About the Book
Book: A Shadow on the Snow
Author: JPC Allen
Genre: YA Mystery
Release date: December 1, 2021
Nineteen-year-old Rae Riley can barely believe her gamble paid off. After spending seven months investigating the identity of her father and whether he tried to murder her mother, Rae has been accepted by her dad, Sheriff Walter “Mal” Malinowski IV, and his immediate family with open hearts. And for the first time in her life, Rae is making friends, jamming with three cute cops who play outlaw country music.
But someone is leaving Rae threatening notes, reminding her of her late mother’s notorious past when Bella Rydell wrecked homes and lives during the few years she lived in rural Marlin County, Ohio. Fearing the threats will make Mal and his family reject her, Rae investigates the mystery on her own. But her amateur sleuthing may cost her the father she’s always wanted when the stalker changes targets and takes dead aim at Mal.
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About the Author
JPC Allen started her writing career in second grade with an homage to Scooby Doo. She’s been tracking down mysteries ever since and has written mystery short stories for Mt. Zion Ridge Press. Her Christmas mystery short story, “A Rose from the Ashes”, was a Selah-finalist at the Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference in 2020. Online, she offers tips and prompts to ignite the creative spark in every kind of writer. She also leads workshops for tweens, teens, and adults, encouraging them to discover the adventure of writing. A lifelong Buckeye, she has deep roots in the Mountain State. A Shadow on the Snow is her first novel.
More from JPC Allen
“Write what you know.”
This piece of advice is given to a lot of beginning writers. But many writers are successful concocting stories in fantasy worlds or researching 18th century Russia and writing brilliant historical fiction. I’ve never been comfortable in any genre but mystery, and the more I’ve written, the more I’ve come to write what I know. There’s only one me, and if I pull from my experiences, I hope to give my mysteries a unique touch.
A Shadow on the Snow is set in southeast, or Appalachian, Ohio, because that’s where I grew up. I based Wellesville on St. Clairsville, the town I lived in as a kid. The library my main character Rae Riley works in looks like the library there, and the courthouse is right across Main Street, just like in my novel.
Until I was thirty, my mom’s parents lived out in the country on a ridge between St. Clairsville and the Ohio River. Their home was my favorite place on the planet, so when I needed a farmhouse for Rae’s family, I modeled it on Grandpa and Grandma’s house. I’m sure when my sisters and cousins read about the breezeway that runs between the house and the garage and the steps that lead from it to the outside door to the walkout basement, they’ll instantly know where I got my inspiration.
None of the characters are exact copies of real people I know, but I do use traits of real people to bring my characters to life. Aaron has my oldest child’s enthusiasm for science. Jeanine shares qualities with my youngest sister. Jason Carlisle is based on a man I saw once at my youngest child’s soccer game. All the other dads who coached wore baggy t-shirts and shorts. This man looked like he’d stepped off a yacht with perfectly styled hair, a navy blue windbreaker, and tailored white shorts. In my fictional Marlin County, where most men consider a plaid shirt without a tear to be formal attire, I thought a man who is fashionable would be an interesting contrast to the other characters.
Rae has a lot of me in her. She works at a library, which I did for ten years, but I was a children’s librarian, instead of a check-out clerk. She’s interested in photography and horses like I am. Both of us are shy, don’t like to inconvenience people, and worry what others think of us. However, I have never had the courage or the nerve to set a trap for a stalker, and that experience, as well as the most heart-pounding scenes in my book, are pure inventions. There’s a limit to writing what you know, and as a mystery writer, I’m very glad I can write about crimes without having to experience them!
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 18
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 18
Nancy E Wood, December 19
Texas Book-aholic, December 20
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 21
Inklings and notions, December 22
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, December 23
Bigreadersite, December 23
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, December 24 (Author Interview)
Vicarious Living, December 25
For Him and My Family, December 26
deb’s Book Review, December 27
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 28
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 28
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, December 29
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, December 30 (Spotlight)
Blogging With Carol, December 30
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, December 31
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, JPC is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, a signed copy of Christmas Fiction Off the Beaten Path, a signed copy of A Shadow on the Snow, and a bookmark based on the artwork of an Ohio artist!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/14f21/a-shadow-on-the-snow-celebration-tour
My Review
I enjoyed reading A Shadow on the Snow by JPC Allen. This first installment from their A Rae Riley Mystery series is, also, the first book I have read by this author and it will not be the last. It was a great introduction for me. It had a lot that I enjoy in a book: mystery, suspense, action, and adventure. I like that it was not easily predictable and never knew what was going to happen next.
I am giving A Shadow on the Snow four and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who enjoy reading clean suspense filled mysteries. I would love to read more like this one from JPC Allen in the future and will be looking forward to reading the next book from the A Rae Riley Mystery.
I received a paperback copy of A Shadow on the Snow from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.