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Today’s feature brings author Marc Jedel back to Salty Inspirations for an author interview, he previously joined us for Character Guest Post with Charlie from Whine and Dine, also part of his Redwoods Country Mystery series. He returns now with a behind-the-scenes look at his cozy mystery writing journey and his latest release, Sore Like an Eagle: A Redwoods Country Mystery.
Author Interview
Q. What made you want to write novels?
I wanted to write a novel forever, ever since finishing the first book I read by myself—Go Dog Go. I mean, what’s not to love about a story that has fun dialogue all about awesome party hats?
For the longest time, I couldn’t come up with a good plot. Yet my research clearly demonstrated that having a plot is critical to a successful novel. One day, I received this awesome birthday drawing from my young nieces. And my kids, or nieces, or one of our friends’ kids had done some crazy things. Probably all of the above. One thing led to another while I was brainstorming with my wife on an evening walk and the idea formed to loosely base a humorous murder mystery with a self-absorbed, fashion-backward software engineer, his sister, and his nieces on my life.
My first novel (Uncle and Ants: A Silicon Valley Mystery #1) is clearly fiction. I mean, I’m not a software engineer.
Sore Like an Eagle is now the twelfth cozy mystery I’ve written, and third in the Redwoods Country Mystery series. This series was inspired by a family vacation to Monte Rio, in the redwoods and wine country of Northern California. My second series, the Ozarks Lake Mysteries, was loosely based on small towns and people that I had met while growing up in the South and visiting Arkansas. It now has three novels in that series.
Q. When did you first consider yourself to be an author?
I believe my entire professional life in marketing has involved writing fiction. On the job, we just called it advertising and emails. I finally buckled down and actually tried to write something people actually wanted to read. Lots of work, walks with my wife and dog, and many drafts eventually led to my first novel getting published. The next ones have come easier, but still involved a lot of dog walking. Because my dog doesn’t laugh at my jokes nor contribute much in the way of dialogue, he doesn’t get co-author credit. But he is quite patient with my humor—as long as I keep walking.
Q. Why do you write books in this genre?
I feel there’s enough serious, intense, and scary already in people’s lives so reading should be an escape to enjoy yourself. My novels are designed to be a simple pleasure. If you’re looking for deep introspection, intense psychological thrillers, or dense, wordy prose where nothing much happens, my novels aren’t the right fit for you.
I wasn’t originally planning to write cozy mysteries. However a few years ago, I picked up my wife’s copy of a Janet Evanovich novel. She got mad when I didn’t return it until I’d finished. My wife that is, not Janet. Janet would probably be happy because I’ve purchased many of her other books and even consulted her How I Write book when I started my first book. I wouldn’t even mind if Janet decided to tell all her readers that they should try my books too (in case you’re reading this, Hi Janet!) Since then, I’ve read many other mysteries and cozy mysteries and enjoy the good light and humorous ones.
Q. What is your favorite part of this story?
I like hanging out with Andy, Charlie, and the other characters—even if our conversations are all imaginary. My wife will often find me laughing at my computer as I’ve invented an entire conversation between some characters. Sometimes that conversation even makes it into a novel. She’s a bit concerned that I’m enjoying spending time with a grumpy old man even though I’ve told her Andy is 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. Recently she has claimed that her role in my writing is as my emotional developmental mentor. I’m still not quite sure whether she meant just for my latest novel, or my entire life.
Q. What did you find to be the hardest about writing this story? Why?
It’s a tossup between figuring out how an amateur sleuth can investigate a crime in a realistic fashion or how to name characters.
It turns out I’m really bad at naming characters beyond the main protagonists. It’s just one of those weird things. While I start writing, I use KILLER, DEAD GUY, SUSPECT 1. I’ve got a friend who I call my “name whisperer.” Scott is his real name, but “name whisperer” sounds cooler. I send him some character descriptions, and he magically comes up with really good options for names. Once, I finished a manuscript that didn’t have actual names in it until right before I sent it to the copy editor. The funny part of that is when I began proofing the final version, I didn’t know the characters’ names so it was almost like I was reading someone else’s book. Ever since I make sure to finalize the names within the first few chapters once I’ve got a good outline of the story finished.
I also always seem to spend an inordinate amount of time brainstorming ways that amateur sleuths can investigate a crime. Nowadays police have access to so much technology that it’s difficult to figure out how to make an amateur sleuth stay ahead of them. I thought it would be fun, and more challenging, to have my protagonists have no special ties to the police.
Many cozies seem especially unrealistic when the amateur sleuths have some special “in” that gives them access to all the police information about clues, police reports, etc. Avoiding this makes my stories more realistic and pushes the sleuth to solve the crime even faster because competent police officers, who don’t share confidential info with outsiders, actually make headway on cases on their own. Real police would be annoyed that amateurs are interfering. I try to have the police actually discover some confirming information by themselves—just moving at a slower pace than our heroes—that verifies the amateur’s findings. Of course, the hero doesn’t learn this until after the criminal is revealed.
Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
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.
Sore Like an Eagle: A Redwoods Country Mystery by Marc JedelAbout Sore Like an Eagle
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!
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.
Visit marcjedel.com for free content, updates, and more!
Author Links
Purchase Links
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
Excerpt from Sore Like an Eagle by Marc Jedel
As I started to head into the house, Sandra’s car came racing into the parking lot. I shook my head in disapproval. With all the eggs and produce Sandra had shared over the last month, I certainly didn’t begrudge her getting to share in the pleasure of Nadia’s food. But she hadn’t been invited. Had the whole town heard about this?
“You haven’t started your whole thing yet, have you?” she called from the parking lot as she bustled toward me.
“My what?” I was startled. How did she know I was about to reveal the killer?
“Nadia’s brunch party, silly. Sorry I’m so late. I had to chase a fox all around my house, and it plumb tired me out.” She was still huffing and puffing.
“Why were you chasing a fox?”
“So it wouldn’t catch my chickens, don’t’cha know?” She shook her head as if my question was outright silly. “That dang fox is too smart for its own britches. It’s learned to show up when I let the chickens out of the coop. He thinks getting me to chase him around the house is some kind of game. The devious fox toys with me, pretending he’s given up on grabbing one of my babies. He slows down, almost letting me close enough to hit him with the broom, until he’s lured me to the far side of the house. Then that devilish fox turns on its jets, races back around the house, and tries to snatch one of my chickens.” She growled in anger. “It got poor Betty Lou a few weeks ago with that trick, and it keeps trying to sucker me in.” She paused, still trying to catch her breath. “But I finally got the best of it.”
“You left the chickens in their coop?” I thought that was the most logical solution.
“That would be ridiculous.” Her look suggested I may be a simpleton. “They need their exercise.
No, I opened the front and back doors to the house. Then when the fox drew me all the way to the front, I ran through my house and got to the backyard before he could make it around.” She waved a clenched fist triumphantly. “I beat him. Scared the daylights out of him. Oh, Andy, you should have seen the expression on that fox’s face.” She laughed at the memory.
I opened and closed my mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Finally all I could do was shake my head with appreciation. Sandra was absolutely welcome at the inn. Her off-the-wall antics provided some comic relief and had settled my nerves. “Well, come on in then.”
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A big thank you to Marc Jedel for visiting Salty Inspirations and sharing more about his writing process and cozy mystery world. I loved you Janet inspiration, I too have found that with her! If only we could all have lunch together.
Readers add Sore Like an Eagle to your TBR and explore more stops along the tour. Be sure to browse the blog for more guest features, author spotlights, and cozy reads.
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations! —Michelle❤️
Thanks for hosting me for an interview and highlighting Sore Like an Eagle today. If Janet ever calls me for lunch, I’ll be sure to invite you too!
Sore Like an Eagle is on sale only until the end of this blog tour at https://mybook.to/SoreLikeanEagle. It can be read as a standalone, but you can also find the other books in this series at: mybook.to/RedwoodsCountry. All my books are available in e-book, audiobook, and paperback versions, as well as free for Kindle Unlimited members. Get more free content and special offers at http://www.marcjedel.com.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing all of this with readers! I really enjoyed having you back on Salty Inspirations and learning more about your writing process and Sore Like an Eagle.
And if I ever get that call, I’ll be sure to have you join us as well! ☕🙂