Mama Sees Stars (Mace Bauer Mystery Series #4)

My stars and garters—Hollywood has descended on little ol' Himmarshee, Florida. As animal wrangler for a cowboy film, Mace is on the set when she discovers the arrogant executive producer shot dead, his body on display in the horse corral. With everyone from spoiled starlets to conniving crew members cursing the man's name, who in blue blazes didn't want to kill Norman Sydney? As Mama's head swells to diva proportions, thanks to her miniscule movie role, Mace shines an unwelcome spotlight on the big-city film folk to reveal a killer.

Praise:

"This zany fourth entry in Sharp's series is a feature worthy of the big screen." —LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Sibling rivalry, steamy romance, a surprising killer, and plenty of catfish and hush puppies make this Southern cozy a winner." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"A terrific combination of sleuthing and silliness." —ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

"Who knew that a who-dun-it would not only keep you guessing—but have you laughing!" —HODA KOTB, NBC TODAY SHOW CO-ANCHOR

My stars and garters--Hollywood has descended on little ol' Himmarshee, Florida. As animal wrangler for a cowboy film, Mace is on the set when she discovers the arrogant executive producer shot dead, his body on display in the horse corral. With everyone from spoiled starlets to conniving crew members cursing the man's name, who in blue blazes didn't want to kill Norman Sydney? As Mama's head swells to diva proportions, thanks to her miniscule movie role, Mace shines an unwelcome spotlight on the big-city film folk to reveal a killer.

Praise:

"This zany fourth entry in Sharp's series is a feature worthy of the big screen."--Library Journal

"Sibling rivalry, steamy romance, a surprising killer, and plenty of catfish and hush puppies make this Southern cozy a winner."--Library Journal

"An amusing tale of life and love in the kind of Florida town that tourists rarely see."--Kirkus Reviews

"A terrific combination of sleuthing and silliness."--St. Petersburg Times

"Mama Sees Stars is The Golden Girls meet Entourage."--The Florida Book Review

"Energetic plots and laugh-out loud humor are staples of Sharp's series, and the author's skills are at their finest in Mama Sees Stars."--Oline Cogdill, South Flordia Sun-Sentinel

"Who knew that a who-dun-it would not only keep you guessing--but have you laughing!"--Hoda Kotb, NBC Today ShowCo-Anchor on Mama Dpes Time

Like the main character in her “Mace Bauer Mysteries,’’ her family roots were set in Florida long before Disney or Miami Vice. As a native and former reporter for USA Today, she knows the spots not found on maps: Molasses Junction. Muse, and now, Himmarshee, her own tiny slice of “Authentic Florida.’’

To create Himmarshee, Deborah borrowed from the present-day ranching town of Okeechobee, and from the south Florida of her family’s past.

Not far from Ft. Lauderdale, her dad used to walk to town, leading the family cow. A generation later, Deborah rode her horse over the same citrus- and ranch-dotted terrain. Now, it’s all interstates and strip malls.

The difference between Mace’s hometown and hers: Deborah will never let Himmarshee be spoiled by sprawl.

The News-Press in Fort Myers gave Deborah her first job, in 1982. Her favorite assignment: getting cast as a zombie when Day of the Dead filmed on Sanibel Island. Her fellow extras raved about her lurching.

A News-Press bonus: she met TV reporter Kerry Sanders in Immokalee, both of them shivering at dawn to see whether a winter freeze would ruin the green pepper crop. They’ve been married since 1989. No kids; no pets, but had goldfish once. Turned out badly—not a good omen for higher life forms.

When they moved back to Deborah’s hometown in 1991, the occasional stories she’d been writing for USA Today became a flood. Miami’s loony nature gives it a lock on headlines.

And then, 9/11, and everything changed. One of her last assignments before she left the paper was profiling soldiers killed in war. Grieving parents; spouses; kids. She couldn’t absorb all that sadness anymore.

So, at age fifty, fiction-writing beckoned. She’d get to determine the endings. Punish the bad and reward the good. And, she’d throw in some romance, too.

She likes writing about Mama because the character makes her laugh. And doesn’t everyone need a smile now and then?

TV APPEARANCES

◊ NBC's Today Show from November 4, 2008

◊ "Mayor's Book Talk" from January 14, 2009

◊ NBC6 "South Florida Today." from July 17, 2009

◊ NBC's Today Show from August 4, 2009

◊ WJXT-TV from November 17, 2009

◊ NBC's Today Show from August 24, 2010

◊ NBC's Today Show from December 28, 2011