Meet Nancy Lynn Jarvis



Bio: Nancy Lynn Jarvis has been a Santa Cruz, California, Realtor for more than twenty years. She owns a real estate company with her husband, Craig.
After earning a BA in behavioral science from San Jose State University, she worked in the advertising department of the San Jose Mercury News. A move to Santa Cruz meant a new job as a librarian and later a stint as the business manager of Shakespeare/Santa Cruz.

About Nancy Lynn's books:

The Death Contingency: Santa Cruz California Realtor Regan McHenry is an unlikely solver of mystery and murder, but when a seller turns up dead during an escrow and a Realtor friend is suspected of his murder, she has to unravel the secrets of the dead man's past to figure out why he died if she's going to help her friend.


Backyard Bones
: It’s not the first time Regan has experienced déjà-vu.

But when the sensation involves finding a second body buried where one was found just weeks before, déjà-vu takes on new meaning. Someone murdered a girl on her seventeenth birthday and, as Regan delves into the motive behind the girl’s murder, she discovers many people are trying to hide secrets about their entanglement with the dead teenager.

Regan must figure out which of them is a murderer — and she has to do it carefully or she’ll become the killer’s next victim.


Buying Murder
: Murder gets personal when human remains are found in the beach cottage that realtors Regan McHenry and her husband, Tom Kiley, buy. The murder victim has been hidden away for sixteen years, and although the authorities quickly discover his identity, the trail to his killer is cold after so many years. Regan has sworn off playing amateur detective, but when it becomes clear the police have to focus on more pressing crimes, she has to break her promise. As her friend police ombudsman Dave Everett says, “Your house, Regan, your murder.”

Confessions from a real estate agent turned murderer


I’m Nancy Lynn Jarvis. I used to sell houses for a living; now I kill people and enjoy doing it. I used to be a hard-working agent who didn’t mind putting in long hours because I loved what I did and the people I met. I wasn’t a super-star, but I won a few office awards and made a good living. My clients considered me competent, likable, professional and reliable.

So what would make a Realtor like me start killing people? Well, it began with the housing market of 2007. I’d seen down markets before but nothing like that one. My philosophy is that people should try something different every few years, so it seemed like the perfect time to take a time-out to try something new. I became a murderer… at least on paper.

I’d seen a lot in my twenty years as a Realtor. I had stories to tell—some were humdingers! Those stories became the backdrop for my murder mysteries. The murders in my books are made up--- the real estate stories are true.

My protagonist is a Realtor named Regan McHenry who enjoys finding the perfect home for her clients. Unfortunately, sometimes she finds homes with bodies in them. Regan is one of a kind; she’s the world’s only real estate agent/amateur sleuth created by a Realtor.

Originally I thought real estate agents would be the only readers of my books. I made the chapters short and the storylines easy to follow so they could pick up the books during open-house lulls. It turns out you don’t have to be an agent to enjoy the books. Readers say they love the “insider info.”

The only downside with serial killing is I’m enjoying it so much, my time-out has turned into an early retirement.

One thing concerns me, though: my blood-lust is increasing. Only three people died in the first two books. Three people died in the latest book, Buying Murder. I’m just starting to work on the fourth book, Widows Walk, and already know there will be at least four murders.

You can read the first chapter of The Death Contingency, Backyard Bones, and the newly released Buying Murder for free at http://www.goodreadmysteries.com .

You can pick up a recipe for Mysterious Chocolate Chip Cookies there, too. (Realtors often bake cookies at open houses to entice buyers so there had to be a recipe.) You’ll need to be brave to try it, but the cookies are good. And I promise they won’t kill you.

Marilyn's Note: These books sound like a lot of fun. Thank you, Nancy for being on my blog today.

Comments

Mason Canyon said…
Marilyn, thanks for hosting Nancy.

Nancy, enjoyed the post. I always enjoy meeting 'new to me' authors. I'll definitely be on the look out for your books. Best of luck.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Marilyn, thanks for having me. What a fun way to start September.

Mason, thank you for your good wishes.

Nancy
I loved reading about your books, Nancy. And once again, Mason, you are so great about following my blog. It truly is appreciated.
Thanks for having Nancy Lynn on your blog today, Marilyn. I will let my mom know about her books (she's a real estate agent), I'm sure she would enjoy them. Or maybe I'll order them for the holidays and surprise her.
Nancy Lynn Jarvis said…
Kathleen,
Realtors contact me all the time from all over the country asking, "When did you meet.....? She was just like a character in your book." I bet your mom would get a kick out of them. (If you order off my website, I can inscribe books to her.)
Nancy

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