Sandra Cox's Blog, page 47

Did You Know

 Did you know, Harry Houdini's real name was Ehrich Weisz?

 

Writerly Wednesday

 What's your word for:

Wednesday's word brought to you by Christine. Thanks, Christine.

Ketch-Up Day

 Greetings Blogger Buds,

The 'puter is still trying to decide whether it's sick or not.  Wednesday it will probably go to 'urgent care' and they can decide whether it needs to be hospitalized. So if you don't here from me that will be why. Next week, if I do have the computer and am blogging it will be a short week, shorter than usual,due to the holidays.

Some pictures from different areas of the country.

Florida

Wind and rain

 

California

Snow

 

North Carolina

Bird's nest.

 

Thanks for the contributions, Shane and Denise.

Bloggers, Got wind, rain,snow or birds nests?

Your Weekend Read: PINEAPPLE COZY MYSTERY by Amy Vansant

 

 

Pineapple Cozy Mystery: The Cozy Mystery Killer is on the loose! (Book 16)NEW RELEASE PRICE - SAVE $2!

Someone is killing cozy mystery detectives!

Charlotte's friend Tilly dies and leaves her a cryptic message about the Cozy Mystery Killer—an assassin who has a grudge against amateur detectives. She's left more clues hidden inside tea cosies stashed all over Pineapple Port, which is good, because someone has robbed her home, leaving Charlotte with few leads.

While Charlotte and Declan follow the clues to find the killer, Mar iska and Darla work to surprise them with upgrades to the couple's new detective agency office. That is until a local crime-solving "witch" goes missing, and Charlotte needs to call them into active duty to help find her before she ends up the killer's next victim.

Have a treasure hunt of your own finding and decoding the hidden references to characters and tropes from other cozy mystery series you may have read!

Available at Amazon

1. The lead in the Pineapple Port Mystery Series, Charlotte Morgan, is related to the lead in my Shee McQueen Mystery-Thriller series...but she doesn't find that out until book #10 in a big surprise reveal!

2. Mariska is based on my mother-in-law!

3. I try very hard to balance my handsome leading man Declan Bingham --- equal parts tough and manly but also sweet and fun!

Did You Know

 Did you know, Charles Dickens owned a pet raven?

 

Offline

 Greetings Blogger Buds,

I'm having some computer issues. I've pre-posted Thursday and Friday and hopefully will be back next week.

Have a great one.

Did You Know

 Did you know, that after the death of her son William, Mary Todd Lincoln began holding seances in the Red Room of the White House?

 

IWSG Wednesday

 

The first Wednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. IWSG was formed by Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh. Members post about their doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

 The awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton!   Thank you.

 

November 2's optional question - November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

 

I think NaNo is great. What wonderful motivation to throw yourself into your writing. Have I participated? Not directly.  Occasionally, a writer bud and I will challenge each other, but my writing remains the same, day in-day out.  Month in-month out. I have a count I shoot for each day and if I’m not writing, I’m editing or researching.  So even though I think NaNo is wonderful, November is just another writing month for me.

 

AND

Authors: Did you know that if you type in a description  IMGCreator will create your image for you? I don't know that much about it, but it's a fascinating concept, especially if you make your own book covers.

 

October/November reviews in no particular order.

Occasional typos do not figure into my reviews.

NATURAL SELECTION. Book 3 of the Dawn of Humanity Series By Jacqui Murray

In the third book of the series, Lucy is again beset with challenges.

Besides Lucy struggling to keep her tribe safe, and free the tribe members that were stolen by an enemy tribe—plenty to grab and hold a reader’s attention—there were substories hurtling through the book with characters I grew to care about. A Canis tracking another Canis to be her mate. A Homotherium kit looking for a pack. And Lucy’s former pack members that have been enslaved and are looking for a way to survive and escape their bonds.

Once again, Ms. Murray has woven prehistory into a lovely, understandable story. One of her signature themes is the blending of different cultures into one tribe. Proving that in spite of our differences we can get along.

On a personal note, I loved that Boah said goodbye. (You’ll know what I’m referring to when you read it.)  And last but not least my favorite quote: “If Night Sun knew, it wasn’t telling.”

Told with her perceptive blend of pre-history and fiction, NATURAL SELECTION is a must read for all Murray fans and prehistory buffs.

This Friday's Weekend Read: NATURAL SELECTION

Available at Amazon

 

LETTING GO: THE DEFIANT SISTERS DUET Book 1 by Jacquie Biggar

 

Ms. Biggar is a USA Today best-selling author and after reading any of her books it’s easy to see why.  She has a way of creating an immediate connection between the reader and her characters. And The Defiant Sisters Duet is no exception.  

This story revolves around two sisters, Renee and Izzy, and the loss of the sister bond. After a family tragedy, Renee cuts and run, leaving Izzy to hold things together on the home front.  But now, a few years later, Renee is back, determined to mend bridges no matter how painful the rebuilding.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the series plays out. I enjoyed the secondary characters as much as the primary characters, especially Simon’s grandmother who, in spite of fighting age and absentmindedness, comes across as a very astute lady.

Biggar fans are going to love THE DEFIANT SISTERS DUET as will folks who want to settle in with a captivating read. So, grab your beverage of choice, some chocolate and enjoy.

Available at Amazon

 

TRAD:

 

LONG SHADOWS by David Baldacci

 

This is another in the Memory Man series. Baldacci's character—Amos Decker—is fascinating. Decker was a football player that suffers a severe head injury. The results of the trauma to his brain: perfect recall. Though, it’s not quite the gift, you would suppose. He can’t forget anything, especially the brutal deaths of his wife and daughter, which leads him to a crime solving career. Amos sees murder in shades of blue, another result of the injury. He’s also lost his social filter, which doesn’t endear him to a lot of people. In Long Shadows he ends up with a feisty female partner that is as outspoken as he is. This is a great series and this particular novel is excellent.

 

AND

 

   

 

Ketch-up Day

 

Can you believe it's November?   

Me neither.

AND

Some pics from my SIL.  The first two are in Colorado. The 2nd two: Hawaii.

AND

I was one of the lucky recipients of  a beautiful Floriade magnet from EC. Thanks, EC. I love it. The picture  on the card looks like EC's birds, doesn't it? If you haven't been to EC's blog and are interested in Australia's flora and fauna, you're in for a treat when you visit it.

AND

Isn't this great?  Most of the time these poor flowers just get pitched when they are past the sale stage, but look what our local Food Lion did.  I love it. And yes, I did take one;) It was definitely my Halloween treat.

Got critters? Flowers? Been on vacay?  And if you're in the U.S. and haven't yet done so, don't forget to vote.

Weekend Wishes

 

AND

The pumpkin my daughter and SIL carved.