September Mourn
Page 25
I nodded, sinking into the mattress.
“OK. I have to leave for work at 5:00 a.m. I’ll head out early to check on them first, okay? Just sleep.” He felt my forehead and then covered me with a spare blanket before stretching out behind me, one arm draped loosely across my waist, reminding me I wasn’t alone.
And that’s all I remembered until I heard the scream.
Read October Fest today!
Book Group Questions
Who was your favorite character and why?
What Minnesota State Fair food would you most like to eat? Least like to eat? What is the grossest thing you’ve ever eaten?
What is the importance of Johnny Leeson to this story? In other words, how does he relate to the central storyline?
Who were all the suspects in Ashley’s murder, and what clues linked them to her? Who was the most likely suspect? The least likely?
In September Mourn, Lourey uses humor to analyze the serious issues of animal treatment and food production in the United States. How do you feel about the mix of environmental issues with mystery and humor?
Do you know where your last meal came from? In other words, who were the producers, shippers, cooks? What were all the ingredients? Is it important to know, or are we just too busy to worry?
How long should Mira stay in Battle Lake? Why?
Acknowledgments
You know how when you were a kid, you’d collect rocks because they were so interesting? And then you’d put them in the polisher in your basement for a week, listening to the horrible racket of tumbling, grinding stone, and when they came out, they’d morphed from rocks to treasure? That’s what Jessica Morrell does for my books. She’s the polisher, my manuscripts are the stones, and the grinding sound is me complaining because it’s irritating to get your rocks glossed. Yet I keep going back to her, hiring her to edit every one of my mysteries, some more than once. She’s challenged me and taught me how to be a better writer every step of the way. Thanks, Jessica.
Special thanks to Greg Schraufnagel and Karen Hipple for letting me use their names and their artery-atrophying recipes. Who needs to make this stuff up? When you live in the Midwest, the weird food is real. Thank you also to Michael Jacobson for patiently answering my questions about the operation of small-town newspapers; all mistakes in that regard are my own. And, oh yeah—Lana Sorensen? Thanks for threatening to do me bodily harm if I didn’t use your name in this book. Hope it turned out like you wanted.
Friends and family, thank you for going on this beautiful ride with me. Big love to you all!
Also by Jess Lourey
MIRA JAMES MYSTERIES
May Day
June Bug
Knee High by the Fourth of July
August Moon
September Mourn
October Fest
November Hunt
December Dread
January Thaw
February Fever
March of Crime
April Fools
* * *
MIRA JAMES MYSTERIES BUNDLES
Summer (May, June, July, and August)
Fall (September, October, and November)
Winter (December, January, and February)
The Mira James Mysteries 10-book Bundle
* * *
THRILLERS
Salem’s Cipher
Mercy’s Chase
* * *
MAGICAL REALISM
The Catalain Book of Secrets
Seven Daughters: A Catalain Book of Secrets novella
* * *
YOUNG ADULT
The Toadhouse Trilogy: Book One
* * *
NONFICTION
Rewrite Your Life: Discover Your Truth Through the Healing Power of Fiction
About Jess Lourey
Jessica (Jess) Lourey writes about secrets. She is the bestselling Lefty, Agatha, and Anthony-nominated author of the critically-acclaimed Mira James mysteries, which have earned multiple starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, the latter calling her writing "a splendid mix of humor and suspense."
Jess also writes sword and sorcery fantasy, edge-of-your-seat YA adventure, magical realism, and feminist thrillers. She is a tenured professor of creative writing and sociology, a recipient of The Loft's Excellence in Teaching fellowship, a regular Psychology Today blogger, and a TEDx presenter. When not teaching, reading, or dorking out with her family, you can find her dreaming of her next story.
You can find out more at www.jessicalourey.com and by signing up for her newsletter.
Mira and Mrs. Berns Thank You for Reading!