YvonneThe lovely Carolyn J. Rose, was kind enough to send me Kindle gifts for the complete set of books in her recent “Subbing Isn’t For Sissies” series. However, I have decided to focus on this the debut novel in the series as my feature, although each additional title has links to its individual Amazon page…
#2 “No Substitute For Money”
#3 “No Substitute For Maturity”
#4 “No Substitute For Myth”
#5 “No Substitute For Mistakes”
#6 “No Substitute For Motives”
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‘NO SUBSTITUTE FOR MURDER’
(Subbing Isn’t For Sissies #1)
Divorced from a philandering con man and downsized from her job as a talk radio show producer, Barbara Reed is desperate for money. She’s got a mortgage, a college loan, an aging car, and a ten-pound dog named Cheese Puff.
With her unemployment checks running out, she signs on as a high school substitute teacher and learns what stress is all about. When she finds history teacher Henry Stoddard strangled with his own outdated tie, her stress level soars into the red zone. Then she’s assigned to cover his classes.
Stoddard was a bully and a blackmailer. The list of suspects is a long one, and police put Barb at the top. When she discovers a second body, the noose of circumstantial evidence tightens.
With help from the showgirl widow of a reputed mobster, a trash-scavenging derelict, and members of the Cheese Puff Care and Comfort Committee, Barb struggles to keep a grip on her job, her sanity, and her freedom.
Notice: This mystery contains no vampires, werewolves, zombies, or space aliens. It was not tested on laboratory animals. It makes no claims to political correctness. Characters may not be fully clothed at all times.
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CAROLYN J. ROSE
Carolyn grew up in New York’s Catskill Mountains and graduated from the University of Arizona. She then logged two years in Arkansas, with Volunteers in Service to America and spent twenty five years as a television news researcher, writer, producer and assignment editor, in Arkansas, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.
She founded the Vancouver Writers’ Mixers and is an active supporter of her local bookstore, ‘Cover to Cover’. Together with fellow author and husband, Mike Nettleton, Carolyn is proactive about supporting local (and some not-so-local) writers, putting on mini-workshops for libraries, book fairs and pretty much anyone who asks, who fits into their schedule.
Carolyn’s interests are reading, gardening, swimming and NOT cooking.
Catch up with Carolyn at her website
Chat with Carolyn on her blog
Like Carolyn on Facebook
Follow Carolyn on Twitter
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Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week. Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home, where links may be added each week. So why not stop by, leave a link to your own Mailbox Monday post, oh! and don’t forget to leave a comment for our three new joint administrators, after all, we all like to receive them … Your Hosts for ‘Mailbox Monday’
Leslie of ‘Under My Apple Tree’
Serena of ‘Savvy Verse & Wit’
Martha of ‘Reviews By Martha’s Bookshelf’
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… You never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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The name of that series is right – subbing isn’t for sissies. Neither is teaching. This sounds like a fun series.
Hi Kathy,
I always wanted to become a teacher when I left school, but family circumstances meant that it was not to be and I ended up by training as a florist instead.
I quite often wonder “what if?” although now when I listen to fellow volunteering colleagues who are both teachers and substitute teachers during the week, I am probably quite pleased that my life took alternative pathways.
Teaching certainly doesn’t sound as though it is for sissies, although as there are so many rules and regulations about the way in which pupils must be treated, it is apparent that being a tough nut isn’t going to get you anywhere either. I may have had a lucky escape!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I always appreciate it 🙂
I’m a former teacher but have never “subbed”. Enjoy your new books, Yvonne!
Hi Mary,
Carolyn has been a substitute teacher herself, so I’m sure she has accumulated a great wealth of personal experiences on which to base this series – minus all the murders and brushes with the law hopefully!
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week 🙂
No Substitute for Murder looks good! I have enjoyed several Carolyn Rose books, so I’m off to check it out.
Thanks for sharing, and have a great week. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
Hi Lorraine,
Carolyn keeps me up to date with her latest publications and although her brand of slightly cozy mysteries are not something I could read all the time, they always make a welcome break between the more gritty thrillers I generally read.
I love her style of writing and her characters just seem to come alive as I read, they are so down to earth and believable.
Carolyn has a new book out now called ‘Nightfall Bay’ and this one is already on my TBR pile for later down the line.
Thanks for visiting and ‘Happy Reading’ 🙂
What a fun and very generous acquisition! I have the first book in my Kindle and perhaps this will be the year (via the Mount TBR Challenge) that I get around to reading it!
Hi Kelly,
Carolyn is definitely a very generous person, both with her gifts and her time. She is just one of those people who I am sure I would get along with, were I ever to meet her in person.
I have so many books on my Kindle that I am surprised it hasn’t given up the ghost. Add to that all the physical books I have on bookshelves in just about every room in the house and no ‘Mount TBR Challenge’ is going to make even the smallest dent in the situation.
None of the books have been read, so I really hate to even think about it, but I’m afraid that another cull is on the cards in the not too distant future!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope that your challenge is off to a good start 🙂
Very nice to receive all those new reads, enjoy!
Hi Mary Ann,
Carolyn is one of the most obliging authors I have ‘met’ during my blogging time.
Freebie downloads and guest posts are no sooner mentioned than they appear in my mail, even though it may take me an age to return the favour with a review.
I am determined to get in on this series right from the beginning, as Barbara sounds like a fun, yet complicated character to get under the skin of.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, I always appreciate your comments 🙂
ENJOY….the series looks quite good.
Subbing is stressful….thankfully I never had to do that, but I did feel sorry for the subs.
Can’t wait to see what you think about the books.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
Hi Elizabeth,
Over here, it sounds as though being a substitute teacher is exactly the opposite of what you are saying. Subbing or ‘bank’ teachers, seldom have to prepare lessons, take part in parents evenings, or go into school during the holidays to discuss curricula. From what I can gather, just about all the regular teachers who have either left or retired from the profession, are only too eager to go back as subbing assistants, especially as the hourly rate of pay is much higher as well!
Barbara does sound like something of a reluctant substitute teacher and I am left wondering just how much of her character comes from her creator Carolyn J. Rose, herself a subbing teacher..
On a completely different subject … I don’t know if you are sending comments in a different way, however over the last couple of weeks, all your comments are going into my moderation box, when they should only land there if you are commenting on my blog for the first time?
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and don’t let any little posting glitch put you off, I can manage it 🙂
This sounds like a fun mystery series based on the blurb for book 1. It is always a treat to get a full set.
Happy Reading!
Hi Martha,
Ask anyone who has been following me online for a while and they will tell you just how bad I am at reading a series in sequence. I have no excuse now, have I? All the books are within my reach and I have already started reading #1
Thanks for hosting MM this week and ‘Happy Reading!’ 🙂