K.B. Pellegrino's Blog, page 8

Winter Break

We followed the college kids for March vacation, but did so in a more careful environment in Surfside on Florida’s east coast. As a New Englander who summers much of the time at Cape Cod or New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee, I had, as usual, architectural culture shock when my plane landed. So many modern condo high rises tower along the exquisite sandy beaches as palm trees wave. This area is north of Miami Beach and not by much. Therefore, one can take a break from the water, walking along th...

The Elderly

My latest murder mystery published in late January "KILLING THE VENERABLE - IT'S THEIR TIME!" has an overreaching view to perceptions on older citizens in our society and others' views on the worth of their lives. The big question is, "Just who is able to make judgments about anyone's worth; whether age related or some other societal segment?" During the COVID-19 pandemic, great discussion ensued about the elderly needing protection from the virus and thereby getting their vaccine first. Countering that thought, some expressed resentment for their early treatment and there were many who actually verbally stated a view of the economic drain elderly have on medical care. Others tried to cut in on early vaccines by pretending they were caretakers and often were not. There has been constant talk about the economics of social security and its drain on the country's resources, while many contributed to social security and are forced out of getting their fair share by the Windfall Elimination Tax. We see many articles on the subject of just when to call it a day for advanced medical care for the elderly based on cost and not need. These public expressions wreak havoc on the psychological well being of the elderly who sociologically are already separated from many of society's privileges based on physical and sometimes mental limitations. My novel speaks of a sociopath who chooses to murder older men. The motive fits right into the collective expressions of our current society.
K. B. Pellegrino, Author

Pre- St. Patrick’s Day

This author grew up on the South Shore area of Boston, having lived in Dorchester, Quincy, Wollaston, Cohasset, and Milton. Any way you cut it, St. Patrick’s Day was then the holiday of the year following Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the fourth of July. I am a product of Catholic schools for my first twelve years of education. Do not think that’s why St. Patrick’s was celebrated by me and others. You could go to any other religious school or public school at that time and find the color ...

The Down Season or Not

Towards the end of February in western Massachusetts there in often, actually mostly, snow or the remains of snow on the ground. Some think, by this time, that the concept of snow on the ground is depressing. Now if you go to the Chicopee River, there is ice fishing. Further west and north there is skiing. There are always some places for kids (and adults) to coast or skate. Still, we feel an ennui settle in, for we know two-thirds of March will bring more of the same. Some folks fly south now, ...

Valentines Day

My new mystery novel, KILLING THE VENERABLE - IT'S THEIR TIME! was published on January 26, 2021. Elderly men are murdered in disguised auto accidents. These men had lives they felt were worth living. They all enjoyed love in their lives. The psychotic murderer did not see them as individually worthy of continued life, implanting self experience as sole judge for who lives and who dies. This is fiction. Love should be felt for all of us traveling this road of living.

Let us never forget on a day like this that love is the virtue that should prevail in all our lives. Outside of my murder fiction, please love yourself and others and if you find yourself unable to love in this moment, act lovingly.

K. B. Pellegrino, Author

Eating for the Brain and not just for the Rest of the Body

What to eat after over a year of being jammed up in seclusion and perhaps enjoying unlimited taste of food over common sense moderation in what we eat?

No, I am not giving you recipes. Nor are you getting ideas for dinner from me. Nor am I telling you about the great dinner I had for take-out last night. Instead, this is a reminder of what is one of the most important elements of living – FOOD for proper nutrition. The brain is a smaller organ. It is by weight about 2% of the body. In a typical ...

Mystery of History

I write. I love writing, but I feed my writing with my reading. I write mystery and murder and police procedures. My protagonist is a good man. My murderers are sociopaths/psychopaths. Where does my source get birthed?

Mostly history: political history; statesmen's history; personal diaries; personal experience.
I think 'history' maybe should be spelled 'hystory; for there is so much mystery there. We only know some of hystory, for the rest is mystery.

Currently I'm reading "The First Socialist Society" which is a history of the Soviet Union from within. Given some twisted and unrealistic thoughts of socialism thrown about today, I suggest this book should be required reading. No where is there passionate emotion. All through this book which is taking me a while to get through, there exist facts, dates, names, victims, murders, suicides, horror, famine, pain, Machiavellian leaders, dictators, generals, secret agents, wars, battles, the franchised and dis-enfranchised, etc. Much to read and interpret. It should be required reading for all those souls who do not appreciate the gift, so diligently fought for by many, of liberty.

K. B. Pellegrino, Author

What’s Important Today?

It’s a cold day in February, St. Blaise Day, the martyr and saint of the Blessing of the Throats. I have a son whose middle name is Blaise after the Italian Bishop whose reputation includes a love of children and saving one such child from choking on a fish bone. As a child I loved his story and I guess it influenced me to use the name for a baby I loved. What was important to me when I was a child and heard this story was important to me twenty years later.

What’s important to you today? How mu...

The elderly as Individuals!

“KILLING THE VENERABLE – IT’S THEIR TIME” is my latest novel published today January 26th, 2021, as we speak. Find it on all the usual spots. I have some passion for the victims of this sociopathic serial murderer in this my sixth Captain Rudy Beauregard Mystery Series. When I started the manuscript some friends asked me if killing ‘old people’ was that interesting to society and whether I could market such a book. I quickly rejected that notion.

Because it takes some time to write over three h...

Clarity in Motives

Often folks have shared with me what I call, great ‘rhetoric.’ What do I mean by ‘rhetoric’ in this context? Wordy constructs which, at first, sound great to the ear or to the eye. A good orator may fool the ear and a great writer certainly may fool the eye, but our job is to examine ‘rhetoric’ not just for the meanings of each word or phrase, but to the motive the speaker and writer have. It is paramount we think through the words before we act. The problem is when one really likes the person s...