Mrs. Odboddy, Hometown Patriot

Mrs. Odboddy - Hometown Patriot is a riotous romp through a small California town in the days following Pearl Harbor when all American housewives were called upon to ration their food, take on a factory job or volunteer for multiple war-effort projects. From serving on the coast watch to collecting papers and cans, all the while exposing black market conspiracies and spies, Agnes Odboddy is the epitome of the home front warrior.

Mrs. Odboddy vows to bring the villains, both foreign and domestic, to justice, all while keeping chickens in the bathroom, volunteering at the Ration Stamp Office and knitting argyles for the boys on the front lines.

Imagine the chaos when Agnes’s long lost WWI lover returns, hoping to find $1,000,000,000 in missing Hawaiian money and rekindle their ancient romance. In the thrilling conclusion, Agnes’s predictions become a reality when Mrs. Roosevelt unexpectedly comes to Newbury to attend a funeral and Agnes must prove that she is, indeed, a hometown patriot.

Elaine Faber

'Quirky, elderly Mrs. Odboddy lives in a small CA town during WWII. Though committed to 'fighting the war from the home front' by volunteering and freely giving her time, she imagines Nazi spies and black market conspiracies under every cabbage bush. When Mrs. Roosevelt comes to town, Mrs. Odboddy must prove she is, indeed, a hometown patriot.'

Trying to consolidate a 278 page humorous WWII novel into 57 words or less fails to explain the intricacies, humor, romance, intrigue, historical events, or plot in my cozy mystery novel, Mrs. Odboddy - Hometown Patriot.

Every day, I sit at my computer and words fall onto the written page. I spend hours researching, taking notes, plotting out the mystery, thinking up red herrings, bringing bad guys to heel, writing and rewriting scenes, creating my characters by day and dreaming about them at night. Writing is my life’s dream and I love it.

However, when I wrote my first little ditties in high school, no one told me that ‘being an author’ would demand more than writing stories. Now, I find that I must master the skills of a publicist, a bookkeeper, a full time blogger, cover artist and skilled orator, keeping my eyes peeled and ears tuned for panel or speaking opportunities.

One more thing... As authors, we are expected to memorize an ‘elevator pitch’ about our books in the event that someday at a conference or convention, we have an opportunity to impress a literary agent or publisher.

We should command his undivided attention with an opening hook, define our plot’s originality, create a desire to read our scintillating novel, convince him that our novel will become a New York Best Seller, and justify why everyone from a cowboy in Texas to a stock broker in New York will buy our book with their last dollar. All this in 60 seconds or less.

I get it. These days of self-publishing or limited promotion even from traditional publishing houses, an author must be master at jack of all trades. It requires a smattering of skills in many areas or a staff of six to handle all the details. Though not necessarily a ‘master’ of any, I’ve become somewhat proficient in most.

But, never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I’d have to excel in a 60-second spiel about my book on the off chance that I might find myself ‘riding in an elevator’ to the 38^th floor of the New York Stock Exchange with a Random House publisher.

In my case, I imagine it might go something like this. “Uh.. You’re that Random House guy, aren’t you! Here. Let me push this button and stop this thing. I wrote a book, see...called Mrs. Odboddy-Hometown Patriot. It’s about this quirky, old lady who sees Nazi spies…”

Elaine Faber is a member of Sisters in Crime, Inspire Christian Writers, and Cat Writers Association. She has published four novels. Many short stories are published in eight anthologies. She favors writing in the cozy mystery and humorous mystery genre.

Elaine lives in Northern California with her husband and four housecats, the inspiration for the Black Cat Mysteries. Elaine denies that she is the inspiration for quirky Mrs. Odboddy, though she volunteers at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop. Conspiracies and spies? Not so much. 

Mrs. Odboddy-Hometown Patriot: http://tinyurl.com/hdbvzsv

Black Cat’s Legacy: http://tinyurl.com/lrvevgm

Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer: http://tinyurl.com/q3qrgyu

Black Cat and the Accidental Angel: http://tinyurl.com/07scsm2