Marc Jedel Discusses Sore Like an Eagle

I am pleased to participate as part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Author’s newest book in his Title series , Redwoods Country Mystery series. But I am even more happy that Marc has taken time to discuss his work.

Also, the author is offering a tour wide GIVEAWAY of a signed copy of Sore Like an Eagle. So make sure you enter the Giveaway at the end of the post.

Interview With Marc Jedel

Q. Tell us a little about this novel. What gave you the idea?

A. My wife returned from a water aerobics class at the local community center with a wild story of overhearing an argument where someone tried to reserve shower stalls and wound up fighting in the showers over it. We both thought it was ridiculous and formed the perfect target for a fictional murder victim.

Overall I enjoy writing this series because it’s superficially similar to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot stories. Although Andy brings all the suspects into his inn when he believes he’s solved the murder, he is no Hercule Poirot. He always discovers that he has gotten the accusation all wrong. The final portion of each novel finds Andy scrambling to save face while he progressively accuses different people of murder, discovers their innocence, and finally solves the case in the end, thanks to his attention to detail. However, Andy isn’t all bad at the sleuthing stuff as he manages to solve an unrelated crime at the same time, some times without even meaning to.

Q. How did you invent the location where the book takes place?

A. It’s a real place—only slightly modified to make the book easier to follow. I’ve vacationed in Monte Rio, California a few times. It’s a beautiful small town in the Sonoma redwoods, located about ninety minutes north of San Francisco. Hiking in the redwoods, kayaking along the Russian River, visiting nearby wineries, and enjoying the multiple small towns in the area made me think about basing a new series in this area. Rivers and Creaks was the first novel in this series, followed by Whine and Dine, and now Sore Like an Eagle.

Q. What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

A. I’ve become bored reading all the seemingly similar cozies where the protagonist happily runs a bakery, bookstore, or bed & breakfast. In these books, the police violate nearly every standard and practice they actually follow and share all sorts of detailed investigative information with this amateur sleuth. I made sure my characters don’t work with the police. While a bed and breakfast is involved in this series, the way Andy feels about it and how he handles the responsibilities is quite different from what you might see in the typical cozy mystery.

While my Ozarks Lake Mystery series have both a female and male protagonist with their own point-of-view chapters, Sore Like an Eagle (and the rest of the Redwoods Country Mystery series), and my Silicon Valley Mystery series have male protagonists, which is unusual in this genre.

Q. How do you create your characters?

A. A friend’s father passed away a few years ago and my friend wrote a funny obituary about him and shared it with me. I thought his father sounded interesting and asked if I could base a fictional book on him. Some of Andy’s characteristics, such as creating an archery shop for locals because he felt the big-box retailers did a terrible job, are directly inspired by my friend’s father. But most of the character is completely made up.

The character of Charlie was inspired by the character Stevie Budd, the motel receptionist in the Schitt’s Creek TV series. I knew Andy would need a sidekick and thought it would be funny to have him paired with a sarcastic woman a generation younger who often saves the day, whether because of her plumbing and electrical skills, her improvisations, or her physical strength. The quirky, developing friendship between her and Andy has been fun to write.

Sandra, the “chicken lady” who makes another appearance in Sore Like an Eagle, was inspired by a woman we met on a vacation. I took some of her stories, exaggerated them, and made this character into a high-energy, wacky person who lights up every scene she’s in. She’s definitely a fun character to write [and read!].

Q. What’s your background?

A. I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember and have wanted to write a novel since I was a kid. Years of working in high-tech marketing honed my ability to write fiction. At my job, we just called it advertising and emails. Finally I overcame my inertia and started writing novels in earnest.

Like my character, Andy, from the Redwoods Country Mystery series, I continue to grow older and would prefer not to run a bed-and-breakfast inn. Like my characters Jonas and Elizabeth from the Ozarks Lake Mystery series, I grew up in the South and spent plenty of time in and around Arkansas. Like my character, Marty from the Silicon Valley Mystery series, I now live in Silicon Valley, work in high-tech, and enjoy bad puns. Like all my protagonists, I also have a dog, although mine is neurotic, sweet, and small, with little apparent appreciation for my jokes.

Q. Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

A. As a mystery writer, I spend a lot of time pondering new, interesting, and plausible ways to kill someone. It’s way more challenging than you might think. Especially when you want an amateur sleuth to figure it out without any help from the police and you don’t want readers to guess whodunnit. All this requires some very unusual internet searches. I’m just glad no law enforcement officer has ever asked me questions about my browser history.

Q. What is the first book you remember reading?

A. I’d have to say it’s a tie between Go Dog Go and The Cat in the Hat. This might also explain my love for puns and entertaining word choices. What’s not to love about a story that has great wordplay and shows off awesome party hats?

Q. Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?

A. I used to say that Marty Golden, my protagonist in the Silicon Valley Mystery series, was the most similar to me. Of course, Marty is a younger, funnier, and cooler version of myself—the guy I imagine I see in the mirror each morning. But Andy Shirley, the sixty-five-year-old protagonist in Whine and Dine, is a lot of fun to hang out with in my head. My wife is a bit concerned that I’m enjoying spending time with a grumpy old man even though I’ve told her he’s quite lovable, funny, and not quite as grumpy as he thinks he is. But frankly, she’s been worried for years about all the imaginary friends that I spend time with as I write my novels.

Q. Anything else to tell readers?

A. Sore Like an Eagle, is on sale for only $2.99 during this tour. It’s available at: https://mybook.to/SoreLikeanEagle. You can find all my cozy mysteries at: https://www.amazon.com/Marc-Jedel/e/B07H7MVKJL. They’re available in e-book, paperback, and audiobook formats. My novels are free to read by Kindle Unlimited members.

I love hearing from readers as that motivates me to keep going on the next blank page. Let me know what you liked, what you didn’t, and what you’d want to see more of in the next book.

About Sore Like an Eagle
by Marc Jedel

Sore Like an Eagle: A Redwoods Country Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – California’s Redwoods Country
BGM Press (April 20, 2026)
Number of Pages: 241
Paperback
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8989814428
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GWJ5ZM28
Digital
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DY9Z93XX

The coroner is claiming natural causes. The mayor is crying murder. Can this feisty retiree spot the truth before the clues drown in the chaos?

Andy Shirley won’t admit he likes it here. But in the year since his wife’s passing, the copy-editor-turned-reluctant-hotelier has begun to appreciate small-town life amongst the towering redwoods. And his quick eye for detail has him suspecting foul play when the local busybody is found belly-up in the community pool.

With his sleuthing skills unaffected by a recent hiking injury, Andy ignores the police chief’s cautions and dives into an off-the-books investigation. But though his snarky sidekick and pocket-sized poodle help chase down leads, all his Poirot-inspired maneuvers aren’t getting him any closer to closing the case.

Can he pull off an impossible solve, or will the lack of evidence drive Andy off the deep end?

Sore Like an Eagle is the splashy third book in the Redwoods Country cozy mystery series. If you like reluctant heroes, unexpected team-ups, and puzzles that keep you guessing, then you’ll love this hilarious yarn.

Try Sore Like an Eagle to swim laps around crime today!

Storybook Lady
Review

Sore Like an Eagle
by Marc Jedel

Sore Like an Eagle might just make you sore from laughing.  The Redwoods County Mystery Series is set in a small town full of quirky characters, but the books are also funny because of the dialogue. The main character, Andy Shirley is a grumpy senior citizen with bad knees. who spent his life as a copy editor and certainly has a way with words. He is a master punster and his sidekick, plumber and electrician, Charlie gives as good as she gets.

Andy never thought that he would be spending his retirement running a B&B in California’s wine country. But now he is knee-deep in house guests and the occasional corpse. When a cantankerous bully ends up doing a dead man’s float, Andy doesn’t think that she died of natural causes. As copy editor he developed an eye for detail and some of those details that he noticed add up to murder. One of the main characters in the series is the police chief and Charlie’s mom and she is constantly telling Andy and Charly to NOT get involved, but of course they don’t listen. These fun cozies have well planned plots, plenty of suspects, clues and red herrings. Andy would like to emulate Hercule Poirot, but sometimes he seems more like Inspector Clouseau. The way that Andy solves the mystery is always fun.

About Marc Jedel

Marc Jedel writes funny, feel-good murder mysteries filled with quirky characters, twisty plots, and the kind of humor that goes down easy with a cup of tea—or glass of wine. After years of writing marketing copy in Silicon Valley, Marc finally started crafting fiction people actually wanted to read. He’s the author of multiple cozy mystery series, including the Silicon Valley Mystery, Ozarks Lake Mystery, and Redwoods Country Mystery series. His books have earned thousands of glowing reviews.

Like Andy from the Redwoods Country Mysteries, Marc keeps getting older and sincerely hopes his retirement doesn’t involve running a B&B. Like Marty from the Silicon Valley series, he lives in tech-heavy California, has worked in high-tech, and proudly wields bad puns. Like Jonas and Elizabeth from the Ozarks Lake series, Marc grew up in the South and spent many a summer in and around Arkansas.

He lives with his endlessly patient wife and a sweet, neurotic dog who remains deeply unimpressed by Marc’s jokes. When not writing, Marc can be found hiking, plotting murders (on the page, officer, really!), or avoiding whatever home improvement project he’s been putting off.

Learn More about Author

Visit marcjedel.com for free content, updates, and more!

Author Links

• Website and mailing list: www.marcjedel.com
• Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Marc-Jedel/e/B07H7MVKJL
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarcJedel.Author
• BookBub: www.bookbub.com/profile/marc-jedel?follow=true
• Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/18403497.Marc_Jedel
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mjedel/

Purchase Link – AMAZON 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 11 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT 

May 12 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

May 12 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 13 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 13 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

May 14 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT 

May 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 15 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 16 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 17 – Twirling Book Princess – SPOTLIGHT

May 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 19 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST

May 20 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

May 22 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR GUEST POST

May 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author– SPOTLIGHT

I 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.

GIVEAWAY!