Nancy Lynn Jarvis, author of "The Murder House"

Today I'd like welcome Nancy Lynn Jarvis, author of "The Murder House" to the Thursday interview. Before we get started, a quick intro!

Nancy Lynn Jarvis has been a Santa Cruz, California, Realtor for twenty years.  She owns a real estate company with her husband, Craig. After earning a BA in behavioral science from San Jose State University, she worked in the advertising department of the San Jose Mercury News.  A move to Santa Cruz meant a new job as a librarian and later a stint as the business manager of Shakespeare/Santa Cruz. Nancy's work history reflects her philosophy: people should try something radically different every few years.  Writing is her newest adventure. She invites you to take a peek into the real estate world through the stories that form the backdrop of her Regan McHenry mysteries.  Details and ideas come from Nancy's own experiences. If you're one of her clients or colleagues, read carefully - you may find characters in her books who seem familiar.  You may know the people who inspired them - you may even see yourself in print.

OK - HERE WE GO !!

No.1  Would you break the law to save a loved one? .. why?

In a New York Minute if they were physically threatened. If they broke the law and I thought the law was valid — for example, if they murdered someone — my decision would potentially be quite different. I always admired the Unibomber’s relatives who turned him in to the authorities. 

No.2  What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

Being alive has to do with the body functioning with or without help. Truly living goes to quality of life. I always say I wouldn’t want to continue living if my quality of life was diminished beyond a certain point, but I think the decision as to where that line is can only be determined by an individual for themselves. I very much believe people should have written instructions for their family about their end of life wishes. 

No.3  What motivates you to write?

I write because I have so much fun doing it. Ancestrally, I’m Irish and love to hear and tell stories. I used to make up stories for my kids when they were little; now I put my tales on paper so I can share them with more people.

No.4  Why do humans want children?

 I don’t know, but I wish I did so I could motivate my children to produce grandkids.

No.5  What was the biggest challenge in creating your book "The Murder House" ?

Editing. Writing is fun. Finding the elements for doing a cover is fun, but editing, groan. My editors (I have two) sometimes make me get rid of my favorite sentences, tell me that, while I may know what I mean, if it isn’t on paper they don’t, and that I could say the same thing better and should try again. No fun at all.

No.6  What is the most important thing you have learned in life so far? 

That you shouldn’t wait until the “right time” to try something. If you put off doing something you want to do, your life could be over before you had a chance to pursue what may make you happy beyond your expectations.

No.7  How did you come up with the title "The Murder House" ?

The Murder House was obvious to me. Here’s the back cover info so you can see what I mean: Every community has a house that people walk by hurriedly, nervously peeking at it out of the corners of their eyes. Bonny Doon is no exception. A bloody double homicide occurred in the Murder House almost twenty years ago and the killer has eluded capture ever since. Recently the house was inherited and the new owner wants to sell. The problem is no one wants to buy a house with a reputation and reports that it’s home to ghosts. The seller thinks Realtor Regan McHenry would make a perfect listing agent ― after all, with her penchant for playing amateur sleuth, she’s no stranger to murder. This is the perfect mystery to read if you don’t believe in ghosts — and an even better mystery to read if you do.

No.8  How do you handle personal criticism?

I’d like to say with a thick skin, but it wouldn’t be true. I try not to show it, but I am more easily wounded than I would like to be.

No.9  Why should people read your book? 

People should read my book(s) if they want to be entertained. My books aren’t heavy reading. They are perfect rainy day, beach, or as you get on an airplane reads.

No.10 Why is there something rather than nothing? 

Don’t know except that if there was nothing, you couldn’t be asking me that question.

Thanks Nancy for taking the time to answer my questions & the best of luck with your new book! 

Check out her new book "The Murder House" on

GOODREADS & AMAZON

Every community has a house that people walk by hurriedly, nervously peeking at it out of the corners of their eyes. There's a house like that in Santa Cruz that the community has dubbed The Murder House. A bloody double murder occurred there almost twenty years ago and the killer has eluded capture ever since. The house was recently inherited and the new owner wants to sell. The problem is no one wants to buy a house with a violent history and a reputation that it is home to ghosts. The owner thinks Realtor Regan McHenry would make a perfect listing agent; after all, with her penchant for playing amateur sleuth, she’s no stranger to murder. This is the perfect mystery to read if you don’t believe in ghosts and an even better mystery to read if you do.

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