and the ones that came earlier

It’s always a pleasure to see my friends’ work in print. More so when I have known said friends for a long time—ten years and counting in the case of Joan Livingston, my querida amiga and amazingly prolific writer.

We met when she was my Spanish student (and a very good student!) at UNM-Taos. Then she gave me my first opportunity to write for a newspaper—The Taos News, where she was editor at the time. She is now the editor of The Greenfield Recorder, a community newspaper in Western Massachusetts.

Joan’s first novel, Peace, Love and You Know What, was published in 2016. It was inspired by her experiences in college and beyond, during the Vietnam era—I enjoyed it tremendously. (Miren los hippies, I would think, giggling, while reading some of the saucy scenes.)

Then came The Sweet Spot, a beautiful, moving story about new beginnings—what we all need right now!

Let’s not forget The Cousins and the Magic Fish/ Los primos y el pez mágico, a delightful children’s book illustrated by Joan’s talented son, Ezra Livingston. I had a lot of fun when translating this story, and two more books that are part of the series.

Afterwards, Joan took on a new genre with the Isabel Long Mystery Series. In May 2018 her first mystery novel went to press. It was Chasing the Case, promptly followed by Redneck’s Revenge (September 2018) and Checking the Traps (March 2019), all published by Darkstroke Books.

And now, the fourth book in the series is out—Killing the Story. Isabel Long, now a seasoned PI, is determined to find out what happened to Estelle Crane, editor and co-owner of The Observer newspaper. Estelle’s death was supposed to be an accident but her son, having found a mysterious note, starts doubting the official version. As you can imagine, certain people don’t want Isabel to find out what truly happened. She will have to outsmart them!

What’s great about a series is that you get to know the characters well. So when you open another book, it feels like meeting dear old friends again.

My favorite character is, of course, the heroine—smart, sassy, Isabel, who takes no bull. I also have a soft spot for her mother (ninety-three-year old Maria, modeled after Joan’s own mom) and a motley crew of aged gentleman collectively known as The Old Farts.

Let’s not forget Isabel’s beau, Jack, who owns a bar called The Rooster.

All of them appear on Killing the Story, available in print and digital versions on Amazon.

Enjoy this fun, fast-paced mystery and its great cast of characters!

To find out more about Joan and her books visit her website.