I’m excited to share news of the official release for the Legally Blind audio book! Over the last six months, I’ve been working with an amazing narrator, Stephen Lookadoo, and his amazing partnership has brought this story to life. We’ve saved a few free download codes, so if you’re interested, drop a comment in this post and we’ll reach out.
Overview of Legally Blind Luck
Legally Blind Luck (Braxton Campus Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Independently published (April 15, 2021)
Gumshoe – A Next Chapter Imprint
Paperback: 295 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8707757341
Digital ASIN: B08R347N84
Surprising new family members. A hidden talisman. Deadly curses. Murder. Months after tragically losing a loved one, Kellan learns his relative’s death wasn’t an accident.
Someone has discovered a cursed talisman, and a rogue government agent will stop at nothing to retrieve the heirloom. Unfortunately, it has already changed hands and found its way on campus. Moments before Braxton’s controversial art exhibition opens, Kellan stumbles upon another murder victim, and it appears he might be next on the avenger’s list.
Can Kellan protect the talisman’s true heir and prevent the killer’s nefarious plan? Given all the suspects have ties to prominent Braxton citizens, he’s uncertain whom to trust. Together, Kellan and Sheriff April are determined to solve the mystery – via legal means or blind luck.
The author writes cozies that are fun to read, and this one is no exception. Full of mystery, twists and turns… it keeps one guessing who the murderer is.
~Literary Gold
As always James is able to intertwine details, braiding them together flawlessly and revealing one shock after another . . . this is one of my absolute favorites! 5 stars, and I’ll be holding my breath for book 8!
~Author Didi Oviatt
I loved the storyline in this installment – the cursed object gives the story a slightly darker feel while managing to remain “cozy”, and it was a fun change.
~The Book’s the Thing
The mystery in this one was quite twisty and I enjoyed the history and story about the curse. It added a lot of enjoyment to the story, especially for this history buff.
~Carla Loves To Read
James Cudney has a talent for writing family/murder mysteries, with wonderfully engaging dialogue, great characters, (my favourite is Nana D!)
~M J MALLON AUTHOR – Kyrosmagica
I enjoyed the fact that we learned more about Miriam’s background and why she is the way she is. In fact, that was one of my favorite parts of the story.
~Valerie’s Musings
Legally Blind Luck, boy that title really fits, was an intriguing read with captivating characters, old and new. It’s always exciting to see what this author has in store for his characters.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
About James J. Cudney
James is my given name, but most folks call me Jay. I live in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Moravian College, an historic but small liberal arts school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with a degree in English literature and minors in Education, Business and Spanish. After college, I accepted a technical writing position for a telecommunications company during Y2K and spent the last ~20 years building a career in technology & business operations in the retail, sports, media, hospitality, and entertainment industries. Throughout those years, I wrote short stories, poems, and various beginnings to the “Great American Novel,” but I was so focused on my career that writing became a hobby. In 2016, I committed to focusing my energies toward reinvigorating a second career in reading, writing, and publishing.
Author
Writing has been a part of my life as much as my heart, mind, and body. At some points, it was just a few poems or short stories; at others, it was full length novels and stories. My current focus is family drama fiction, cozy mystery novels, and suspense thrillers. I conjure characters and plots that I feel must be unwound. I think of situations people find themselves in and feel compelled to tell the story. It’s usually a convoluted plot with many surprise twists and turns. I feel it necessary to take that ride all over the course. My character is easily pictured in my head. I know what he is going to encounter or what she will feel. But I need to use the right words to make it clear.
Reader & Reviewer
Reading has also never left my side. Whether it was children’s books, young adult novels, college textbooks, biographies, or my ultimate love, fiction, it’s ever present in my day. I read two books per week and I’m on a quest to update every book I’ve ever read on Goodreads, write up a review, and post it on all my sites and platforms.
Blogger & Thinker
I have combined my passions into a single platform where I share reviews, write a blog and publish tons of content: TRUTH. I started my 365 Daily Challenge, where I post about a word that has some meaning to me and converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice, and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where I poke fun at myself all the time. Even my dogs have had weekly segments called “Ryder’s Rants” or “Baxter’s Barks,” where they complain about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real. And that’s why they are me.
Genealogist & Researcher
I love history and research, finding myself often reaching back into the past to understand why someone made the choice he or she did and what were the subsequent consequences. I enjoy studying the activities and culture from hundreds of years ago to trace the roots and find the puzzle of my own history. I wish I could watch my ancestors from a secret place to learn how they interacted with others, and maybe I’ll comprehend why I do things the way I do.
Websites & Blog
Website: https://jamesjcudney.com/
Blog: https://thisismytruthnow.com
Amazon: http://bit.ly/JJCIVBooks
Next Chapter: https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/james-j-cudney
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/james-j-cudney
Social Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamescudney4
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesJCudneyIVAuthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BraxtonCampusMysteries/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsMyTruthNow/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jamescudney4/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamescudney4/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jamescudney4
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescudney4
Recent Blog Tour
Excerpt
“Are you certain she didn’t kill him? Let’s postpone until next week.” I scraped several cinnamon roll crumbs off the coffee table, concerned the feisty secretary would bestow her trademark death look upon me again. Three times in under ten minutes had broken her record.
“Pop a squat and settle that keister, Kellan. Your incessant pacing has inflamed my arthritis. President Power will oust Cain Endicott in a jiffy.” Prior to stomping toward the door, Ursula’s dictatorial and ornery assistant switched off her Victorian lamp and locked her vintage mirrored desk. “If that rocky discussion shudders your innards,” she added, flicking her pearl-adorned neck in the opposite direction, “yesterday’s bickering would’ve ruptured your blood vessels. Professors and students congregated outside the building to identify the source of the ruckus.”
I shrugged noncommittally while she hastily escaped Prentiss Hall in her high-performance jogging shoes, charcoal-gray pantsuit, and festive pashmina, precariously dangling four-inch pumps and a bedazzled handbag from her fingertips. A terse mention of her husband purchasing almost-impossible-to-locate theater tickets for that night accompanied her plummy voice. Attending a hot new musical sounded way more appetizing than performing my imminent song and dance routine.
After tossing the dirty napkin into the trash bin, I tiptoed closer to Ursula’s door to listen for any death blows signaling the end of their argument. I wasn’t normally prone to eavesdropping, but snooping occasionally happened when something important—okay, yes, it was true—I listened to other people’s conversations ad nauseam. Nana D suggested I inherited my nosiness from her, but mostly I believed it was my adorable charm and unique dedication to pursuing the truth. An occupational hazard for academic folks with a keen love of mysteries and drama. After fifteen months back home, I fully embraced my innate tendency to solve unusual homicide cases, only because I couldn’t retain any self-control for minding my own business.
Behind the wood-paneled interior door, Ursula shouted something about thousands of dollars over budget and lacking the proper authority, to which Cain retorted, “African art is expensive. Did you honestly think I would be the laughingstock of all the institutions in our immediate academic circle? Come on, President Power, this is unnecessary. Surely you’d agree I am capable of….” His voice dropped too low, so I pressed my five-foot-nine frame against the door to overhear the remaining conversation.
As Ursula responded, the outer door from the main hallway blasted open, and Dean Fern Terry raced inside like a galloping giraffe. A single drop of sweat trailed the center of her creased forehead. We were both scheduled to meet with Braxton’s esteemed president, but I wanted to disappear like the rabbit in a cheesy magic trick to avoid whatever hell fury was about to rain down. Especially when Fern trapped her foot under the corner of a leather ottoman, tumbled to the floor, and inadvertently hurled her giant stack of folders in my direction. Ursula and Cain must’ve heard the commotion, because within the subsequent five seconds I fell backward against the interior office door just as Cain opened it. I landed spread eagle on the carpet, littered with Fern’s ridiculous paraphernalia, and cringed as Cain’s cup of hot tea puddled on the front of my khakis—in an overly sensitive and embarrassing spot.
“Argh! What the—”
Cain interrupted my soon-to-be blasphemous outburst with his profusive apology, brushing back a rogue chunk of blackish-brown curls from his high and broad forehead. “I’m so sorry. What happened out here? Looks like a tornado swept through the office.” Among his classic Roman features—wide-set eyes, a hooked nose, and a powerful jaw—lurked an inquisitive yet angry gaze.
“There can only be one reason you’re in the fetal position, Kellan,” Ursula chastised in between chuckling and offering me a bunch of wadded up tissues. Her almond-shaped emerald eyes sparkled from the sun piercing through the windowpanes. “You’re a magnet for unnatural disasters. I hope you understand if I don’t help clean that mess. I’m dealing with enough HR issues these days. Pour some club soda on it before it stains.”
Fern organized her papers while I blotted and spritzed water on my pants. Ursula had readily handed over a spray bottle, filled to the brim explicitly for painstakingly misting her exotic plant collection. I sighed before yielding like a trapped critter, then uttered, “No worries. I’ve got this one all by myself. Maybe we should defer our chat until the inclement weather subsides?”
“Huh? It’s sunny and clear out. What are you babbling about?” A moment later, Cain craned his neck and realized I was being facetious. He vigorously shook his head, stretched for his briefcase, and pointed an accusatory finger in Ursula’s direction. “Over my dead body will I concede. You know I’m right, President Power. We’re shelving it tonight and will address what’s best for Braxton on Monday.”
While Ursula and Cain exchanged a handful of professional but incisive jibes, Fern and I regained our composures inside the presidential office and scouted for two spots near the bay window. We’d been asked to show up for a six o’clock discussion but had no knowledge of the meeting’s purpose. All Ursula’s austere secretary had articulated that morning was, “She asks. You appear. Need I explain more?”
I’d reached an unbearable limit of authoritarian women. Our spring graduation had just concluded, and my boss, the doughty and acerbic Dr. Myriam Castle, insisted I cover the next term even though I’d been assured no classes that summer. Braxton would soon convert from a college into a university, and I sat on the committee to facilitate the relaunch. I had non-existent time to teach a six-week compacted lecture in foreign literature and films, but when the irritable despot who also happened to be married to the college president mandated something, the word no wasn’t an option.
As if Myriam weren’t slinging enough abuse, Nana D—my spitfire grandmother, also the mayor of our secluded north-central Pennsylvania county—had stepped up her regular harassment routine and prodded me daily on several urgent matters. Ever felt two red-hot pokers jabbing your derriere like twin needles on a sewing machine? Not a pretty sight! Given the recent immense tragedy in my life, I craved essential downtime before my head exploded from stress and sorrow.
While I settled into an uncomfortably petite sofa, Cain stormed out of Ursula’s office, and she gracefully ensconced herself behind a white pine desk. “That man has a death wish!” Performing a calming yoga technique, she switched gears and said, “I’ve always loved this building. So much history! Don’t you agree?”
“Over two hundred years old. Must be difficult to concentrate with everything to admire.”
Prentiss Hall, an architecturally stunning, four-story Georgian structure overlooking the South Campus cable car system, housed many of Braxton’s vital administrative departments. Resplendent with exquisite symmetry, the exterior masonry boasted dozens of pediments, arches, and columns, including an English ivy-covered facade. Ursula’s office commandeered the penthouse level, which had been divided into the presidential suite, encompassing a private bathroom and bedroom; an octagonal antechamber, accommodating the secretary’s desk and a waiting area for guests; and a large conference room, used for board meetings and other executive-level summits. With a flair for European minimalism, aerodynamic design, and pale, airy, and lustrous decor, she insisted on spending her own money rather than Braxton’s. The room’s color scheme primarily drew from blue, gray, and beige tones, easily relaxing guests and suggesting a place of harmony. Except, apparently, for that day.
https://www.audible.com/pd/Legally-Blind-Luck-Audiobook/B09FCJYVSD
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews… here’s the scoop: I’m Jay, an contemporary fiction, family drama, and mystery author who lives in NYC. My stand-alone novel, Father Figure, can be purchased on Amazon as electronic copies or physical copies. My co-written metaphysical drama about past lives, Weathering Old Souls, is a partnership with the amazing Didi Oviatt. My family drama series, Perceptions of Glass, has two books: (1) Watching Glass Shatter and (2) Hiding Cracked Glass. My clever book series, Braxton Campus Mysteries, will fit those who love cozy mysteries and crime investigations but with a twist. There are eight books: Academic Curveball, Broken Heart Attack, Flower Power Trip, Mistaken Identity Crisis, Haunted House Ghost, Frozen Stiff Drink, Legally Blind Luck, and Sleigh Bell Tower. I read, write, and blog A LOT on this site where you can also find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.