Kate McVaugh's Blog
May 19, 2025
Free Now: *Bad Accounts*
Pia is on the hunt, and on the run, all the way from California to Puerto Vallarta.
Free on Amazon until 21 May.
BAD ACCOUNTS
Free on Amazon until 21 May.
BAD ACCOUNTS
November 22, 2023
AVAILABLE NOW
November 14, 2023
A Dangerous Heirloom - Letty in Naples, Book 2
The long-anticipated sequel to A Neapolitan Intrigue, is finally here.
Join ex-Interpol linguist, Letty, on her latest adventure.
Amazon link
Available now for free on KU
Free Download 23-27 November.
A culinary course, museum visits, exploring history in Naples, Italy – what more could Letty ask for? Six months have passed since the retired linguist last found herself in the middle of an investigation with ex-Interpol coworkers and friends, Taylor and Jim. When they call to request a bit of translation help, Letty happily accepts.
A trip to a hillside villa, and the story of a necklace gone missing around the Second World War, is certainly an intriguing tale, but Letty is happy to leave the sleuthing up to her friends. Afterall, she’s just a translator. That is, until she is unexpectedly thrown into the mix, and someone thinks she knows more than she does.
Why is she a target? And who, exactly, means to do her harm? Which of the local families that keep popping up is after her?
Then there’s that tall, fine-looking, smooth-talking chef, who may have designs on her… or is it the other way around? But can he be trusted? What is he hiding? Might he be part of a criminal family?
Faced with these questions, Letty can either wait for her friends to figure it all out or she can do her own reconnaissance.
Honestly, all she really wants is to be able to cook that pizza without burning the crust and leave the covert world behind.
Join ex-Interpol linguist, Letty, on her latest adventure.
Amazon link
Available now for free on KU
Free Download 23-27 November.
A culinary course, museum visits, exploring history in Naples, Italy – what more could Letty ask for? Six months have passed since the retired linguist last found herself in the middle of an investigation with ex-Interpol coworkers and friends, Taylor and Jim. When they call to request a bit of translation help, Letty happily accepts.
A trip to a hillside villa, and the story of a necklace gone missing around the Second World War, is certainly an intriguing tale, but Letty is happy to leave the sleuthing up to her friends. Afterall, she’s just a translator. That is, until she is unexpectedly thrown into the mix, and someone thinks she knows more than she does.
Why is she a target? And who, exactly, means to do her harm? Which of the local families that keep popping up is after her?
Then there’s that tall, fine-looking, smooth-talking chef, who may have designs on her… or is it the other way around? But can he be trusted? What is he hiding? Might he be part of a criminal family?
Faced with these questions, Letty can either wait for her friends to figure it all out or she can do her own reconnaissance.
Honestly, all she really wants is to be able to cook that pizza without burning the crust and leave the covert world behind.
July 2, 2023
What Happened to Hell No We Won't Go?
What happened to Hell no We Won’t Go? How did the epicenter of the No More War movement become the headquarters for Kill All The Ruskies?
In Berkeley, protesting against war was once a rite of passage. I’m not sure when that changed, but it has.
I vividly recall my first demonstration against the conflict in Viet Nam. After the bell rang at 3:00pm, a large group of students from my Junior High marched to the corner gas station, hand scrawled placards raised above our heads: End the War, Stop the Draft, US out of Viet Nam.
The Gulf War, in 1990, became the next large operation that got the No More War crowd doing their thing. Bumper stickers with No Blood for Oil appeared on cars throughout the Bay Area.
Then in 2003 the Military Industrial Complex decided that a contained Saddam Hussian simply did not generate enough cash flow, so initiated the Iraq War. It did not matter how many spoke out about the obviously weak Weapons of Mass Destruction rationale.
Afghanistan might have raised a few eyebrows twenty years, ago, but as it wore on, it seemed most had forgotten about it and never questioned why it continued.
But by and large, in all previous major conflicts, the denizens of Berkeley area agreed with me that the US had no business going to war in foreign lands for very dubious reasons.
Which is why I find it so frustrating and agonizing that the US is now involved in a proxy war with Russia and has been for over a year.
In March of 2022 I posted my thoughts on the matter. The last paragraph:
With all the advances in technology and availability of information, one would think that people would do the simplest of research to better understand the current geopolitical situation, the military industrial complex, and the real reasons for seemingly the entire US government going down a hot road to a hot hell.
It took about another month for me to reach the conclusion that there was no hope in preventing the destruction to come. I told myself to accept that Ukraine would be destroyed and will not recover in my lifetime. As horrible a thought as it was, recognizing the truth made it easier to sleep at night.
READ FULL SUBSTACK POST HERE
In Berkeley, protesting against war was once a rite of passage. I’m not sure when that changed, but it has.
I vividly recall my first demonstration against the conflict in Viet Nam. After the bell rang at 3:00pm, a large group of students from my Junior High marched to the corner gas station, hand scrawled placards raised above our heads: End the War, Stop the Draft, US out of Viet Nam.
The Gulf War, in 1990, became the next large operation that got the No More War crowd doing their thing. Bumper stickers with No Blood for Oil appeared on cars throughout the Bay Area.
Then in 2003 the Military Industrial Complex decided that a contained Saddam Hussian simply did not generate enough cash flow, so initiated the Iraq War. It did not matter how many spoke out about the obviously weak Weapons of Mass Destruction rationale.
Afghanistan might have raised a few eyebrows twenty years, ago, but as it wore on, it seemed most had forgotten about it and never questioned why it continued.
But by and large, in all previous major conflicts, the denizens of Berkeley area agreed with me that the US had no business going to war in foreign lands for very dubious reasons.
Which is why I find it so frustrating and agonizing that the US is now involved in a proxy war with Russia and has been for over a year.
In March of 2022 I posted my thoughts on the matter. The last paragraph:
With all the advances in technology and availability of information, one would think that people would do the simplest of research to better understand the current geopolitical situation, the military industrial complex, and the real reasons for seemingly the entire US government going down a hot road to a hot hell.
It took about another month for me to reach the conclusion that there was no hope in preventing the destruction to come. I told myself to accept that Ukraine would be destroyed and will not recover in my lifetime. As horrible a thought as it was, recognizing the truth made it easier to sleep at night.
READ FULL SUBSTACK POST HERE
May 29, 2023
Stolen Rainbows
Rainbows, nature’s magnificent gift to the world. The rain stops, the skies clear, the sun bursts through and, if we’re lucky, a magical hemisphere of brilliant colors streaks across the heavens. People stop what they are doing, gaze up at this miraculous display, and smile. That phenomenon will never change. However, rainbow colored anything else might just be ruined forever.
READ FULL POST ON SUBSTACK
May 4, 2023
March 25, 2023
New SUBSTACK
I just published my new Substack.
Reports from Berkeley
Have a look and subscribe for free.
Thanks!
(pic above is updated image for a past blog post. Find it on my Substack.)
March 7, 2023
Hope for Our J6 Prisoners
I wrote the following back in November 2021.
Yes, the USA has Political Prisoners
It would seem that the false, January 6th "insurrection" narrative may finally come to an end.
For those who grew up in the turbulent 60's, we clearly saw the set-up that played out on Jan 6.
Agent Provocateur
Kate's Blog
February 25, 2023
Cozy Thriller - FREE
A Neapolitan Intrigue is FREE for download 24-28 February.
Berkeley, CA 1969 + Naples, Italy - Present. People's Park, CIA, Interpol, Russians. What's the connection?
Berkeley, CA 1969 + Naples, Italy - Present. People's Park, CIA, Interpol, Russians. What's the connection?
December 29, 2022
Pele - O Rei
Pelé, the purveyor of O Jogo Bonito, (The Beautiful Game), has passed on.
Although I had yet to become a die-hard fan of futebol when I went to Brazil with the Peace Corps in 1977, even I had heard of this great player.
Within a week of arriving at our PC training site in Lavras, Minas Gerais, I learned that O Rei, (the king), had been born and raised only an hour or two away in the town of Trés Corações. I no longer remember the exact reason I happened to go there one day, but I will never forget it.
This humble little town in the interior had built a statue of Edson Arantes do Nacimento, in the aptly named Praça Pelé. (Pele Plaza.)
I have very few pictures of my time in the Peace Corps. Film and processing costs were very expensive, and all shots had to be rationed. I knew at the time that I wanted a picture of me in front of the legend that is Pelé.
Thanks to him, and all the Brazilian players and fans, by the time the 1978 World Cup came around I was thoroughly hooked on the game. And am until this day.
Pelé and this hometown will forever remain a cherished memory.
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