Thanks for hosting me on your site today to celebrate the release of my cozy mystery, Murder at the Marina. This is the first book in the lighthearted and humorous Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery series, featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth.
My own sailing adventures and misadventures inspired me to write this series. My husband and I bought our first sailboat in New Zealand in 2012. After a couple of years cruising in those beautiful waters, we returned to the States and bought a bigger boat which we moved onto in 2015. We’ve since cruised in Florida and the Bahamas, labored over endless boat projects, and worked to keep our cruising kitty (savings) topped up.
I wanted to reflect my experiences learning to sail, cruising and living aboard a boat, and being part of the boating community in my cozy mysteries. You could say that there’s a little bit of me in my main character, Mollie.
I thought I’d share one of the boating tidbits which I wrote about in Murder at the Marina—namely, pets on boats. Mollie encounters a Japanese bobtail cat, Mrs. Moto, at the marina who lives aboard a boat with her owners. Mrs. Moto loves to run around the place, jump on other people’s boats, and chase seagulls on the beach. Mollie falls in love with the cat and quickly discovers that Mrs. Moto has an uncanny ability to find clues which help solve the mystery.
While we’ve had a dog and cats when we lived on land, we don’t currently have (or plan on having) pets on board. So, I like to live vicariously through other people’s pets. At our current marina, we have friends with dogs who have to be carried up and down ladders while their boats are up on the hard. A few slips down from us, there’s a boat with a cat door which enables its resident tabby to go in and out as she pleases. It’s fun to watch these critters explore the marina and make friends with them.
If you’d like to learn more about Mollie and her sailing adventures, you can find details about Murder at the Marina below.
About the Book
Murder at the Marina—A Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery #1
by
Ellen Jacobson
Print ISBN 978-1-7321602-1-7
eBook ISBN 978-1-7321602-0-0
A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse.
Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to.
When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea.
Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigates an alien abduction, eats way too many chocolate bars, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.
Can Mollie discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?
Where to buy
Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Kobo
Barnes & Nobel | Apple iBooks | Google Play
About Ellen
Ellen Jacobson writes mystery and scifi/fantasy stories. She is the author of the “Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery” series. She lives on a sailboat with her husband, exploring the world from the water. When she isn’t working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she blogs about their adventures at The Cynical Sailor.
elements of emaginette 
Thanks so much for hosting me today on your blog!
Glad to be there for you, Ellen. 🙂
I’d have to have a cat. It would feel empty without one.
We used to have a bobtail cat named Fritzy. When her tail poofed, it looked like a pom-pom stuck on her butt.
We ‘ve had cats and dogs too, but not anymore. We love them, but we like our freedom and No responsibility. !!! Loved this story
Actually heard myself giggling as I read. Congrats Sandy on the new release!
Fritzy – love that name! I bet her tail was adorable 🙂
J.Q. – pets sure are a lot of work, but they’re so adorable 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the book.
Congrats on the new release. Sounds like quite the adventure, living on a boat and I wonder how many stories will come to mind because of it. 🙂
sherry @ fundinmental
Sherry – I’ve got so many ideas swirling around in my head about life on boats and thinking about how to translate them into books 🙂
Very excited to read this book! I love a good cozy.
Thanks for featuring Ellen.
I’ll feature you too if you like. 🙂
Thanks, Holli – I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Grats to Ellen! I’ve had pets my entire life, so I’d probably find some form of critter to keep me company, even if it was on a boat. 🙂
Pets and boats are an interesting mix! We always told aspiring sailors that, if you have animals already, don’t let them keep you from living your dream. Take them with you. But, if you’re already sailing without pets, your life will get much more complicated when you add pets, so better not do that.
We loved having our two big dogs with us when cruising in the Caribbean for years. They were too big to carry up ladders in the boat yard, but we built a ramp each time our catamaran was hauled out. Once they passed away, life aboard and visits ashore did become easier.
It would be hard to have a pet on a boat. Loving your book Ellen 🙂