The Five Santas
The Oncoming Storm Series Book #1
By- Jay Mims
Genre- Mystery, Detective, Cozy
Dan Landis is a private investigator who makes his living peeping in windows and taking compromising photos to make a quick buck. But, even adultery has an off-season, and to make some quick cash, Dan's been hired by a department store to work as a loss prevention agent.
Then he finds Santa stuffed behind a dumpster. One Santa leads to another, and before he knows it, Dan's up to his sugar plums in murder, intrigue and holiday cheer. It's up to Dan to save Christmas, find the Kringle Killer and choose the perfect gift for the quirky blonde in his life.
The Cult of Koo Kway
The Oncoming Storm Series Book #2
By- Jay Mims
Genre- Mystery, Detective, Cozy
When Dan Landis wakes up handcuffed and threatened by a colander wielding high-heeled beauty, he knows it's Tuesday. And when a hapless blonde is in danger of being mugged, his best friend shows up poisoned in his kitchen, and his sister wants him to track down a cowboy named Tex, Dan knows he's in trouble.
Dan and his faithful sidekick Abbey return for this new mystery, as college professors keep disappearing, students end up poisoned, and someone keeps trying to kill Dan. And all signs point to an obscure film called The Cult of Koo Kway. As the clock ticks, Abbey and Dan must work together to save the day.
The Gray Ghost Inn
The Oncoming Storm Series Book #3
By- Jay Mims
Genre- Mystery, Detective, Cozy
Dan Landis had a simple plan. Drive to a quaint bed and breakfast, spend New Year's with his best friend Doc, and enjoy a much-needed vacation. Except, he didn't account for everyone's favorite klutzy genius Abbey.
Now there's a body in the library, snow all around, and a mansion full of suspects. Dan must call on his best detective skills, and his worst Hercule Poirot impersonation, to solve this latest mystery. However, the awful truth looms overhead everyone, whatever the answer, nothing will ever be the same.
Racing the Storm
The Oncoming Storm Series Book #4
By- Jay Mims
Genre- Mystery, Adventure, Detective, Cozy
The storm is here. Dan Landis, private investigator, has been hired by his defense attorney sister to do the impossible. In order to create a miracle, Dan must call on his friends and family, endangering them and putting a target on his own back.
Dan is on the run, his home is in flames, and the bad guys have murder on their minds. The skies reddened in The Five Santas, the clouds began to darken in Cult of Koo Kway, and the thunder rumbled in The Gray Ghost Inn. At last, the storm is here. And everything is about to change.
Author Interview-
What inspired you to write The Oncoming Storm Series?
So, this is one of the stranger
stories. I actually have an MFA (Masters of Fine Arts), but not in writing. No,
that would be too easy. I actually have an MFA in Directing (Movies and TV),
and the lead character in all the books, Dan Landis, came from my portfolio
film. See, I wanted to create a movie where an agoraphobic author bases a
series of books on their childhood imaginary friend, only for that character to
come to life and wreak havoc.
Also, unrelated to the name of the first book, but while filming this project,
a friend comes up to me and says, “Hey, have you seen Nim’s Island?” At first, I thought she’d said “Mims Island” and was
really excited that I had an island. Turned out, it was a movie about an
agoraphobic writer whose main character comes to life to torment her. I wasn’t
entirely sure if time travel exists, but I started to suspect it after that.
And don’t even get me started on The Last
Mimzy.
So, after the portfolio film was
made, I did what any good filmmaker with a graduate degree does, I got a job in
a call center and moved in with my parents. Yep, living the dream. And anytime
I showed people my short film, they really loved the book titles such as “Dan Landis Saves The Mole People” and “Dan Landis And The Marvelous Mermaids Of Melmac”.
Seriously, way more than they liked the movie.
Well, naturally I decided, if you
can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. So, I started writing my first book, based on the
goofiest title I could come up with Dan
Landis And The Cult Of Koo Kway. Spoiler Warning: It wasn’t my first book.
(It was my second!)
I went the normal route of
sending letters to every possible publisher, agent and librarian I could
possibly contact, but most folks weren’t too keen. For one thing, the title was
too long. For another, no one knew what Cult of Koo Kway meant (or how to
pronounce it). Finally, I did what every great writer should do at least once:
I shelved the whole thing and started a new project.
See, it was summer time and I had
some time on my hands. Call Center jobs are great for paying the bills, not so
great for being an inspiration. So, I went to the mall, and started thinking
about the lovable P.I. Dan Landis, slumming it working at a mall. Hanging out
at the food court, hitting on the college girls, being a nuisance. And of
course, he’d have to be working at Christmas time, because that’s when all the
fun stuff happens.
And, wouldn’t it be really funny
if everyone’s favorite detective for hire found a dead Santa Claus behind the
mall’s dumpster? And then he keeps finding more bodies? That was the magical
process that led to The Five Santas,
the book that changed my life forever.
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
When I was in first grade, which
in America is about six or seven years old, I had this tendency to read in
class. It drove my teacher, Ms. Rita absolutely nuts. However, it also amused
her. Because she is awesome-sauce.
She’d especially get a kick out
of the fact that I would have my nose stuck in a book, and when called on, could
repeat back everything she’d just said.
Well, I started making up stories
during that time, and she made me promise, in first grade, that I would
dedicate my first book to her.
And, if you’re curious, she came
to my first book signing, where I surprised her with that dedication.
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
I was always an avid reader, and
used to love for both my parents to read to me. I probably couldn’t tell you my
very first book, but one of my earliest favorites was a book by Helen Lester
called A Porcupine Named Fluffy. Just
the idea of a porcupine searching for validation really spoke to me on multiple
levels as a small child.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
I absolutely love most kinds of
books. I’ve always been a voracious reader, with a special love for mysteries.
It’s partly why I got into this crazy genre in the first place. Thanks to my
friends and fellow authors, I’ve started to have a sincere appreciation for
Y.A. books as well.
What is your favorite book?
It’s so hard to choose one
particular book overall, as I know it can change from week to week. Probably
one of the books that most sincerely changed how I view life, death and the
greater world would be Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather.
Only a master could take a simple story like “Death pretends to be Santa Claus
to keep belief alive” and turn it into an emotional rollercoaster.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite
author and why?
I cannot sing the praises enough
of the late, great Sir Terry. In fact, I wrote a lot about it here: http://themimsey.blogspot.com/2015/03/sir-terry.html
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time.
Where would you go and why?
Now, the really cool answer would
be somewhere like The Renaissance to hang out with Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael
and Michelangelo, eating pizza and discussing the merits of rat mentorship.
However, I’d really like to go
back and tell my younger self not to worry so much, to spend more time with the
people who love you, and maybe learn a useful trade skill. Like plumbing. The
world always needs a handy plumber.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is
it a difficult task?
The writing itself is relatively
easy. I always tell would-be writers: Start with great characters, and the story
will work itself out. I’ve been fortunate to have some pretty fun characters to
write for. The problem I’m having now isn’t the writing itself, but the
motivation to start the writing. That can be difficult.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I love animals of all kinds.
While in reality I don’t currently have any pets, I do joke about the time I
accidentally adopted my neighbor’s cat, who I named Eartha Kitty. She still
comes around to be fed. There’s also three ponies who live nearby, that I all
call Big Willy, another cat who I have named Meowthazar, and my passive
aggressive Dalek roommate named Steve.
I also have The Mimsus, who,
while not a pet, does get upset when I forget to feed her or rub her belly.
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
I’m easily one of the simplest
people to feed. I like fried chicken, pepperoni pizza and Dr. Pepper. If you
get beyond that, I start getting confused. And don’t even get me started on the
multiple fork situation.
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
A few handy tips for anyone with aspirations of being an
author:
1)
Only you can write your story. Don’t expect another
author to be able to tell your tale half as well as you can.
2)
Start writing. If you’re already writing, keep at it.
Getting published is easy. I mean come on, SNookie has a book! You can do this,
but you have to take that first step of writing.
3)
Have great characters. Plot is important, story is
important, but characters are what your audience will keep coming back for.
About the Author-
Jay Mims, better known as Mimsey, lives two miles past nowhere with The Mimsus. He also accidentally adopted his neighbor's cat, Eartha Kitty, has a lizard named Bob hiding in his house, and has a passive-aggressive Dalek roommate named Steve. When not writing cozy mysteries, Jay teaches and is learning knitting. Jay is currently working on knitting a cape. Capes are cool.
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