Read The Case of the Missing Monkey, the new #mystery short story by Kris Bock @Kris_Bock #RLFblog #BookGiveaway

In Kris Bock’s Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. “The Case of the Missing Monkey” is a ten-page mystery short story set in the world of “The Accidental Detective” series, free with newsletter signup.

Kris, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about The Case of the Missing Monkey.

The Case of the Missing Monkey and other short mystery stories by Kris Bock

Genre Mystery

Book heat level (based on movie ratings): G

Injured in a bombing, Kate returns to her hometown in Arizona with new scars, a limp, and pain meds that give her brain fog. For the first time in her life, she’s starting to feel her age (49), even though she’s living like a teenager again: staying with her father, trying to understand why her sister resents her so much, and running into old friends who still think of her as Kitty.

Kate has followed the most dangerous news stories around the world. But can she survive going home?

This free collection starts with “The Case of the Missing Monkey,” a ten-page mystery short story set in the world of The Accidental Detective series. This is followed by information about the first books in the series, Something Shady at Sunshine Haven and Something Deadly on Desert Drive, plus the first chapter of book 1. After that are three fun, short stories originally written for children.

Why did you write this book?

In this series, Kate spent thirty years traveling the world as a war correspondent. Now back in Arizona, she finds turning fifty as difficult than the mysteries she solves. This character was inspired by my own experiences. Okay, the part about turning fifty, not traveling the world as a war correspondent. I traveled a lot when younger, but not to war zones. But as I faced fifty, I wanted to create a mystery lead dealing with some of the same issues: aging parents, concerns about financing retirement someday, and a body that doesn’t recover like it once did. I also wanted to give Kate a reason to be adventurous and fearless, thus the background as a war correspondent.

I didn’t necessarily intend to write humor, but both my agent and my editor said they laughed a lot. That comes from how Kate sees the world, which is how I see the world. Laughter helps with the pain.

What is your favorite genre to read?

I like romantic suspense and mystery, but nothing too gruesome. I don’t need dead bodies strewn on every page. I read a lot of romance. Lately historical romance seems to be my comfort reads. It generally makes a nice break from whatever I’m working on. Maybe because I don’t write it, I can turn off the editorial brain and just be a reader. I do write sweet contemporary romance, such as the six books in my series set in and around a cat café, as well as romantic comedy (the books with my brother mentioned below) but not historical – at least so far.

Who is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own)?

That’s such a hard question. I’m currently rereading The Thief and its sequels by Megan Whalen Turner, and I do love Gen.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m writing a series with my brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. These are prequel novels set when the movie characters are teenagers. We follow the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. We are wrapping up the third book now.

Sign up for our romantic comedy newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner’s Cabin. These first two chapters from the novel Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium stand alone as a short story. In the future, you’ll get fun content about upcoming Felony Melanie novels and other romantic comedy news and links. Or find book 1 at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

What books will we see from you in coming months?

The first four books in the Accidental Detective series will be released in the next year. Something Shady at Sunshine Haven comes out April 7. It’s followed by Something Deadly on Desert Drive on June 21, Someone Cruel in Coyote Creek on September 29, and Someone Missing from Malapais Mountain in February of 2023.

Where to buy The Case of the Missing Monkey

Get a free Accidental Detective short story and bonus material when you sign up for Kris Bock’s newsletter (unsubscribe any time).
Preorder the first book in the series:
Tule Publishing https://tulepublishing.com/books/something-shady-at-sunshine-haven/
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097WJYYBZ
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B097WJYYBZ
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-shady-at-sunshine-haven-kris-bock/1139733398
iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/something-shady-at-sunshine-haven/id1573825348
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/something-shady-in-sunshine-haven
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kris_Bock_Something_Shady_in_Sunshine_Haven?id=br00EAAAQBAJ&hl

Kris Bock Social Media

Kris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance, many with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Get a free Accidental Detective short story and bonus material when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll also get a free 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café and a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels
Website https://www.krisbock.com/
Blog https://swarmchairtraveler.blogspot.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/kris_bock
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kris-Bock-Author-Page/174350342612332
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/krisbockbooks/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kris_bock_mystery_and_romance/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4735592.Kris_Bock
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kris-bock
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/krisbock
Get to know Kris Bock better by signing up for an email newsletter https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/29bde1ea-700c-11ec-9233-7fc6b73feec3