Dead Bird Launched through the Cat Door or I had my cake and ate it too!

Cake before

Thanks to everyone who came out to help me launch the latest in the Megabyte Mystery series Dead Bird through the Cat Door.  


I had two young people introduce me: Sophia and my niece Teaghan. Sophia talked about how she met me at the Owl's Nest Junior Owlette Book club and how she loved my book and loved following my blog. But when I didn't update it enough she started her own blog. She blogs at Sophia's Choice where she does book reviews. And in a weird twist of blogging fate, I now update my blog more often than she does. Thanks for the funny intro Sophia! 


My niece Teaghan talked about how writers are theives, stealing ideas from their own lives and how I stole the idea for Dead Bird through the Cat Door from her plus sized cat Stubby when Stubby brought a dead bird into my house through the cat door. Here's a picture of the ferocious Stubby as captured on my niece's ipad. Teaghan blogs at Tiny Canadian where she offers the random rantings of a Tiny Canadian. Check out both of these creative blogs (p.s. let's support the youth of today and follow their blogs!).   


Then I read from a part of the book when twin detectives Cyd and Jane are having meals with the nefarious culprits and eating suspect things like blood pudding and beak soup! 

The crowd went wild when I read from Dead Bird through the Cat Door

Another shot of the crowd going equally wild

I'm reluctant to use the word 'fan' even though I know I have a few (not counting cats). Michael is my biggest fan - his words, and he was at the book launch. I'll give you a little backstory (despite the rule about no back story until you are 2/3 of the way into the story. 


Remember my childhood friend Jane? I accidentally killed her frog (the original dead frog on the porch) and it was the jumping off point for my debut novel Dead Frog on the Porch. Then I told the story of how I tracked her down after two decades and went to her house and it was pretty much a shrine to her dead frog. 


Fast forward to last year. I did a school visit at Jane's daughter Alyssa's school. That's where I met Michael. He bought a book, read it, loved it read it a couple more times, and asked Alyssa (repeatedly) when the next book would be out. He was really excited about the book launch and there was a rumour that he was working on a 'I'm Jan Markley's biggest fan' t-shirt. It was great to see Michael and again and meet my biggest fan!  

My biggest fan Michael. 

And then, with apologies to Marie Antoinette, we let them eat cake, and then we let them eat more cake and more cake ...

Kake Karnage!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the book launch, I appreciate it! As well, thanks to those who came out to the signing in Edmonton. 


If you weren't able to make the launch or the signing Owl's Nest Books has copies of both Dead Frog on the Porch and Dead Bird through the Cat Door.  Chapters/Indigo Sunridge Mall in the N.E. has copies of both books, as does Indigo North Town in Edmonton.  


It's also available at Amazon.com.