Uncles and Ants (Silicone Valley Mysteries) Book Tour, Guest Post, and Giveaway

In the lobby, I found a quiet corner to call Sergeant Jackson.
If this wasn’t all just a crazy series of mishaps, then I had no idea who might have tried to
kill Laney. It could have been someone good with technology, like me, who tried to get the drone
to crash into her. Maybe they’d heard she survived the crash on the news, instead of getting a call
from the nurse, like me. They could have learned what hospital room Laney was in by checking
the directory … just like I did.
I put the pieces together. Either I had tried to kill her, this was all a crazy coincidence, or
someone else was trying to murder Laney. I knew I hadn’t done it so that left a valley full of
other techies. Or, my imagination was overheating again.
Sergeant Jackson’s voicemail answered on the first ring. I hadn’t prepared a crisp
summary of the situation. Instead, I left a lengthy, and likely confusing, message for him.
Perhaps in another lapse in the childhood etiquette lessons from my mother, I’d never
practiced crafting a voicemail message to a police officer that someone might have tried to kill
my thirty-seven-year-old sister with a rogue drone and then had accidentally killed a terminally
ill, elderly Vietnamese woman in a room with my sister’s name on the door. Or that the elderly
woman, who wasn’t my sister, had a really loud and close family in a city outside of the officer’s
jurisdiction, and was in the process of distracting those police officers from investigating the
possible attempted murder of my sister.
Well, maybe crazy people practiced things like that in their head. Too many people
already thought I was wacky. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was paranoid. But as they said, just
because you were paranoid didn’t mean they weren’t after you.
Or your sister.
OPTION 3
I realized I hadn’t updated my

Guest Post by Marc Jedel: An Interview with his protagonist, Marty Golden
My book, Uncle and Ants: A Silicon Valley Mystery, is a humorous murder mystery.
Silicon Valley is not your typical, cozy mystery locale and Marty Golden doesn’t fit the normal
profile of a mystery protagonist. Despite finding himself thrust into challenging situations, Marty
isn’t exactly hero material. He has a wonderful combination of wit, irreverent humor and
sarcasm mixed in with nerdy insecurities, absent-mindedness, and fumbling but effective
amateur sleuthing skills. With an active inner voice and not a lot of advanced planning, he
throws himself into solving problems.
To get a better understanding of Marty, his Silicon Valley and his friends, here’s the transcript of
a recent interview I completed with Marty. [Responses have been edited for clarity.]
Marc [Author]: Thanks for meeting with me today. How do you feel about all this attention?
Marty: Have to tell you the truth, it makes me uncomfortable. Is everyone here because I did
such a good job at work? Am I getting a bonus or something? Is there going to be cake?
Marc [Author]: Mmhmm
Marty: Wait, are you writing that down? Geez, you seem a little obsessed with my life. Every
time I turn around it seems like you’re hanging over my shoulder.
Marc [Author]: Calm down. You’re imagining things. I’m not obsessed with you. I’ve got my
own life. I’m just being friendly and supportive. You’ve had a tough week recently, didn’t you?
Marty: I sure did. Work was crazy busy. On top of that, I had to take care of my nieces while my
sister was in the hospital all week. And then everything went off the rails when I started
investigating her clients. It feels like I barely kept my job. I don’t know how people do it.
Marc [Author]: Yes, raising kids while working is really hard, especially if you have to do it by
yourself.
Marty: Oh, I meant being a detective. But, sure, I agree with you.
Marc [Author]: Do you have a personal motto?
Marty: What?
Marc [Author]: A motto. You know, something that defines who you are and helps remind you
how to live your life.
Marty: That’s kinda out of the blue and seems weird. I mean I know this is California and all.
Well, I guess I’d say I try to live by words from my dad: “If the appetizers are good, eat them.
You never know what’s coming for dinner.”
Marc [Author]: Interesting perspective. Speaking of dinner, tell us about your unusual dining
experiences with your nieces the other week.
Marty: Every night, something bizarre seemed to happen. I’m not the greatest chef in the world,
although I do make a mean chocolate-chip pancake. On the positive side, we did find an
amazing El Salvadorean restaurant. Well, the food is great. I, uh, can’t go back there for a while,
but I’d recommend it.
Marc [Author]: You mentioned being a detective. Is that something you’ve always wanted to

be?
Marty: I’d rather be a superhero, to tell the truth. Not so much for the costume, but I’d like to
have superpowers and some really cool gadgets. Oh, oh, instead of a cool car, could I have
something that flies? Then I could bypass all the traffic around here. Since I work at Rover, I get
free access to our self-driving car service. When it’s working, at least.
Marc [Author]: Thanks Marty! Now’s a great time to read Uncle and Ants (available on
Amazon and free via Kindle Unlimited) because Chutes and Ladder, book 2 in the Silicon
Valley Mystery series, will be released soon. Read the first chapter of either book free, learn
more about the author or books, and find out about special offers at www.marcjedel.com.