Sandra Cox's Blog, page 12

Ketch-Up Day

 

Not much newsworthy here. Writing wise, I'm in the middle of my second draft of Reuben Hayes.

The inhabitants of the Eternal Garden are closing up their blooms and their leaves are dropping, preparatory to taking a long winter's nap .

 
Remember when I got this? Spring I think. I was so excited.

Well, I only got a couple of handfuls of dirt out of it, so I've went back to my tried and true method. A wash tub.

AND

Louie

AND

This little beauty is from California.

Thanks, Denise.

What's going on in your corner of the world?

Weekend Wishes

 

IWSG Day AND Did You Know

 

The firstWednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. IWSG was formed by NinjaCaptain Alex Cavanaugh. Members post about their doubts and fears, discussstruggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

 

Twitter handle: @TheIWSG  

Hashtag: #IWSG 

 

The awesome co-hosts for the  November 6 posting of theIWSG are Diedre Knight, Lisa Buie Collard , Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post.These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experienceor story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let itinspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional

 

November 6 question - What creative activity do you engage in whenyou're not writing?

My other creative outlet is gardening. Adding plants and movingthem around. And playing with my paver path, adding half-moon extensions, etc. ANDI like to snap pictures😊 What’s yours?

October/November Reviewsin no particular order.

*Disclaimer. If I run into an occasional typo, I ignore them and don't factorthem into my review.

 

 

WHOMOURNS ELECTRA by C. W. Hawes

Murderagain abounds in the 21st book of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

Thispage-turning story is built around Pastor Ember Cole and her soon-to-be husbandHarry Thurgood owner of the Really Good Wood-Fired Coffee Shop.

Crimeis still rampant in the small Texas town of Magnolia Bluff, and Ember and Harryfind themselves smack dab in the middle of it when several of the towns’citizenry are brutally murdered and the police have their collective eyes onEmber and Harry for the murders. The two will now have to do some serioussleuthing to clear their names.

Ithoroughly enjoyed following these two amateur detectives through the homes andstreets of Magnolia Bluff as they track down the killer. What made it such afun read was the masterful job of world-building and character creation theauthor generated, all the while drawing you into a whodunit filled with murderand mayhem. Great job, author C. W. Hawes.

Available at Amazon

 

 

JOHNTYLER America's 10th President(ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRESIDENTS SECOND SERIES) by Betsy Ochester

Thiswas well-written and touched on the salient points of John Tyler's life. Bestof all, it held my interest😉

Available at Amazon

 

BORNFOR REVENGE by Staci Troilo

Meangirls are getting kidnapped.

Meangirls have been kidnapped and ended up in the cold case files. When one of themturns up alive Detective Holden Walsh and Cabe Paxton rush to discover who thekidnapper is, who else he’s kidnapped, and if they too are still alive.

 

Ms.Troilo checked all the boxes on this one. The characters are compelling. Theworld is well-developed, allowing the reader to step into the story, walk thecity streets and sit beside the characters for a meal. Best of all, in myhumble opinion, the action doesn’t let up. The author puts her foot down on thepedal at the beginning of the story and doesn’t let up till the end. It held myinterest all the way through.

 

Highlyrecommended for thriller readers or those who love a good tale.  

Available at Amazon

 

 

MIRACLESAND GHOSTS by D. J. Finn

ATreasure Trove of Christmas Stories with a Twist.

Somany treasurers in this wonderful compilation of ghostly Christmas stories. Itopens with a novelette about a young woman who as a child lost the people whomattered most. Then is able to recapture the joy of Christmas years later.Family and forgiveness figure large in WORDS HURT. In THE CHRISTMAS WALK alonely young woman meets a mysterious little boy when out walking ChristmasEve. Another of my favorites was MIRACLE IN ER where miracles and Santa show upat the ER. And last and possibly the most intriguing, RED TRUCK about a womanwho keeps having flashbacks of being hit by a red truck. Reminiscent ofGroundhog Day though much more eerie.

Allin all, a wonderful collection of reads for the season, written by an authorwho specializes in bringing the phantasmal to life. An easy five stars.

Available at Amazon

 

JUST ONE GOODBYE: Poems fromthe heart by Balroop Singh

Ms. Singh is a talented poetwhom I’ve been reading for several years. JUST ONE GOODBYE is the best thingshe’s written. I found reading it a humbling experience. It’s both raw andheartbreaking. I can’t begin to imagine her pain. I can only mourn, as sheshares the loss of her husband—her soulmate—in this book of prose. Every poemin the book is filled with imagery, emotion and awareness. If you enjoy herpoetry, prose in general, or have lost someone dear, I recommend this read. Infact, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

 Available at Amazon

 

AND

Did you know that William Shakespeare invented at least one hundred and thirty five phrases used in the English language including: 'All of a sudden.'

 

For more information:  135 Phrases Coined By William Shakespeare - Phrase Finder

 

 

Ketch-Up Day

 To all U.S. Citizens that are eighteen and older: If you haven't already, I urge you to

Your Weekend Read: MIRACLES AND GHOSTS

 A warm welcome and shout out to great friend and author, D.L. Finn.

 

 Thank you for kicking off release day and thebeginning of the blog tour, Sandra! You’re beyond appreciated! 

Don’t miss thenote at the end of this blog post.

 

Miracles and Ghosts: A ChristmasCollection was going to be a single Christmas shortstory. I had a title and a time frame, but A Perfect Ghostly Christmas grewinto a novelette and other stories kept coming. In the novelette, Julieinherited her grandparent’s house and property after being put into foster careat eight years old. An accident on Christmas day took them away from her, afteralready losing her parents. Julie, now a teacher, has returned to sell thehouse.

The story’s setting is in the Sierra Nevada foothillswhere I live. I dipped into our area’s lush history from the Gold Rush.

When we bought our house in Nevada City over 30-plusyears ago, we found out we didn’t own the mineral rights to our property—onlythe top few feet. That was fine. There were absolutely no plans for mining onour part. However, our area is abundant with scattered mine shafts, and theMagical Trail has a large sunken hole. I like to think, it’s an old mine shaft,but it could be anything.

But what if Julie owned those mineral rights? What ifthere was gold at the end of the rainbow, she saw upon arriving at her oldchildhood home? I weaved that idea into the story. How could Julie be aware ofthis? That’s where a ghost comes in, but where there’s money, greed isn’t toofar behind either. The heart of the story, though, is family and getting asecond chance at Christmas.

 

Blurb:

Miracle and Ghosts: A ChristmasCollection’s eight tales bring light in the darkest ofcircumstances. In the novelette, A Perfect Ghostly Christmas, Juliehas survived the foster care system and finally comes home. She now owns hergrandparents’ house and has received an offer that appears too good to be true.On top of that, the family she felt had abandoned her during her difficulttimes has reentered her life. But it’s the otherworldly experiences that leadher to something her grandparents left behind. This discovery changeseverything and opens a door to danger. The seven short stories explorefractured families, a widower’s loneliness, a mall shooting, financialstruggles, strained relationships, woodland kittens, and a woman haunted by ared truck. Whether it’s a ghost, an angel, or Santa, some unseen force is thereto provide help when needed. A reminder in the busy holiday season or anytimewe are never alone, and miracles are possible.

 

Excerpt:

APerfect Ghostly Christmas Novelette

December 1986

Julie Sandals pulled in to the graveldriveway of the old ranch house where she used to live with her grandparents.It stood defiantly against the harsh winter elements of the Sierra Nevadafoothills. Years had dulled the cheerful yellow paint. Someone had boarded up abroken window like slapping on a Band-Aid, and rusty moss had taken upresidence on the roof. The landscape was slowly reclaiming what once was aloving family home.

She sighed, threw the old Chevy Nova intopark, turned the key, and heard it shudder off.

“What am I supposed to do, Grams? I wishyou could send me a sign or perhaps a—”

Julie leaned forward and wiped the dirtywindshield with her lime-green fleece sleeve. A pristine rainbow had appeared,ending in the once-thriving apple orchard behind the house. “Wow! A perfectrainbow! I remember you loved them, Grams, and said seeing them meant somethinggood was coming. Are you trying to tell me there’s a pot of gold waiting for meat the end?”

A hollow laugh escaped Julie’s lips,betraying her true feelings. Grams was dead and wasn’t sending her rainbows oranything else. Still, odd things always happened around her, like itemsvanishing and reappearing where she had just searched. It meant nothing andhadn’t changed her situation since the day her world shifted.

The memory of her last Christmas at thishouse kept Julie going through the dark years of foster care and the lonelinessof college. Now she was a responsible, logical adult with a shiny new teachingdegree and an old house she inherited last month on her twenty-fifth birthday.Only this building, the land, and $152 after the lawyers’ fees remained fromthose who had loved her. Her heart wanted to hang on to it, but how could she?

She longed to return to her innocenteight-year-old self, still believing that Santa existed and everything would beall right. But nothing was all right, and she had no power to alter it.

“If only that hadn’t happened. Ifonly . . . ”

 AMAZON LINK

https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Ghosts-Collection-D-L-Finn-ebook/dp/B0DDWFNR1D/

 Fun Finn Facts

1.      Ilive in an area that was a part of the Gold Rush and includes Malakoff Digginsand Empire Mine. I enjoy hiking in both areas and taking in all the history.

2.      I’mdetermined to find a gold nugget someday in the Yuba River. But, in themeantime, I enjoy collecting all the other pretty rocks.

 

D.L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embracetheir inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in theSierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books butespecially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creatingher own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, andcedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations includechildren’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. She continues on her adventurewith an open invitation to all readers to join her.

Note: There’s a chanceto win one of two $10 Amazon gift cards just by leaving a comment! I willrandomly pick two winners from the comments during this blog tour. Good luckand thank you for stopping by.

 

 

 

 

Writerly Wednesday AND Did You Know

What is your word, example, sentence or meaning for:

*There are several meanings.

Mine: Joe was a nerd and smart to boot, but when he got that vacant look in his eyes as he pushed his glasses up and stared into the distance, he looked a right gubbins. 

AND

Did you know, rubber bands last longer when stored in the refrigerator?

 

For more information:   https://www.j-flex.com/why-do-rubber-bands-last-longer-when-refrigerated

 

AND

 

 

Ketch-Up Day

 

How goes your week? Did you have a good weekend?  We saw the grands, so needless to say, ours was great. Miss E. had a volleyball tourney and their team won. It was a nail biter. Tight and fast.

 

There was a visitor on their patio Saturday:)

 

 The leaves are turning, which made for a pretty drive.

 

On the drive, we saw several cotton fields.

AND

Have you ever had a Halloween pizza?

Thanks, Jan, Illinois

OR

Seen Kitty Halloween Costumes?

Thanks, Denise, California

 That's all, bloggers. Have a great one.

Weekend Wishes

 

Writerly Wednesday AND Did You Know

 What's your synonym, definition, or sentence for:

 My sentence: Certain politicians excel at bafflegab.
AND

Did you know, the term 'bury the hatchet' originated from when negotiations were being held between the Puritans and the American Indians  who would bury their weapons so they wouldn't be available for use while parleying. AND tribal chiefs would bury their hatchets to show their peace agreements.

 For more information: Learn The History Behind These 66 Commonly Used Old Sayings | Bored Panda

Ketch-Up Day

 

We voted Thursday. Woot. Woot. The line wasn't bad. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. For those in the states, let us know when you cast your vote.

 AND

This is such a hoot.  When you are working, it's easier to track days. Especially if you work Monday-Friday.  What's normally running through your mind is: How many more days till Friday. Right? Once you retire, as the HH says, "Every day is a Saturday.":) Or as the cat folks say, caturday. So he bought, what I'm going to call a retiree's clock.   It's great:) It tells you what day it is, what date it is and even if it's: morning, afternoon or night. 😁

 AND

Remember this guy, we picked up at one of the grocery stores a couple of weeks ago?

 

Last week they were giving them away. 

Which is definitely better than pitching them, but I can't help thinking a little bit of water would have gone a long way towards keeping them saleable.

I gave them a good soaking then put them in the ground. We'll see if they are still around next spring.

AND

The last Irises of the year.

AND

A hydrangea's fall color.

AND

From Colorado

Thanks, Julie.

From Illinois 

Thanks, Jan.

 

Have a grand one, Blogger Buds.