Dead Men Don't Chew Gum: A Martin and Owen Mystery (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781981928248)

Since my parents left their Texas/Louisiana homes to find adventure in California, that's where I was born. We eventually moved to Texas, but as a native Californian, I still qualify to use words like "vibe" and "aura" without ridicule. I'm known for my sense of humor and my annoying habit of turning everything into a song. As a child, I dreamed that someday, I'd be in a random place, start singing and everyone around me would burst into song spontaneously. In my 40's, I found a soul mate who is a natural musician. He and my musically talented step-son make my dreams come true by jumping in and singing, humming or duh-duh-duhing along with anything from classical to rock. My daughter eggs us on, participates, or simply jumps in to correct mis-sung lyrics, depending on her mood. My writing inspirations are my parents, who married outside their cultures and found great fun and humor in celebrating people's differences, my college roommates from Central America who made me aware of the "Latin-ness" in my heart, and my ESL students. I've taught English to adult students from all over the world. Their stories have been an inspiration to me. I started teaching ESL just before my mother died. I cried constantly for a year and the only time I could forget her tragic death was when I was teaching my classes. Then one night, after a lifetime of writing journalistic and marketing materials and teaching, I started writing a novel, then I wrote another and another. Now, I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. You can find me at ninacordoba.com.