Knock on Wood

--by Linda O. Johnston

This is one of THOSE months.

Which months?

Months in which I have a new release from Midnight Ink!

This time, it's KNOCK ON WOOD, my second Superstition Mystery.  The series features Rory Chasen, a superstition agnostic who's come to Destiny, California, which is all about superstitions, to learn their reality after her fiancé walked under a ladder and was killed.  Her arrival, and the first murder she has to solve, was described in the first Superstition Mystery LOST UNDER A LADDER.  In that book, she's also asked to manage the Lucky Dog Boutique by its owner, whose life Rory's lucky black and white dog Pluckie saves.

In KNOCK ON WOOD, Rory's best friend Gemma arrives for a visit, stays to manage the nearby Broken Mirror Bookstore, and winds up being a murder suspect.  Guess who has to help clear her.

I love writing cozy mysteries!  I like putting myself in the figurative shoes of my protagonists.  Not that I'd ever want to stumble over a dead body or have to save my friends or myself from arrest by figuring out whodunit, but it's a wonderful outlet for my active imagination. 

Plus, all my mysteries star dogs--and I'm a real dog lover.  In fact, as I've been sitting here writing this post and some other material I've had to leave my computer for a few minutes now and then when instructed by one of my dogs to take them outside or open the front door so they can see the world and seek treats that neighbors bring!

And with the Superstition Mysteries, I get the added benefit of researching and including all kinds of superstitions.  Yes, the most common ones like--of course--knocking on wood and crossing fingers are there a lot, and there's at least one black cat in Destiny, but I also use many less known superstitions.

Which ones?  Well, you could always pick up a copy of LOST UNDER A LADDER and, in a couple of days, KNOCK ON WOOD and find out!