Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate: A WWII Tale of Political Shenanigans and Snookery (Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries) by Elaine Faber Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate: A WWII Tale of Political Shenanigans and Snookery (Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries) by Elaine Faber
Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate: A WWII Tale of Political Shenanigans and Snookery (Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries)
Historical Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – California
Publisher : Elk Grove Publications (October 6, 2024)
Paperback : 262 pages
As the war continues to rage in Europe, Election Day approaches in Newbury. Among other inequities, the Newbury City Council makes it difficult for local women to obtain business licenses even for home-bases businesses. Mrs. Odboddy decides to run for the vacant city council seat, but she has no idea what political obstacles she will face. The trouble starts, first with disasters in her home, to violence and racism against her friends, and then theft charges are filed against her!
To make matters worse, her granddaughter’s old boyfriend has returned to town declaring his unwanted, undying love. His heroic responses to multiple adverse events affecting the family make it difficult for Katherine to send him packing.
Agnes suspects her political opponent is behind all the trouble, including the state’s attempts to remove their beloved ward, Mattie. It seems that Agnes is up against a conniving opponent who will stop at nothing to prevent her winning the election. How can she prevail against such sinister deeds? Is winning an election worth it when her family is at risk?
Join Agnes as she faces overwhelming odds in her efforts to bring much needed change to Newbury.
Author Guest Post: Rationing During WWII
While researching events for my humorous Mrs. Odboddy mystery/adventures; most recently Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate, I found some interesting information about life in the USA during WWII:
Rationing: Because vital supplies were needed for the troops, ration stamp booklets were issued to American housewives. Meat, sugar, and fresh fruit were in short supply and could only be purchased with the appropriate ration stamp. Eggs were few and costly, resulting in many chickens residing in suburban backyards and Mrs. Odboddy’s backyard is no exception. Her goal was ‘free eggs.’ (If you’ve ever tried to raise a back yard chicken, you know how well that usually turns out.)
For a period of time during part of 1942-43, blockades affecting Brazilian ships attempting to bring coffee and sugar to the USA caused coffee rationing to one pound per adult every six weeks. (Agnes thought this, alone, was a good reason to go to war!)
Tires: A citizen was allowed to purchase only five tires during the entire war. By today’s standards, that sounds sufficient, but despite a 35 mph national speed limit, bumpy roads and poor quality rubber led to multiple flat tires. Doctors and public safety professionals were allowed to purchase additional tires and gasoline stamps. Gasoline was rationed to four gallons per week per adult. This led to ‘under the table arrangements’ between friends willing to sell tire and gasoline stamps they didn’t need. (Could it also have led to black market activities?) You betcha!
In the novel, Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate, several dramatic scenes take place at the Flying Red Horse Service station, owned by Horace Faggenbacher, Mrs. Odboddy’s unworthy political opponent, who laid awake nights, plotting how to obstruct poor Agnes in her campaign to run for the vacant city council seat.
Along with other housewives, Mrs. Odboddy had a Victory Garden. It was considered unpatriotic not to have a victory garden. Often, suburban front yards were converted to rows of cabbages, zucchinis, tomatoes and carrots. High yield vegetables requiring limited growing space became the main ingredient of Meatless Monday meals. It is reported that even Mrs. Roosevelt planted zucchini in the White House Rose Garden.
In Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate, you’ll follow Agnes Odboddy through her beleaguered campaign against a scoundrel opponent. In the exciting conclusion, Agnes is caught up in events that might even endanger her life. Surely, it is an opportunity for Agnes to weigh the time, expectations, and grief involved with a political campaign, against the cost to her family.
Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate https://tinyurl.com/48c77skh
About Elaine Faber
Elaine is a member of Sisters in Crime (SIC), Northern California Publishers and Authors (NCPA), and Elk Grove Writers Guild (EGWG). She has published eleven cozy mystery novels, a humorous historical fiction series, a cozy cat mystery series, an anthology of short cat stories, a paranormal mystery, and multiple short stories published in twenty-one independent anthologies.
Three of Elaine’s “Mrs. Odboddy” fiction novels have won NCPA book awards. Her cat novels have received Cat Writers Association Excellence in Writing Certificates, and she has won numerous awards for her short stories through various venues and contests.
Elaine volunteers at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Elk Grove, CA. She lives with her husband, and Truffie, who contributes inspiration for many of her cat-related stories and novels.
Author Links: Website www.mindcandymysteries.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001875864349
Purchase Link – Amazon
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Mrs. Oddbody and the Conniving Candidate TOUR PARTICIPANTS
December 9 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
December 9 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW
December 10 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
December 10 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 11 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 12 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 12 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
December 13 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 15 – Connie’s History Classroom – REVIEW
December 16 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 18 – Ruff Drafts – RECIPE
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Thanks for the opportunity to share my book with your readers. I know they will enjoy Mrs. Odboddy’s antics and might actually learn something about WWII and how folks had to cope during these interesting times. Elaine
You’re welcome! This is one of my favorite time periods to read about.