Joyce Oroz

Biography

At the tender age of twelve, I was painting in oils and writing poems while normal children socialized with each other. I was a female nerd full of pre-teen feelings of inferiority. Many years later, after raising a family, working at my commercial art/mural business and taking creative writing classes on the side, I finally wrote and illustrated my first children’s book. And then I wrote twenty-six more stories, but my dream was to write a novel. After watching my husband write a book, I decided to give it my best shot. Now that I’m practically ready for the rocking chair, I am busier than ever, writing “mystery novels”, but also enjoying country life in Aromas with my husband and a little cattle dog named Annie. I am working on my eighth novel and having a blast!

Where to find Joyce Oroz online

Where to buy in print

Series

Josephine Stuart Mysteries
Josephine is a fifty-year-old widow who paints murals in the little towns located on the Central California Coast. Each stand-alone story involves a new painting project, murder and Josephine's instinctive reaction, her curiosity, devotion to justice plus all the quirky things that happen to a person who can't help snooping where she doesn't belong. From the redwood forests to the Pacific Ocean beaches, Josephine and her basset, Solow are working for justice.

Books

Pushing up Daisy a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 61,560. Language: English. Published: October 29, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Josephine takes a break from mural painting to help out at the Ben Lomond Theater. The production is in need of a set painter because Mac started the job but the next day is found dead in the hot attic. Because the attic is locked from outside, Jo can't resist looking into another murder mystery. She befriends Mac's widow, Daisy, and her adopted son and niece and nephew and discovers trouble.
Okinawa Moon
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 59,370. Language: English. Published: February 4, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » General, Fiction » Adventure » War & military adventure
Four dissimilar airmen meet in Okinawa during the Korean War and become close friends. The free-living GIs mingle with a poor and bitter indigenous Okinawan population. One of the airmen falls in love and marries an Okinawan girl. He is subsequently beaten by three racist airmen. His friends are out for revenge.
Who Murdered Mary Christmas? a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 8. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 61,110. Language: English. Published: February 4, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Mary Milford, known by her friends as Mary Christmas because of her fabulous Christmas decorations, topples off a Capitola cliff into the Pacific Ocean. One minute she's painting the sunset--and the next minute her red sweater is swirling in the rough surf. When the authorities determine she was pushed, Josephine is all in--studying every angle, every person of interest.
Scent of a $windle a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 7. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 61,110. Language: English. Published: November 25, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Scent of a $windle is flush with foreign intrigue and unforgettable characters, including a moody cockatoo named Boris. Muralist Josephine Stuart house-sits for her friends and discovers a murder happened in the house next door. She snoops around and racks up a long list of suspects, each one interested in one small but valuable item.
Beetles in the Boxcar a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 4. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 99,760. Language: American English. Published: January 30, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Josephine teams up with her Aunt Clara to solve a murder mystery involving Clara’s old high school friend, Joey Gianelli. He is found dead on the railroad tracks on a cold winter night. The Sheriff’s department is slow to collect the clues. As usual, Josephine throws herself into solving the mystery, even when danger lurks at every turn.
Roller Rubout aJosephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 6. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 60,480. Language: American English. Published: December 30, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Mario Portello is run over by a black sedan while sitting at his desk at Ralph"s Roller Rink. Josephine happens to be painting a mural at the rink the day he was rubbed out, making her the only witness to the hit-and-run event. Everyone assumes it was an accident caused by an octogenarian with bi-focal vision and a lead foot.
Cuckoo Clock Caper a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 5. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 60,570. Language: American English. Published: December 30, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Josephine divides her time between her mural contract with a local gallery and her self-imposed duty to keep old Mr. Hooley safe. Hooley and his sister lived next door until the sister was blown to heaven when their house exploded. Mr. Hooley wasn't home at the time and wants to know who murdered his sister. Josephine wants to know why.
Shaking In Her Flip Flops a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 3. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 97,730. Language: American English. Published: December 26, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Josephine discovers Inez, a Guatemalan woman, hiding in a field after she witnessed a murder. Inez speaks little English and is fearful of the police. Jo reluctantly takes the woman to her home and keeps her hidden while she tracks down the murderer. The victim was a part owner of the hotel where Jo has been hired to paint murals.
Read My Lipstick a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 2. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 100,230. Language: American English. Published: December 26, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
An accountant working at the Thornton Therapy Center dies from a fall down the stairs. Josephine Stuart has been hired to paint murals at the Center and happens to be the first person at the tragic scene. The dying man indicates he was struck from behind. Josephine finds an email that convinces her someone she knows is involved in a land-grab scheme that includes murder.
Secure the Ranch a Josephine Stuart Mystery
Series: Josephine Stuart Mysteries, Book 1. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 99,700. Language: American English. Published: December 26, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Josephine Stuart, a fifty-year-old widow, is blessed and cursed with an overactive curiosity, a strong sense of right and wrong and a willingness to put herself on the line for her friends. Josephine has been hired to paint murals in the secluded Munger Mansion, located at the top of a wooded mountain. Certain local reprobates have their reasons for wanting the Mungers to leave their new home.