When PI Jordan Jenner returns to work following the death of his mother, his first case involves a murdered writer…
James Fairview has been killed. As a member of a prestigious writing group hosted by bestselling author Joseph Gordon in the heart of Cardiff, Jordan not only has to cope with solving the mystery, but also deal with press attention.
As Jordan investigates, he discovers his mother’s death may not have been so simple. And when another writer is murdered, Jordan realises the killer could strike again…
A murdered writer, a mysterious death, and a group with jealousy at its heart, this is Jenner’s toughest case yet.
A cosy murder mystery with a gay male detective, Murder on the Rocks is the first in the Jordan Jenner Mysteries series. If you’re a fan of classic whodunits you will love this!
Artist Xander Draper is being threatened by a dangerous group. With PI Jordan Jenner’s
help, Xander hopes to remain unscathed. But when Xander is murdered, his body displayed as his final exhibit, Jordan realises the extent of the trouble Xander was in. Now, there are people following Jordan. They know his name, and they want him dead. Meanwhile, Jordan’s brother Ashley has returned, and he has a secret. As time runs out to solve the murder of the famous artist, Jordan begins to fear his brother may be responsible.
It’s the first day of Meet The Author, Panther Publishing edition, where you can find out more about the writers behind the books! This will be going on this week, i’ll be introducing you to authors new and the original Panther squad! If there’s any questions you’d like to ask, feel free to comment below the blog post tweet!
Where did the name Panther Publishing come from? Who is this publishing house? Well:
The importance of Panther came around when comparing the Welsh publishing scene to that of Scotland. So much great Scottish fiction is published and released, and Scotland is alive with literature.
Wales has it’s fair share of literature and publishers, and they’re doing great jobs. But we wanted to arrive and do something different. We don’t believe in closing our doors to anybody, regardless of their ability to speak the Welsh language, or because they write in genre fiction. We don’t believe in closing off our submissions to gender, or to those that have never published before. We’re here to champion the unknown, to find and nurture fresh talent, and to work closely with them, developing their writing, their books, and in return, they develop us.
We’re a small team – VERY SMALL TEAM – and we are intent on shining light on those that might get overlooked elsewhere. We are huge fans of writing in the genres of mystery, crime, paranormal, thriller and horror, so we’re looking for writers who can bring that to us. We have plenty planned at Panther Publishing.
We’re proud to be a publishing company in Wales.
The first book published by Panther Publishing was Murder on the Rocks by JS Strange, a Welsh Agatha-esque cosy mystery and the first book I was quoted on as a blogger! You can find my review here, and of course I loved The Art of Murder, and you can find out how much here! The series so far, holds a place close to my heart and I highly recommend it! You can purchase Jack’s books either in e-book or physical format via Panther Publishing’s online store here!
So without further ado, no ‘now in a minute’, let’s get on with Jack’s Q&A, which I am so grateful that he agreed to be a part of! Thanks Jack!
Just for fun I thought we’d start with a bit of either or:
Tea or Coffee?
Coffee for sure! I start my day with coffee, work coffee, function with coffee!
Morning bird or Night owl?
Night owl!
Bookmark or corner folder?
Don’t hate me, but corner folder!
You and me both Jack, at least we are honest enough to admit it!
Tidily organised or Organised mayhem?
Organised mayhem, of course.
I could have been answering these questions, i’m the exact same!
What makes you happy? Could you share a photo?
I’ve shared two! My cats, Miley and Dolly, names after Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton. And my new found love and very relaxing activity – bonsai trees!
These are such cute photos? Have you named your bonsai trees yet? I have a tomato plant that I’ve named Tia after one of the sisters of Sister, Sister, because for a plant she has sass!
What is your favourite childhood book?
Is it okay to say this, seeing as what’s recently happened? It would be Harry Potter. Always will be, I’m afraid.
I’ll take it! Let’s pretend that *that* didn’t happen for the purpose of the Q&A, it’s still one of my favourites too!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Harry Potter! No, I’m joking. I always wanted to be a pop star. I’ve been writing, recording, and releasing pop music since my last book, but I haven’t fulfilled the ‘star’ element yet. I also wanted to be a vet. Now, I’m an author that works in TV and pretends he can sing!
I reckon you’d be able to pull off the specs and lightening bolt scar! I’ve heard your music and I couldn’t help but bop along. This year author / TV worker, next year Eurovision?
Did you always want to be an author?
I’d say that I was always writing. From a young age I was adapting existing stories and also writing my own. Probably before I knew what an author was!
If you could choose only one season to last forever, what one would it be?
Good question. I love the heat, so probably summer. But I really like autumn, too.
You live in Wales, you’re meant to be all about the rain! I’m joking, the heat is okay in small quantities (my opinion) but I live for Autumn; boots and pumpkin spiced lattes!
What is your current read?
I’m currently reading Full Service, a book about the life of a man who worked in a gas service station in Hollywood, providing sex to a lot of the rich and famous. I think it inspired part of the new Hollywood series, which is on Netflix.
*Adds that to my TBR and Netflix to watch list*
What do you enjoy doing outside of writing? Hobbies etc.
Singing, I think. Convincing myself one day I can do this, and the next asking myself who the hell am I kidding?!
I should have asked your shower song! My shower soundtrack involves a lot of random songs, including a few Whitney Houston’s!
How many books have you written? Do you have a personal favourite? What is it and why?
I have wrote four books in total. Two zombie books, which have recently been reclaimed by Panther, and will be redeveloped. And then two murder mystery novels, the series Jordan Jenner. I’m proud of the Jordan Jenner series, because they’re a different genre, one I wanted to write but didn’t think I could pull off. Jordan is a gay male PI in Cardiff, Wales. I have a soft spot for Murder on the Rocks.
I absolutely adore the Jordan Jenner series and I can’t wait until the next instalment! And zombie books you say? Well that is exciting!
When writing a series, how do you keep it fresh? Is the second in the series always more difficult than the first?
I find that the characters make your series. The storytelling has to be the most important part, and you need characters that people like and want to keep reading about. It’s easy for a series based on murder to go stale. It follows the same format mostly. Murder, conflict, resolution. But as long as people care about whether Jordan and Lloyd will get together, what Mark is doing, etc, then I think it keeps the series interesting. For my zombie series, the second was really hard to write, and even now I feel exhausted by it. But the second in the Jenner series was easy. Now it’s the third I’ve been struggling with!
You’re a really great author, I am sure you’ll get there with book 3!
When researching for a novel, do you always have all the research before beginning or do you research as you go? What is the process?
It depends on what the story is. I research when it comes to mind. I research enough to make a story plausible, but I’m not one to research loads and fit it all into the book to show off how much research I’ve done. I usually research some police procedure, as well as street names, that sort of thing.
At least it isn’t research dense! You include enough to make an engaging storyline!
Describe your typical writing day
There isn’t one! Life is so busy, it’s been hard to find any time to write. Another reason, I think, why book three isn’t shaping up. But when I do write, it goes two ways. The words flow, the story gets a flow, and it goes quite well. Then there are the days where it’s not clear what’s happening, I’m not happy with the story, and I scrap it all!
Describe your publishing journey in 3 words
Long, slow, fast. (Because one Panther took me on, it was a fast road!)
Do you have any writing quirks / needs? What are they?
Quiet. Can’t be writing with the TV on or music playing. I just need silence. And a coffee!
If it gives no spoilers, what is the hardest scene you’ve had to write?
It’s always quite hard to write the reveal. You want it to be suspenseful, and for it to make sense, but you also don’t want it to be anticlimactic. You have to make sure it makes sense that the person who was responsible for the murder is plausible.
What do you find the most enjoyable / difficult thing about writing?
Definitely being able to find a flow, and be happy with what I’m writing. I’m so self critical, and lose my patience quite easily. Time is the most difficult as well, because it’s hard to find any! The most enjoyable is creating characters, settings, using my imagination, and finally getting it out there.
What is a publishing highlight for you?
Reaching the LGBT best-selling chart in cosy mystery on Amazon. Since it’s release, it’s been in and out of the chart all the time, which is a really proud moment.
And you absolutely deserve to be there!
Can you give a one sentence teaser for anything you’re working on if you’re allowed?
The Mistletoe Murders. Oh wait, did I just reveal a title?!
Is that an exclusive?! Too late to take it back now!
Any question you wished I’d asked but haven’t?
Not that I can think of! Thanks again for asking me these questions! 😊
You’re so welcome, thank-you so much for agreeing to take part in the ‘Meet the Authors’ Q&A, I’m truly honoured to have you on the blog!
So, there you have it, the first of the Panther Publishing edition of Meet the Authors series! Have you read any of JS Strange’s books? You have time to catch up now before the next series! Both books are cosy and mysterious, the perfect accompaniment to a hot chocolate and blanket / glass of wine and pretzels!
Thanks again Jack for taking part! If you’ve already reviewed Jack’s books, please feel free to share using the #MeetTheAuthors hashtag!
Tune in tomorrow for my Q&A with Will,
Until then,
Happy reading!
The Reading Closet 