Beth Riner's Blog: From Storybook Cottage

Odd Job Annie has moved up another level in the 2025 Chanticleer International Book Awards Competition!

Annie's now shortlisted for the Mystery & Mayhem Award for Not-So-Cozy Mysteries.

Happy to report that Odd Job Annie has made the long list for Chanticleer's Mystery & Mayhem 2025 Awards for Cozy and Not so Cozy Mystery Fiction!

Fingers crossed we'll make the next round of cuts.

When I started writing Odd Job Annie, I wanted a sixty-something main character
like me--a senior citizen who is living her best retirement ever! While Annie enjoys a cup of her favorite Constant Comment tea, she's just as likely to gulp down a glass of peach bubbly. Annie's not crocheting by the fire either. She comes up with this crazy concept--Odd Job Annie--to get herself out of the house to make new friends and earn a little spending money. It's the perfect setup for all sorts of hilarious adventures, and when she discovers one of her favorite clients has been attacked, she and her charming neighbor, Dickie, put their heads together. Rapidly becoming besties, Annie and Dickie are a hilarious force to be reckoned with and manage to solve the mystery in spite of themselves. It is a fast, fun read! One of my favorite mystery writers, Steve Womack, said: "Beth Riner's debut novel, Odd Job Annie, is an absolute delight! By turns spicy, saucy, hilarious and even a bit randy at times, Riner's protagonist Annie Cooper proves that retirement-age women can still have adventures, solve crimes and live life to the fullest!"