Mollie Cox Bryan's Blog, page 13

Lovely Write-Up this Morning

I went to bed early last night and missed that Julie Tucker-Wolick had placed a note on my Facebook page about her blog. She’d reviewed both “Scrapbook of Secrets” and “Scrapped.” It was a lovely write-up. I am so grateful. Sorry I missed her note last night, but what a fabulous thing to wake up to! Check out the write-up and her blog here.

Five things I thought about during my morning run:

1. It’s a little chilly, the sky is gray and overcast. Perfect morning for an outside run.

2. Pink, white, and yellow blossoms popping against the dark sky.

3. Can’t wait for Malice Domestic. So excited—and nervous!

4. Edits on DEATH OF AN IRISH DIVA. Enough? Not enough? So hard to tell!

5. One foot in front of the other. Feet on pavement. Breath in lungs.

 

 

Five things I thought about on my late morning run:

1. My daughter Emma auditioning for Les Mis today. She has such a strong spirit. She keeps auditioning for all these local plays, is good, and gets great feedback, but is never the right fit. But she keeps on going!

2. Tonight is my 50th b-day party. It’s going to be so much fun. I think.

3. Water is a great thing. I want some.

4. Perfect cool morning for a run. Warm sun. Cool breeze. Ni-ice.

5. Should start everyday with a bit of chocolate. Yep.

Hank Phillippi Ryan and The Girlfriends Book Club Blog

Today, I am a guest of Hank Phillippi Ryan on the Girlfriend’s Book Club Blog. We’re giving away a copy of SCRAPPED–so head over there and leave a comment!  I met Hank at the Virginia Festival of the Book last weekend and one thing led to another. Voila! I am on this really fun blog she writes for today.  Can I tell you how thrilled I am? Hank is a writer I’ve respected and admired for a long time. If you haven’t checked out her books, you should. Her latest THE OTHER WOMAN is up for Malice Domestic’s  Agatha Best Novel of the Year and the Mary Higgins Clark Award from the Mystery Writer’s of America.

Five things I thought about during my morning run:

1. Skipping out on Zumba to run because it’s such a gorgeous morning. Couldn’t resist!

2. Have I told you about the new title we are kicking around for book #3 in the Cumberland Creek Mysteries? Death of an Irish Diva. Fingers crossed that we use it!

3. It’s a bit windy. Sometimes I’m running against the wind–which reminds me of that Bob Seger song. Every time.

4. So much to work on–where to begin???

5. I love getting hot and sweaty and feeling the cool breeze against my skin.

 

Busy, Busy, Busy

Just wanted to catch you up on a few things.

A few days ago, I was interviewed by WVTF’s Sandy Hausman about my books. Here is a link to that interview.

This weekend, I’ll be attending the Virginia Festival of the Book. I’ll be on a panel with other mystery authors. “Who Knew this Job Could Be So Dangerous?”

The festival is a great opportunity for readers to learn more about and meet their favorite authors. For more about the festival, click here.

I hope to see some of you there. It’s a fantastic event.

Ten Reasons I Use Scrapbooking in my Fiction:

I’m a big fan of scrapbooker Shimelle Laine’s blog and have been wanting to try the Ten Things Challenge on the tenth of every month. I’ve been asked this question a lot over the past several years so I thought I’d write it up for anybody else who wants to know. Why do I use scrapbooking as a theme in my mysteries? Of course, I’ve given it some thought and here are my ten reasons.

Community. I’ve been around different craft communities in the past. I don’t know if any other crafters get together as frequently as scrappers do. But it seems integral to the craft to get together and share. What better reason to bring a group of characters together on a regular basis on the page.
A lens. Scrapbooking provides an intimate lens into my character’s lives. We see the importance of their family, their achievements, and the other facets of their lives, like cooking and baking. In my first book “Scrapbook of Secrets,” my croppers make scrapbooks for children belonging to a woman who has mysteriously died. They piece together more than photos and pretty paper. They piece together a life full of depth and secrets.

Photo by Andrew Wrennie

Puzzles equal mystery. Have you ever thought about the puzzle aspect to scrapbooking? Looking for the right picture, embellishment, paper, and so on and putting it all together is one aspect of it. But in my second book, “Scrapped,” we puzzle out another character’s personality by looking through her mysterious scrapbook of shadows. To me, more than any other craft (except maybe quilting) scrapbooking lends itself to mysteries.
Remembering the past. In my next book, due out next year, one of my characters discovers an old scrapbook that relates to an event happening around her. The past leaves footprints everywhere, including scrapbooking. I wanted to explore that through scrapbooking in fiction.
Imagining the future. I think this is as important as the past. Scrapbooking lends itself to dreaming about what the future holds. With each picture we place on our pages, there is a hope for the future–or else why do we do it? I, for one, like to imagine my kids flipping through pages I’ve created in the near and distant future.

Photo by the Gamma Man

Relatable. Some writers write for artistic reasons alone. Others for commercial reasons. I like to think my books straddle those lines. Characters have to be relatable in some way. There are other ways readers relate to my characters, of course. But so many of us know someone who is a scrapbooker—or we are one ourselves.
Exploration.All crafts move through time. Some are little changed by it. Others, like scrapbooking, sometimes follow trends and technology. Learning about digital scrapbooking myself, you see my characters grappling with (or loving) some of those changes. As a writer this is a great tool to show more about my characters and to show that scrapbooking is an evolving art form.

Photo by Photoshop Roadmap

Food. I love the way croppers come together and bring food to events. Writing about crops gives me a chance to explore food appropriate for my characters and settings. You don’t always have food at crops, and we all know that when you do it pays to be extra careful. Once again, the kind of food my croppers eat and their reaction to it is one of the elements in story building.
Storytelling. Scrapbooking is visual story. What better way to add layers of meaning to your fiction?
 Passion. I love scrapbooking. Writing for a living is not easy. Writing about something you feel a passion for makes it a whole lot easier.

 

 

 

 

Five things I thought about during my morning run:

1. Yep. I still love to run, but Zumba is a lot of fun, too, And I’ve been taking as many Zumba classes as I can manage.

2. March is an exciting month for me because of the Virginia Festival of the Book. I’m on a few panels and I love catching up with old friends and meeting readers.

3. Sometimes running is a slog. And most of the time it’s when I’m running at the gym. I can’t wait for some better weather.

4. Going to New York in May. Speaking of better weather. Had to cancel my last trip because of the hurricane. No more hurricanes in NYC, please!

5. Pie. Okay, so far NYC seems to have just about the best in everything. Except pie. Will I ever find good pie in NYC. Brooklyn is not included because I never have the time to head out to Brooklyn, even though I LOVE it.

 

Guest Post from Chrystle Fiedler, author of Scent to Kill: A Natural Remedies Mystery.

SCENT to KILL, my latest Natural Remedies Mystery, is a fun combination of a cozy mystery and tips about aromatherapy, which is the practice of using essential oils to improve health and well-being. Aromatherapy can ease stress, insomnia, anxiety, depression, aches and pains, and more. Three of my favorite scents are lavender, jasmine and roses, so I thought I’d share a few simple tips on how to use them today.

 

Lavender

 

 

Not only does Lavender (the Latin verb lavare means “to wash”) smell terrific, it’s calming and soothing and good for cuts and burns, insomnia, diaper rash, tension headache, PMS and cramps (use with clary sage and Roman chamomile). The phytochemicals (plant-based chemicals linalool and linalyl acetate) in lavender are absorbed in the skin and in the membranes inside your nose, slowing nerve impulses, and reducing stress. An easy way to start using lavender is to put five to ten drops of essential oil in your bath. Add the oil after you have filled the tub so you can enjoy the full benefits of this wonderful aroma.

Jasmine

The aroma of jasmine (Jasminum officinale v. grandiflorum) is intoxicatingly sweet, exotic, and floral. It’s also incredibly therapeutic for a variety of conditions. Jasmine essential oil eases mild depression, anxiety, and tension. It also balances energy and helps you feel more optimistic. It calms coughs and laryngitis, soothes sore muscles, stiffness, and sprains. You can apply it topically, use it on a warm or cool compress, put it in the bath, inhale it from your palm, or put it in your diffuser. It will make any room an oasis.

 

Roses

 

 

I love the rich, sweet floral bouquet of roses and the approximately 275 compounds have a myriad of therapeutic uses. For example, if you apply it topically, rose oil can help banish eczema, wrinkles, and acne. If you feel blue, rose essential oil will naturally lift your mood. If you have painful periods, it helps to balance hormones (just put the oil on a warm compress and apply to your lower abdomen). Rose oil also eases nervousness, anxiety, anger, sadness, and grief and can be helpful if you have respiratory problems such as allergies and hay fever. You also use rose oil to help you sleep better and feel happier. For all these conditions, simply put some on your palm and inhale it or put rose essential oil into a diffuser. Your bedroom will smell like an English garden.

 Here’s the scoop on Scent to Kill: A Natural Remedies Mystery

Willow McQuade, naturopathic doctor, along with her hunky ex-cop boyfriend Jackson Spade, attend a party for a psychic TV show that is filming on Long Island’s idyllic East End. However, Willow is much more interested in visiting the estate’s lavender farm, seeking inspiration for the new aromatherapy workshops she’ll be holding at her store, Nature’s Way Market & Café.

Before the party is over, Roger Bixby one of the producers is dead and the police suspect murder. Roger was working on the show, MJ’s Mind, with Carly Bixby, his ex-wife and the new girlfriend of Willow’s ex from L.A., TV writer/producer Simon Lewis.

After Willow leaves the party, she gets a frantic text from Simon asking for her help. Since Simon had a fight with Roger earlier in the evening, and because of his death is now the primary shareholder in Galaxy films, Willow’s ex becomes the prime suspect. Simon begs her to crack the case and clear him of the murder. MJ McClellan, the psychic and star of the show also asks Willow for help. She hires Willow to provide natural remedies, including aromatherapy, massage, acupuncture and yoga to soothe the agitated crew of her show.

To find the killer, Willow has to deal with ghosts in a haunted mansion, a truly dysfunctional family, death threats and “accidents,” while trying to untangle a homicide identical to one committed during prohibition. Thankfully, Jackson has been hired to provide security and is there to watch her back and help Willow solve this spooky mystery.

As a bonus, you’ll find dozens of natural aromatherapy cures throughout the book that can improve your health. I think you’ll be surprised as how much they can help you feel better in mind, body and spirit!

For a chance to win a copy of Scent to Kill: A Natural Remedies Mystery just leave a comment here about your favorite natural cure.

 

 

BIO: 

Chrystle Fiedler is the author of SCENT TO KILL, (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster) the second in the NATURAL REMEDIES MYSTERY series, DEATH DROPS: A Natural Remedies Mystery, the non-fiction title THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO NATURAL REMEDIES (Alpha, 2009), co-author of BEAT SUGAR ADDICTION NOW! (Fairwinds Press, 2010), currently in its fourth printing, the BEAT SUGAR ADDICTION NOW!COOKBOOK (Fairwinds Press, 2012) and THE COUNTRY ALMANAC OF HOME REMEDIES (Fairwinds, 2011). Chrystle’s magazine articles featuring natural remedies have appeared in many national publications including Natural Health, Vegetarian Times, Better Homes & Gardens and Remedy. Visit www.chrystlefiedler.com.

 

My Fun Interview with Martha Woodroof

Interviews are not supposed to be fun for us authors. We are supposed to sweat, stutter,  and get very nervous, right? Well, not when you have an expert and lovely interviewer like WMRA’s Martha Woodroof. I had so much fun. If you have some time, check it out here. You can log on it and listen.