Kate Collins's Blog, page 123
April 22, 2016
IN THE SPOTLIGHT-TAYLOR BLAKE
By Mary Kennedy
Hi everyone! Taylor Blake from the Dream Club Mysteries here. (I'm the sensible sister who holds an MBA, Ali is the flighty, creative one!)
Okay, true confession time. At first I was skeptical about my sister Ali’s enthusiasm for dream interpretation. After all, I'm the analytical type, always cool and rational. Ali is more impulsive, emotional and willing to explore new ideas. I came to Savannah to help save her vintage candy store, not get involved with New Age hocus-pocus! (or so I thought.)
A lot of people ask me if the Dream Club members really solve crimes. And if so, how do we do it? I can understand their skepticism. After all, I was a non-believer too. Here's the straight scoop.
We look for clues in their dreams that relate to murders happening in Savannah. Sometimes the clue is hard to find. It might be symbolic and elusive. Often, it involves a clue that the police didn’t notice. It could be a hint about a suspect’s character, a chance comment, a suspicious element found at the crime scene.
In A PREMONITION OF MURDER, Abigail Marchand, a wealthy Southern recluse, has a disturbing dream about her own death. A premonition, you might say. She invites her good friends the Harper sisters over for lunch at her estate along with the two of us. Abigail tells us about her dream and all of us immediately try to put her mind at rest.
A dream can mean many things, we tell her. Images of darkness and water closing over her are certainly troubling, but there may not portend death. Sadly, Abigail’s premonition comes true the very next day when she's found dead at the foot of the stairs in her mansion.
This is the third release in the Dream Club Mysteries. Along with the Savannah setting, the series features a fun, retro candy shop called Oldies But Goodies. My sister and I run the shop, which includes a café and we love trying out new recipes to serve at Dream Club meetings. Stop by and match wits with the Dream Club as you find yourself wrapped up in murder, Southern style.
And tell me about your dreams, I'd love to hear them!!
Happy reading and sweet dreams from Mary Kennedy
Hi everyone! Taylor Blake from the Dream Club Mysteries here. (I'm the sensible sister who holds an MBA, Ali is the flighty, creative one!)
Okay, true confession time. At first I was skeptical about my sister Ali’s enthusiasm for dream interpretation. After all, I'm the analytical type, always cool and rational. Ali is more impulsive, emotional and willing to explore new ideas. I came to Savannah to help save her vintage candy store, not get involved with New Age hocus-pocus! (or so I thought.)
A lot of people ask me if the Dream Club members really solve crimes. And if so, how do we do it? I can understand their skepticism. After all, I was a non-believer too. Here's the straight scoop.
We look for clues in their dreams that relate to murders happening in Savannah. Sometimes the clue is hard to find. It might be symbolic and elusive. Often, it involves a clue that the police didn’t notice. It could be a hint about a suspect’s character, a chance comment, a suspicious element found at the crime scene.
In A PREMONITION OF MURDER, Abigail Marchand, a wealthy Southern recluse, has a disturbing dream about her own death. A premonition, you might say. She invites her good friends the Harper sisters over for lunch at her estate along with the two of us. Abigail tells us about her dream and all of us immediately try to put her mind at rest.
A dream can mean many things, we tell her. Images of darkness and water closing over her are certainly troubling, but there may not portend death. Sadly, Abigail’s premonition comes true the very next day when she's found dead at the foot of the stairs in her mansion.
This is the third release in the Dream Club Mysteries. Along with the Savannah setting, the series features a fun, retro candy shop called Oldies But Goodies. My sister and I run the shop, which includes a café and we love trying out new recipes to serve at Dream Club meetings. Stop by and match wits with the Dream Club as you find yourself wrapped up in murder, Southern style. And tell me about your dreams, I'd love to hear them!!
Happy reading and sweet dreams from Mary Kennedy
Break out the spade and get that garden in shape!
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
I like to grow veggies. Flowers are pretty, but there's something very satisfying about eating what you grow. And, yes, I do know you can eat some flowers ... but they're rather like a garnish. Nothing like topping a spud you've grown with butter or sour cream. A pansy on my potato? No, thanks.
This year I'm going to try spuds YET again. (Never have been very successful.) And I'm going to try to grow just TWO zucchini plants. I don't want to end up like Earl and Opal Pickles.
I'm going to grow them from seed, so this weekend is the weekend.
We should have already planted our sugar snap peas, but ... it was cold and then hot and then cold and we were busy.
I always grow green beans, and this year I'm going to sand them. Yup. I read where scarring or nicking seeds will help them germinate faster. I watched a couple of Youtube videos about scarring and using sandpaper to do it. Usually I soak them, but that doesn't seem to work all that well, although better than just sticking them in the ground and hoping for the best.
Last year I did lettuce in a container and we had gorgeous leaf lettuce for the entire summer. I'm doing that again, too. And of course, tomatoes.
My worst enemies? Ground hogs and bunnies. Yes, I know they need to eat, too, but we have an entire FARM behind us where they have a number of crops they can eat, but where do they choose to dine? MY VEGGIE PATCH.
What are you growing this year?
I like to grow veggies. Flowers are pretty, but there's something very satisfying about eating what you grow. And, yes, I do know you can eat some flowers ... but they're rather like a garnish. Nothing like topping a spud you've grown with butter or sour cream. A pansy on my potato? No, thanks.
This year I'm going to try spuds YET again. (Never have been very successful.) And I'm going to try to grow just TWO zucchini plants. I don't want to end up like Earl and Opal Pickles.
I'm going to grow them from seed, so this weekend is the weekend.
We should have already planted our sugar snap peas, but ... it was cold and then hot and then cold and we were busy.
I always grow green beans, and this year I'm going to sand them. Yup. I read where scarring or nicking seeds will help them germinate faster. I watched a couple of Youtube videos about scarring and using sandpaper to do it. Usually I soak them, but that doesn't seem to work all that well, although better than just sticking them in the ground and hoping for the best.
Last year I did lettuce in a container and we had gorgeous leaf lettuce for the entire summer. I'm doing that again, too. And of course, tomatoes.
My worst enemies? Ground hogs and bunnies. Yes, I know they need to eat, too, but we have an entire FARM behind us where they have a number of crops they can eat, but where do they choose to dine? MY VEGGIE PATCH.What are you growing this year?
April 20, 2016
What's in a name?
BY MARY JANE MAFFINI aka VICTORIA ABBOTT
What’s in a name? Victoria and I thought you might like a peek behind the scenes at some of the writer’s craft of picking names.
Names are such an important part of any story. They’re a blessing, a pleasure and a chore for the author. Speaking as a reader, I hate it when characters in the same book have similar names or several names beginning with the same letter. I once started a novel where seven characters had names beginning with A on the first three pages (Anne, Annie, Alice, Andy, Amelia, Amy etc) I don’t know what happened on page 4 because I didn’t get that far.
We don’t really begin to love a character until we’ve settled on the right name, often there have been many changes during early drafts. Once the final name choice is made, then we’re in good shape, and the character can begin to develop as an individual. We even care a lot about the pets. In the Charlotte Adams mysteries, the rescued dachshunds were a lot like Daisy and Lily, but I named them for Canadian chocolates, Truffle and Sweet Marie. The names suited.
I am struggling in my latest Camilla MacPhee book because it’s set in Cape Breton, a scenic island off the coast of Nova Scotia and the place I was born. Plus our Lorraine spent her honeymoon there! The island looks a lot like Scotland and was settled by Scots in the 1700's. Many people there not only have the same first names, but also the same last name.
More than half the population is proud to be MacDonald! In life they can work it out, but it will be a challenge keeping them separate and yet sounding authentic in a book. There was also an old-fashioned custom for girls to have been named for their fathers or uncles: Camilla’s sisters are Edwina, Alexa and Donalda might be typical.
For every book I’ve done, and those that Victoria and I have written, there’s been an alphabetized list of names first and last laid out to help make the decisions. These alphabetical lists helped simplify things and we hope to make it easier for the reader to know who each person is and to be able to distinguish people of the same age and type.
Names not only identify a person, but they give the reader an idea about that character’s age, ethnicity and possibly more. Camilla MacPhee’s eightysomething sidekick is Mrs. Violet Parnell, a name that fits her demographic. Meanwhile in the book collector mysteries, Vera Van Alst is nearing sixty and the ageless cook is Signora Fiammetta Panetone. If Vera and Violet had been in the same series, one would have been changed. We think the names do the right job.
In the Camilla MacPhee books, Ray Deveau’s daughters are Ashley and Brittany. Those names were chosen to tell you roughly how old they are and that they’re from an English speaking family. They have the cadence of that culture. Ray is Acadian French from Cape Breton, so I wanted his name (Raymond) to be pronounced either in the English or the French way and his friend Sgt. Leonard Mombourquette’s name works the same way.
Of course in the book collector mysteries Jordan has hot and cold running relatives: all Irish crooks: We won’t run out of names for the Kellys soon, with Mick, Lucky, Kev, Danny, Dennis and Billy all making appearances. There are plenty more in the back pocket!
Jordan’s friends Lance and Tiffany sound like their generation as does Jordan herself, although Vera likes to complain that it’s a man’s name. What would she have thought of MacKenzie or Madison?We liked the name Jordan for our protagonist because it is youthful and stylish, and yet has substance.I am always on the lookout for new names or unusual names and so is Victoria: the obits are a great source for me. Book signings are another. I love it when I find a reader with a name that’s new to me.
We've come up with a whole new set of relatives in The Hammett Hex and that challenged our name finding too. We used some close to home.
Finally, there are the ‘bibles’: while you can check out the popular names on line, for years we’ve relied on The Treasury of North American BABY NAMES. Despite the title, it also has a great section on names from the UK and Canadian names and lists of the most popular boys and girls names (by country) at different points in time. We also love Anne Geddes Baby Names, which gives their meanings and is beautifully illustrated. If we were looking to name a young child (real or fictional) we would look to new sources.
So that’s a bit of background: so do you have strong feelings about names in books or real life? Things you love or things you hate? You know that you can always speak your mind here. Let’s hear it!
April 19, 2016
The dangers of Binge Watching
Duffy Brown here just after watching a bazillion hours of House Hunters. So what is binge watching? That’s when you have a cold or you’re sick our your just lazy...that would be my excuse...and veg in front of the TV and watch many episodes of one show.
For me it was House Hunters though I’ve binge watched my way though such things as House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Gilmore Girls. You get the idea.
But this time there are repercussions in that after watching two hunky guys spend hours spiffing up houses I realize my house is a wreck! By all rights the wrecking ball should be called in and we demo the place. But since I cannot afford to do that it’s me and a paintbrush on the warpath.
If it doesn’t get out of my way it’s getting painted just ask the cats. Spooky now has a white strip down her back sort of skunk style.
I’m refinishing the fireplace, I’m tired of the old orange brick and I’m putting something called chalk paint on the furniture to give it a facelift. Something called old linen. Wish it had a better name. Not only does House Hunters get me in trouble so does a trip to Pinterest.
So my question to you is, do you binge watch? Have you ever watched a show then jumped off the deep end and redecorated everything in sight or watched Globe Treckers and booked plane reservations to China or watched Antiques Roadshow and decided all that junk in the attic is priceless?
I’ll give away a paint brush from the answers.
April 18, 2016
KNIT TO BE TIED
by Maggie SeftonAs I've probably mentioned before, I'm currently writing Kelly Flynn #15 which is due in my editor's office by the end of June. Right now, that book currently has no title. But in six weeks time, Kelly Flynn #14 will be released in bookstores and in E-book format. Title: KNIT TO BE TIED.
The editorial staff came up with that title, and I love it. :) I've always been "title challenged." Snappy titles or cute titles simply do not surface in my brain. I have an active imagination to be sure. But not with titles. I did come up with the very first Kelly Flynn title---KNIT ONE, KILL TWO. As some of you may know, that's a play on words using the old knitting term---"Knit one, Purl two." Another of my favorite suggestions came from a bookseller in Southern California: FLEECE NAVIDAD.
But starting with the second Kelly Flynn book, I started receiving welcome assistance from fellow fiber workers and knitters at the Lambspun knitting shop in Fort Connor, Colorado. And, as the series continued in popularity---I started asking friends and readers around the country (and world) for suggestions. I even held a contest for titles once---years ago. And it was fabulously successful. I received SO many great title suggestions that I've been using them ever since--and giving full credit to the readers who suggested them in my Acknowledgments page in every book.
Of course, I also received some really funny title suggestions as well. I haven't used any of them---yet. :) Here are three of my favorites and the readers who suggested them:
1---ALPACA NIGHTS----sent in by Pat Bates;
2---THE WOOL TO LIVE----Vivian Medlock;
3---And, my personal favorite: DEATH SOCK----Kaaminii.
April 17, 2016
SLEUTHING WOMEN-:TEN COZY MYSTERIES IN A BOXED SET
By Mary Kennedy
They say "picture speaks a thousand words," and it's true. Or in this case, the picture above represents almost a million words! How is that possible? Sleuthing Women is a fabulous boxed set of 10 full-length cozy mysteries put together by talented author and pal, Lois Winston. Lois is the one who came up with the absolutely brilliant idea of getting together with nine of her author friends and asking if we'd like to be part of the collection. Of course, we all said, "Yes"!
I contributed DEAD AIR, the first of my Talk Radio Mysteries. DEAD AIR is all about Dr. Maggie Walsh, a New York psychologist who closes up her office and moves to sunny Florida to become a radio talk show host. And she solves a murder in every book. (Think Frasier Meets Murder She Wrote.) Here's a sneak peek at all the books in the series. I bet you'll spot some of your favorite mystery writers.
Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries
is a collection of full-length mysteries featuring murder and assorted mayhem by ten critically acclaimed, award-winning, and bestselling authors. Each novel in the set is the first book in an established multi-book series—a total of over 3,000 pages of reading pleasure for lovers of amateur sleuth, caper, and cozy mysteries, with a combined total of over 1700 reviews on Amazon, averaging 4 stars. Titles include:
Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery by Lois Winston—Working mom Anastasia is clueless about her husband’s gambling addiction until he permanently cashes in his chips and her comfortable middle-class life craps out. He leaves her with staggering debt, his communist mother, and a loan shark demanding $50,000. Then she’s accused of murder…
Murder Among Neighbors, a Kate Austen Suburban Mystery by Jonnie Jacobs — When Kate Austen’s socialite neighbor, Pepper Livingston, is murdered, Kate becomes involved in a sea of steamy secrets that bring her face to face with shocking truths—and handsome detective Michael Stone.
Skeleton in a Dead Space, a Kelly O’Connell Mystery by Judy Alter—Real estate isn’t a dangerous profession until Kelly O’Connell stumbles over a skeleton and runs into serial killers and cold-blooded murderers in a home being renovated in Fort Worth. Kelly barges through life trying to keep from angering her policeman boyfriend Mike and protect her two young daughters.
In for a Penny, a Cleopatra Jones Mystery by Maggie Toussaint—Accountant Cleo faces an unwanted hazard when her golf ball lands on a dead banker. The cops think her BFF shot him, so Cleo sets out to prove them wrong. She ventures into the dating world, wrangles her teens, adopts the victim’s dog, and tries to rein in her mom…until the killer puts a target on Cleo’s back.
The Hydrogen Murder, a Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino—A retired physicist returns to her hometown of Revere, Massachusetts and moves into an apartment above her friends' funeral home. When she signs on to help the Police Department with a science-related homicide, she doesn't realize she may have hundreds of cases ahead of her.
Retirement Can Be Murder, A Baby Boomer Mystery by Susan Santangelo—Carol Andrews dreads her husband Jim’s upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can’t imagine anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and nothing to fill it—until Jim is suspected of murdering his retirement coach.
Dead Air, A Talk Radio Mystery by Mary Kennedy—Psychologist Maggie Walsh moves from NY to Florida to become the host of WYME's On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. When her guest, New Age prophet Guru Sanjay Gingii, turns up dead, her new roommate Lark becomes the prime suspect. Maggie must prove Lark innocent while dealing with a killer who needs more than just therapy.
A Dead Red Cadillac, A Dead Red Mystery by RP Dahlke—When her vintage Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask aero-ag pilot Lalla Bains why an elderly widowed piano teacher is found strapped in the driver’s seat. Lalla confronts suspects, informants, cross-dressers, drug-running crop dusters, and a crazy Chihuahua on her quest to find the killer.
Murder is a Family Business, an Alvarez Family Murder Mystery by Heather Haven—Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look tall, dark and handsome, is that any reason to kill him? The reluctant and quirky PI, Lee Alvarez, has her work cut out for her when the man is murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve.
Murder, Honey, a Carol Sabala Mystery by Vinnie Hansen—When the head chef collapses into baker Carol Sabala’s cookie dough, she is thrust into her first murder investigation. Suspects abound at Archibald’s, the swanky Santa Cruz restaurant where Carol works. The head chef cut a swath of people who wanted him dead from ex-lovers to bitter rivals to greedy relatives.
Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries is currently available for pre-order and will go on sale May 1st.
Buy Links Kindle Nook Kobo iTunes Only $2.99 for a LOT of great reading. Happy reading, everyone! Mary Kennedy
They say "picture speaks a thousand words," and it's true. Or in this case, the picture above represents almost a million words! How is that possible? Sleuthing Women is a fabulous boxed set of 10 full-length cozy mysteries put together by talented author and pal, Lois Winston. Lois is the one who came up with the absolutely brilliant idea of getting together with nine of her author friends and asking if we'd like to be part of the collection. Of course, we all said, "Yes"!
I contributed DEAD AIR, the first of my Talk Radio Mysteries. DEAD AIR is all about Dr. Maggie Walsh, a New York psychologist who closes up her office and moves to sunny Florida to become a radio talk show host. And she solves a murder in every book. (Think Frasier Meets Murder She Wrote.) Here's a sneak peek at all the books in the series. I bet you'll spot some of your favorite mystery writers.
Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries
is a collection of full-length mysteries featuring murder and assorted mayhem by ten critically acclaimed, award-winning, and bestselling authors. Each novel in the set is the first book in an established multi-book series—a total of over 3,000 pages of reading pleasure for lovers of amateur sleuth, caper, and cozy mysteries, with a combined total of over 1700 reviews on Amazon, averaging 4 stars. Titles include:Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery by Lois Winston—Working mom Anastasia is clueless about her husband’s gambling addiction until he permanently cashes in his chips and her comfortable middle-class life craps out. He leaves her with staggering debt, his communist mother, and a loan shark demanding $50,000. Then she’s accused of murder…
Murder Among Neighbors, a Kate Austen Suburban Mystery by Jonnie Jacobs — When Kate Austen’s socialite neighbor, Pepper Livingston, is murdered, Kate becomes involved in a sea of steamy secrets that bring her face to face with shocking truths—and handsome detective Michael Stone.
Skeleton in a Dead Space, a Kelly O’Connell Mystery by Judy Alter—Real estate isn’t a dangerous profession until Kelly O’Connell stumbles over a skeleton and runs into serial killers and cold-blooded murderers in a home being renovated in Fort Worth. Kelly barges through life trying to keep from angering her policeman boyfriend Mike and protect her two young daughters.
In for a Penny, a Cleopatra Jones Mystery by Maggie Toussaint—Accountant Cleo faces an unwanted hazard when her golf ball lands on a dead banker. The cops think her BFF shot him, so Cleo sets out to prove them wrong. She ventures into the dating world, wrangles her teens, adopts the victim’s dog, and tries to rein in her mom…until the killer puts a target on Cleo’s back.
The Hydrogen Murder, a Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino—A retired physicist returns to her hometown of Revere, Massachusetts and moves into an apartment above her friends' funeral home. When she signs on to help the Police Department with a science-related homicide, she doesn't realize she may have hundreds of cases ahead of her.
Retirement Can Be Murder, A Baby Boomer Mystery by Susan Santangelo—Carol Andrews dreads her husband Jim’s upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can’t imagine anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and nothing to fill it—until Jim is suspected of murdering his retirement coach.
Dead Air, A Talk Radio Mystery by Mary Kennedy—Psychologist Maggie Walsh moves from NY to Florida to become the host of WYME's On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. When her guest, New Age prophet Guru Sanjay Gingii, turns up dead, her new roommate Lark becomes the prime suspect. Maggie must prove Lark innocent while dealing with a killer who needs more than just therapy.
A Dead Red Cadillac, A Dead Red Mystery by RP Dahlke—When her vintage Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask aero-ag pilot Lalla Bains why an elderly widowed piano teacher is found strapped in the driver’s seat. Lalla confronts suspects, informants, cross-dressers, drug-running crop dusters, and a crazy Chihuahua on her quest to find the killer.
Murder is a Family Business, an Alvarez Family Murder Mystery by Heather Haven—Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look tall, dark and handsome, is that any reason to kill him? The reluctant and quirky PI, Lee Alvarez, has her work cut out for her when the man is murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve.
Murder, Honey, a Carol Sabala Mystery by Vinnie Hansen—When the head chef collapses into baker Carol Sabala’s cookie dough, she is thrust into her first murder investigation. Suspects abound at Archibald’s, the swanky Santa Cruz restaurant where Carol works. The head chef cut a swath of people who wanted him dead from ex-lovers to bitter rivals to greedy relatives.
Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries is currently available for pre-order and will go on sale May 1st.
Buy Links Kindle Nook Kobo iTunes Only $2.99 for a LOT of great reading. Happy reading, everyone! Mary Kennedy
April 16, 2016
Getting to Know You…
Hi, Rebecca. Thanks for doing the interview. We all love meeting new people. I go by Becca
*Where do you live now: East TN
*Pets?kids?hobbies: I have an orange and white tabby named Hocus Pocus, I call him Hocus for short. He was a stray and only 7 weeks when my sister called and asked if I would take him in that was back in October. No children that are alive. I lost a baby a year ago. It was my first pregnancy. Though we did not make it full term, River will always be my first born
Hobbies include painting, writing, playing the violin (though I am terrible, hahaha) and I’m trying to get back into hiking, and of course reading!
Day Job: I have been a licensed massage therapist for over 10 years. I'm currently looking into getting my Mortuary Science degree.*Upcoming plans: Girls night Friday with my sister and 7 yr old niece!
*What do you do for fun: Hike, read, play miniature golf, go to the movies, go to bookstores…
*Do you travel/fav place: I travel when I can. Went to Oregon last year and I lived it! I'm a mountain girl at heart and would love to visit Washington and Colorado. Went to France and Ireland and both were amazing.
*How did you come to reading mysteries: I've always been an avid reader, but went through a rough time and didn't pick up a book in almost a year. Things got worse and I ended up in our town's used bookstore. They have a section of suggested books, and when I looked through them I found several books I would later learn were 'cozy mysteries'. I immediately fell in love with the genre and reading again.
*Do you have a fave mystery show?movie:
Sherlock! Hahaha! My sister got me hooked on it!*
April 15, 2016
SPOTLIGHT ON: GOOD CAT AND BAD CAT
Typed up for Good Cat and Bad Cat by Victoria Abbott
We are a pair of blue-point Siamese who own Vera Van Alst from Victoria Abbott’s book collector mystery series. We think we should own that series too and we know we own Van Alst House.
Good Cat or maybe Bad Cat
Bad Cat or possibly Good CatCan you tell the difference? Would you like to bet $100.00 on that?
We are identical, but we are not the same at all. One of us likes to sidle up to you and sleekly rub against your leg. The other one has nice sharp claws to give you something to think about if you get too close. It may take you a while to figure out which one is which. There are bandages if you guess wrong.
We are known as Good Cat and Bad Cat in the books, but we do not answer to any human names, so don’t waste your time trying to call us. Vera never learns, even though she has been owned by us since we were four-week old kittens. But Signora Panetone who does the cooking just calls “Mangia! Mangia! We think that is Italian for chicken livers and also for tasty, smelly fish. We will show up for that. If you want us to come around try calling “Mangia!” but make sure you have the chicken livers or fish ready. Refer to sharp claws above.
We actually have a serious gripe with Jordan Bingham who seems to narrate the book collector mysteries. You know her: she’s the one who always wears her high leather boots to the dining room table to avoid the claws (see above).
We would do a better job of telling the stories for sure. And also, in these books, why is there a dog? In what world would a dog be a necessary part of a mystery? Plus, puleeze, does that pug have to be on all the covers? Everyone knows that cats own covers. Fact.
Not only would we be better on the covers and do a superior job of narration, but we feel that the plots would be improved if we had a higher profile in the books. For instance in The Christie Curse, if it wasn’t for the cat, Jordan wouldn’t have discovered, well … we’re not going to say what.
If you want more detail, you can meet us in that dark alley over there with a nice piece of fish and we’ll talk. You don’t need your boots. Honest.
April 14, 2016
Tricia may not be the only one who's jinxed
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
A running gag in the Booktown Mystery series I write (as Lorna Barrett) is that the protagonist, Tricia Miles, is a jinx. She keeps finding dead bodies, and some bad luck, too, and the nickname has stuck.
Could I be a jinx? Maybe ... I'll tell you why. But first, a little history.
My aunt and uncle are animal people. For as long as I can remember, they have always adopted pets nobody wants--usually old dogs, cats, and in the past--and present--they have also sponsored retired racehorses. They donate monthly to Redwings Horse Sanctuary. (You may already feel you know my aunt. She's become a character in my Booktown Mysteries: Michele Fowler.)
Having read just about every book Dick Francis wrote about horse racing, the idea of helping retired racing horses fascinated me. We have a couple of race courses near where I live, and I know that the life of a horse who isn't in the running for the Kentucky Derby can be pretty miserable. That's why I so liked the idea of sponsoring horses who have worked hard and deserve a rest.
I recently got the Cracker Box Palace (Farm Animal Rescue and Sanctuary) newsletter (you can read it here). I've been donating to them for quite a few years now, watching as they started out as a small rescue entity, and growing until now they are able to do a lot more good work. Unfortunately, there are far too many animal cruelty cases in Wayne County, NY, but Cracker Box Palace always steps up and takes as many of the animals as they can. Not only do they have horses, but pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits and often end up taking in cats and dogs, too.
"Tuna"The last newsletter had pictures of a couple of older horses. Tuna and Buddy. When I saw Tuna's picture, it was love at first sight. His owner had died and he and a bunch of cats and dogs ended up at Cracker Box Palace. I knew when I saw Tuna's picture that I had to sponsor him. I was feeling flush that day (had just gotten paid my twice-yearly check from my publisher), so I decided to not only sponsor Tuna, but Buddy, too.
Tuna was 24 years old and had a heart murmur. I figured that because he was so old, maybe nobody would want to sponsor him. So I wrote the check and sent it off. My family's cottage is just a few miles from the farm, so I figured I might buy a big bag of carrots and go visit my horses next month.
"Buddy"But I got a phone call from the director of the farm on Tuesday saying that Tuna had passed away on Saturday, which was a shock to all since he was doing well. He was gaining weight and had just had his hooves trimmed. It broke my heart to hear the news. They have a horsey graveyard and Tuna was buried there. : (
Hearing this news got me to thinking. Am I like Tricia? Was my sponsoring poor Tuna the kiss of death? (I sure hope not.)
Fortunately, Buddy is doing well, and they will transfer my sponsorship to another horse. His name is Amp and he's a retired racehorse. His windpipe collapsed and he could no longer race. (Horses are a lot more delicate than most people think.) Because of this, he can't "ney!" Cherie said it sounds funny when he tries. I am happy to help Amp have a happy retirement. Too many former race horses end up as horse meat in Japan. (I kid you not!)
So, now my job is to find a place that sells carrots in bulk. I will try to visit my horses next month, and when I do, I'll take pictures and share them with you.
Have you ever thought about sponsoring a horse? Do you donate to animal rescue sites?
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To celebrate spring, the Cozy Chicks have teamed up with Storytellers Unlimited and over 35 fantastic mystery authors to give two readers more than 35 cozy mysteries, and a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!
We're giving away our book, The Cozy Chicks Kitchen
Enter the giveaway by clicking here: http://bit.ly/CozySpring
Four of the Chicks are also participating. They are: Victoria Abbott, Lorraine Bartlett, Duffy Brown, and Mary Kennedy, and our books are shown below.
You won't want to miss this great giveaway!
A running gag in the Booktown Mystery series I write (as Lorna Barrett) is that the protagonist, Tricia Miles, is a jinx. She keeps finding dead bodies, and some bad luck, too, and the nickname has stuck.
Could I be a jinx? Maybe ... I'll tell you why. But first, a little history.
My aunt and uncle are animal people. For as long as I can remember, they have always adopted pets nobody wants--usually old dogs, cats, and in the past--and present--they have also sponsored retired racehorses. They donate monthly to Redwings Horse Sanctuary. (You may already feel you know my aunt. She's become a character in my Booktown Mysteries: Michele Fowler.)
Having read just about every book Dick Francis wrote about horse racing, the idea of helping retired racing horses fascinated me. We have a couple of race courses near where I live, and I know that the life of a horse who isn't in the running for the Kentucky Derby can be pretty miserable. That's why I so liked the idea of sponsoring horses who have worked hard and deserve a rest.I recently got the Cracker Box Palace (Farm Animal Rescue and Sanctuary) newsletter (you can read it here). I've been donating to them for quite a few years now, watching as they started out as a small rescue entity, and growing until now they are able to do a lot more good work. Unfortunately, there are far too many animal cruelty cases in Wayne County, NY, but Cracker Box Palace always steps up and takes as many of the animals as they can. Not only do they have horses, but pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits and often end up taking in cats and dogs, too.
"Tuna"The last newsletter had pictures of a couple of older horses. Tuna and Buddy. When I saw Tuna's picture, it was love at first sight. His owner had died and he and a bunch of cats and dogs ended up at Cracker Box Palace. I knew when I saw Tuna's picture that I had to sponsor him. I was feeling flush that day (had just gotten paid my twice-yearly check from my publisher), so I decided to not only sponsor Tuna, but Buddy, too.Tuna was 24 years old and had a heart murmur. I figured that because he was so old, maybe nobody would want to sponsor him. So I wrote the check and sent it off. My family's cottage is just a few miles from the farm, so I figured I might buy a big bag of carrots and go visit my horses next month.
"Buddy"But I got a phone call from the director of the farm on Tuesday saying that Tuna had passed away on Saturday, which was a shock to all since he was doing well. He was gaining weight and had just had his hooves trimmed. It broke my heart to hear the news. They have a horsey graveyard and Tuna was buried there. : ( Hearing this news got me to thinking. Am I like Tricia? Was my sponsoring poor Tuna the kiss of death? (I sure hope not.)
Fortunately, Buddy is doing well, and they will transfer my sponsorship to another horse. His name is Amp and he's a retired racehorse. His windpipe collapsed and he could no longer race. (Horses are a lot more delicate than most people think.) Because of this, he can't "ney!" Cherie said it sounds funny when he tries. I am happy to help Amp have a happy retirement. Too many former race horses end up as horse meat in Japan. (I kid you not!)
So, now my job is to find a place that sells carrots in bulk. I will try to visit my horses next month, and when I do, I'll take pictures and share them with you.
Have you ever thought about sponsoring a horse? Do you donate to animal rescue sites?
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To celebrate spring, the Cozy Chicks have teamed up with Storytellers Unlimited and over 35 fantastic mystery authors to give two readers more than 35 cozy mysteries, and a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner! We're giving away our book, The Cozy Chicks Kitchen
Enter the giveaway by clicking here: http://bit.ly/CozySpring
Four of the Chicks are also participating. They are: Victoria Abbott, Lorraine Bartlett, Duffy Brown, and Mary Kennedy, and our books are shown below.
You won't want to miss this great giveaway!
April 13, 2016
So, are you a lark or an owl?
By VICTORIA ABBOTT aka Mary Jane and Victoria Maffimi
We have friends who (we imagine) rise singing from their beds just before the sun comes up. We do not. Morning does not come early or easy for us.
We are not up with the birds, but we are pals with the owls.
So in the A.M. do not ask us tough questions. Do not ask us any questions. Have the coffee ready if you’re feeling kind. It’s a matter of some urgency.
It doesn’t matter what we’ve had to drink or eat the night before, or whether or not we’ve had enough sleep (although we’d better have eight hours to avoid trouble). There’s no relationship to ,whether we’re happily vacationing or under the gun with a deadline, the morning is going to be a slow start. Nothing will happen before eight.
There’s plenty to do in this biz: morning, afternoon and evening and we do keep going. As the day wears on, we get livelier.
On the other hand, now that dinner’s over with, we’re getting into high gear. The evening is a highly productive and creative time. Three times more gets accomplished between 7 and 9 p.m. than in any other portion of the day. Sometimes nine stretches to ten. We admit to often settling down to relax with a little TV around nine. Then a bit more work before retiring to read in bed. In the warm weather, MJ will sneak out on the deck to watch the stars and relax in the magical summer night before starting that reading session. Reading in bed is the one thing we can’t ever give up. And when a book takes your fancy, well, where did midnight get to?
MJ's friend Marilyn gave her this pillowcase: we think it says it all!
In the middle of the night, many of our best ideas come tiptoeing in or tricky plot problems solve themselves. Maybe that's owl power?
Then it's back to sleep again.
And then it starts all over again. Sure we miss some of those morning things, but not that much. You can always have brunch instead of breakfast.
We love being owls. It makes us happy. We've managed to produce five book collector mysteries (The Hammett Hex is available for pre-order) as well as MJ's thirteen books as Mary Jane Maffini (coincidentally, her real name). Would we have a hundred if only we got up at five thirty every morning. We'll never know.
But enough about us. What about you? Lark or owl? Anyone want to weigh in? Who? Who? Whooo???
