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Meet Author Nina Simon

Join us when author Nina Simon visits to discuss her debut novel, Mother-Daughter Murder Night.

About the author:

Nina Simon has worn many hats: NASA engineer, slam poet, mystery game designer, museum director, and global nonprofit founder. She is an Ashoka fellow and the founder of OF/BY/FOR ALL, a global nonprofit that creates digital tools to help civic and cultural organizations become more inclusive, relevant, and sustainable. Nina is an in-demand writer and speaker about community participation in museums, libraries, parks, and theaters. Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NPR, and on the TEDx stage. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Nina now lives off-the-grid in the Santa Cruz mountains with her husband and daughter.  is her first novel.

In her debut novel, Mother-Daughter Murder Night, high-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of: her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does. 

Then Jack—tiny in stature but fiercely independent—happens upon a dead body while kayaking. She quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She’ll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power.

With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other.

Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Mac's Backs - Books on Coventry.