Loretta Bender Releases THE DIARY OF CORD HOUSE Murder Mystery

In her new mystery novel "The Diary of Cord House" (published by AuthorHouse), author Loretta Bender places her protagonist, Karen Shelby, into Cord House, where Karen intends to write about the murders that took place there years earlier. But when new murders begin, Karen doesn't know if she can solve the mystery before she is accused of the murders herself - or, worse, becomes a victim.

An excerpt from "The Diary of Cord House":

"The Cord file was the last one in the box. I pulled it out and emptied the contents into my purse. I replaced the file and picked up the flashlight and walked toward the steps. One foot was on the first step when the light of my flashlight caught the white face of a man standing under the stairs. I froze, staring at him, hardly breathing until he stepped out and came forward. Slowly I lifted the light higher. A shudder went through me."

Though Karen is the main character, many possible villains populate Bender's novel. Karen's late husband Tony, a literary agent, is the connection between the Cords and the mystery that drew Karen to Cord House. Grant Howard is a real estate agent opposed to Karen's occupancy who urges her to sell the house. Even Jane Grady, a former coworker of Tony's arrives at Cord House to work on a book. Either Grant or Jane could have a connection to the strange and murderous happenings - or it could be something even more sinister.

Loretta Bender has worked as an insurance agent-customer service rep for 50 years, a career she describes as something between serious and comedy. Bender has spent all but one of her 73 years in Iowa. She is a widow with two children and four grandchildren. Besides her family and her work as an insurance agent, her favorite pastimes are reading, writing and caring for her house and flowers.

Bender is also the author of a novel, "One Thing of Beauty."

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industry's only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrated 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.