Murder at First Sight
by  JP Bird

I love JP Bird’s Murder at First Sight. I am happy to share it as part of a Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour and and even happier to share the author’s guest post: How I went from selling wine to writing a book.

The author has a King Sumo GIVEAWAY for this tour. The prize packages include a signed Advance Review Copy of the book and some fun swag. So after you read her article and learn all about the book, make sure you enter the Giveaway at the end of the post.

AUTHOR GUEST POST:
By JP Bird

How I went from selling wine
to writing a book

I love storytelling. I was a wine sales representative for nearly 15 years. The best part of my job was meeting new people and talking to them about the wines. Telling the story of how that winery came to be, what the winemakers are like, how the wines were made, and discussing the nuances of the flavors.

If I’m being honest though, a lot of my storytelling was exaggerated to enthrall whoever I was hoping would purchase the wares I was flogging. That family-owned winery became the story of how the great, great grandfather swum his way through shark-infested waters to steal a grape vine from his competitor whose son ended up marrying his daughter. That small winery on a hill? That’s a mountain where they harvest the grapes and specially trained ostriches carry the grapes down in little baskets that are fastened to their backs. That wine you love? The grapes were picked at midnight under a full moon. It’s a black-tie event where everyone from town comes out to help. Tuxedoes and ballgown attire only as they handpicked each grape.

The longer I worked as a sales rep, the more outlandish my stories became. Entering a store with a bottle in hand, I would have a captive audience for the amount of time it took for them to taste it. Telling stories about the wineries fed my creative side which, I didn’t realize at the time, was desperate for an outlet.

When I started writing Murder at First Sight, it was in the early 2020s. Covid was filling the news. I was reading a lot of cozy mysteries. I loved their escapism. It was such a harrowing and uncertain time, and the books I devoured led me to a world where something bad would happen, the characters would fight their way through it and have a fun time. I specifically loved, and still do, the cozies with snarky characters.

But with my creative storytelling outlet gone, I became desperate. I couldn’t regale captive audiences with my tales, so I needed to come up with a new outlet.

I wanted to create a world I could escape into while I was waiting for the next edition from my favorite authors to be released. I’ve always loved to write, but with work and life, there never seemed to be any time.

I initially wrote Murder at First Sight for myself. I completed it and had a sense of pride; I wrote a book. And then set it aside. Time passed. I reread what I wrote and laughed out loud a few times. I thought, what the heck, why not send this to a publisher and see what happens? I couldn’t believe it when Tule Publishing replied that they wanted to publish my book.

So, I traded in my corkscrew and tasting glass for a laptop and printer. Learned my favorite drink to sip on while I write is a chai latte with unsweetened vanilla milk and now spend my days mediating fights between my dog and cat while I argue (usually out loud in an empty room) about what my characters are going to do next.

But I still attend as many wine tastings as I can. I tell myself it’s because I like to visit with my old colleagues. It is definitely not because I like to hear the stories about the wineries and judge their creativity 😉.

JP Bird

About Murder at First Sight

When a good deed might lead to murder…

Coerced into posing as a seer at her small town’s spring fair, barista and aspiring artist Amelia Wethers dives into the dramatic role, comforting herself that it’s only a few hours and then she can indulge in sweet and savory snacks. When the wealthy and snarky Summer Foster swans into her tent inquiring about the expected success of her swanky summer party, Amelia’s not prepared for the crystal ball to fill with smoke and reveal the shockingly violent murder of Summer’s husband.

Amelia grapples with skepticism, anger, and scorn as she tries to warn wealthy scion Phillip Foster that he’s a target for murder in a few weeks. Discovering she’s descended from a long line of psychics complicates Amelia’s investigation, especially when the town’s newest and distressingly handsome homicide detective dogs her every step and suspects her of murder.

It’s a race to the finish, and Amelia will do anything—including pre-dawn hot yoga, adopting her brother’s feral ferrets, missing dessert, setting herself up as bait and making a fool of herself—to stalk a killer.

Storybook Lady
Review

Murder at First Sight
by JP Bird

Debut author, J.P. Bird, has created a funny paranormal cozy mystery that is an absolute delight. When Amelia is unwillingly roped into posing as the psychic for a summer fundraising festival, she is even more reluctant to accept the fact that she may actually be “Suddenly Psychic” for real. When she gazes into the crystal ball, she is shocked to see a vision of a man being murdered. Amelia must grapple with her newfound second sight, and her efforts to prevent the murder. Her attempts to contact the victim to warn him continually meet with disaster and her search for clues lead to embarrassing situations as well. Slapstick humor from the main character’s klutziness, combine with her witty remarks and wicked sense of humor that will have the reader laughing out loud. Lots of clues and red herrings keep you reading. And if humor and a mystery are not enough, there is also a slow burn romance. It doesn’t take a crystal ball, to predict that the next book will b e just as much fun.

Want to read more of my reviews?

Interested in my reviews? I also have a Goodreads shelf dedicated to Cozy Mysteries. Want to read my reviews for books in other genres? I’ve got you covered. There are almost two thousand reviews on Goodreads. Just check out Julie Ditton on Goodreads.

• Goodreads

About JP Bird

About JP Bird

JP writes cozy mysteries with quirky characters that make her laugh when they disagree with the laid-out plans for their story and take her on a different path. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada, and hates the cold weather but loves the winter months because they’re a great excuse to hibernate with a cup of tea or a glass of red wine. When she’s not writing or reading, she spends her summers in the garden and her winters plotting how to win her neighbourhood Christmas display competition. They don’t know it’s a competition, but she plays to win nonetheless.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Purchase Links:

Murder at First Sight (Suddenly Psychic Book 1) – Kindle edition by Bird, JP . Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Murder at First Sight by JP Bird | eBook | Barnes & Noble®

Murder at First Sight eBook by JP Bird – EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United States

Murder at First Sight by JP Bird – Books on Google Play

Murder at First Sight (Suddenly Psychic Book 1) by JP Bird | Goodreads

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 6 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 6 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

July 7 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 8 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT 

July 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

July 9 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

July 10 – Twirling Book Princess – SPOTLIGHT

July 11 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 13 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST

July 14 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

July 15 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 16 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

July 17 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

July 18 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

July 19 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

Murder at First Sight
Giveaway

King Sumo tour wide GIVEAWAY – The prize package includes a signed Advance Review Copy of the book, Murder at First Sight and more fun swag.

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