Sandra Cox's Blog, page 70

Weekend Wishes

 

Did you know

 Did you know, sea otter pups hold their mother's paws while they are dozing so they won't drift away in the water?

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Writerly Word Wednesday

What's your go-to word for Fall or the first word that comes to mind?
 FYI: If you don't hear from me, I'm having issues commenting....
 

It's Tuesday

 

So, is anyone else out there watching Black List? 

We are so hooked. I love James Spader and the off the wall characters that waltz in and out of the series. We turn it on after dinner and watch it till bedtime. We're almost through the eighth season which means we're going to be waiting awhile for season nine. Sigh.

Has anyone else noticed a shortage in canned cat food?  

 It's been going on awhile in our area and is starting to get nerve-racking especially with the two finicky creatures I've got. Tuna in sauce for one. Chicken pate for the other.

 I've had cats all my life. Mostly rescues and I've never had finicky eaters. Most have had their favorite foods. Chuck (featured near the bottom on the right) loved his turkey. He'd almost paw wrestle the HH on Thanksgiving. But all of them always considered any kind of cat food a treat. Not these two and they're both rescues. Frank was starving in the woods and Callie still hides around strangers. Frank ate everything that was placed in front of him and wanted more for about the first two years of his life.  After that he decided to be a prima donna but I digress. In the past, I could always pick up whatever cat food I was looking for. Now it's pretty much take what you can get. The shelves are the next thing to bare. Luckily, this hasn't spilled over into kibble. 

Is anyone else experiencing this? Is our canned cat food coming from overseas or is it a transportation problem in the United States? Got any thoughts on the matter?

The last hangers on. 
 



Another care package filled with all kinds of goodies including
 

arrived. The little mousse pumpkins were delicious. The Pumpkin Alfredo is either going to be  a new culinary treat or an acquired taste:)

Got flowers? Cat food? Pumpkin Alfredo sauce? Watch Black List?

Friday's Read: SHATTERED by C. Lee. McKenzie

 

Blurb: Nineteen-year-old Libby Brown is on her way to the winter Olympics for her shot at the Gold. But on a last practice run, an out-of-bounds snowboarder collides with her, and she wakes up in a hospital unable to move her legs. Terrible accident they say, but was it? Or did someone want her off the U.S. slalom team? Libby must find the truth or remain shattered forever.

 

Buy links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JYYJG7V/ref=sr_1_1

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shattered-c-lee-mckenzie/1140389252

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/shattered-262

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1110901

Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/68593c7622/?

More About the Author and Her Books

 Website . Goodreads . BookBub . Instagram . Twitter . Facebook . LinkedIn

Bio

I'm a native Californian who grew up in a lot of different places; then landed in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I write most of the time, hike and practice yoga a lot, and then travel whenever I can. 

In my young adult books, I take on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. My Evernight Teen Publication, Double Negative was voted as one of the best top ten Young Adult books, 2019. My other books, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Sliding on the Edge, Sudden Secrets and Not Guilty are out to four and five-star reviews.

If you visit my website and sign up for my Email Connect (emails two times a month)there's a free 

.
 AND
 ANDIf you would like to be featured on Friday's Read just shoot me an email or fill out the contact form

Did You Know

 Did you know, it's ill advised to use a petroleum-based lip product around a person on oxygen because it's flammable? Makes sense but seriously, who'd a thought?

 

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 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery!

 

This month’s optional question:

What’s harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?

 

Another good question. Probably the blurb.  Occasionally, I think of a title I like then write a story around it.😊

 

October/November reviews in no particular order.

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

 

 

LEATHAL WHITE by Robert Galbraith

I have finally read a J. K Rowling’s book. Not exactly Harry Potter but very well written.  

 Cormoran Strike is a one-legged ex-vet that is now a famous PI. Robin Ellacott is his junior partner, who he previously fired and has now hired back. Their latest case takes them into both parliament and an eerie manor house, with all kinds of twists and turns.  This is the 4thin the series and it definitely lives up to the hype.

 I grabbed it because the HH read it, now I’m going back and reading the 1st of the series.  

 

MAGGIE ON THE BOUNTY by Kate Danley

This is the third in the Magical Tracker Series about wisecracking, hard-hitting Maggie Mackay, who tracks down bad guys of the magical variety. In this book, Maggie and her new partner Killian, the elf, accept a job to find out why ghosts are disappearing from a haunted cruise ship.

If you don’t mind a heroine with a bit of a potty mouth, it’s a fun, easy, well-written read and good for some downtime reading.

 

WORD WEAVING #1: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse by Colleen M. Chesebro

What a lovely collection of verse by diverse, talented authors. This grouping holds several different  syllabic offerings, all uniquely expressed. There were so many delights included in this book. I especially liked D. L. Finn’s Moon’s Magic, a haibun Idyll that begins with ‘A lone black cat sits on the edge of our world, under the harvest moon. Her green eyes reflect the celestial beams, and her fur absorbs the stars’ and D Wallace Peach’s Haiku:

 

'Moonlight stitches lace

Frosty hems on scarlet leaves

Glints of fallen stars'

So much creativity from gifted writers offering us autumnal pleasures.

Available on Amazon

 

CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER by Diane Burton

What a fun cozy.

CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER is the second book I’ve read by Ms. Burton and I’ve found both delightful. This whodunit centers around a young female PI out to prove herself and get her business solvent. A case lands in her lap that will get her back on her feet, though there’s questions a plenty about her client.  Add in her old high school flame that waltzes back into her life and is as mysterious as her client. Stir them together and you’ve got the ingredients for a mystery with just the right amount of romance, humor and suspense.

Available at Amazon

 

 

 

THE STORM CROW and THE CROW RIDER by Kayln Josephson

I read this series in two nights. At first, I was a little put off by the idea of riding giant crows, but I quickly moved past it and tumbled into the story.

Thia and her sister are trying to take back the kingdom from the evil Queen Razel who swooped in and destroyed the crows leaving the kingdom defenseless. Her sister thinks the only way to save the kingdom is to marry Thia to the prince. Then Thia finds an unhatched crow egg and the adventure begins.

I highly recommend these books to anyone who loves YA fantasy. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

THE MELDING OF AERIS by D. Wallace Peach

Another edge of your seat fantasy by a master storyteller.

This is a fascinating dystopian tale of a society that grafts the skins and parts of any creature they desire to adorn their body.  Unfortunately, their children are born with the skin, or scales, and features of whatever animal or reptile their parents indulged themselves in, making man’s the most sought-after skin of all.

Aeris has been born to wealthy parents who have indulged often in grafts and their son, while pure of heart, is born reptilian-looking and hideous. He is thrilled when his parents give him a graft of human skin for his birthday. It’s only after the grafting he finds out murder was involved in his transfiguration.

Available at Amazon

 

MISTLETOE INN By Jacqui Biggar

A heartwarming tale for the Christmas season.

Hoping for a new start, Molly McCarty, a divorcee with a young son, invests in a bed and breakfast in Christmas town. Anxious to leave her old life behind and start anew, she leaves home in bad weather, ends up in the middle of a snowstorm and runs off the road, only to find herself rescued by her new partner.

Noah Kincaid has lost everyone he cares about. With scars marring his face and his heart he has closed himself off, afraid to love anyone. But Noah’s about to find that Christmas truly is a magic time of year, filled with love, hope and new beginnings.

MISTLETOE INN is a well-written delight. Grab your hot chocolate and prepare to lose yourself in this feel-good story of holiday and happiness.

Available at Amazon

 

 

It's Tuesday

 New snacks.

Have you tried this one? I stumbled across it the other day. It's healthy and tasty.

 And this is an old favorite.

And speaking of snacks... The HH found a box of chocolates he'd ordered for me for Easter the other day:) Yeah, it happens:) They were from a candy shop out of state and were made in house and it was recommended that they be consumed in eight weeks of receiving the chocolates.  Obviously, long past:) Since they were individually wrapped, were chocolate, nuts and caramel, I figured I'd be safe. I opened one and took a bite.  It had an odd flavor to it so I put it back. I occasionally nibbled on the same piece for a couple of weeks. When I finished, I decided to try another only this time I looked it over very carefully....and found fuzzies on the back of it. Ack. Ack. Ack. I shouldn't have taken that caramel for granted AND have now learned my lesson  on expiration dates.😬

And on the writerly front. An unexpected response.

Here's my blurb: 

"Killing stains your soul. You may think you want to do this, but it's not something you'd wish to live with."

She shivered, then tossed her chin up. "What's your soul like?"

"Black as sin, ma'am. But I can live with it."

So as a reader do you see a problem here or have a problem with this blurb?

This is a response I received.

"'Black as sin. Are y'all still doing this BS (I abbreviated). Still equating Black with evil."

I didn't see that one coming.

So what's your healthy snacks? Had any unexpected responses to something you've said or wrote?

 

 

It's The Weekend

 

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https://AuthorsXP.com/amazon

Did You Know

 Did you know, 'Never put off tomorrow what you can do today', came from Thomas Jefferson?