DAYTON, OH - (mmd-news) - - In the Stain-Busting Mystery Series, author Sharon Short’s protagonist uses stain-expertise to clean up the scene of the crime… one hilarious load at a time.
Josie Toadfern—stain expert and Laundromat owner in small town Paradise, Ohio—doesn't really mean to keep sticking her nose in other people's dirty laundry, but it seems she has as much a penchant for scrubbing away at crime as she does for stain removal.
Josie Toadfern—stain expert and Laundromat owner in small town Paradise, Ohio—doesn't really mean to keep sticking her nose in other people's dirty laundry, but it seems she has as much a penchant for scrubbing away at crime as she does for stain removal.
Stain Expert Solves Crimes… In Unusual Mystery Series
DAYTON, OH - (mmd-news) - - In the Stain-Busting Mystery Series, author Sharon Short’s protagonist uses stain-expertise to clean up the scene of the crime… one hilarious load at a time.
Josie Toadfern—stain expert and Laundromat owner in small town Paradise, Ohio—doesn't really mean to keep sticking her nose in other people's dirty laundry, but it seems she has as much a penchant for scrubbing away at crime as she does for stain removal.
The Stain-Busting Mystery Series, featuring Toadfern, is the creation of Sharon Short, mystery author. The latest in the series is HUNG OUT TO DIE, available February 1, 2006. (Avon Books; ISBN: 0060793244).
“One of the first things people ask me about my series is how I came up with such an unusual character.” Sharon says. “I had an idea for a story and needed a character. For some reason, I remembered a Laundromat my husband and I frequented years before. The Laundromat owner obviously loved his business. Week after week, he ironed shirts and watched his patrons. I finally asked him what he loved so much about his business, and he said, ‘from where I stand, I can observe most anything about human nature.’ ”
Short’s character, Josie, also loves to observe human nature and, figuratively speaking, investigate other people’s dirty laundry. She uses her stain-removal expertise to solve crimes in the Stain-Busting Mystery Series.
“The second thing people ask me is usually how to remove a particular stain,” Sharon says. “I tell them that I’m not the expert; Josie is. She’s even a stain expert columnist! But I do test all of the tips Josie shares in the novels, and Josie’s ‘Stain-Busters’ column at the end of each book summarizes the tips she used to solve the mystery. And I have to admit that since creating Josie, I've become the only person I know who says 'hurrah' to, say, mustard stains on a new white shirt, because it gives me a chance to experiment on Josie's behalf!”
Those experiments led Sharon to recently start a “stain tip of the month” on her website, where the first chapters of all of the Stain-Busting Mysteries are posted. Fans can also subscribe to her free quarterly e-newsletter at www.sharonshort.com, which provides news about the Stain-Busting Mystery Series, stain tips, and recipes.
HUNG OUT TO DIE has already garnered advance praise, including a 4-star review from Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine (February 2006) with the commentary: “…a funny, fast read for anyone who likes their mysteries liberally sprinkled with humor. Josie makes a charming heroine... You'll be hungry for more of Josie's adventures."
Just as Sharon’s protagonist, Josie, is a stain-tips columnist, Sharon is also a weekly humor columnist for the Dayton Daily News. Her column, Sanity Check, has appeared on Mondays since February 2002, and covers the humor and foibles of family life. She also reads variations of her Sanity Check column as a commentator for WMUB (NPR-88.5, Oxford, Ohio).
Contacts:
Sharon Short
Author, Stain-Busting Mystery Series
Danielle Bartlett
HarperCollinsPublishers
Avon Books, Dark Alley, William Morrow
212-207-7011
###
DAYTON, OH - (mmd-news) - - In the Stain-Busting Mystery Series, author Sharon Short’s protagonist uses stain-expertise to clean up the scene of the crime… one hilarious load at a time.
Josie Toadfern—stain expert and Laundromat owner in small town Paradise, Ohio—doesn't really mean to keep sticking her nose in other people's dirty laundry, but it seems she has as much a penchant for scrubbing away at crime as she does for stain removal.
The Stain-Busting Mystery Series, featuring Toadfern, is the creation of Sharon Short, mystery author. The latest in the series is HUNG OUT TO DIE, available February 1, 2006. (Avon Books; ISBN: 0060793244).
“One of the first things people ask me about my series is how I came up with such an unusual character.” Sharon says. “I had an idea for a story and needed a character. For some reason, I remembered a Laundromat my husband and I frequented years before. The Laundromat owner obviously loved his business. Week after week, he ironed shirts and watched his patrons. I finally asked him what he loved so much about his business, and he said, ‘from where I stand, I can observe most anything about human nature.’ ”
Short’s character, Josie, also loves to observe human nature and, figuratively speaking, investigate other people’s dirty laundry. She uses her stain-removal expertise to solve crimes in the Stain-Busting Mystery Series.
“The second thing people ask me is usually how to remove a particular stain,” Sharon says. “I tell them that I’m not the expert; Josie is. She’s even a stain expert columnist! But I do test all of the tips Josie shares in the novels, and Josie’s ‘Stain-Busters’ column at the end of each book summarizes the tips she used to solve the mystery. And I have to admit that since creating Josie, I've become the only person I know who says 'hurrah' to, say, mustard stains on a new white shirt, because it gives me a chance to experiment on Josie's behalf!”
Those experiments led Sharon to recently start a “stain tip of the month” on her website, where the first chapters of all of the Stain-Busting Mysteries are posted. Fans can also subscribe to her free quarterly e-newsletter at www.sharonshort.com, which provides news about the Stain-Busting Mystery Series, stain tips, and recipes.
HUNG OUT TO DIE has already garnered advance praise, including a 4-star review from Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine (February 2006) with the commentary: “…a funny, fast read for anyone who likes their mysteries liberally sprinkled with humor. Josie makes a charming heroine... You'll be hungry for more of Josie's adventures."
Just as Sharon’s protagonist, Josie, is a stain-tips columnist, Sharon is also a weekly humor columnist for the Dayton Daily News. Her column, Sanity Check, has appeared on Mondays since February 2002, and covers the humor and foibles of family life. She also reads variations of her Sanity Check column as a commentator for WMUB (NPR-88.5, Oxford, Ohio).
Contacts:
Sharon Short
Author, Stain-Busting Mystery Series
Danielle Bartlett
HarperCollinsPublishers
Avon Books, Dark Alley, William Morrow
212-207-7011
###