and Where There’s A Will (#3). While it is always preferable to read a series in order, any one of the titles can be read as a standalone.


















About Where There’s A Will

Emily Garland is getting married and looking for the perfect forever home. When the old, and some say haunted, Hadley house comes up for sale, she’s convinced it’s “the one.” The house is also perfect for reality TV star Miles Pemberton and his new series, House Haunters. Emily will fight for her dream home, but Pemberton’s pockets are deeper than Emily’s, and he’ll stretch the rules to get what he wants.

While Pemberton racks up enemies all around Lount’s Landing, Arabella Carpenter, Emily’s partner at the Glass Dolphin antiques shop, has been hired to appraise the contents of the estate, along with her ex-husband, Levon. Could the feuding beneficiaries decide there’s a conflict of interest? Could Pemberton?

Things get even more complicated when Arabella and Levon discover another will hidden inside the house, and with it, a decades-old secret. Can the property stay on the market? And if so, who will make the winning offer: Emily or Miles Pemberton?

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple

About the Author

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans and Heartbreaks & Half-truths, which she also edited.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as Chair on the Board of Directors. Find her at http://www.judypenzsheluk.com.

Samuel Lount photo courtesy of Ontarioplaques.com