about the book
Bright and underachieving, quirky Millie Ostermeyer un-ambitious ambitions include winning the local steak-eating contest…or maybe just taking a nice nap. She is passionate about a couple of things though. One is the sleuthing mysteries Millie read aloud to her mother before she died of cancer. The other thing Millie is big on is writing for her school newspaper…and beating her nemesis to every good story.
High school football coach Holerin’ Hank Kildare is legendary for his on-the-field hysterics and Millie is writing an article about him. When she goes in search of an interview, she discovers him sitting on a lawn tractor—dead with his skull smashed in! Who would want to kill the coach? Millie’s inner P.I. passion kicks in and she sets out to find the real killer. She has to! Since he often argued with the coach in public, her father, the team’s assistant coach, is suspect No. 1!
She gets a hand with her investigation from enigmatic Chase Albright, a recent transfer to the school and the team’s new quarterback. Doesn’t hurt that Millie is falling for him and his amazing vocabulary!
Since the coach was so vocal, turns out there is a long list of suspects. As she investigates, she uncovers several very surprising facts, including some about her father and about Chase! But when former quarterback Mike Price is also killed, Millie’s bumbling sleuthing antics just might make her victim No. 3!
about the author
Using her maiden name, Beth Fantaskey has been writing for over twenty years. She worked in public relations, politics, and journalism, and finished her first novel at age 40. She didn’t plan to write a young adult book, and was surprised that the first agent she called had a contract from a publisher in just three weeks!
Beth grew up in rural Montoursville, Pennsylvania. As a teen, she flipped burgers and was a tax collector! She currently lives in Lewisburg with her professor husband and three children, including two adopted daughters who are both eight years old. She has a master’s in journalism and just finished her dissertation for her PhD at Penn State University. She is also an adjunct professor at Susquehanna University.
Beth writes in a messy spare bedroom that overlooks her neighbor’s beautiful garden. Her goal is to write one chapter a day, and she enjoys spending time with her characters. There are times when they seem so real to her she actually misses them when the book is finally finished. Her inspiration for Buzz Kill was her own geeky childhood. She loved Nancy Drew mysteries!
Beth is an exercise fiend and admits she gets a lot of ideas while running on the treadmill. A shy person, Beth fears public speaking—ironic because she teaches that very class. While she loves to travel, she is afraid of flying! Beth also suffers from ichthyphobia—the fear of fish! But she isn’t afraid of ketchup. She tries to taste as many different kinds she can in every new country she travels to. She says Poland has the best!
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Amazon
Author biography: Puffin
Author interview: Manga Maniac Cafe
Author interview: Write by Bethany
Author interview: Publishers Weekly
Author interview: The Fictionistas
Also by Beth Fantaskey:
Jessica Rules the Dark Side. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2012.
Jekel Loves Hyde . Houghton Mifflin. 2010.
Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2009.
read more!
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