Step inside the Funhouse Wing of the Perilously Fun Fiction Fortress and discover Pauline Baird Jones’s romantic comedy suspense novels, where spies, murder, romance, and chaos collide in wildly entertaining ways.
If you wander far enough through the Perilously Fun Fiction Fortress, you eventually notice something strange.
The lighting shifts.
The corridors tilt a little.
The mirrors stop telling the truth.
And somewhere ahead you hear laughter, followed by what might be gunfire.
Welcome to the Funhouse Wing.
This corner of the Fortress holds my romantic comedy suspense stories. These are the books where danger, romance, and complete absurdity collide. Spies appear in unlikely places. Family secrets explode at the worst possible moment. And somehow love survives all the chaos.
There are only three stops in this wing, but things get weird quickly.
What Is Romantic Comedy Suspense
Romantic comedy suspense blends humor, danger, and romance into fast paced stories where characters face serious trouble while the reader still gets to laugh along the way.
Exhibit One: The Spy Who Kissed Me
The Spy Who Kissed Me, A Romantic Comedy Suspense Adventure
This first novel from Pauline Baird Jones mixes espionage, suburban chaos, and unexpected romance when a spy literally crashes into a writer’s life.
This was actually the first novel I ever finished.
Originally it had a very different title, Pig in a Park. Unfortunately readers kept calling it the Pig in a Poke book. Which is not the same thing at all. An editor gently suggested we rename it before anyone tried to return the book to the grocery store.
The story itself came from a strange moment in history.
I wrote the book during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s. The war was on television constantly. Reporters demonstrated brand new military technology that looked like something straight out of science fiction.
People talked about it everywhere. In grocery store lines. At work. On the phone.
My dad would call and talk about the equipment, wishing he had some of that technology when he went to war.
The whole thing felt surreal.
Naturally my brain asked a question.
What if someone stole some of that high tech equipment?
I actually called a friend in the military and asked him that question. His response was something along the lines of, “I do not know you.” So clearly I was on my own.
From there my imagination took over. What if that stolen technology was used to target the State of the Union address?
That question sparked The Spy Who Kissed Me.
The story includes a romance writer looking for inspiration, a spy crashing through her sunroof, and a quiet suburban neighborhood that suddenly becomes a national security problem.
Perfectly normal circumstances.
Exhibit Two: Do Wah Diddy Die
Do Wah Diddy Die, A New Orleans Mystery With Humor and Danger
Set in the colorful chaos of New Orleans, this story follows Luci Seymour as she searches for answers about her past and discovers a deadly mystery waiting for her.
The next stop in the Funhouse takes us to New Orleans, where family secrets and eccentric relatives are apparently part of the welcome package.
This book originally had another title as well, I Love Luci When I Do Not Want to Kill Her.
Personally, I still think that is an excellent title.
However, the good people connected with Desilu were less enthusiastic. Apparently they have strong feelings about titles that sound suspiciously like I Love Lucy. Trademark hammers appeared. The title changed. The chaos continued.
In Do Wah Diddy Die, Luci Seymour travels to New Orleans hoping to uncover the truth about her mysterious father.
Instead she finds gunmen, long buried family secrets, a very by the book detective, and a mystery that is far more dangerous than she expected.
All of it unfolds in the lively chaos of the Big Easy.
Because if you are going to unravel a mystery, you might as well do it somewhere with great music and questionable life choices.
Exhibit Three: Do Wah Diddy Delete
Short Story Chaos in Do Wah Diddy Delete
This collection of short stories explores the same quirky world with fast, funny tales that mix murder plots, family drama, and a healthy dose of revenge fantasy.
At the far end of the Funhouse you will find a smaller room filled with short stories set in the same slightly unhinged universe.
One of those stories exists for a very specific reason.
My daughter once had a boss she needed to vent about. So naturally I wrote a fictional hit on the boss.
Because writing a murder mystery is clearly a very healthy coping strategy.
One of the stories, Deleting Dennis, was originally supposed to take place in New Orleans. Then Hurricane Katrina happened. Because so many people relocated after the storm, the story shifted to Houston instead.
Even imaginary murder plots sometimes have to adapt to real life.
If You Feel Brave Enough for the Funhouse
If you enjoy stories where spies crash into suburban life, family secrets collide with murder investigations, and romance somehow survives explosions, gunfire, and very bad decisions, you might enjoy exploring this wing of the Fortress.
The best place to start is The Spy Who Kissed Me.
Just watch your step. The floor tilts unexpectedly around here.
Closing the Funhouse Doors, For Now
Thank you for continuing the tour of my slightly chaotic imagination.
Each wing of the Perilously Fun Fiction Fortress holds a different kind of story. Some hum with alien technology. Some bend time itself.
And some are simply crooked hallways full of danger, laughter, and surprises.
Next time we might explore another corridor. Or open a door that definitely was not there before.
You never know what shows up in this place.
PS
If a spy crashes through your sunroof, try not to panic. It might just be research.