Sandra Cox's Blog, page 45

It's Ketch-up Day

 

 Greetings, Blogger Buds,

Did you have wondrous holidays?

Ours was great with one notable hitch. The daughter and SIL arrived the 24th as planned. Our son and family came in the 25th for a few hours. My bro and SIL arrived the 26th AND my sister had tickets through Southwest.  No more needs to be said. At least for those of you in the states.  If you live outside the states Southwest had mass cancellations over the holidays because of weather and their scheduling software. It was a mess of major proportions.

 

 

AND

We are fostering.  Meet Shrek (tabby) and Fiona  (the black and white). They're ferals. Our job is to get them socialized so they can get their forever homes. So far, they're still in hiding.

AND

Besides my wonderful calendar from Denise.

The HH got me coffee calendar, which always makes me grin.

AND

A card from CJ with the envelope done in her amazing calligraphy. 

What about you blogger buds? Tell us about your holidays.

Your Weekend Read: THE BLUE BAR

 

BLURB:  

 

On the dark streets of Mumbai, the paths of a missing dancer, a serial killer, and an inspector with a haunted past converge in an evocative thriller about lost love and murderous obsession. 

 

After years of dancing in Mumbai’s bars, Tara Mondal was desperate for a new start. So when a client offered her a life-changing payout to indulge a harmless, if odd, fantasy, she accepted. The setup was simple: wear a blue-sequined saree, enter a crowded railway station, and escape from view in less than three minutes. It was the last time anyone saw Tara. 

 

Thirteen years later, Tara’s lover, Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput, is still grappling with her disappearance as he faces a horrifying new crisis: on the city’s outskirts, women’s dismembered bodies are being unearthed from shallow graves. Very little links the murders, except a scattering of blue sequins and a decade’s worth of missing persons reports that correspond with major festivals. 

 

Past and present blur as Arnav realizes he’s on the trail of a serial killer and that someone wants his investigation buried at any cost. Could the key to finding Tara and solving these murders be hidden in one of his cold cases? Or will the next body they recover be hers? 

 

EXCERPT:

TARA

2002, Borivali Station

Endings are overrated. There’s only one true, certain end—everything else a load of bullshit, or how you call it, bakwaas. Beginnings, though. Beginnings are everywhere. It all began with that midnight-colored saree, thick with dark-blue sequins, its endless sea of shimmering dots stitched by hands that must have cracked and bled over the months of needle in and out of taut cloth in some dingy, godforsaken hole in one of Mumbai’s stinking alleyways.

The saree, draped well below Tara’s navel, scratched against her skin. The low-necked silver blouse scraped her shoulders, but she tried not to think about any of this, or the sweat trickling down her back while she maneuvered through the crush of bodies.

It had rained that afternoon, cooling the air, but not enough for the wide, dark shawl Tara had worn as per instructions. It was never cold enough in Mumbai for shawls. Especially not on a platform at Borivali Station during rush hour, which swarmed thicker than ants on a dead beetle. The voices of hundreds of men and women rose around her, red-uniformed porters yelling at everyone to stand back, squalling children, announcements of all the trains departing from or arriving in India’s city of dreams.

 

 

The Blue Bar is narrated by various characters. Here’s what each character does when they are stressed:  

Tara: She takes to obsessive cleaning: cleaning the room she is in, the adjoining toilet, or taking repeated baths. 

Arnav: He heads to the dojo, where he tries to center himself by practicing karate stances. 

Villain: He cuts himself with a razor, while seated in his empty bathtub. 

 

Buy link: https://linktr.ee/damyantibiswas

 

BIO: Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is coeditor of the Forge Literary Magazine.  

 

Apart from being a novelist, she is an avid reader of true crime, a blogger, and an animal lover. Her ambition has always been to live in a home with more books than any other item, and she continues to work toward that. 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays

 

I'm going to be offline for awhile celebrating with the fam. My daughter and SIL are coming in from PA the 24th, leaving the 27th. My brother and SIL from FL are coming in the 26th and leaving the 1st or thereabouts. My sister from IL is coming in the 29th and leaving the 4th. 

I'll be back online sometime in January. Until then may your holidays be wondrous.

Did You Know

 Did you know, that in the United States before the National Bank Act created national currency some banks featured Santa Claus on some of their bills?

 

Writerly Wednesday

 What's your synonym for:

 

Ketch-up Day

 Greetings Blogger Buds,

Are you ready for Christmas? I'm getting there.

Tree up.✔

Gifts bought. ✔ 

Gifts wrapped. Half ✔

Baking. Nope not baking.

House cleaned. Half ✔

Grocery shopping done. Nope.

Ready for the relatives. Half ✔

 

AND

Pictures of my bro and SIL's Christmas tree lit with black lighting.

 

Pictures from CA  where our buddy Denise lives.

 

 

From the HH

 

Happy Holidays, buds.

Weekend Wishes

 I'm at Cowboy Kisses  chatting about the American quarter horse.  If you have an interest, please stop by.

Did You Know

 

 Did you know, President Garfield had a dog named Veto?

 

Writerly Wednesday

 What's your word for:

Ketchup Day

 How are you, Blogger Buds? Shopping, wrapping and baking like crazy?  I think I'm through shopping and ready to start wrapping.

I've already received two wonderful bud gifts. I'm awed and amazed at these presents and that they've already been sent out. We do have the tree up and the kitchen centerpiece out. Baby steps:)  A couple of the ornaments are new ones from the HH. Look for a glass cardinal and a glass grey tabby wearing a red Christmas hat:) Oh yes,and the HH has the outside lights up;)

My annual calendar from author D.L. Finn. I love these calendars composed of her photography and verse. Thanks, Denise, this is such a special gift.

This one was a huge surprise. I did ninety percent of my shopping online this year. When I opened this, I blinked several times and thought, I'm sure I didn't order anyone a French Coffee Press. I took another look at the address on the box and noticed it was to Super Sandra and knew immediately it was a gift from Ro. Isn't that woman amazing?  I would have never bought one for myself. Thank you, Rockin Ro.

 

AND 

Here's the last of the Philly pictures.This lovely old street is one of the oldest residentials in Philly. Beautiful isn't it?

 

The neighborhood pump.

AND last but not least, Frank.

What about you, Blogger Buds, Got your shopping and wrapping done? Baking?