Jane Delaney does things her paying customers can’t do, don’t want to do, don’t want to be seen doing, can’t bring themselves to do, and/or don’t want it to be known they’d paid someone to do. To dead people. Life gets complicated for Jane and her Death Diva business when she’s hired to liberate a gaudy mermaid brooch from the corpse during a wake—on behalf of the rightful owner, supposedly. Well, a girl’s got to make a living, and this assignment pays better than scattering ashes, placing flowers on graves, or bawling her eyes out as a hired mourner. Unfortunately for Jane, someone else is just as eager to get his hands on that brooch, and he’s even sneakier than she is, not to mention dangerously sexy. Just when she thinks her biggest problem is grand theft mermaid, things take a murderous turn. But hey, when you’ve teamed up with a neurotic seven-pound poodle named Sexy Beast, how can you go wrong? "Look out, Janet Evanovich: Jane Delaney is a worthy rival of Stephanie Plum. Bright, smart, and incredibly funny, Undertaking Irene is a delightful laugh-out-loud roller-coaster ride." -- Lorna Barrett, New York Times best-selling author of Book Clubbed "Witty characters, humorous story line and a plot so fun you won't want to stop reading this book!... It's laugh-out-loud funny and will make people wonder what you are reading!" -- Shelley's Book Case "This one is definitely ♥♥♥♥♥!" -- Rantin', Ravin', & Reading " Undertaking Irene by Pamela Burford is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time!... I was laughing out loud right from the start... I can't wait for book two. If you like humor with your mystery, definitely check this one out!" -- Brooke Blogs, 5 Stars! "Quirky characters, an intriguing mystery, and snappy dialogue!" -- Escape With Dollycas "I hated to put it down... I will be looking to read other books by Pamela Burford!" -- Readalot Author Q & A with Pamela Burford:   Your amateur sleuth, Jane Delaney, is called the "Death Diva." She does freelance jobs relating to death and dead folks. How did you come up with such a strange occupation? The inspiration for this series came from a news story. Several years ago I read an article about a woman who's paid to place flowers on graves and scatter ashes. I immediately thought, What a great way for the female protagonist of my new mystery series to make a living! I took the idea a step--well, quite a few steps--further and am having Jane take on all kinds of interesting assignments, the better to cozy up to murder in all its various forms. For example, in the beginning of Book 1, Undertaking Irene , Jane attempts to swipe a brooch from a corpse during the wake. In fairness to Jane, she thought she was snatching it for the rightful owner.   Jane's sidekick is a toy poodle named Sexy Beast. How did he come to be? Sexy Beast was inspired by my very own poodle, named Murray, who shares many of his fictional counterpart's traits. Murray shrieks in alarm at the sight of shampoo or clippers. He's a high-maintenance though devoted and adorable animal, a true member of the family. And yes, he possesses a buck-fang, just like Sexy Beast. By the way, Sexy Beast was named for the movie of the same name. His original owner in Undertaking Irene was a big cinema fan. Her previous dogs were named Dr. Strangelove, Annie Hall, and Jaws.   The books in this series are hilarious. Is it hard to write comedy? My writing has always incorporated a quirky brand of humor. It comes to me naturally. I grew up in a funny household (wait, that didn't come out right). My husband has an exceptional sense of humor, and our kids continue the tradition. One of them is even a stand-up comic!   The second book in the series, Uprooting Ernie , begins with the toppling of a tree after a storm, causing Jane to make an interesting discovery. How did you come up with that idea? It was another news story! I live on Long Island. During Superstorm Sandy, my husband and I--and Murray, of course--had to evacuate our home and move in temporarily with our son in his tiny apartment in Astoria, Queens. I spent a lot of time there watching the storm news, which included a segment about a tree that had been upended, revealing a skeleton underneath. It was later determined that the bones belonged to an eighteenth-century soldier who'd died of yellow fever, but the idea had been planted. I had my initial premise for Uprooting Ernie .   Is Crystal Harbor, where your stories take place, a real town? Nope, I made it up. The affluent, suburban town of Crystal Harbor is based on several actual towns on the North Shore of Long Island. Crystal Harbor is about thirty miles from New York City, but it still has a homey, small-town atmosphere and everyone knows everyone else's business.   Jane has two potential love interests in this series, men who are very different from each other in looks and temperament. Tell us a little something about Dom and Martin. Jane and nice guy D