Tracy Weber
I collect oxymorons—or to be more technically correct, oxymora—and like to pepper my conversations with same difference, random order, and open secret. When I use less common oxymora such as planned spontaneity, controlled chaos, clean dirt, and pontificatory salvos, I enjoy watching the puzzled expressions on the faces of listeners who wonder whether they should laugh or not.
But
I was taken aback by the yoga oxymoron that suddenly appeared in the pages of
my cozy mystery, A Season for Killing Blondes. While creating a character
sketch of Gilda Greco (protagonist), I decided to include her interest in yoga.
I had originally intended for yoga instructor Jean Taylor to be a minor
character, but she decided to misbehave, and in doing so, found herself embroiled
in a murder investigation.
In
the early chapters, we hear only positive comments about the calm and
thoughtful yoga instructor who lights candles and radiates kindness and
goodness. She takes an active interest in the lives of her students and goes
out of her way to make them feel welcome and at ease in her classes. Able to
effectively lead classes of five or thirty, Jean supports a spontaneous,
intuitive style of teaching. Quietly, she works the room, letting each of her
students know she is watching and paying attention to their moves while stopping
to give a gentle nudge, a firm adjustment, or a high-five.
And
she thinks nothing of extending that positive energy beyond the walls of her yoga
studio.
Weeks
before the opening of Gilda’s ReCareering office, Jean researched and ordered a
River Rock Lucky Bamboo plant. Unable to restrain herself, Jean gushed to
everyone about the three symbols—wealth, happiness, longevity—inherent in each
plant.
Without
giving too much away, I’ll say that Jean experienced an abrupt change of plans
when she decided to personally deliver the plant on the eve of Gilda’s Open
House. Thrown off kilter, she retreats to her aunt’s cottage and resurfaces
several days later in an altered state.
Short
excerpt...
“Stay
out of my life, bitch!” A blast of cool air accompanied a loud, vaguely
familiar voice.
Jean
Taylor stood in the doorway, clutching a pair of scissors in her hands. The
normally well-groomed yogini wore baggy gray sweats. Her blonde hair hung in
disarray and looked like it hadn’t been washed in days. Jean’s angry eyes
surveyed the room, and then she walked briskly toward the bamboo plant. She
savagely cut the stalks and threw them on the floor. “May you have decades of
bad luck.” She slammed the door and ran out.
A
yoga instructor with anger management issues – Could she have murdered four
blondes?
Blurb
Hours before
the opening of her career counseling practice, Gilda Greco discovers the dead
body of golden girl Carrie Ann Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside
her office. Gilda’s life and budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo
Fantin, her former high school crush, conducts the investigation.
When three
more dead blondes turn up all brutally strangled and deposited near Gilda’s
favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime suspect for the murders. Frustrated
by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s
meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch her own investigation. She
discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga instructor in need of anger
management training, a lecherous photographer, and fourteen ex-boyfriends.
As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking
revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long
overlooked.
Trailer
Buy Links
Amazon
(United States) - http://is.gd/jADjPp
Kobo
- http://is.gd/BpO9gY
Bio
In high school, Joanne dabbled in poetry, but it
would be over three decades before she entertained the idea of writing as a
career. She listened to her practical Italian side and earned degrees in
mathematics and education. She experienced many fulfilling moments as she
watched her students develop an appreciation (and sometimes, love) of
mathematics. Later, she obtained a post-graduate diploma as a career
development practitioner and put that skill set to use in the co-operative
education classroom. She welcomed this opportunity to help her students
experience personal growth and acquire career direction through their
placements.
In 2008, she took advantage of early retirement and
decided to launch a second career that would tap into her creative side and utilize
her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her
articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online.
When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in
her novels and short stories. A member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of
Canada, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes paranormal romance, cozy
mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.
Where to find Joanne...
Website: http://joanneguidoccio.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanneguidoccio
