Sherry Morris's Blog, page 37

Book Review: The Cat Who Brought Down the House

 The Cat Who Brought Down the HouseBy Lillian Jackson BraunI've been enjoying Ms. Braun's Cat Who series since I discovered it in the mid-nineties. At that time, I exhausted every installment my library carried. I've been reading and rereading the cozy mysteries over the years, certain in the assumption I'll have a light, feel good-read with a happy resolution. I was surprised when I came across a bunch of unfamiliar titles in the series. Either I have a short memory, or I've missed half of them. I put three on my Christmas list and this is the first I've read.The Cat Who Brought Down the House has a stranger returning from Hollywood to Moose County. Nobody remembers the older lady, the daughter of a potato farmer with a twin brother who recently met his demise. The story is a bit slower than normal, yet held my interest. I was disappointed in Ms. Braun's portrayal of her illustrious protagonist, Jim Qwilleran in this book. She has him ruminating over the details of women's fashion, intricate opera and antique knowledge, thus emasculating him. The implied romance between Qwill and the town librarian, Polly, over the series was so unattended to in this book, it almost seemed like a cover relationship and I was expecting him to come out of the closet.  The stranger was entertaining, as were the effervescent townsfolk, Qwill's Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum and there was a nice twist ending.
I give The Cat Who Brought Down the House four out of five stars.

Musical Review: The Jersey Boys

I received tickets to see The Jersey Boys at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. for a surprise Christmas present. I'd never been to the theatre, never seen a musical other than high school productions. I was absolutely thrilled. We left early, on Monday, January 2nd, which was a Federal and District holiday. They weren't enforcing parking regulations, so we were able to park on the street, two car lengths from the doors to the National Theatre. And this was a good thing, because the parking garages were all surprise: closed! What do people do on holidays in DC? Sheesh.
We had lunch at an historic dive on the corner of 12th and E Streets, NW called Ollie's Trolley. My husband and daughter had burgers. I had a reuben, no sauce. The fries were seasoned. The food was good, but not memorable. My daughter and I opted to run across the street to Barnes and Noble for the restroom, rather than get the key for customers only at Ollie's.



Afterwards, we hoofed it up to 17th and I Streets, NW to Crumbs, a cupcake shop my daughter had a coupon for. We had done our homework online, and came prepared with a list of cupcakes we had wanted to try. Only problem, they were sold out of the ones they wanted. I had wanted the Avalanche, the Cupcake of the Month. Vanilla cake filled and frosted with vanilla buttercream topped with white chocolate curls. I don't like creamcheese, and this was the only one that didn't include any. It was possibly the best cupcake I'd ever eaten. With a fork. I love buttercream frosting, and this is stuffed with it! How clever and yummy.
We passed time at the Barnes & Noble on 12th Street, NW. Two things unique to this store, from the ones I generally frequent at Union Station or in Northern Virginia. First, they have two security guards in the store. Secondly, there is a sign that the cafe seating is for cafe customers only. There are very few chairs available in the book section.
We arrived at the National Theatre thirty minutes before the show. The lobby was stuffed. We joined the end of the long queue line, bent around. Drinks were available but we opted for the restroom upstairs instead. Our seats were in the orchestra section, Row Q. They were a salmon colored velvet. The box seats and stage were painted in turquoise with ornate molding.
The set reminded me of West Side Story, with a chain link fence and metal stairs and catwalks.
The cast for the evening included Joseph Leo Bwarie as Frankie Valli and he was superb. Dancing, singing, acting, breathing, the man had it all. He even did the splits. The quality of the production was impeccable. I had to keep reminding myself these guys were doing it all live. There were no gaffs whatsoever. They played close to forty of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons songs, all set in a skit around the music. Timothy Quinlan gave a hilarious portrayal of the music producer. The actor playing Tommy DeVito, John Gardiner was very good, because I hated him, so he made me believe. Michael Lomenda's portrayal of Nick Massi was endearing. Kevin Worley's Bob Guido role was spot on. I really liked the guy. But for me, Joseph Leo Bwarie stole the show. It was his. He was smokin' hot.
The audience went wild with applause after the boys performed my song, Sherry. The cast appeared surprised and gladdened. Bwarie touched two fingers to his heart. Sigh.

Sherry Ink: On Writing

Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission to PublishersBy Sherry Dee MorrisFirst Published October 2011 for the Riverside Writers Parade of Prose

1.  Print it out.
2.  As you read through, be on the lookout for:     a. Typos     b. Spelling and Grammar Errors     c. If you've duplicated words within a paragraph, change one.         (She was so excited to receive the good news. The rain danced on her windowpane.          Excited , she ran down the stairs and flung the door open.)      d. Remove all unnecessary commas, they slow the pace.     e. In scenes with more than two characters, make sure you have used speech tags.     f. Overuse of ly adverbs. Remove as many as you can and replace with strong verbs. (She quietly said , "Go fish."  Can be strengthened to:  She whispered , "Go fish.")     g. Search for the word "that" and decide where it can be removed without affecting  your scene.     h. Make sure all of your character and place names are consistent.     i. Check for plot holes.     j. Check your timeline and make sure it is perfect. This is especially important if you have simultaneous scenes in two locations "Meanwhile, back at the ranch…" Time can't travel more quickly in one location than the other. Some cutting of scenes and pasting them in different spots may be necessary. 3.  Input your changes into your manuscript and save it. Read it through once more.  And  then read it again. When you realize you are only changing words, not making the manuscript better, stop. 4.  Go to an online site such as http://www.agentquery.com/     A.  Search for every agent who represents your genre. Make sure they are members of the Association of Authors Representatives http://aaronline.org/     B.  Query every agent who meets the above criteria.            I. Follow the submission guidelines exactly for each agency.           II. Don't address the query to "Dear Agent." Make sure you personalize each letter with the particular agent's name.          III. If the guidelines state "One page query only. No attachments or samples."  Ignore it. Make sure that below your letter, you paste a sample of your first page. If you have a great first line or opening paragraph, use that. If the whole page is great, paste that, being careful to end at an intriguing point.          IV. Expect never to hear from most of the agents. Expect form rejection letters from others for months to come. Expect a few rude responses. Expect a few requests to read your manuscript. Odds are against you gaining agent representation. Even if you do get an agent there is no guarantee he/she can sell your manuscript to a publisher. However,  if you do gain representation by a good agent, odds are so much better that  he/she will place you with a great publisher and your career will be launched than if you tried to find a publisher on your own.
5.  As soon as you've queried the last possible agent you can find that might like your work, begin querying publishers. Query every publisher for which their guidelines state they accept unagented authors and your manuscript fits their needs. Follow their formatting guidelines exactly. Search their website and do a Google search if necessary to find out the editor's name to address the letter personally.
6.  Disregard the "No simultaneous submissions" policy some publishers/agents have. This is your business. If you queried one agent or one editor at a time then waited months for a response before going on to query the next agent or editor, odds are you'll die before your book is published. Cast your net far and wide.
7.  Once you have cast your net, celebrate! Then begin writing your next riveting novel.

I'm Appearing in Fredericksburg, Virginia this Saturday!

I will be speaking to the Riverside Writers' on a panel for their Parade of Prose on Saturday, October 8th in Fredericksburg, VA. I will have copies of Hundred Dollar Bill available for purchase.

Sequel to Hundred Dollar Bill

I'm delighted to announce that THOUSAND DOLLAR PHARAOH, my sequel to HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL, is under contract with Eternal Press for a March 2012 release! Here is the blurb:
~She never thought she would have to sacrifice this much for her country…In 1945, a beautiful undercover secret service agent has a dangerous assignment. United States thousand dollar bills are turning up all over the globe. Bodyguarding the widowed former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, Chloe must tread lightly and include her in what the first lady views as a thrilling cozy mystery. Can she protect Mrs. Roosevelt, unmask the counterfeiting ringleader and throw the swift fist of justice while traveling from Egypt to Washington to London with a royal mummy's severed arm and a peculiar sand cat? Agent Chloe Lambert takes a bullet for her country and suffers the government's inexcusable intrusion into her private affairs. She will stop at nothing to complete this mission… 

Excerpt: Houseguest

- Houseguest By Sherry Morris
This essay won third place for Nonfiction in the 2002 Mid-Atlantic Writers Conference First published in The Writers Post Journal December 2004 Excerpt:
My e-pal flew over the oceanMy e-pal I wanted to meetMy e-pal flew over the oceanOh, please send her back and hit delete!
Well, Wendy was the very first person that I ever felt a connection with on the Internet. I'd been chatting with her on a Bee Gees fans' e-mailing list for two and a half years. We were so much alike. She was such a fun girl to banter with. I was really excited that she was coming to visit me, all the way from Australia.I envisioned deep music discussions, music video marathons and lots of silly laughing. I thought we could walk my kids to school, with Maurice (our yellow Labrador Retriever pup) and then just wander around town, jive talkin' about the night fever because we know how to do it. I looked forward to taking Wendy to the bookstore on rainy days, where we'd sip tea and read. And I wanted to show her off to my girlfriends. Little did I realize that nobody gets too much heaven no more and I couldn't see that the joke was on me.The Bee Gees are my tween-aged daughter's boy band. We discovered them together one evening when PBS broadcast their One Night Only Las Vegas concert for the annual public television pledge drive. My husband gave me the One Night Only CD for Valentines Day, and opened my heart to their tremendous songwriting and performing talent. They've written more than 500 top ten hits, for themselves and artists as varied as Barbara Streisand, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty and Destiny's Child. I had no idea, because American radio had blackballed the Bee Gees in the early 1980's, when disco music went out of fashion. They essentially blamed the three brothers, Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, for the whole genre.I'd met nearly three dozen girls from the Internet at fan gatherings and concerts. They had all been in real life just like they were online. Either lovely or Cruella De Vil.My e-pal was about five weeks into her three month North American adventure when she arrived at my local Amtrak station. She was traveling from fan to fan. Wendy insisted on staying with us for three weeks, during which time, she'd come and go, touring the Mid-Atlantic region. She didn't lodge with anyone else longer than two nights, so I felt special, because she liked me so much.As soon as we got her home, my husband and I both realized what a terrible mistake I'd made. Weepy, witchy, woe-is-me Wendy demanded constant pity. She matter-of-factly told me she was jealous of what I had with my mate. Well, excuse me, but I am not apologizing for having a good marriage. Wendy enviously said he resembled Robin Gibb. Again, not my fault she married an ugly old man.Wendy barely tolerated Maurice. She screeched and kicked him away for being a puppy (jumping, licking, chewing, wagging, sniffing).Another fan had recently sent me some CD's she'd burned; demos and old solo things I can't buy. So I played them in my sport utility vehicle, while we drove to the Olive Garden restaurant on the first night. Wendy sang along to every song, drowning out the Brothers Gibb with her quivering alto vibrato. She wallowed in the sad songs, some of which I'd never thought of as sad until she sang them. E-pal expected us to kiss her and make her all better. Well, when she blew her nose while strangling my favorite song, I lost it and told her she had to stop singing. So I didn't listen to any music for twenty-one days.Essay Available at Amazon Kindle Essay Available in all eBook Formats at Smashwords

Dying to Love Him

Dying to Love HimBy Sherry MorrisDonna Payne has recently learned she is the world's first baby conceived and born from an ovarian transplant. This explains why she never felt she belonged in her unhappy family. Dr. Nathan Payne, her genius OB/GYN father had manipulated everyone, and with his death, and that of her birth mother, Donna is determined to forge ahead, sidestepping the greedy ulterior motives of her pompous judge half-brother, Perry, and their gorgeous adopted diva sister, Tammy.

Donna suffers a head injury that leaves her with recurring narcoleptic like dreams. A debonair angel, Ashley Jones, transports her through her family's wild and wicked past, helping her understand who she is and discover what she wants to do with her what little is left of her mortal life. Donna falls deeply in love with Ashley, even knowing he doesn't really exist on earth. Through the dreams, he is her escape hatch when things get unbearable.

Enter Kent Cortez, hunkalicious TSA screener by day, and by night an operative of her not really dead daddy, Dr. Nathan Payne. Kent rents the house across the street and puts the moves on emotionally starved Donna.Amazon Kindle All eBook Formats Available at Smashwords

Excerpt: Devil in the Deep Blue Sea

Devil in the Deep Blue Sea The first published short story by Sherry Morris  The girls played with the twin toddler boys in the musty, stone-walled basement. Jeanie put on a show using expensively detailed Goldilocks puppets in an elaborate theater that had red velvet curtains. She got caught up in the skit, not just entertaining the children, but actually having fun. Later, she helped Delaine feed them and get them changed into their jammies. After they drifted off to sleep, the baby-sitters went outside."All right, Delaine, spill.""Spill what?""What was that look you gave me in the kitchen all about?""Oh, just that I know that Mr. and Miz Charles are getting a divorce. He has a girlfriend with pretty teeth and Farrah Fawcett-Majors hair. Miz Charles wants to sue his sorry buttocks for every penny he has and will ever have.""How do you know?""I heard my mom talking to the mailman."Jeanie lay on her back in the freshly mowed fescue surrounding the historic house. She happily inhaled the scent of cut grass. Her attention fixated across the river at the sunset. Slowly moving her eyes up through the clouds, she saw the color of a ripe peach, evolving into hot pink, then light aquamarine, and finally dark crayon blue.Delaine immediately headed to the pool."Come on, Jeanie! The water is so warm! Jump in!"The teenager rolled over and put her hands under her chin. She laughed at Delaine goofing around in the water, watching her handstands and bubble blowing. "I don't know how to swim. You have fun and I'll watch you." Jeanie opened her Tiger Beat magazine and flipped past the Leif Garrett dream date contest, Noxzema ad, and Bay City Rollers news. She creased the magazine open at the Andy Gibb photo spread and dramatically sighed. His peach vest and pants looked softer than the sunset."Come on, Jeanie! You're missing out on all the fun!"Jeanie removed her shoes and socks. She gingerly stuck her toes in and delightedly kicked her legs in the heavily chlorinated water. She knew they really shouldn't be swimming with out any adults present. Not that Jeanie was going to swim, but still, she felt like they were taking a stupid chance.Delaine swam over. "Jump in!""No, I'll watch you. I can't swim."Delaine grabbed her hand. "Yeah, right, Jeanie." She yanked her into the water.Disoriented, Jeanie found herself standing on the bottom of the pool. Desperately climbing, she somehow managed to propel herself up to the surface and grabbed onto Delaine's head. Delaine immediately pushed her off. Down, down, down Jeanie sank. Her thoughts muddled. She knew better than to go near water with no lifeguard. Maybe Mr. Charles would come home early. Maybe Andy Gibb would jump in and save her. He was a champion swimmer in Australia. She had read that about him last month. Flailing to the surface the second time, she grabbed wildly for Delaine. When she found her, Jeanie shoved Delaine underwater again, as she tried to climb onto her back. Delaine threw her off. Down, down, down Jeanie sank.Short Story Available at Amazon Kindle Short Story Available in all eBook Fomats at Smashwords

Book Review: I'll Walk Alone

I'll Walk AloneBy Mary Higgins Clark
This is the first novel I've read by bestselling legend Mary Higgins Clark. It's the story of a divorced interior decorator mother who's child is stolen while his babysitter slept in Central Park. British tourists have in the background of their photos positive proof that the mother herself took the three-year-old from his stroller. But it wasn't her. Someone has assumed her identity, is using her credit cards to duplicate her wardrobe and buy a one way ticket out of the country. Nobody believes poor Mom. They all think she has multiple personalities. She herself is wondering if she's gone mad.

I thought I knew whodunnit, but just like Dame Agatha Christie, Miss Clark led me right down the red herring path. A page turner! I highly recommend this book.

Book Review: The Red Hat Club

The Red Hat Club
by Haywood Smith

This is a refreshing, quick read. A group of southern ladies form friendships in adolescence and are bonded for life. Set in 2002 Atlanta, Georgia, the ladies are now in their forties and in various stages of matrimony. They originally were inducted into a high school sorority dubbed The Mademoiselles, but now a small group of them meet once a month and call themselves The Red Hat Club. 

When Diane discovers her husband is most likely cheating on her, the Red Hat Ladies immediately form a plan. They go undercover, get the goods on him and Diane gets everything she wants, including rid of Horrid Harrold.

Flashbacks to their teen years give glimpes of their group dynamic and motivations. It's wonderful to follow and love their growth.

I was drawn to this title because seeing Red Hat Ladies at places such as Mount Vernon has intrigued me. I want to join them when I'm old enough. I wonder if this book is based on or inspired by the original group?

I met Ms. Smith at a book signing years ago, and she was wearing a marvelous hat. I enjoyed chatting with her.

A wonderful book. I highly recommend it!