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I'm thrilled to announce that my mystery novel, The Key to Murder, is now available as an audiobook!

Listen to Samantha as she explores the French Quarter of New Orleans. You'll meet her new neighbors, some friendly, some not so much.

Available on Audible.com and Amazon.com!

I hope you enjoy it!

Mysteriously yours,
Jen

I'm thrilled to share that the second book in my series is now available for pre-order! The Gates to the Afterlife will be published on October 31, 2020.

The e-book can be pre-ordered now and the paperback will be available on October 31st.

This book is a continuation of Sammy's journey in her new hometown, New Orleans. Join her as she learns about the famous Voodoo queen all while trying to prove one of her friend's innocence in a murder.

The second book in the French Quarter Mystery series, The Gates to the Afterlife, is available to order now!

The Gates to the Afterlife is the second book in the The French Quarter Mysteries featuring West Coast transplant Samantha Richardson. Join Sammy as she explores the Big Easy by solving the mysteries of the past and present in this new modern, cozy mystery series.

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Available in e-book, paperback, and KindleUnlimited on Halloween!

I'm thrilled to share I have a FREE short story for my newsletter members: Coffee, a Scone and a Place to Call Home! This is a stand-alone short story, but also a prequel to The French Quarter Mysteries.



Samantha Richardson loves mysteries, but she never expected to find one in a cafe in the French Quarter. Looking to escape the rain and get a second wind before continuing her apartment search, she stumbles upon Artistic Coffee & Creations. While drinking coffee and eating freshly baked scones, Samantha chats with the owner and learns about The Mystery Painting. Can she solve the mystery and find an apartment all in one day in New Orleans?

I'm thrilled to share that the first book in The French Quarter Mystery Series is FREE on Amazon Prime Reading!



Amazon Prime members can download The Key to Murder for free now though June 21, 2021.

Enjoy!
Jen

I'm excited to share that the third book in The French Quarter Series is available for pre-order!

A Deadly Check-In finds Samantha dealing with a surprise family reunion, ghosts, and murder.

Available on June 30th in ebook, paperback, hardback and in KindleUnlimited.

A Deadly Check-In was published today!

In the latest installment of The French Quarter Mysteries, Samantha finds herself dealing with a surprise family reunion, ghosts, and murder.

Available in ebook, paperback, and in KindleUnlimited.



Let me know what you think of Sammy's next adventure in New Orleans!

Jen

Today, all cozy mystery authors and readers celebrate Agatha Christie's birthday! Here's a piece I wrote about a line from one of her books that has always stayed with me.

Everyone is a potential murderer—in everyone there arises from time to time the wish to kill � though not the will to kill.
Hercule Poirot in Curtain by Agatha Christie

I wish I could recall the first Agatha Christie novel I read. I do remember how I devoured her books starting in the fifth grade. The fun, but tame Nancy Drew books fell to the wayside as I read the Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple books with their inventive plots and insight into human nature.
I’ll read just about any mystery book, but the ones that tell personal stories are my favorite. What I mean is serial killers don’t interest me. Killing for the sake of killing doesn’t make for a compelling story. I want to read about people who decide they have no other choice but to commit murder.
As I began writing my own mysteries, I thought long and hard about the books I love. Agatha Christie’s books topped the list. Most, if not all, of her stories are about the personal reasons that made the murderer feel she or he had no other choice. This line from the book Curtain has stayed with me:
Everyone is a potential murderer � in everyone there arises from time to time the wish to kill � though not the will to kill.
Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective, says this sentence in the book, Curtain. To me, it sums up my fascination with murder mysteries. What drives someone to kill? What is the tipping point that made a person decide that murder was the best option? What makes a person go from potential murder to an actual one?

When I write a book, I start with why the murderer has killed. I don't always know who the victim is or even who the killer is, but I begin with their motivations. The point of a mystery novel is to find out who the killer is, but for me it’s just as important to discover why. Human nature is fascinating and as a mystery writer, I get to explore the dark side of it. But also the good side when the killer is revealed, and all is right for the surviving characters.
Agatha Christie’s one line in Curtain sums up my fascination with mysteries and sent me down the path to being a mystery author. I’m not a potential murderer � I have the wish and the will to kill, but only as a writer.

Jen Pitts
Author of The French Quarter Mysteries

I had a wonderful time chatting with LeAnna Shields on the Cozy Sleuth Podcast! We discuss cozy mysteries, writing, and of course, coffee and beignets.

I fell in love with New Orleans through Anne Rice’s words. Interview with the Vampire influenced me in more ways than I can count. But I can say with no doubt that Anne Rice’s books taught me that no idea is too crazy, too powerful or too heartbreaking to be included in genres of all kinds. As I reread her books this week, I’ll thank her for showing a high schooler the beauty of writing who now has the confidence to share her own words set in the city she fell in love with all those years ago.