#Midweek Mystery: What Happened on Box Hill

What would happen if you combined all of Jane Austen’s characters into one modern-day novel?

Murder, of course.

When Caty Morland’s roommate, Isabella, falls to her death on Initiation night, Austen University is quick to cover up the scandal and call it a tragic accident. But avid true-crime lover Caty remains convinced that Isabella didn’t fall; she was murdered. With the help of Pi Kappa Sigma President Emma Woodhouse, Caty organizes a dinner party with the most likely suspects, including familiar faces such as Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Knightley, and Marianne Dashwood. The theme of the night is murder, and Caty has three courses to find out what happened to Isabella–and to try to keep the killer from striking again.

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Elizabeth Gilliland

Elizabeth Gilliliand

Austen University Mysteries

Elizabeth Gilliland teaches English at the university level, putting as much Austen into her syllabi as she can get away with. In 2018, she completed her Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, where she wrote her dissertation on Jane Austen adaptations and fever-dreamed this series in a caffeine-induced haze. She is a proud member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, and excerpts of the Austen University series have won awards through JASNA and Jane Austen & Co/The Jane Austen Summer Program. She lives in Alabama with her husband and son.

#MidweekMystery Now on Audio! Damned if She Does by K.K. Reardon

Young professor Meg Doherty has a dark secret.

When a renowned professor is viciously murdered at a Manhattan hotel, Meg stumbles upon the scene and quickly comes under police scrutiny. After another professor is killed, it falls to her brother, Shamus, to help prove Meg’s innocence. Caught in NYC’s blinding media spotlight, gilded society and criminal underworld, the pair must confront not only Meg’s secret but a long-suppressed family mystery. When is a secret so toxic it must be revealed? When is a woman damned if she does?

About the narrators:

Brendan Conroy is a native of Tuam, Co Galway. His career stretches back to the late 70’s when he became known playing the role of Peter Cadogan in The Irish RM, a show which continues to be repeated regularly up to this day. He has toured to Russia, Europe and the United States with the Abbey Theatre playing Jimmy Jack in Translations, Philly Cullen in The Playboy of the Western World and Tadhg in The Field.

Camilla Griehsel has been singing in front of an enraptured audience since she was five years old and living in Sweden. When she was ten, she won a place in the prestigious Adolf Frederik Musik School in Stockholm where her love of choral work and collaboration blossomed.

Her late teens saw her singing in a Baptist church choir in Virginia, busking in a Sweet Adeline group in Stockholm’s Old Town, and entertaining holiday makers in Gran Canaria and skiers in Switzerland.

About the Author

Kathleen Kelley Reardon is the author of several acclaimed nonfiction books, professor emerita at USC’s Marshall School of Business, a featured political blogger at The Huffington Post since 2005, and the recipient of the 2013 Humanitarian Award from the UConn Alumni Association.

She has appeared on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News and Good Morning America. Her research and writings have been covered in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and broadcast news segments.

Dr. Reardon is also a visual artist, capturing Irish landscapes and waterways in watercolors and oils. 

In her debut mystery SHADOW CAMPUS, and its sequel, DAMNED IF SHE DOES, Dr. Reardon has taken her knowledge of politics in the workplace to fiction. The results are deeply unsettling and strangely satisfying. 

Website – Amazon 

#MidweekMystery Dead of Winter Break by Kelly Brakenhoff

It’s beginning to look a lot like murder . . .

And Cassandra Sato is knee deep in . . .
Suspects.
Her boss is dead, and the police are calling it burglary gone wrong. But when the killer comes after her, it’s going to take more than a pair of furry boots to keep the smart, witty Morton College administrator, Cassandra Sato, out of the deep. . .
Snow. Her first Christmas in Nebraska could be her last unless her friends help unravel the mystery and housebreak her dog.

 

About the Author


Kelly Brakenhoff is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. As an American Sign Language Interpreter with more than twenty years of experience, Kelly’s worked in college classrooms for fifteen different majors. From traipsing across muddy farm fields to stomach-churning medical procedures, and stage interpreting for famous figures, Kelly’s community interpreting interactions number in the thousands.

Unfortunately, once she’s stepped away from the job, she usually forgets 90% of what happened. Which helps her keep confidential information safe, but also makes it really hard to grocery shop for more than 5 items without a written list.

Kelly wants to live in a world filled with peace, love, and joy, where people who can hear learn enough sign language to include deaf people in everyday conversations and work. Where every deaf child has early access to language and books with characters like them, and dark chocolate is cheap and plentiful.

When she’s not interpreting or writing, you can find Kelly cheering for her favorite Husker teams or training for half-marathons because she really likes dessert.

Website – Amazon – TwitterInstagram

 

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#FridayFreebie Dead End by Kelly Brakenhoff

Nothing in Cassandra Sato’s PhD program prepared her for natural disasters.

Cassandra Sato is running.
A major earthquake in Japan triggers a tsunami warning on Oahu, Hawai’i. Dean of Students Cassandra Sato must ensure the safety of 1,000 residence hall students and evacuate them to inland shelters.
Before the first wave hits.

Download your complimentary copy of Dead End before August 31.

Dead End, A Cassandra Sato Short Story

 

About the Author


Kelly Brakenhoff is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. As an American Sign Language Interpreter with more than twenty years of experience, Kelly’s worked in college classrooms for fifteen different majors. From traipsing across muddy farm fields to stomach-churning medical procedures, and stage interpreting for famous figures, Kelly’s community interpreting interactions number in the thousands.

Unfortunately, once she’s stepped away from the job, she usually forgets 90% of what happened. Which helps her keep confidential information safe, but also makes it really hard to grocery shop for more than 5 items without a written list.

Kelly wants to live in a world filled with peace, love, and joy, where people who can hear learn enough sign language to include deaf people in everyday conversations and work. Where every deaf child has early access to language and books with characters like them, and dark chocolate is cheap and plentiful.

When she’s not interpreting or writing, you can find Kelly cheering for her favorite Husker teams or training for half-marathons because she really likes dessert.

Website – Amazon – TwitterInstagram

 

#MidweekMystery Damned if She Does by Kathleen Kelley Reardon

Professor Meg Doherty has a dark secret.

When a renowned professor is viciously murdered at a Manhattan conference, Meg stumbles upon the scene and quickly comes under police scrutiny. It falls to her brother, Shamus, to help prove Meg’s innocence.

 

Did Meg do it? Did the weight of the secret and guilt at not protecting others become too much? Is that what such secrets do – grow until the victim can take no more? Is there really a right time to speak up?

Or even in this #MeToo era are women damned if we do and damned if we don’t?


About the Author


Kathleen Kelley Reardon is the author of several acclaimed nonfiction books, professor emerita at USC’s Marshall School of Business, a featured political blogger at The Huffington Post since 2005, and the recipient of the 2013 Humanitarian Award from the UConn Alumni Association.

She has appeared on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News and Good Morning America. Her research and writings have been covered in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and broadcast news segments.

Dr. Reardon is also a visual artist, capturing Irish landscapes and waterways in watercolors and oils. 

In her debut mystery SHADOW CAMPUS, and its sequel, DAMNED IF SHE DOES, Dr. Reardon has taken her knowledge of politics in the workplace to fiction. The results are deeply unsettling and strangely satisfying. 

Website – Amazon 

 

#MidweekMystery Dead Week by Kelly Brakenhoff

Will Dead Week kill Cassandra’s career?

VP of Student Affairs Cassandra Sato has a desk full of problems and it’s not even Thanksgiving break.

 

A student’s injury and a deaf advocacy project brings national media attention to underfunded Morton College.

Cassandra’s new boss talks to her dead husband. Cassandra’s mentor thinks he’s a superhero in a senior citizen’s body. And Cassandra, recently moved from Hawai’i, can’t crack the code of what to wear during November in Nebraska.

Is there more to the Vietnam-era story of a student’s death? Cassandra’s search for the long-buried truth stirs up the wrath of those who want to keep the past forgotten.


About the Author


Kelly Brakenhoff is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. As an American Sign Language Interpreter with more than twenty years of experience, Kelly’s worked in college classrooms for fifteen different majors. From traipsing across muddy farm fields to stomach-churning medical procedures, and stage interpreting for famous figures, Kelly’s community interpreting interactions number in the thousands. Unfortunately, once she’s stepped away from the job, she usually forgets 90% of what happened. Which helps her keep confidential information safe, but also makes it really hard to grocery shop for more than 5 items without a written list.
Kelly wants to live in a world filled with peace, love, and joy, where people who can hear learn enough sign language to include deaf people in everyday conversations and work. Where every deaf child has early access to language and books with characters like them, and dark chocolate is cheap and plentiful.
When she’s not interpreting or writing, you can find Kelly cheering for her favorite Husker teams or training for half-marathons because she really likes dessert.

Website – Amazon – TwitterInstagram

 

#Midweekmystery: Coming Up Murder by Mary Angela, A Bad Hair Day Cookbook by Nancy J. Cohen, and The Wipeout Affair by Rachel Neuburger Reynolds

Everything’s coming up roses for Professor Emmeline Prather. Her scholarly book is finished, spring term is coming to a close, and her love life is blossoming. Then the festival surrounding the exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio opens, bringing with it a tempest more dramatic than the bard’s.

In his panel presentation, actor and grad student Tanner Sparks contends Shakespeare isn’t Shakespeare, boasting that he can prove the long-debated theory that an aristocrat actually penned the sonnets and plays. His bombshell sets off an acrid debate among scholars. But were they upset enough to kill him? That’s what Em wonders when Tanner is found dead in Shakespeare’s Garden, his macabre pose inspired by a scene from Hamlet.

At her department head’s urging, Em sets out to find the killer. Suspects abound, and Em finds herself targeted by Shakespeare-themed threats. Undaunted, she persists, determined to solve the case before the end of the semester.


Character Interview

Q: Dr. Prather, welcome to Island Confidential. Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something they might not guess?

My name is Emmeline Prather, but my friends call me Em. I’m an assistant professor of English at the university in Copper Bluff, South Dakota. Readers might not know that I like fast cars and drive a 1969 Mustang convertible. I’m from Detroit. What can I say? I haven’t met a muscle car I didn’t like.

Q: Is there any character in Coming Up Murder you get along with particularly well?

Lenny and I get along swell, especially lately. We’ve been dating four months, and I’m surprised by how little we fight—except when I’m investigating a murder. Then he feels compelled to give me the usual warnings, which I promptly ignore.

Q:  Is there anyone you aren’t a big fan of…of whom you aren’t a big fan…you know what I mean.

Mrs. Gunderson (my elderly next-door neighbor) and I are resolving our conflicts one cookie at a time. I used to be irritated by her yapping dog, constant lights, and well-meaning advice. But now I understand I was being a little rash. Lights do deter criminals, and her dog, Darling, really isn’t that bad. He’s just old and cantankerous—like someone else I know. Ahem.

Q:  Which brings me to my next question. Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?

She’s terribly devoted. I’ll say that. She cried when she finished this book, and I don’t blame her. What Lenny did, well, it was quite touching. My heart still skips a beat at the thought of it.

Q: Sorry readers, no spoilers, you’ll have to find out for yourself what Lenny did. Dr. Prather, what’s next for you?

I’ve solved four murders, so I think I’ll take a break. In the meantime, my author is starting a new series. This one is about a shop keeper, Zo Jones, who owns the eclectic Happy Camper gift store in the heart of the Black Hills National Forest. The first book, Open for Murder, will be out November 2020 by Kensington.  We’re both very excited!

Mary Angela

Professor Prather Mysteries, Happy Camper Mysteries

Mary Angela is the author of two cozy mystery series that have strong protagonists with soft hearts. Emmeline Prather is the witty young teacher in the Professor Prather series, and Zo Jones is the sassy sleuth and shop owner in the Happy Camper series (coming from Kensington in 2020). When Mary isn’t penning heartwarming whodunits, she’s teaching, reading, traveling, or spending time with her family. She’s the proud mom of two beautiful daughters and the shameless owner of two very spoiled pets. You can find out more about her loves, including her writing, at MaryAngelaBooks.com.
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Review

Coming Up Murder is the fourth Professor Prather mystery, but it reads just fine as a standalone.

When the book opens, we join Emmeline Prather at a high point, with her love life humming along and the much-anticipated Shakespeare exhibit about to start. Naturally, this being a murder mystery, things don’t run smoothly for long.

Like the earlier books, Coming Up Murder has an entertaining cast of characters, some you will root for, others you want to nominate as the next murder victim. But if you work in academia, you will recognize all of them.

There aren’t nearly enough academic murder mysteries in the world. With her fourth Professor Prather mystery, author Mary Angela helps to right this cosmic imbalance.

Professor Emmeline Prather is a likable and relatable heroine, and the academic shenanigans are understated if anything. Highly entertaining, and recommended for anyone who likes cozies with a light touch of satire.

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Having a bad hair day? Whip out your whisk, snatch up your spoon, and prepare your palate. Inside the pages of this cookbook are recipes that will bring you good cheer. Enjoy 160+ tasty recipes from Nancy J. Cohen’s popular Bad Hair Day cozy mystery series. Included in this cookbook are excerpts, cooking tips, and anecdotes written by hairstylist and savvy sleuth Marla Vail. From appetizers to desserts, Marla offers cooking tips and tricks along with commentary about the dishes she prepares for her family. Whether you’re a skilled cook or an eager novice, this cookbook will unravel the mystery of cooking. Put on your apron and plan to make some killer recipes.

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About the Author

Nancy J. Cohen

Bad Hair Day Mysteries

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won a Readers’ Favorite gold medal, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy’s instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won a gold medal at the President’s Book Awards from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys cooking, fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping.

Author Links
Website:  https://nancyjcohen.com
Blog: https://nancyjcohen.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJCohenAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancyjcohen
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyjcohen
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancyjcohen
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/njcohen/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nancy-j-cohen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/nancyjcohen


The Wipeout Affair by Rachel Neuburger Reynolds

There’s trouble in paradise, in the hilarious second book of the Red Frog Beach Mystery Series. When the body of a beautiful wealthy local is found at an isolated surf camp, the owner calls on Lexie to help him figure out who did it in this delicious whodunit. Reluctant sleuth Lexie first turns to the police, but her sudden access to a treasure-trove of island secrets convinces her it’s time to solve another murder on her own.

Rachel Neuburger Reynolds

Red Frog Beach Mysteries

Rachel Neuburger Reynolds is the author of the Red Frog Beach Mystery Series. Book 1, Drowning Lessons, was released on May 21, 2019, and the second in the series, The Wipeout Affair, was released on October 17, 2019. She’s also working on a separate series, The Evelyn Bay Murder Mystery series, and has written book one The Death Of A Classic. If all goes as planned you’ll be reading this in 2020. This is the first of book of seven in the series. Two of her plays have been produced in recent years. The Silencer, a cautionary tale about the perils of online dating, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, followed by a run in New York. Nepenthe, a one-woman show about the 1960’s Hollywood-fication of the Holocaust had its premiere in London, and she is currently in talks about a film adaptation in 2021. Previous to her life of putting pen to paper, she produced theatre in New York City for fifteen years. Though she bounces back and forth between London in New York my headquarters is in Crowhurst on the South Coast of the UK.

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Trust Fall #SampleSunday

Trust Fall

It looks like it’s going to be another boring faculty retreat at Mahina State University, “Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow.”

But then the Trust Fall exercise goes horribly wrong. Is it murder, or just the worst meeting of the semester?

Excerpt

Kyle Stockhausen, assistant professor of digital humanities, strode up to the Trust Fall Chair. The Trust Fall Chair wasn’t one of the red, gold, or green conference room chairs (the new school colors, as decided by student referendum). Those chairs all had wheels, and anyway, I’m sure the administration didn’t want us stepping all over the seat cushions with our dirty shoes. No, the Trust Fall Chair was plain, straight-backed, and made of wood. It had probably been ordered online and shipped from the mainland, just for this event.

“Thank you for volunteering, Professor Stockhausen,” Jake nodded at him.

“Please. Call me Kaila.”

I heard Emma snort. Emma, who grew up just a few miles down the road from Mahina State University, had definite opinions about “white people who move here from Nebraska and give themselves Hawaiian names.”

Mahalo nui loa, brother,” said Kyle/Kaila Stockhausen as Jake helped him up onto the wooden seat. He slowly stood, his spiky blonde hair almost brushing the ceiling.

“Come on, everyone move in closer.” Jake motioned us forward. “You’re all going to have to come together to catch him when he falls. Kyle, sorry, Kaila, turn around and put your arms out.”

He did, displaying the black courier lettering on the back of his pale yellow t-shirt: Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. –Albert Einstein

“Einstein never said that,” Emma muttered.

“Now the rest of you, move in. Closer, you have to be right underneath so you can catch him.”

“I have to apologize for my colleagues,” Stockhausen said over his shoulder. “They don’t yet realize what a privilege this is. I appreciate the value of these high-touch team-building activities. In fact, I use many of these exercises in my own classes.”

This was the limit for Emma.

“Give it a rest, Stockholm-syndrome,” she shouted. “You teach all your classes online.”

Before anyone could react to Emma’s outburst, the exit door at the far end of the room flew open. Everyone turned toward the welcome distraction. A man wearing shorts and a t-shirt stood silhouetted in the doorway.

“Am I late?” the newcomer asked.

“Here’s our ag person,” Jake said. “Come in, come in. You’re just in time for the—”

Jake’s sentence was cut short by the scrape of wood on marble, and an ugly thud. We all pushed forward to get a look.

Kyle Stockhausen lay face up on the polished marble floor, blood spreading behind his head like a crimson halo.


Trust Fall is free on all e-book platforms.

NOW ON KU: The Fever Cabinet #SampleSunday

The Fever Cabinet

The Fever Cabinet

Through no fault of her own, Professor Molly just got promoted to department chair at Mahina State University ("Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow").

She has to mentor the department's new star, the prickly Fiona Spencer. The Student Retention Office has her buried in paperwork. Her college has just relocated to a former asylum, her budget is being slashed, and the air conditioning is broken. At least nothing else can go wrong.

Until Fiona finds a body in her office.

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Buy now!

I don’t usually look forward to budget meetings, but today I welcomed the break. I was drenched in sweat after spending most of the day in my un-air-conditioned top-floor office, and hours of grading freshman writing had made me cross-eyed. At a quarter till, I locked up my office and went down the four flights of stairs and across the utility road to the main hospital building.

Our meeting was scheduled in the dining room on the ground floor. It’s a gorgeous space, the same room where they held the donor banquet when the university first took over the old hospital complex. You’d think it was originally a grand ballroom, with its lofty stamped-tin ceilings and its tall French doors leading out to the terrace. In fact it had been a tuberculosis ward, before the discovery of antibiotics, when the state-of-the-art treatment was healthful quantities of sunlight and fresh air. With the French doors propped open to let in the trade winds, the temperature was actually tolerable.

Serena, the dean’s secretary, was the only other person there. She was setting up the room, so I jumped in to help, shoving tables out of the way and unfolding metal chairs.

“This is so much nicer than our old building,” I said.

“Hm,” Serena said. “If you ask me, the university should’ve asked a few more questions before they moved us in here. Sorry, that’s just my opinion.”

“Why?” I asked. “Is there something wrong with the new space?”

“No,” she said offhandedly. “Unless you mind your workplace being haunted.”

“You mean the ghost of Constance Brigham?” The Brigham family heiress was rumored to roam the old hospital complex, occasionally tossing people out of windows or off balconies.

“Nah, not that,” Serena said. “The thing about Constance Brigham was made up in the seventies to scare tourists. I’m talking about the baby’s cry.”

“The what?” I asked.

“If you’re on the hospital property and you hear the baby’s cry, it means something’s gonna happen to you. You only hear it if you did something bad, though. You should look it up.”

Two of the marketing professors came in, and Serena put them to work unfolding metal chairs.

By the time the meeting started, everyone in the management department was present—except Fiona Spencer. It’s not like she’d get lost in the crowd. We only had a couple dozen faculty in the College of Commerce, and only a few women. I started to get concerned.

Worried for Fiona, of course; while she seemed to have gone off on the motorcycle willingly, it was no guarantee she was safe. But I was also concerned for myself, which I realize sounds a little selfish. I was afraid Dan Watanabe, my dean, would blame me for Fiona’s absence. Not only was I Fiona’s department chair, I was her assigned mentor, and the first in my college to participate in the new campus wide Encompassing Mentoring Initiative. Which meant I was singlehandedly responsible for cultivating Fiona’s Sense of Community and Belonging at Mahina State University. And also in a position to embarrass the whole College of Commerce if I failed.

It’s not false humility to say when Dan chose me as Fiona’s mentor, he couldn’t have picked a worse candidate. I have such a low tolerance for unstructured social interaction that on Sundays I time my arrival at Mass to avoid the Passing of the Peace.

But Dan didn’t have many alternatives. I’m the only woman in the management department, and I’m also apparently the only one Dan can trust to take on extra work and do it properly. So I’m the one who gets to check in daily with Fiona to make sure she is feeling Fully Integrated into the Life of the College.

Fortunately for me, Dan Watanabe seemed to have more important things to do today than hassle me about the Encompassing Mentoring Initiative. Dan always looked kind of gray, with his graying hair, silver-framed glasses, and gray-and-beige reverse-print aloha shirts. But today he looked like his own ghost.

“Thank you for coming, everyone.” Dan’s weary voice rang and echoed in the great room. “You may have heard the rumors about an unexpectedly large budget cut coming down. Well, the rumors are true.”

He looked around to make sure he had everyone’s attention. He did.

“It seems,” he went on, “the construction on this building has cost more than anticipated.”

Outraged grumbling arose from the assembled faculty.

“This was entirely predictable, Dan.” Hanson Harrison stood to speak. Hanson, one of the management department’s senior members, was from old New England money. He looked the part: Tall, with patrician posture and silver hair. “You may recall before the county ‘gifted’ the old Mahina Memorial Hospital site to the university, the Mahina State faculty senate budget committee passed a resolution asking for a detailed estimate of the costs required to bring the buildings up to code. It was sent up to the chancellor’s office, where, like all resolutions from the Faculty Senate, it sank without a trace.”

“This is exactly why the county dumped it on us,” Larry Schneider added. Larry was the other senior member of the management department. Unlike Hanson, he was slight and tenacious, and hailed from an unfashionable borough. If someone ever decided to make a movie about the College of Commerce starring dogs, Hanson Harrison would be a Weimaraner, and Larry Schneider would be a terrier mix. “They didn’t want to pay for the remodeling. This place is still unfit for use, and all we’re doing is lining the pockets of Konishi Construction, not to mention—”

“Thank you for your comments, Larry,” Dan interrupted. “And Hanson. I understand the procurement process isn’t always as transparent as we’d like. That’s exactly what I’m here to talk about.”

I sensed my colleagues settling down a bit. Despite being a dean, Dan Watanabe had for the most part managed to retain his integrity. We didn’t always like his decisions, but we could count on him to be honest with us.

“Now, I’m going off the record here. It seems parts of these old buildings are valuable to collectors and restorers. Doorknobs, pieces of molding, even some of the old medical equipment. Konishi Construction’s just throwing it out as they go, and…nobody write this down, please.”

Serena, Dan’s secretary, set down her pen. As did Iker Legazpi, from the accounting department, who always diligently took notes for his own edification.

“I’m not saying I officially approve of this,” Dan continued, “in fact, I don’t. But if we all work together, we can figure out a way to at least buy enough copy paper and toner cartridges to get us through the end of the fiscal year. Not through the university budget system, of course. But the Finance Club has agreed to help us out, in exchange for a small percentage.”

“Are you saying we have to sell off pieces of our building simply in order to do our jobs?” Hanson demanded.

“Meanwhile our crappy football team spends two million dollars a year traveling to the mainland to get their butts kicked,” Larry grumbled.

“What’s the alternative?” Dan asked them. “Just keep an eye out for anything that looks unusual or collectible and bring it in to the dean’s office. If it’s too big to move, let Serena know.”

I guiltily recalled the silver absinthe spoon I’d found in the unmarked space adjoining my office. The hidden room wasn’t on any of our building plans. Neither Facilities nor Konishi Construction seemed to know about it.

I might turn in the spoon. But I wasn’t going to breathe a word to anyone about my secret room. The extra space would only be confiscated and used for storage, or given to some favored administrator. They certainly wouldn’t allow me to stay there.

“We need to get the word out to all our faculty and staff,” Dan went on. “Is anyone missing?”

Serena, Dan’s secretary, said

“Fiona Spencer. Management department.”

Fiona was the only one who didn’t show up? Even Rodge Cowper was here? Yes, there he was, by the window. Playing some game on his phone by the looks of it, but physically present.

“Molly?” Dan asked me. “Where is Fiona? Did you tell her about the meeting?”

“Yes, I did.” I tried my best not to sound defensive. “I emailed the department, of course, and I phoned Fiona earlier today to remind her. She said she’d be here, but it seems something came up. I can let her know what we discussed.”

I felt the resentful stares of my colleagues. Thanks to the latest round of budget cuts, the College of Commerce only got one new hire this year. The management department—my department—had landed the coveted faculty line.

And now, almost as soon as we hired Fiona Spencer, we’d gone and misplaced her.

“This is why we can’t have nice things,” one of the marketing professors quipped.

“That’s not necessary,” Dan admonished him. “Molly, I understand. You can’t force Fiona to attend. Just make sure she comes to the next meeting.”

“I’ll do my best.”

I braced for what was coming next:

“Remember,” Dan said, “it’s our responsibility to ensure our junior faculty are fully integrated into the life of the college.”

By this time I could say it along with him, although I didn’t, of course.

The Perfect Body #SampleSunday

The Perfect Body

When Professor Molly attends Mahina State University’s exclusive donor dinner, she doesn’t expect to share a table with the insufferable Stephen Park. Turns out it’s one thing to invite your toxic ex-boyfriend to drop dead…it’s quite another when he takes you up on it.

The Perfect Body

Excerpt

It was only after we were all seated that I noticed Stephen looked different. His black dress shirt was snug over his shoulders, and his neck was thicker (either that or he’d shortened his bolo tie). He looked like he’d been lifting weights, something I’d never known him to do before.

Aside from the new muscles, he was the same old Stephen Park. His jet-black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, as always. Defying the usual order of things, his hairline had advanced, rather than receded. Stephen’s parents owned Park Beverly Hills Aesthetic Center. Each time he flew to Southern California to visit them, he came back looking a little younger.

But I noticed glints of silver at Stephen’s roots. The eternally-youthful Stephen Park was finally going gray.

It had been a long time, I realized. Years. Maybe it was time to let old resentments go.

“We’re very lucky tonight, Bee,” Stephen started in as he reached for the bread basket. “We get to sit with the world’s happiest couple. Isn’t it marvelous?”

Apparently not everyone was letting things go. Stephen liked to poke fun at my “bourgeois conformity.” I had moved on and gotten married, he hadn’t, and this was his way of getting back at me. Well, I wasn’t going to take the bait. The only thing to do was to maintain a dignified silence.

“Wow, Stephen,” I said, “it looks like you lost all of that weight you gained after rehab. Between that and the gray hair, I almost didn’t recognize you.”


The Perfect Body is available online or in your local bookstore