Guest Post

Guest Chick + Giveaway: J.C. Kenney

What an absolute pleasure to welcome back longtime friend o’ the Chicks, J.C. Kenney, as our guest blogger! J.C. is a bestselling author, webcast host, cat lover, and all-around wonderful person. Today, he connects his latest release to some bookish geography, along with some great shout-outs and recommendations. Take it away, J.C.!

Thank You, Florida Storytellers

Hey there, folks! It’s always a blast to hang out with the Chicks. Today, I’m in celebration mode. You see, on September 26, Panic in the Panhandle arrived. It’s the first book in my brand-new Elmo Simpson Mysteries series. Set on the Florida panhandle in the fictional town of Paradise Springs, Panic is my love letter to all the legendary outrageousness that is the state of Florida.


I got the idea for Panic when my wife, Nancy, and I vacationing in Panama City Beach the last week of February, 2020. Calling the project my “No More F’s to Give Book,” I leaned into the idea that nothing was too weird in Paradise Springs. Thus, we have Elmo Simpson, a sleuth who spends his days crawling around buildings removing wild animals. We have a member of the community who may be a vampire. We have a restaurant run by a world-famous chef so frightening she made Gordon Ramsey cry.

You get the idea.

Confession time. I’m not from Florida.  Most of you probably knew that already. What, you may ask, gave this guy from Indianapolis the idea he could pull off writing a book set in Florida? Two things. First, I’ve been fortunate to have been able to vacation in the state since I was ten years old. I’ve been there so many times, I’ve stopped counting. From Destin to Daytona to Fort Myers and points beyond, I’ve seen a lot of the place first-hand. The second thing? I’ve read of stories set in Florida and by Florida-based authors. Without them, Panic in the Panhandle and the rest of the upcoming books in the Elmo Simpson Mysteries wouldn’t exist.

So, without further ado, here are a few authors I want to thank, along with a few recommendations for your TBR pile.

Elmore Leonard: An absolute legend of crime fiction, Leonard’s affinity for two-bit criminals and others on the edge of society you couldn’t help rooting for taught me a ton about characterization. His dialogue is second to none, too. For some zaniness in the Sunshine State, check out Maximum Bob, a story involving a corrupt judge, among other colorful characters. Another absolute delight is Rum Punch, the story of a flight attendant caught between the cops and a group of criminals. The Pam Grier film, Jackie Brown, is based on Rum Punch. While the movie is fabulous, be aware that Quentin Tarantino changed the setting from Florida to Southern California.


Raquel Reyes: Raquel writes the fantastic Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series, featuring Latina amateur sleuth Miriam Quiñones-Smith. These cozy mysteries are set in the Miami area, where Raquel lives, and include wonderful recipes along with twisty-turny mysteries. Mango, Mambo, and Murder is the first book in the series and will leave you hungry for more.


Carl Hiaasen: What can I say about the now-retired Florida journalist who has gifted us legendary crime-filled satires for over forty years? The man is a gift to the world of literature and the natural world of Florida. Everything is on display in his novels, from the breathtaking beauty of the coastlines and wildlife to the greed of those who want to pave over every inch of the state for their own selfish reasons. To me, Hiaasen is to the world of crime fiction what Sir Terry Pratchett was to the world of fantasy fiction—one of the foremost satirists of our time. My personal favorite novel is Razor Girl, the second story involving Miami cop turned food inspector Andrew Yancy. I couldn’t write the post without mentioning Tourist Season. It features the newspaper columnist turned terrorist Skip Wiley. Love him or hate him, he reappeared a few years later on Jimmy Buffett’s Barometer Soup album in “The Ballad of Skip Wiley.” That’s pretty cool.


Tara Lush: Tara’s another wonderful Florida-based cozy mystery author. Her stories feature wonderfully written amateur sleuths in wonderfully outlandish situations. Gator Queen, book 1 in Lush’s Critters and Criminals series, features Maggie Andrews, who’s left her job at the Boston Zoo to return home to Wahoo, Florida and take over her father’s gator trapping business. Florida at its finest. Tara also writes the Crescent Moon Mysteries. Also set in Florida, this fun series even features a cat names Freddie Purrcury.  


Jimmy Buffett: I saved the best for last. Jimmy’s influence on my writing, and on my life, cannot be understated. Above all else, the man, who spent years in the Florida Keys, was a storyteller beyond compare. Take the song “He Went to Paris” for example. In three minutes, Buffett gives us a heartbreaking tale of one man’s remarkable life. In my perfect world, a filmmaker would turn that song into an award-winning epic film. Tales From Margaritaville, his collection of short stories, gives us a glimpse into the tropical lives of many characters the man immortalized in song. The Jolly Mon is a wonderful children’s book that my wife and I read to our children countless times when they were little. Albion the dolphin is a character I’d love to mee someday. My favorite Buffett novel is Where is Joe Merchant?, one of the most entertaining stories I have ever read. It’s a crime novel, travelogue, action adventure, and so much more. I love the story so much, I have part of the book’s cover tattooed on my arm. How’s that for devotion?

So, that’s my tip of the hat to Elmore, Raquel, Carl, Tara, and Jimmy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of them. Panic in the Panhandle wouldn’t exist without them.

There are many, many other fantastic stories written by fabulous authors with Florida connections.

If you have a recommendation or simply want to send a shout out to a Florida writer, let’s hear it! I’ll send an ecopy of Panic in the Panhandle (either pdf or epub format) to a randomly selected commenter.

About Panic in the Panhandle

This is no ordinary wild animal removal call…

In the sleepy panhandle of Florida, Benjamin “Elmo” Simpson has carved out a comfortable niche as the go-to wild animal removal specialist. Life is sweet until a peculiar service request takes him to a local condo and an unexpected scene. Retired lawyer Fran Cohen is missing and in his apartment is a well-fed alligator that appears to have enjoyed a nice breakfast with…or rather, of…Fran.

All evidence points toward murder, and local alligator farmer, Waldo “Rambo” Quigley has the motive and the means. When Rambo pleads for help to clear his name, old debts and a history of friendship leave Elmo no choice but to investigate. With his girlfriend, Nicola, by his side, and Rambo’s freedom on the line, Elmo’s on the hunt for the real killer, but don’t panic…Elmo’s got a plan…sort of. Maybe.

Reptilian clues lead to unexpected allies, and the call of danger is addictive. Can Elmo uncover the identity of Fran’s killer before becoming the next victim, removed from the scene like an unwanted pest?

You can purchase your copy of Panic in the Panhandle here.

***

About J.C.

J.C. Kenney is the bestselling author of mysteries full of oddball characters in unusual settings. He’s also the co-host of The Bookish Hour and The Bookish Moment webcasts. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He has two grown children and lives in Indianapolis with his wife and a cat. You can learn more about J.C. at www.jckenney.com.

43 thoughts on “Guest Chick + Giveaway: J.C. Kenney”

  2. Thanks for the interesting and informative post, JC. I’ll be adding a copy of your book to my TBR pile.

    My recommendation of a Florida author has to be the Doc Ford series by Randy Wayne White. His books are so good I actually delay reading them, because I don’t want to be finished with the series and have no more to discover. His settings are beautiful and his characters memorable.

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  4. I’ve enjoyed the stories of Florida and its people for some time. I’m not sure that as a midwestern I could handle meeting them in person!

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  5. Your new book sounds wonderful!!! Cozies are my genre of choice, and with the world turning upside down of late, one that will take me to a place where I can submerse myself in a mystery and give me a smile or belly laugh as well would be perfect. We all need an escape at times. Books are mine. Thank you to all the authors who keep me smiling, and at the end of each book, wanting to know what happens next to all these wonderful characters!

    Carol

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    1. That is so kind of you to say! I agree, stories are a fantastic way to travel and I love it when the good guys come out on top in the end.

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  9. Hi J.C.–I think you forgot Randy Wayne White’s Doc Ford series–and oh yeah–ME. I write the Haunted Haven series (Kensington) Book #4, “Haunting License” released in July2024. CarolJ.Perry

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  10. Thanks for guesting with us, JC! Hurrah on the new Elmo Simpson series! I’ve only been to Florida once (and for a quick trip), so it’s great to armchair travel via books.

    Thanks for all the recs–and I didn’t know about all the stories written by Jimmy Buffett!

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    1. I hope you get to experience Florida firsthand sometime soon, Jen. Though that is a long haul for you.

      Do yourself a favor and check out one of Jimmy’s books. They’re all full of outlandish fun!

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      1. I love all the books mentioned, and always appreciate a reason to revisit Jimmy Buffet! I’m thinking one of my other faves is Florida-based, Tim Dorsey. Always good for a ridiculous laugh! Congrats on a great series, JC!

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  11. JC,

    this story sounds great! I read a lot of Florida writers who write about Florida, but seldom is the A word mentioned. Which is surprising to me. I’ve only seen one short series that involves alligators. Early 2000s maybe. Harriet? Yes, the dirty Harriet mystery series.
    you write such quirky characters in odd places and wacky jobs. Love them!
    let’s see more Elmo!

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    1. Thank you so much, Hestia! It’s a joy to write Elmo and the gang, and I am so happy that comes across on the page. Cheers!

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  12. I love Florida, from the FSU Flying High Circus in Tallahassee, to the symphony orchestra in Sarasota, to the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, to the Cypress Knee Museum (now, alas, gone) in Palmdale, and to Key West and MIami!

    And speaking of Key West, may I recommend the marvelous Key West Food Critic Mysteries by Lucy Burdette. Fun, frolic, food, and very Florida!

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    1. Thanks for the fabulous recommendations, Leslie! I really want to visit the Dali Museum. And thanks for the Lucy Burdette shout out. You can’t go wrong when Key West is involved!

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  13. Being in CA, I haven’t been able to visit Florida in person as much as I would like. But I’ve enjoyed it when I’ve been.

    Congrats on the new book! (And please do enter me in this giveaway.)

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  14. Hi JC: Love this post! And huge congratulations on your book. Can’t wait to read it. Wishing you much success. (We’re currently watching Bad Monkey on Apple–maybe your book will be adapted too, fingers crossed.)

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  15. Appreciate it, Cynthia! And, Bad Monkey, I am loving it to the moon and back! I’ve had a few kind folks mention Panic in the Panhandle in the same breath as Bad Monkey, which is beyond my wildest imagination!

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  16. Huge congrats on Panic in the Panhandle, JC! What a fabulous ride. I am awaiting the TV series anxiously. My fave FL authors include Tim Dorsey as well as all the authors on your list. I love hilarious books with FL settings! (I wrote a FL-based series myself, showing the glitzy (and not-so-glitzy) side of Gulf Coast FL: the Ladies Smythe & Westin Mysteries. The books feature an oddball sleuth duo of a 70-something retiree from Ohio and a 20-something party girl from LA. Setting is a fancy retirement community with a town based on Naples. (It does include gators and escaped pythons–and a lot of those little screen lizards– as well, ha.) Congrats again!

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  20. Winner alert! Congratulations to Liz Million, who was randomly selected to win an ebook of Panic in the Panhandle!

    Please email me at jc@jckenney.com with your preferred format, epub or PDF, and I’ll get it out to you. Cheers!

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  21. YI first went to the Florida Keys in 1982 and loved those islands. We got there just a few months after the new bridge was opened so we did not get to drive across the old bridge, but it was still complete then. We went back several times after that but the most was from 2003 to 2016. All of the above authors are fabulous choices for Florida authors. I have read them all and I was going to mention several that you did not list, like Randy Wayne White, Lucy Burdette, Tom Corcoran, Laurence Shamus, Lawrence Sanders, Stuart Woods, Tim Dorsey, Sherry Harris (Chloe Jackson and the Sea Glass Saloon), and my very favorite was John D. McDonald’s Travis McGee novels (though some of those were mentioned by others above). I read the Travis McGee series while in high school as they were my father’s favorites. But I also read John Leslie’s Gideon Lowry Mysteries. I read the latter while in the Florida Keys. We used to go to the Keys every year for thirteen consecutive years where we rented a house on a canal in Marathon, one house away from the ocean from 2003 until 2016 starting at two weeks, then staying for a month and finally for two months every year. There was a cool bookstore there owned by a Florida Conch that mostly carried Florida set books. My husband drove us across the 7-Mile-Bridge at least once every day of those thirteen years. We figured that was about two years of crossing that bridge all added up or something like that. I thought I wrote it down but guess I did not, so will have to go back and add it up. Yours will be on my TBR list also.

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