By Elaine L. Orr
In July of 2025 I published Fired up and Feisty, the first book in the Shore Shenanigans series. It is in the same Jersey shore town in which the Jolie Gentil series takes place. Ocean Alley, so named because the town is long and narrow.
I'd been preparing for the series for some time, which I don't always do. (I'd like to say I always plan ahead but it's not my best quality.) In this case, the character George in the Jolie Gentil series was a newspaper reporter who was fired in book 7 (of the 14) because he showed compassion in covering a story. He then worked for an insurance company as an investigator for two years, which helped him qualify to be a private investigator.
So, here comes PI George Winters.
Each book in the Shore Shenanigans Series features small groups of visitors to Ocean Alley, all of them staying at Mayor Madge's Cozy Corner B&B. As the primary sleuth, George discovers whatever is churning.
He's usually paid to investigate more mundane things (think background checks for big corporations), so he's quick to dive into issues B&B guests bring with them to the Jersey Shore. A few familiar faces from other Jersey Shore books stroll in from time to time, but you won't see as much of them as in my other mystery series.
Did smoldering high school resentments lead to Preston McKinley's demise? Or maybe his prior business dealings? George Winters is pulled into the fray, assisted by Cozy Corner B&B owner Aunt Madge (a.k.a. Mayor Madge). With lots of input from snooty and down-to-earth seniors.
Why Write About Fired Up and Feisty Now?
I've learned (the hard way?) that my books featuring amateur sleuths sell better than those in the two series with professionals -- Shore Shenanigans and the Logland Series, which has a female college town police chief as the main player.
Why? There is an established audience for a cozy mysteries. There are not such audiences for private investigator and police chief mysteries written with a cozy feel. That's my marketing tagline. The books are certainly read and they get good reviews. But they are not purchased as much as my cozy series, and I like to sell books. That isn't being crass, just a reflection of wanting to put my time to good use.
But here's the thing. I never did a blog post about Fired Up and Feisty. Why not? Perhaps some subliminal messaging that told me it would be hard to write about a series that is a harder to categorize Not too bright, right? Plus, I didn't notice until recently when I looked for such a post and didn't find one!
There's no time like the present. Fans of the Jolie Gentil series will enjoy the Shore Shenanigans series. Similar humor, occasional appearances by Jolie and Scoobie and their four-year-old twins, as well as George's long-time girlfriend, artist Ramona Argrow. Aunt Madge and her husband Harry, however, are very much front and center because much action takes place in their Cozy Corner B&B.
In fact, I originally called it the Senior Shenanigans series, but I decided that was too narrow a group of reprobates for the stories.
Come back to Ocean Alley from a different perspective but similar mischief. Here are some places to find Fired Up and Feisty.
Amazon Apple Nook Everand Google Kobo Smashwords
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