January 9th, 2025 → 10:49 am @ Robin Donovan
With a backdrop of Switzerland, Robin Donovan paints a beautiful picture of the countryside as she introduces new characters and brings back to stage others from previous books. Does It Count As Saving A Life If You Just Don’t Kill Someone? is the newest book in Robin’s repertoire of fun murder adventures. Combined with graphically mouthwatering food and wine descriptions, this book will leave you hungry for the next!January 9th, 2025 → 10:38 am @ Robin Donovan
(January 9, 2025)—Robin Leemann Donovan announces the launch of her forth cozy mystery novel, Does It Count As Saving A Life If You Just Don’t Kill Anyone?, published by Gracie Dancer, LLC.
Friends in real life, as well as avid supporters of each other’s books, Dominique and Robin decided to form the fictional team of Dominique and Donna to solve a mystery occurring on the ski slopes of Engelberg, Switzerland.
Dominique Gisin was the winner of the gold medal in the Downhill at the 2014 Olympics, tying with Slovenian Tina Maze. Her victory inspired many people all around the world especially because Dominique achieved it after an almost unprecedented injury record (i.e. four knee and five other operations) combined with many other setbacks. She has also won several World Cup races in the Downhill and Super-G disciplines and for many years she ranked in the top 10 skiers in the world in the Downhill discipline. Dominique also established herself in the world top 15 for three other alpine disciplines. She has authored several books on her journey to the top and currently works as a motivational speaker. She has also holds a commercial pilot’s license.
Robin Leemann Donovan is the author of the award-winning blog Menologues, a humorous, yet informative, look at the trials and tribulations of menopause by someone who’s been there. She was born and raised in New Jersey, but lived and worked in Connecticut for a number of years before moving to Nebraska in 1999 to work at the, then global company, Bozell. She recently retired and sold Bozell to a group of employees. Experiences from each place she lived have been incorporated into the heroine of her series, Donna Leigh. In this, her forth in the series, Donna Leigh shares the role of heroine with Dominique Gisin.
Donna Leigh is a menopausal former ad exec. When Donna is drawn into the friendship between her husband Jon and Olympic Gold Medalist, Dominique Gisin, she decides to explore her own Swiss ancestry. With the help of husband Jon and advice from
Dominique they are able to discover an existing family with blood ties to Donna. And so, the adventure begins.
As they continue to learn about Donna’s Swiss relatives, they are stunned by the fact that the family’s 16-year old daughter is beginning to pursue a ski racing career after overcoming some overwhelming physical odds. This can be no coincidence. It is arranged that Dominique will do some preliminary work with this young girl to help determine the best course for her to pursue. After a few weeks of working together, Dominique suggests that the Leighs travel to Switzerland to meet their relatives and watch this young athlete as she progresses through these early career stages toward her goal.
Shortly after arriving in Switzerland, there is a tragic accident on the slopes. Is it an accident or is it murder? Was the dead person the intended victim, or are some of the young racers at risk? Dominique and Donna team up to solve this puzzling and tragic event and restore tranquility to the majestic Mt. Titlis ski area in Engelberg.
As they work to solve the mystery, Dominique shares many of the fascinating insider details of training in order to become a world class ski racer.
The idea for The Donna Leigh Mystery series? was originally rooted in Donovan’s frustrations with the stereotypes about menopausal and post-menopausal women.
“As I continued on my own journey through menopause and I met many exceptional women along the way, I realized that the world was sadly mistaken about us. They needed to be told.
“Donna Leigh is a menopausal woman, but you don’t have to be menopausal to relate to her. She could be your mother or your aunt, but she could just as easily be your co-worker and friend. She’s not every menopausal woman, but she is representative of the dynamic and vivacious qualities that exist in the majority of menopausal women today.”
In this, her forth novel, Donovan celebrates the triumphs achievable by women in more than just her own now post-menopausal world. She illustrates how, in working together as a team, multi-generational women can make a significant impact in any number of endeavors. Donna Leigh, a post-menopausal sleuth and Dominique Gisin, a former world class athlete who has not yet reached middle age, combine their talents to assist Swiss police/polizei in solving a most challenging mystery. They do so in a way that immerses their audience in the world of training alpine athletes as well as that of amateur sleuthing, all the while providing entertainment and an abundance of laughter.
Does It Count As Saving A Life If You Just Don’t Kill Someone? is available for sale in paperback through the rldonovan.com or directly from Amazon Books.
About Dominique Gisin
At the age of 17 Dominique had already endured 4 knee surgeries and had been written off by most coaches, advisors, experts and even doctors. But Dominique Gisin won the Olympic Gold in 2014 in Sochi, along with many other top racing achievements. She is the author of the book Making it Happen From Engelberg to Sochi and she and her sister Michelle along with her long-time performance and sports psychologist, Dr. Christian Marcolli created the book A True Athlete. Dominique currently works as a motivational speaker and she holds a commercial pilot’s license.
Dominique hails from an athletic family. Her sister, Michelle is also a Olympic gold medal winner and her brother, Marc, has been quite successful in the World Cup. Dominique graduated from the Sports School in Engelberg, the home of an inordinately large number of Olympic medalists. She was raised in Engadin, and currently resides in Engelberg.
At Dominique’s request, 25% of all proceeds for this book will be donated to: Passion Schneesport for all the upcoming ski stars and their families.
September 17th, 2024 → 1:52 pm @ Robin Donovan
What would you do if your close friend was murdered and nothing seemed to make sense?
This is exactly what happens in I Don’t Know Why They Killed Him; He Wasn’t Really That Annoying by Robin Leemann Donovan, an impressive 3rd entry in The Donna Leigh Mysteries series.
This book is a gripping and engaging read.
What I loved about this book is how the author takes us deep into the wine industry’s dark side, unveiling layers of corruption and deceit through Donna Leigh’s fearless sleuthing. The storyline is filled with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.
The author has crafted a brilliant narrative that combines suspense with a touch of humor, making it both thrilling and enjoyable. The writing is fluid and captivating, drawing readers into Donna’s world with ease.
For anyone who enjoys a compelling mystery with strong, relatable characters, this book is a must-read. I found myself completely absorbed, unable to put it down. It’s a fantastic read for anyone who loves a good mystery with a unique twist.
The author’s ability to weave a complex story with relatable characters is truly impressive. The way suspense and humor are balanced makes the narrative both thrilling and entertaining. I can’t wait to dive into more books by this author!
September 17th, 2024 → 1:49 pm @ Robin Donovan
What would you do if your close friend was murdered and nothing seemed to make sense?September 17th, 2024 → 1:38 pm @ Robin Donovan
What Would You Do If You Were the Prime Suspect?October 13th, 2023 → 4:07 pm @ Robin Donovan
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s #Humorous #Cozy: I DON’T KNOW WHY THEY KILLED HIM, A Donna Leigh Mystery Book 3 by Robin Leemann Donovan #Recipe ~ Linguine with Tuna, Olives, & Capers
August 28th, 2023 → 2:13 pm @ Robin Donovan
May 29th, 2021 → 4:51 pm @ Robin Donovan
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January 7th, 2020 → 5:47 pm @ Robin Donovan
Go to pages 24 & 25 to read my feature in https://mysteryreaders.org
The Danger of Mixing Truth and Fiction by Robin Donovan
Creating Donna Leigh was easy; she’s what I know best — me. At the time of her creation the majority of female sleuths were young, hot and flawless in their brilliance. A few others were old
and doddering, so Donna Leigh was something different. She was menopausal, so not young, and dammit not doddering either. She was not skinny, but she could look damn good in the right outfit. As far as flawless brilliance goes Donna was definitely smart, but far from flawless.
What Donna Leigh does have is a whole lot more common sense than the hot, young, and brilliant female sleuths who clamor to meet with a killer in a remote and abandoned spot without any arranged backup or any other kind of realis- tic plan to stay alive. Donna doesn’t do that. In fact, when she receives a call from a voice-dis- guised gentleman suggesting she meet him late at night and alone, she pretty much blasts his ear- drums out. By the end of the call he has identified himself and apologized for scaring her. You don’t typically see that in murder mysteries, but the mature and sophisticated woman does have some formidable characteristics.
When the Donna Leigh mysteries first took shape I was concerned about characters and their similarities to people I know. I could imagine a ton of lawsuits by folks who thought their deep dark secrets were being revealed through my hu- mor. I had the good fortune to consult a literary attorney who gave me a great piece of advice. He said “any character you create is going to bear some resemblance to people you know because you can’t write about what you don’t know.” He also suggested not to get all cutesy and rhyme my character names with people I know. That advice has served me well throughout the series, and I make sure that my final edit removes any obvious similarities to specific people that may have slipped in inadvertently.
As an extra precaution, none of my scenes are lifted from true life, they are all fiction — except
one. In book one, a colleague and I were force- fully thrown out of a client’s office and that story was lifted almost verbatim from real life. The ac- tual incident turned said client into a screaming howler monkey. It was like something out of a movie, absolutely ludicrous. Afterward, as my colleague and I took stock of ourselves, she burst into tears and I could not stop laughing. Once I started writing the book I was in search of come- dic incidents that were believable. As determined as I was to keep the whole book fiction, this story kept popping into my head. I couldn’t write it any funnier than how it actually happened – so I just told the story. I hadn’t seen that client in seven years so I took a chance. I felt my odds were pretty good.
After the book was released, I was standing in our local hip bookstore arranging for my first guest appearance. The woman who was schedul- ing me was summoned into the back room to take a phone call. As I stood at the counter await- ing her return I heard “Robin? Robin Donovan?” I looked to my left and there stood my screaming howler monkey former client looking as though she’d found a long-lost relative. Trying valiantly to hide my panic, I stammered a clipped and ter- rified greeting which earned a strange look from my former client before she shrugged and headed out the door — talk about dodging a bullet!
Robin Donovan started as a high-school English teacher, then worked in advertising. She lives in Nee- braska with her husband and thtree bulldogs.
Private Eyes II
May 22nd, 2019 → 6:37 pm @ Robin Donovan
Don’t say it, do it. If you don’t like it when you’re done, put it away and take it out again when you’re ready to rewrite it until you do like it
-Robin Donovan
Today’s Author in the Spotlight is Robin Donovan. Author of the Donna Leigh Mystery Series, stories about an owner of an ad agency. Check out her interview below!
TW: What is your writing process?
RD: I break each novel into four parts. I do not allow myself to write anything directly connected to the ending until I begin writing the fourth segment. I keep a notebook of people and occurrences in each chapter to ensure that I don’t leave any gaping holes or red herrings in the plot. I allow myself some flexibility, e.g. I got halfway through my third book and put it aside to edit my second book. When I went back to it I realized it wasn’t good. As I was contemplating what to do, the perfect ending occurred to me, so I went ahead and wrote it. Once finished, I went back and edited the first half to make it fit and it all came together beautifully. I believe having the ending, in that case, made all the difference.
TW: How difficult was it to write your story?
RD: My first novel virtually wrote itself. It was as though someone said “go” and I did. Writing a series makes writing the rest of the books a bit more difficult. There have to be enough similarities in characters and occurrences to create a common thread without making the books seem formulaic, and in the case of comedy, without using the same comedic mechanisms over and over. Although Evanovich manages to make a car either blow up or catch fire in every Stephanie Plum novel – and she makes it work.
TW: What are your hopes for this project?
RD: My hope is that I will start seeing more regular sales so that I can focus less on promotion and write another in this series and possibly even start a different series. I spend an enormous amount of time promoting my three existing books and the fourth one is sitting in my head waiting to hit the pages. Just last week I received a wonderful compliment from a TV writer and author in LA. Up until that note, I was just enjoying the writing and the speaking engagements, not to mention the written interviews, blog posts, occasional TV and radio interviews… I was surprised at how much the validation from a bona fide celebrity writer would mean to me. I guess I was hoping for that without even realizing it.
TW: Do have plans of writing more books?
RD: My fourth book is starting to hatch without much prompting from me. I’m not really sure that I have a choice in this whole thing. I want to be careful to end this series before it does start to feel formulaic. If I feel that this series has reached its natural end I have no idea what my next series would be. Maybe when that time comes I will know.
TW: What is your favorite genre of books and do you plan on venturing in those areas?
RD: Any kind of mystery is fascinating to me. Scott Turow is one of my favorites. He creates a true mystery that holds together until the end and writes it beautifully. I’m less inclined to enjoy a mystery that involves gore and/or torment. For now, I’ll stick to cozy mysteries laced with humor. The comedic element seems to come naturally from me, although I take my cozies very seriously. I make sure they are edited extensively and that the focus is as much on the mystery as the humor. I try to avoid the clichés of “light” mysteries, i.e. someone constantly yelling at the amateur sleuth for sticking her nose into police business, having a protagonist who is willing to meet any stranger alone in an alley at midnight, etc.
TW: What do you want readers to know about you?
RD: I spent years wanting to write a book and making excuses for not getting started. I worked as an English teacher and then in advertising and never had time. A series of occurrences made me realize it was ‘now or never’ so I got started. I had no idea how much absolute fun I would have doing the actual writing. And the speaking engagements..are like catnip.
TW: Do you have a favorite author or book?
RD: Aside from Scott Turow, I have always loved Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier and I can’t get enough of Jane Austin’s humor. Charles Dickens is another favorite. But I tend to pattern my writing style after a combination of James Thurber and Cornelia Otis Skinner.
TW: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
RD: The fact that I have to put my whole heart and soul into it – and my work is not for everyone – so that comes with some rejection. In the beginning, a bad review was devastating. One reviewer actually commented that mine was the worst book he/she had ever read. That’s when it starts to become comical – but there is still that initial little arrow stab at every harsh comment. I do wonder why folks who clearly don’t like my genre still choose to read and review my book – but I guess that’s the age-old question for authors
TW: What does literary success look like to you?
RD: Apparently, getting a complimentary and encouraging note from a professional TV writer and author. While I’d like to see a lot more sales, I am grateful that my sales are considerably above average based on studies I’ve read – the average is surprisingly low. I am getting invited to speak at author and library fairs and book clubs, I wouldn’t mind more invitations of that nature. I think success is writing a book, and success is publishing a book, and success is getting opportunities to promote a book. I think success is tiered and there’s always the next level.
TW: How has this book changed your life?
RD: There are extremely high highs and some seriously low lows. One moment you feel as though you ARE a celebrity and at the next event no one shows up and you’re just sitting there among all the books you lugged in along with your posters, bookmarks, etc. all by yourself. I read a book by the author of a well-known book turned movie. She commented that at one of her book events so few people showed up that the bookstore owner made all of his employees stand on line and pretend to buy a book. She didn’t find that out for several years – and it was a blow when she did – but it made me feel as though I’m in good company.
TW: What advice do you have for an aspiring writer?
RD: Don’t say it, do it. If you don’t like it when you’re done, put it away and take it out again when you’re ready to rewrite it until you do like it. Some authors take months to write a masterpiece and some take decades – just get started and see where it takes you. And don’t expect overnight stardom – or most likely ANY stardom. Do it because you love it.
TW: Do you have any future events or updates we should know about?
RD: My focus recently has been on promotion in the form of interview and guest blog posts. I have some local author fairs and as many interviews and I can fit into my schedule – but nothing particularly noteworthy at the moment – except, of course, for this interview.
TW: How can we contact you and purchase your book?
RD: Web site:
https://rldonovan.com/
Books (Can all be found under Donna Leigh Mysteries on Amazon):
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=donna+leigh+murders
Is It Still Murder Even If She Was A Bitch?
I Didn’t Kill Her But That May Have Been Short Sighted.
I Don’t Know Why They Killed Him He Wasn’t Really That Annoying.
Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmgkpYPi5q8
Best to message me on Facebook:
Author’s pages on Facebook:
Author’s Page:
https://www.facebook.com/rldonovanauthorpage/
Donna Leigh Mystery Series page:
https://www.facebook.com/Donna-Leigh-Mysteries-279477928760374/
Robin L Donovan on Facebook