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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

FAVORITES, FAILURES & FRUSTRATIONS--GUEST AUTHOR JUDY PENZ SHELUK

Judy Penz Sheluk’s debut mystery novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published in July 2015. Skeletons in the Attic is her latest release and the first book in her Marketville Mystery Series. Learn more about Judy and her books at her website/blog. 

Fore the Love of Golf

This blog series is titled Favorites, Failures & Frustrations, and to be honest, golf can fall into any one of those categories. Just ask Jordan Spieth about his experience at the 2016 Masters Tournament. But for this post, I’m going to concentrate on why golf is one of my favorite ways to spend time.

Now before you get the wrong idea, I’m by no means a great golfer. I seldom play 18 (lack of free time being the main factor). My typical 9-hole score runs anywhere from low 50s to high 50s, with the occasional peek into the high 40s and low 60s. In other words, the only thing consistent about my game is that I’m inconsistent.

None of that matters. Here’s why:

You can wear clothes you’d never otherwise wear. I actually have a black golf skirt with a pink paisley design that I team up with a pink top and matching visor. I have another blue and white paisley skirt. I can’t begin to imagine wearing paisley anywhere else. Or plaid shorts!

You can walk on lush green grass, surrounded by mini-beaches (also known as sand traps and ponds), and even get a bit of arm exercise while you’re at it.

If you belong to a league (I actually belong to two 9-hole ladies leagues), you can meet other golfers from all walks of life. I once golfed with a woman who was getting married for the second time at the age of 87! Naturally, the ceremony was at the golf course.

It’s a great way to network. When people ask what I do, I tell them I’m an author of mystery novels. Yes, I get people who say they don’t read, or they don’t read mysteries, or they have an idea for a book/always wanted to write a book. But golf has also opened up several book club opportunities for me, and quite a few paperback sales.

Golf keeps life in perspective. To quote Bobby Jones, the founder of Augusta National and co-founder of The Masters: “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots—but you have to play the ball where it lies.”

Skeletons in the Attic,
Book One in the Marketville Mysteries

What goes on behind closed doors doesn’t always stay there…

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable isn’t surprised to learn she’s the sole beneficiary of her late father’s estate, though she is shocked to discover she has inherited a house in the town of Marketville—a house she dfidn’t know existed. However, there are conditions attached to Callie’s inheritance: she must move to Marketville, live in the house, and solve her mother’s murder.

Callie’s not keen on dredging up a thirty-year-old mystery, but if she doesn’t do it, there’s a scheming psychic named Misty Rivers who is more than happy to expose the Barnstable family secrets. Determined to thwart Misty and fulfill her father’s wishes, Callie accepts the challenge. But is she ready to face the skeletons hidden in the attic?

1 comment:

Judy Penz Sheluk, author said...

Thanks for inviting me to talk about golf! I'd love to hear from other duffers out there.