The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper by Sally Carpenter Guest Post

The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper
by Sally Carpenter

The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper
(Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol mysteries Book 3)
Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 226 pages
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (September 28, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1939816528
E- book File Size: 890 KB
ASIN: B00PCPAQ5C
SYNOPSIS:

It’s been years since Sandy Fairfax was a teen idol and starred in his hit ‘70s television series Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth, but he still has his fans. Now it’s 1993 and many of his grown-up fans see a leisurely cruise as the ideal vacation. So, when Sandy’s agent finds him a pleasant gig aboard the SS Zodiac, he jumps at the chance. And, when the offer includes a spot for his musician sister, Celeste, who is blind, Sandy sees an opportunity to re-engage with his estranged sibling. However, the brother-sister duo are barely aboard the ship, when Sandy finds a singer from another shipboard show murdered in his dressing room. When the ship’s security officer does little to investigate, Sandy feels obligated to jump in, even though he isn’t a detective––he just used to play one on TV. Soon he’s grilling potential suspects, including a burnt-out piano bar player, a Southern-fried magician, a blackmail victim, a ventriloquist with a sassy dummy and even a former flame. Will Sandy unmask the killer before the cruise ends? Will he connect with the girl of his dreams? Will he have time to enjoy the sights of Nassau? Or will he end up sleeping with the fishes in the Atlantic Ocean, another victim in this killer’s CUNNING CRUISE SHIP CAPER?

About This Author

Sally Carpenter is native Hoosier now living in Moorpark, California.

She has a master’s degree in theater from Indiana State University. While in school her plays “Star Collector” and “Common Ground” were finalists in the American College Theater Festival One-Act Playwrighting Competition. “Common Ground” also earned a college creative writing award and “Star Collector” was produced in New York City.

Carpenter also has a master’s degree in theology and a black belt in tae kwon do.

She’s worked as an actress, freelance writer, college writing instructor, theater critic, jail chaplain, and tour guide/page for a major movie studio. She’s now employed at a community newspaper.

Her initial book in the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol series, “The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper,” was a 2012 Eureka! Award finalist for best first mystery novel.

Her short story, “Dark Nights at the Deluxe Drive-in,” appears in the anthology “Last Exit to Murder.”

“Faster Than a Speeding Bullet” was published in the “Plan B: Vol. 2” e-book anthology.

Her short story “The Pie-eyed Spy” appeared in the Nov. 23, 2013, issue of Kings River Life ezine.

Guest Post:

BLIND FAITH

By Sally Carpenter

Why are characters in cozies so healthy? Except for the inevitable murder victim, the rest of the population is in perfect health: no colds, no flu, a rare broken bone, and no ills except for a few aches among the senior citizens. Such a cast is not natural. At my workplace, I daily hear about the various sicknesses and health issues of the other employees and their families.

So why not write about characters who fall prey to natural illnesses? Not only is this more realistic, but provides an added layer on conflict for the character. He/she must deal with an imperfect body as well as the other stresses of the lives.

In my new book, “The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper,” I have a character that has been blind since birth. I tried to find a medical reason for this condition and finally settled on “a birth defect.” The “why” behind her handicap is not as important as “how” she deals with it.

Celeste Farmington is the younger sister of my series protagonist, Sandy Fairfax, a former teen idol now 38 years old and making a comeback. Sandy invites his sister to perform with him in some concerts aboard a cruise ship bound for the Bahamas. A blind musician is nothing new: Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder have more than proven their ability.

In creating the character, I tried to imagine the personality of a blind person. I made Celeste shy around strangers and uncomfortable in new places. She has her routines and habits that provide a sense of comfort. She can be demanding because she’s used to relying on other people. At the same time, Celeste feels a need to act independently and show that she’s not helpless.

She loves her brother but can be a big tease at times. Since they grew up together, Sandy knows how to guide her and automatically helps her at times. But occasionally he’s irked when she gets insistent about what she wants.

Celeste “sees” by feeling. When she asks Sandy, “let me see,” what she means is “let me feel that.” She can identify objects—and people—through touch (this skill comes in handy in solving the crime).

The family sheltered Celeste to protect her, so she can be naïve at times. She’s a bit gullible when people—sometimes not nice persons—offer to help her out. Since she doesn’t socialize much, her relationship skills are rusty.

But she has a sharp mind. She and Sandy banter theories back and forth about who murdered the corpse that turns up in Sandy’s onboard backstage dressing room. And she indirectly leads Sandy to finding some key evidence in the case.

In college I had a friend who was blind. Before his freshman year of classes began, he arrived early on campus and paced out the distance between the various buildings so he could get around. In the cafeteria, his friends sat close to the serving line. When we saw him go through the line, we’d call out his name and he’d walk toward our table by following the sound of our voices. He had a fold-up cane that he often carried but didn’t always use. He was in good spirits most of the time and didn’t let his disability get him down. I used this material in building Celeste.

I plan to bring back Celeste in future books. While she has to play second fiddle to her brother, the series hero, she contributes much to the story and in solving the case. And she’s a fun, likeable character to write.

Author Links

She blogs at http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com.

She’s a member of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles chapter. Contact her at Facebook orscwriter@earthlink.net.

Links: (blog) http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com

(Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/sally.carpenter.54

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