Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba is a highly reviewed (4.3 stars – 40 reviews) story that mystery lovers will enjoy.
Should we dig for the truth when Pandora’s Box is a coffin of buried secrets? For twenty-five years, Diana Ferguson’s killer has gotten away with murder. When rookie obit writer and newsroom editorial assistant Kris Langley investigates the cold case of the artistic young cocktail waitress who was obsessed with Greek and Roman mythology, not only does she fall in love with Diana’s sexy nephew, but she must also fight to stay off the obituary page herself. Bonus features include discussion questions, author essays about the writing of the book, a deleted scene, excerpts, and a complete short story.
Interview with Stacy Juba:
1. Briefly tell us about your novel Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.
Twenty-Five Years Ago Today is a mystery novel with a touch of romance. It’s about Kris Langley, a newspaper editorial assistant who compiles the 25 and 50 years ago today column as one of her responsibilities. One day, while combing the microfilm, she stumbles across the unsolved murder of Diana Ferguson, a young artist haunted by Greek mythology. Kris becomes driven to solve it as a way of redeeming herself from a tragedy in her own past. During the course of the book, she opens a Pandora’s Box of secrets.
2. Who’s the most unusual/most likeable character?
Dex Wagner, the 70-year-old editor-in-chief of the paper, is definitely the most unusual character in the book and readers tell me that they like him also. He wears rumpled suits, baseball caps and penguin-patterned ties, and the staff considers him eccentric. The publisher is looking for an excuse to get rid of him as he and the new managing editor – a workaholic Corporate Barbie – are always clashing. Although Dex is offbeat and a bit old-fashioned, he has good news sense and knows the communities in their readership area like the back of his hand. He acts as a mentor to the protagonist, Kris Langley. Dex represents how independent newspapers are being taken over by big-city corporations which often change the small-town lifeline of the paper.
3. Tell us about your inspiration for Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.
After graduating from college, I took a part-time job in the newsroom of a small daily newspaper. Eventually I became a reporter, but when I started out, I was an obit writer and editorial assistant. One of my tasks was compiling the 25 and 50 Years Ago Today column from the microfilm. I never forgot that experience and when I was trying to think of a premise for a mystery novel, I got this idea: What if a newspaper editorial assistant stumbled across a 25-year-old cold case on the microfilm? What if a tragedy in her own past made her fixate on this murder and become driven to solve it? What if she falls in love with the victim’s nephew? That idea led to my mystery/romantic suspense novel Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.
4. Are you interested in Greek mythology or did you have to do research on it for your book?
I’ve always been interested in Greek mythology and bought my first book of Greek myths when I was around 10 or 11. I actually used that book as a reference when I was working on Twenty-Five Years Ago Today. I did need to do a little research to refresh my memory, so I could choose the best myths to write about in the novel, but I basically knew what I was looking for – I just needed to check the details.
5. What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?
I hope they felt entertained and that the book kept them turning the pages. Many readers have been surprised by the twist ending. That is my goal, for readers to be surprised and intrigued. Also, many readers have told me that they learned a lot about Greek mythology from Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, so it would be nice if the book taught them something they didn’t know much about before. Overall, I love giving people a good read that takes them away from their day-to-day stresses.
Bio: Although Stacy Juba specializes in writing adult mysteries, she has also authored books for children and young adults – she pursues whatever story ideas won’t leave her alone. Stacy’s titles include the adult mystery novels Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim, the mystery short story Laundry Day, the children’s picture books The Flag Keeper and Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise, and the upcoming young adult novels Dark Before Dawn, Face-Off and Offsides. She is a former journalist with more than a dozen writing awards to her credit.
Author web site: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/
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