Sandra Cox's Blog, page 70
September 20, 2021
It's Tuesday
Can you believe it's almost autumn? Followed closely by Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yikes it's almost 2022.
I've been on a butterfly bush jag. This is a dwarf Miss Molly and should level out at four feet.
Interestingly when it arrived it was purple. And when it bloomed out, it went from purple to white. Now it's finally settled into its true color. I wonder if the different colors had anything to do with the shock of shipping then being planted in hot weather. Or maybe, like when we dye our hair, it just wanted a change.😀
The boy found this wandering in his backyard. Don't ya love turtles?
Well. I couldn't find any more of the pumpkin spice muffins, but I did find this.
That's all I've got. Hope things are more exciting--in a good way--in your neck of the woods.
September 16, 2021
Friday's Great Read: SMALL FORGOTTEN MOMENTS
Is Zenna a muse, a sleep-deprived apparition, or something much more sinister?
Three foodie facts about Jo:
She's British and she has amnesia, so she likes comfort food, food which subtly remind her of her childhood. I've provided links in case you have no idea what I'm talking about!
1. In the novel she makes her mother a cottage pie which she loves - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cottage-pie
2. Jam roly-poly, a staple of school canteen meals - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sticky-toffee-puddings
3. She grew up on the coast, so crab is a firm favorite.
Excerpt from Small Forgotten Moments by Annalisa Crawford
This excerpt is taken from the middle of the book, when Jo’s dreams and hallucinations are becoming more severe.
In the middle of the night, I’m wide awake. An owl hoots, foxes cry, something screeches further along the valley and makes me shudder.
I close my eyes and breathe deeply, evenly. Floating on the ocean, with Opera Pink mist swirling around me. To be more accurate, over the ocean—the mist holding me like a pair of hands. I drift to sleep, my lungs filling with crisp sea air.
Suddenly I’m thrashing against the waves. And Mum’s with me, both of us frantic, immersed by the tide. I struggle to keep above the water, stretching toward the surface, gasping for air. The hands which kept me up now push me down—pressing firmly on my shoulders to prevent me breaking free, easing me toward my death.
I call for Mum, desperately trying to find her in the black, churned-up water. My lips are moving, my words reverberating around my head. But I can’t hear my voice. In my head, I’m yelling, but the sound melts into the sea.
The hands loosen, and I wriggle away instinctively. I kick out and swim as fast as I can, swallowing water as I gasp with the exertion. I’m not moving. I’m stuck, tangled among the seaweed. Panicked and sinking as I flail. The hands are gone, but I’m going under.
At the very last moment, as I take my last gulp of air and expect to plummet to the ocean floor, all motion ceases. I’m in bed, flinching against the daylight; my arms are still trying to swim, my legs kick out. I’m bleary, as if I haven’t slept at all. The dream crumbles; pieces ebb away as I grapple for them.
You can read more about Small Forgotten Moments at www.annalisacrawford.comor go direct to the publisher’s website for all purchase options https://bit.ly/small_forgotten_moments
About Annalisa Crawford
Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall, UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, and canine writing partner, Artoo. She is the author of four short story collections, and two novels.
AND
September 15, 2021
Did You Know
Did you know that in 1804 the Vice President of the United States--Aaron Burr--fought a duel with the Secretary of the Treasury--Alexander Hamilton--and killed him?
September 14, 2021
Writerly Wednesday
September 13, 2021
It's Tuesday
AND In the garden.The mums are beginning to bloom.
Looks like this mum has grown a tail:)
I got a new butterfly bush. It's only supposed to grow to two feet, which is a little bit more dwarfy than I wanted, but I love the color. It's called a blue pugster.
Anybody know what this guy is?(Besides a spider;) He's hung out there for about a month. Minding his own business.
And last but not least, the Leaf Collector. He collects half the garden in his fur. This time I found a locust husk, which is much better than the slimy, squishy things he sometimes wears.
Got pumpkin muffins? Colorful spiders? Mums? Butterfly bushes? Leaf Collectors?
September 9, 2021
Friday's Great Read: WILLOW'S RETREAT
WILLOW'S RETREAT is now available.
Three character foodie facts:
1.John will only use honey, preferably locally grown honey in his coffee.
2.Willow likes spicy foods but didn't learn to cook until she was nearly 40.
3. Rider has a sweet tooth but because he is health conscious, he doesn't indulge, though there’re two things he can’t resist: homemade chocolate fudge icing and brownies right out of the oven.
John nodded. “It’ll do. Can I have a cup of coffee? It’ll be nice to drink it without feeling like my heart is going to burst out of my chest.”
Willow fixed them both a cup of coffee, then brought her own meal out on a tray. “How is it?” She asked as he was swirling his bread in the bottom of the bowl, trying to get the last drop.
“If this doctor thing doesn’t work out, you can always get a job as a chef,” he teased.
She laughed. “Since I can cook maybe a dozen things, I think I’d better stick with my day job.”
Bio:
People have often asked me why I don’t write about my adventures raising six sons. I have to admit that I prefer to write their stories as fiction because no one believes the stuff they put me through if I tell it as fact. In fiction I can clean my boys up a little when I like them and make them the heroes of my stories and if they’ve pissed me off, I can make them the villains. It’s been a running joke around our house that mom will put you in her book and kill you off on page fifty, but some know they’re the smelly corpse discovered in the ditch at the very beginning of the story. Heck, it’s not even a threat anymore. My grandkids are begging to be put in my books and even telling me how I can kill them off. I mean really, where’s the threat in that? We put the fun in dysfunctional, what can I say? I have long conversations with my children and grandchildren about blowing things up and how to get rid of bodies. The holidays are never boring around our house.
Links:
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/mgEra7
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099R578N8
Website: https://sherrilhollister.com/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sherri-lupton-hollister
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17367712.Sherri_Lupton_Hollister
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sjlhollisterwriter/
September 8, 2021
Did You Know
Did you know, Ben Franklin bequeathed Philadelphia and Boston $2000 each with the codicil it was not to be used for a hundred years or distributed for two hundred. The money to be loaned to and invested in young tradesmen and apprentices.
*Thanks to EC for today's history trivia.
September 7, 2021
Writerly Wednesday
September 6, 2021
It's Tuesday
Got rocks?
