Sandra Cox's Blog, page 282

Deadly Eyes

Blogging with us today is Michael Meyer.  Welcome, Michael.

I am a recently retired college professor. I taught for over forty years at universities in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and I spent the last twenty-four years at a California community college. I live in Southern California wine country with my wife, Kitty, and our two other cats. As a recent retiree, I now have all the time I need to devote to three of my lifetime passions: writing, reading, and traveling. My wife and I travel extensively throughout the United States, and we travel internationally at least once a year. Last year we were in Italy. The year before that we toured Ireland. This coming September, we will be in France. The travel bug has bitten both of us, and we are hooked. We intend to travel as along as we are healthy enough to do so. Having traveled the world extensively, and having lived in a variety of cultures abroad, has greatly helped my writing. I am a keen observer of others. I have learned so much from having lived in and traveled in other cultures. I love being a part of different cultures, learning things that I would never have known if I had stayed only in my native California.I have traveled extensively throughout the world, having lived in a wide variety of places: Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Caribbean. Every place I have visited has had some impact on me and on what ends up in my books. DEADLY EYES, for example, is set in the Caribbean, where I spent four glorious years on the idyllic island of St. Croix, where the mystery takes place. COVERT DREAMS, my first international thriller, is set in both Munich, where I have traveled to on many occasions, having lived and studied in Germany, and in Saudi Arabia, where I was a professor at the University of Petroleum and Minerals and traveled widely throughout the Middle East.            World travel, I find, opens people’s eyes to new things. It gives them different perspectives about life and how to live that would not have been realized without the exposure to other cultures. World travel provides a better understanding of others. It teaches one a new respect for things that are done differently than at home. It makes one more understanding of others.            I will continue to travel as long as I am able to do so. I will also continue writing as long as I live. The two go together for me. I wholeheartedly recommend world travel. It is one of the greatest educational experiences possible. The sugar-white sands of St. Croix and the burning sands of Saudi Arabia, as divergent as night and day, have both had an impact on me as a person, and both have found permanent homes in my writing. Yes, I have learned much from my international travels, and yet there is still so much more to learn, and I fully intend to do so, starting this September in France.Blurb:A HAUNTING CARIBBEAN MYSTERY James Cuffy, better known as Cuff, is living in paradise with his girlfriend, on the small Caribbean island of St. Croix, where the sky is as blue as Cuff's eyes, the ocean as pretty as Rosie's cheeks, where the gentle lapping of the waves is a lullaby, and the swaying of the palm trees is a dance. The sandy beaches are as white as sugar, and the horizon is a world away. St. Croix indeed is paradise, the perfect place for living, laughing, and loving.
But the sandy beaches and the turquoise sea can provide no cover from the deadly eyes of the unknown stalker pursuing Cuff. Murder leads to murder as he attempts to untangle the terrible web in which he has suddenly become entangled.
The twists and turns are relentless, the roads of the fast action leading in all directions, but time is running out, and Cuff, his faithful Rosie at his side, knows it.
Excerpt:These were not naked eyes, for the distance between these eyes and the beach bar at Cathy’s Fancy was too great for the naked eye to discern who was who. No, these eyes had planned meticulously. The eyes were glued to a pair of terribly expensive and unbelievably powerful Swarovski Optik binoculars. The balcony on which they now worked, taking in the scene before them, was the perfect place to see but not be seen. The powerful binoculars saw to that.
The distance, the palm trees, and the rays of the sun all helped. The position had been hand picked, after careful consideration. Every angle had been considered, and, one by one, they had all been discarded for one reason or another until this very spot, the perfect place to observe while not being observed, had been selected. 
Yes, the eyes had seen it all. The eyes had seen precisely what they had hoped to see. They were like a master puppeteer.  They planned, controlled, and observed, but from a safe distance. They did not miss a trick.The eyes. The deadly eyes of St. Croix.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWLBtVDUdC4
About the Author: I have resided in and have visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to my own published writing. I have literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. I have lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, on the island of St. Croix, where DEADLY EYES is set. I gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left me. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as I have aged. I try to travel internationally at least once a year. In the interim, I spend lots of time traveling around both my home state of California and other nearby states.
I spent my early years in the small town of Lone Pine, California, the home of almost every western movie, in addition to a wide variety of other genres, made in the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. In fact, Hollywood still films parts of big-time movies there today. My dad, the town’s lifeguard at the time, personally knew John Wayne, Lloyd Bridges, and Lee Marvin, all of whom came to the town’s pool, the Memorial Plunge, at times to cool off after a hectic day of working in the sun. I was even an extra in a movie filmed there in 1957, MONOLITH MONSTERS, a B-cult favorite even today. I was ten years old at the time. Even though I resided in a small town hours from the big city, I was exposed to the excitement of action and heroes at a formative age, and, thus, my interest in writing novels of suspense such as DEADLY EYES was born.

As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, I now live in Southern California wine country with my wife, Kitty, and our two other cats. 
Amazon author’s site: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Meyer/e/B005E7M8CW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1Goodreads author: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/674626.Mike_MeyerFacebook writers’s site: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMeyersWritingLife/app_191387770912394Pinterest writer’s site: http://pinterest.com/temmike/#

Murder In Silence

I'm pleased to welcome Gary Kassay, a former member of the NYPD Transit K-9 unit. Gary's here to tell us about his upcoming release Murder In Silence. I love the cover by the way. Don't you? I would like to thank Sandra Cox at Sandra’s Blog for inviting me to the blog.  It is an honor to be included here and I thank you for posting my guest blog.
The first of the Duke Becker series, Murder in Silence, is being released on 07-05-12.  Let me give you a little background on myself and the inspiration for Inspector Duke Becker.  Back in 1982 I was in training with the New York Transit Police Department for the Canine Unit.  The training was intense and probably the best time I ever had.  One day an event occurred and I immediately thought to myself what a great plot for a book! (No, I am not going to tell you what that event was…it would spoil everything.)  In any case, I thought about that book till 2004, 22 years of developing the plot, characters and dialogue.  The result is Murder in Silence and the sequels that will follow.  Here is a small sample from Murder in Silence…I hope you enjoy it!
I gave Jimmy a smile and walked off to sit with everyoneelse. Tyree gave a loud whistle, and Carlos and Lucifer camewalking onto the field. Lucifer was huge, at least 120 pounds, with adark red coat.Tyree stood behind Jimmy, grabbing onto his belt as Jimmyput his arm out in front of him. Carlos brought Lucifer in front ofhim, about four feet away. Ben was behind Carlos, I guessed in casesomething went wrong. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believethat Jimmy was about to take a hit from a dog that exerted so muchpressure and had such big, sharp teeth.Tyree nodded, and Carlos yelled out, “Watch!”Lucifer dipped his head, turning it to the side. He waslooking at Jimmy with only one eye, and saliva was flowing out ofhis mouth. Other than that, he didn’t look as if he was ready toattack. I couldn’t have been more wrong.Tyree gave Carlos another nod, and he yelled out, “Gethim!”Lucifer moved so fast that I didn’t actually see the hit.Jimmy nearly went down on one knee, but Tyree held him up. Hisface was contorted in pain, but to his credit, he shook Lucifer asmuch as he could. It seemed like an eternity, but after maybe fifteenseconds, Carlos moved in to remove Lucifer. He grabbed him underhis throat, lifting his front paws off the ground, and held him likethat till Lucifer released Jimmy’s arm. Carlos walked off with him,giving him a great deal of praise.I ran out onto the field as Tyree removed the wrap. Jimmylooked a bit faint, but he was holding on. When Tyree removed theleather sheath, there was blood on Jimmy’s arm. One of Lucifer’steeth had gone through the wrap and punctured Jimmy’s skin.Ben called Carlos and Lucifer back over, and when they gotclose, he pointed to the blood on Jimmy’s arm. I wasn’t sure whathe was going to do, but I didn’t think they had done anythingwrong.Ben walked over and said in a loud voice, “Good boy! Nowthat’s the way to give a hit! Good job, Carlos, give that dog an extratreat tonight.”   Title: Murder in Silence (Murder, Book 1)Author: Gary KassayPublisher: Sapphire Star PublishingLength: 100,000 wordsGenres: Mystery/Thrillers/Suspense (Non-Romance)
Available at:Sapphire Star Publishing (Coming Soon)
Blurb:Two police officers have been brutally killed by having their throats ripped out, but the wound appears to have been done with surgical precision.  With no witnesses, no forensic evidence, and two bizarre clues to follow, the case falls to Inspector Duke Becker, head of the high profile Special Investigations Unit, Homicide.
Becker and his squad must find the killer before more cops are murdered. The case will lead Becker on a wild chase through the streets of New York City, back over 15 years into the past and to a cover-up that will rock City Hall.
Along with his brash, wildly dressed young partner, Jimmy Nova, the beautiful Michelle Goldman, Augie “Doggie” Rivera, and the Mutt and Jeff team of Bobby Green and Joe Robinson, Becker will need to enlist his boyhood friend in charge of CSU, Manny Velez. 
Add a ruthless newswoman known to the NYPD as “”Wicked Witch Wilson” and a new love interest for Becker in the gorgeous and brilliant Dr. Elizabeth Cunningham, Becker is about to embark on the most difficult and dangerous case in his 20 plus years. Will Becker and his squad be able to catch the killer before more cops die or will the killer have the last laugh?   About the Author: Gary Kassay, author of the Duke Becker Series, is a former member of the NYPD Transit K-9 Unit.  Besides a career as a Police Officer, he has been the owner of a commercial photo company, an X-ray tech for humans and animals, and a TSA employee. He now resides in Casper, Wyoming with his wife Raella, three dogs, and one black cat.  
When Gary is not working on the next installment of his Duke Becker series, he enjoys spending quiet times with his wife, reading, and when there isn't snow on the ground, a good round of golf.
SSP Author Page: http://www.sapphirestarpublishing.com/garykassayAuthor Website: http://www.garykassay.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gary-Kassay/213580462002084Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/GaryKassay

Live and Let Live

Unfortunately this doesn't happen at my house, no matter how much I lecture the crew about live and let live.

Sitting on my.....

If you've been to my pal Julia Barrett's blog, you've probably already seen this one.  Personally, I think its worth a repeat. I love it. And so appropriate, at least for myself.grin.

More Winged Visitors And Raining Puppies

Imperial Moth. Its population is decreasing in the North, but it's a common find in the South. Regal Moth. This poor little guys only lives a few days because it can't feed. I so would not like that. Not eating chocolate would be bad enough, but no food whatsoever? I don't think so.
CBS 5 - KPHO

Kids In Church

                           
                                                    
                            A little boy was overheard praying:
                           
                            "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy,   don't worry about it.
                           
                            I'm having a real good time like I am."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            After the christening of his baby brother in church,
                           
                            Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
                           
                            His father asked him three times what was wrong.
                           
                            Finally, the boy replied,
                           
                            "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
                           
                            and I wanted to stay with you guys."
                                                                         
                                                                                
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
                           
                            were on the way to church service,
                           
                            "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
                           
                            One bright little girl replied,
                           
                            "Because people are sleeping."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
                           
                            The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
                           
                            Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
                           
                            "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
                           
                            'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
                           
                            Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
                           
                            "Ryan, you be Jesus!"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A father was at the beach with his children
                           
                            when the four-year-old son ran up to him,
                           
                            grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
                           
                            where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
                           
                            "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.
                           
                            "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.
                           
                            The boy thought a moment and then said,
                           
                            "Did God throw him back down?"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A wife invited some people to dinner.
                           
                            At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
                           
                            "Would you like to say the blessing?"
                           
                            "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.
                           
                            "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.
                           
                            The daughter bowed her head and said,
                           
                            "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
                         

KIds In Church

                           
                                                    
                            A little boy was overheard praying:
                           
                            "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy,   don't worry about it.
                           
                            I'm having a real good time like I am."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            After the christening of his baby brother in church,
                           
                            Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
                           
                            His father asked him three times what was wrong.
                           
                            Finally, the boy replied,
                           
                            "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
                           
                            and I wanted to stay with you guys."
                                                                         
                                                                                
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
                           
                            were on the way to church service,
                           
                            "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
                           
                            One bright little girl replied,
                           
                            "Because people are sleeping."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
                           
                            The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
                           
                            Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
                           
                            "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
                           
                            'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
                           
                            Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
                           
                            "Ryan, you be Jesus!"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A father was at the beach with his children
                           
                            when the four-year-old son ran up to him,
                           
                            grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
                           
                            where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
                           
                            "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.
                           
                            "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.
                           
                            The boy thought a moment and then said,
                           
                            "Did God throw him back down?"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A wife invited some people to dinner.
                           
                            At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
                           
                            "Would you like to say the blessing?"
                           
                            "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.
                           
                            "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.
                           
                            The daughter bowed her head and said,
                           
                            "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
                          

Let Yourself Go

It's The Weekend
~*~
Ebook promos this month:
https://www.museituppublishing.com/~*~ Smashwords also has all kinds of freebies, including Shardai.The rest of my books at Smashwords are half price.Smashwords.com
~*~
His Chosen Bride by Sherry Gloag is Free this month when you request it from Astraea Press FB Book Club
~*~ 


July 31st at Night Writers http://sevennightwriters.blogspot.com/

~*~
Until Next Time, The Angel Chronicles is free today at Amazon.
http://amzn.to/xOQ4eL

How To Self-Publish Your Book In Paper

Some of my books are self-pubbed. Vampire Bay is one of them. Just recently I went through Create Space to put it in paper. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the fact that they weren't going to charge me for this process.But, unless you choose a different package, it's free.

Here's a brief rundown, in case you've been thinking about turning your e into paper.

Create Space is offered by Amazon @ http://www.createspace.com/

Covers: You can purchase a cover, use your own or use Amazon's free cover creator. Amazon supplies several different cover formats and pictures to choose from.  I tried to use my original cover. The problem I encountered was that my name and the title leaked over the edge.  See how close it is in the picture? Since I hadn't built the cover myself, I had no way to correct it, so I looked through what was available and chose a cover.

Interior: Your manuscript is downloaded in doc.docx or rtf. Amazon provides the resources for formatting. I used the recommended, 6 x9 size, but next time around I'm going to try something a bit smaller. I blush to admit, I spent a day on formatting trying to get my margins lined up. Its really not as difficult as I made it.

Proof: Your interior and exterior are both proofed. I got snagged by--as previously mentioned--the bleeding of my name over the allowable edge, and on the left margin on the interior. Once these items were corrected, and the book reviewed, I could choose to do a PDF proof or have a paper proof sent to me.

 The cost of a paper proof is your cost of the book, plus postage. I went the paper route. After I proofed and made my corrections, I once again sent the book through for review. After it passed review, I proofed again, this time with a PDF copy. Shortly, thereafter my book was ready for release.

I've purchased my books through several different publishers and Create Space's cost to the author for book and postage is the cheapest Ive ever encountered. All in all an interesting experience. Will I do it again? Probably.

It's Cat Day At Night Writers

I'm blogging today on the Javenese. If you're a cat person, or even if you're not, and interested in learning more about this highly intelligent breed, pop on over. We'd love to have you.
http://sevennightwriters.blogspot.com

Shardai, the first of the Cats of Catarau Series is free this month at Smashwords. 
smashwords.com 

“For troubled shores now thee leave
Man’s imperfections to receive
With mortals weakened, faulty shell
So shall ye among them dwell...”