Murder Plays Second Fiddle (The Pearly Girls Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Ivy Springs, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Keylight Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 13, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages

Synopsis

The Pearly Girls return to solve a high school reunion murder in this sequel to Murder Strikes a Chord.

Event planner Cassidy Jamison and her not-so-helpful sexagenarian staff of Roxie, Kate, Aileen, and Ruthanne are up to their elbows with a high school reunion committee’s constantly changing requirements for an event that must be the most elaborate and memorable at all costs.

When well-known reporter, Darcy Branch, and former cheerleader, Brittany Mahoney, are found dead on her property, Cassidy and the gang have to find the killer before the party’s over. And the more Cassidy and her Chihuahua mix, Elvis, dig for clues, the more deadly secrets they uncover—including one that changes everything she knows about her family’s history.

The Pearly Girls need to solve the case before the Class of 2009 goes down in Ivy Springs history as the deadliest reunion.

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Guest Post

Finding More Time to Write

by Heather Weidner

Life, the day job, family, and other responsibilities, sometimes, makes it hard to find time to write. Here are some ways that I’ve been able to squeeze in some time into a crazy schedule to make sure that I try to write every day.

1. I use my lunch hour for writing time. That gives me an extra five hours a week. On days that I work from home, I use my morning and evening commute times to write.
2. Join a Critique Group – Your group will keep you motivated and inspired. Writing is a solo thing, and you need interaction with other writers. It will also help you keep a writing schedule with deadlines.
3. Keep Score – Keep a count of your writing progress. You will quickly be able to see the peaks and valleys. It is also another good motivator. When I’m working on a book, I keep a word count each day, and it helps me hit my daily writing goals.
4. Get up Early – Get up early and devote the time to writing. (Or stay up later if you’re a night owl.)
5. Turn off the TV/Streaming – I tend to record or stream shows that I want to watch, so I don’t sit for hours watching TV or movies, and I can usually fast-forward through the commercials. I try to limit the TV time to make sure I can also fit in reading and writing into my daily routine.
6. Make it Important/Make an Appointment – When you have time off, reserve some of it for writing. If you’re serious about writing/editing, you need to make the time. I do better when I treat my writing as work that I need to do. People make the time for things they schedule.

What would you add to my list? What helps you free up more time for writing?

About the Author

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Murder by the Glass, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and Crime in the Old Dominion, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime: National, Central Virginia, Chessie, Guppies, and Grand Canyon Writers, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers, and she blogs regularly with the Writers Who Kill.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a crazy Mini Aussie Shepherd named Cooper.

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