From Across State Lines with E.J. Copperman!

PA Cozy Mystery Writers
Aug 5
2 min read

From Across State Lines Blog Promo Image - E.J. Copperman

Please give a warm welcome to E.J. from New Jersey…

E.J. Copperman is a figment of someone's imagination. Having written 36 published mystery novels, he is now the author of the Haunted Paint Store series. Previous series include the Haunted Guesthouse, Jersey Girl Legal Mysteries, Asperger’s Mysteries (with Jeff Cohen), Agent to the Paws and Mysterious Detective Mysteries. In his spare time, he enjoys watching baseball, playing guitar badly, doing crossword puzzles, and sleeping. He also has a dog. He lives and works in New Jersey, where sarcasm is the National Language.

DFavorite Way to Unwind After Work: Watching baseball and doing crosswords.

Why did you decide to become an author?

I don’t know that a writer ever decides to be an author. I was working on a story for another medium and it came to me like a book, so I wrote the book. Then I wrote 35 more.

How does your main character differ from you/is similar to you?

Well, we’re not the same gender, so that’s a start. She runs a paint store, and I completely don’t. Her father passed away about six months ago. Mine’s been gone since 1995. She is willing to investigate crimes, and I wouldn’t dream of it.

Is your book set in the same state that you live in? (please describe the setting)

Yes, we both live in New Jersey. I’m considerably north of where Laura Meehan lives, but I know the area. She’s close to the beach (we say “down the shore”) and I’m more landlocked. I write about New Jersey because I’ve lived here my whole life so I know the place pretty well.

One Silly Thing About You: I once sold a pretzel to Yogi Berra.

Where There's Smoke: A Haunted Paint Store Mystery #2

A Little Bit About the Book:

Paint store owner Laura Meehan must prove her amateur sleuthing skills (again!) when her small town’s public library starts burning in this installment of the Haunted Paint Store cozy mystery series.

Don’t mess with a paint store owner’s safe haven!

Laura Meehan has her hands full with her paint store, but also with another case (that she will definitely leave to the police to solve)! The Sea Breeze Public Library is burning and it’s clear from the beginning that it must be arson.

Who would want to burn a library down and why? Was it a group of moms protesting what they see as inappropriate book content? Maybe it was someone who didn’t like a title they lent? Or is there something more alarming going on?

As a library volunteer, Laura simply has to find out, and together with her IT-savvy husband Roy and her ex-detective father’s ghost (real or imagined still yet to be determined), she stumbles upon a lot of obstacles on her quest to find the truth—and maybe even an arsonist who might strike again!