Kate Collins's Blog, page 127

Wishing For Winter

by Maggie Sefton



Since our winter snows have stopped this mid-February through mid-March, I thought I'd post some photos of previous snowy scenes around the area from former years.  Maybe it will stimulate the Snow Gods to show up.





I know this sounds weird to those of you who live in Northern climes where it's cold and snowy during each Winter, but I would absolutely LOVE to see a lovely, cold, wintery week of Winter.  Some winters here in Northern Colorado do have lots of snow, but not this winter.


One of my neighboring streets after a snowstorm  a few years ago.  






Yes, we did have snowy weather and several days when snow blanketed Northern Colorado and other areas of the state.  But that was in mid-November and during December.  A little
snow again in January, but then it stopped here in Northern Colorado.                



The snowy river house in Virginia 



Of course, our mountainous higher altitude areas of Colorado and the Rocky Mountains never lacked for   snow.  They had their usual beautiful and deep snowfalls.  Since Colorado's ski resorts are located in those higher reaches----usually above 10,000 feet altitudes---that is great news for them. But in 


Northern Colorado and Denver areas, we are approximately 5000 to 6000 feet altitude, and starting in mid-February, our snowfalls didn't show up.  Sometimes we have snowy winters, other times snowstorms go visit other locations.  I've seen all sorts of descriptions and reasonable explanations for global weather patterns each year, and it is fascinating.  

I couldn't resist inserting a photo of one of those beautiful glaciers I saw last August on the Alaska Glacier Inside Passage cruise.

For Denver and Northern Colorado, this mid-February through mid-March has been snowless (not sure if that's a word. )  Of course, there is one thing that is definitely true about our weather here in Northern Colorado and that is----Anything can happen.  Our Spring seasons are totally unpredictable.  And, believe it or not----every year is different.   How are your Springtimes where you live?    Do you have a lot of snow?   Yes, Mary Jane, I can hear you laughing all the way from Canada.   :)    

Ten MORE Things I've Learned From My Cats

by Mary Kennedy
 So many people enjoyed my original post on "Ten Things I've Learned from my Cats," I thought it was time to do a new one. 1. Always help out in the kitchen when you can. You know what they say, "Many hands (er, paws) make light work."      2. Expand your horizons and try to learn something different every day.   3. Try to enjoy nature every day, even it's from a screened-in catio.   4. You can find friendship in strange places. Don't reject someone because he or she looks different.   5. There's a clown in every family...try to keep your dignity. Eventually, he'll grow up.   6. Everybody need a hug now and then.  7. There's nothing like a massage at the end of a stressful day.   8. It's good to talk over your problems with a trusted friend.   9. Sometimes things aren't what they seem.    10. Expect good behavior from little ones and they won't let you down. This kitten is getting last minute instructions from mamma about how to behave on a play date.   
 Hope you enjoyed these life lessons! Mary Kennedy

Getting to Know You…

Hi, Laurie Fancy. 

Thanks for the great interview. We all love getting to know each other better. And it’s amazing how much we all have in common no matter where we live.


-Where do you live now?  MAPLE RIDGE, BC  CANADA  (ABOUT 45 MIN OR 50 KM EAST OF VANCOUVER)
-Pets? Kids? Hobby?  3 PETS:  LUCY-10 YRS [WOOF], TOMMY- 12 YRS [MEOW], SOPHIE – 1 YR. [MEOW]                                  3 KIDS:  RACHEL – 28, ADAM – 25, STEW - 18.
 HOBBIES:  READING, CROCHETING, COLLECTING VINTAGE BARBIES & KITCHENWARE – ESPECIALLY PYREX.  I                                   EVEN HAVE A FB PAGE – THE PYREX CLUB – FRASER VALLEY, BC BRANCH.  NOW HAVE 36 MEMBERS, AND ONE  WHO LIVES IN MEMPHIS, TX.  SO SURPRISED!! 



-Day Job? 

CURRENTLY SEEKING PART-TIME CLERICAL WORK.
-Upcoming plans?  OUR 30TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY IS COMING UP IN MAY; WE’RE HOPING TO GO TO LAS VEGAS FOR A 3-4 DAYS!

-What do you do for fun?  LOVE TO GO THRIFTING; THRIFT SHOPS, YARD SALES, CHURCH SALES!!  ALSO LIKE TO GO TO MOVIES OR LIVE THEATRE (SHAKESPEARE, LOCAL THEATRE SOCIETY, OR MUSIC CONCERTS!!!)
-Do you travel?  I LIKE TO VISIT MY SISTER UP IN KAMLOOPS (NICOLA VALLEY AREA OF BC) ABOUT 600 KM, THERE AND BACK.  UP UNTIL NOW WE HAVEN’T HAD THE MEANS NOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO MUCH TRAVELLING.
 Got a fav place?   HAVE DREAMT OF GOING TO PARIS!  HOPE TO GO THIS FALL!!  [FINGERS CROSSED!]
-How did you come to reading mysteries?  READ EVERY NANCY DREW BOOK = 61 BOOKS.  MY DAUGHTER HAS MY SET WHICH SHE READ AND WILL PASS DOWN TO HER DAUGHTERS, HOPEFULLY.  
  DIDN’T GET BACK INTO READING SERIOUSLY UNTIL THE END OF 1999.  BY THEN MY YOUNGEST WAS 2 AND I ACTUALLY HAD A FEW MOMENTS TO SIT DOWN AND READ.  BY THEN, MY DAUGHTER WAS 12 AND HER YOUNGER BROTHER WAS 9.  NICE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE A BREAK!! 
 I STARTED READING DIANE MOTT DAVIDSON’S – GOLDY’S CATERING MYSTERIES,THEN I STARTED BRANCHING OUT INTO OTHER COZY GENRES – BAKING, CROCHETING, KNITTING, FLORAL SHOP, SEWING, PARANORMAL/SUPERNATURAL, FANTASY, THRIFT/CONSIGNMENT STORE, CHRISTIAN-BASED, COFFEE SHOP, DONUT SHOP, DELI, DINER, AND MORE!  SINCE JULY 31,2012, I HAVE KEPT A LIFE LIST OF ALL THE BOOKS I HAVE READ.  LAST YEAR I READ 134 BOOKS.
-Do you have a fav mystery show? LOVED MURDER, SHE WROTE & HAVE READ ALL THE BOOKS TOO!     
Movie?   COULD WATCH THE FOLLOWING MOVIES OVER & OVER AGAIN:   BON COP, BAD COP;  HEARTBREAK RIDGE,  THE QUIET MAN,  THE HEAT, & THE BIG CHILL.  AND AT CHRISTMAS I HAVE TO WATCH:  ELF,  THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL,  AND SCROOGED.
-Do you have a fav book that you reread from time to time?  A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY CHARLES DICKENS.  CORNY I KNOW, BUT IT’S A CLASSIC I JUST LOVE.
-Do you remember the first mystery you read?  NANCY DREW – THE CLUE IN THE DIARY, GOT IT FOR MY 10THBIRTHDAY BACK IN 1973.
-Is there a character in a book or movie that you’d like to pal around with?   YOUR CONSIGNMENT STORE’S CHARACTER – AUNTIE KIKI SOUNDS LIKE A HOOT!!  WOULD LOVE TO THRIFT-SHOP WITH HER & HER NIECE.  WE’D HAVE A BLAST!!
-Tell us anything else about yourself. We all love meeting new friends.  MARRIED MY HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART – JAMIE BACK IN MAY/86.  WE’VE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE GRADE 11, MAY/80 – WE WERE BOTH SWEET 16!  HE ASKED ME OUT DURING ENGLISH.
HAVE 3 WONDERFUL CHILDREN:  OUR DAUGHTER RACHEL & HER HUBBY, JUSTIN WILL CELEBRATE THEIR 2NDWEDDING ANNIVERSARY ON EASTER SUNDAY.  JUSTIN OWNS HIS OWN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY AND IS DOING WELL.  HOPING TO HEAR THE PITTER PATTER OF LITTLE FEET SOMETIME IN THE COMING YEAR OR TWO!! 
OUR SON, ADAM IS A CORPORAL IN THE CANADIAN ARMY TRAINING TO BE A DRIVER – HE IS ALSO A BODYBUILDER, CERTIFIED PERSONALTRAINER, AND A GYM RAT! 
OUR YOUNGEST, STEW WILL GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL THIS YEAR.  HE’S NOT SURE WHAT HE’D LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTURE, BUT HE CAN’T WAIT TO LIVE ON HIS OWN.

And the spotlight today is on ... Angelica Miles

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Angelica -- love her or hate her, she's here to stay.

Who?  Angelica Miles from the Booktown Mysteries.

When I started the first book, Murder is Binding, I had no idea Angelica was going to show up and be a perpetual thorn in her sister Tricia's side from then on.  I thought I had an idea of who Tricia would be, but Angelica continues to not only surprise Tricia, but me, too!

The Miles sisters carry a LOT of baggage.  They come across and two pretty straight forward people (except for the fact Tricia seems to stumble over a lot of dead bodies while running her vintage mystery store, Haven't Got a Clue).  The issues started and seemed to be on the way to being solved, but then more kept popping up.

Like the secret life Angelica led for many years.  The things she'd kept from not only Tricia, but other members of their family.

Tricia always thought of her sister as a bullying narcissist. But that wasn't true at all, and with every book, Tricia's awe in the things her sister can do continues to grow. You see, she always thought she was the "good" sister. These days, she's not so sure.

One of my favorite aspects of Angelica's personality is her love of cooking. She's changed my life. You see, before I started writing the Booktown books, I didn't like to cook. Tricia and I seemed to have a lot in common.  Then my editor asked for recipes. Uh-oh!

Let Angelica loose in the kitchen and suddenly she's cooking for friends and family. He desire to feed the world grew to the extent that she felt the need to open a restaurant. But she didn't want it to eat up her whole life -- so Booked for Lunch only serves ... lunch!  But even that wasn't enough.  She wanted to become a cookbook author.  She worked hard and voila! She became a nationally bestselling cookbook author. (All the recipes in all the booktown books are available on my website. You can find one from every book here.)

Now, like Angelica, I find myself chopping carrots, onions ... whatever, and enjoying myself. Something I never had the patience for has suddenly become fun. And I'm cooking from scratch.  Yesterday Mr. L and I decided what kind of cake he would like for his upcoming birthday. He said, "you can buy a spice cake mix."  I don't think so.

Sometimes when I'm in a fix, I say to myself, "What would Angelica do?" (She's really much, much smarter than me. Well, than just about everyone.) She's got a big ego, but she's also got the biggest heart. t's never more apparent than in the next Booktown Mystery, Title Wave.

Tricia and Angelica leave Booktown behind for some much needed R&R. Naturally they choose a Mystery Lovers cruise, where they can ponder whodunnit in deck chairs while sipping colorful drinks and soaking up some rays. But the fun is cut short when a fellow passenger is murdered for real. Is the killer a famous mystery author, one of her fans, or a member of the ship’s crew? As Tricia tries to find the killer before they reach port, she may be cruising for a bruising...

It comes out on June 14th in hardcover, ebook, and on audio, and is available for preorder now.  Click here for links.

What would you like to see Angelica do next?

Stepping Into The 21st Century

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

I did it. I finally got a smart phone.

Of course, if I didn't have a messy desk, it wouldn't have happened for a long time. You see, I had my non-smart phone on my desk because I had to call Apple so I could figure out what I was doing wrong when uploading books to their iBooks store. I primarily depend on our landline, but I don't have an extension in my office. So I charged up the dumb phone and called them. Wow--problem solved in about 30 seconds. (They are smart.) I put the phone down on my desk and never saw it again.  My theory is that Mr. L threw it away. Not that it was his fault. I'm thinking that it fell off the desk, went straight into the wastebasket, and wouldn't you know he emptied it the same morning I went to get my hair cut. Good-bye, dumb phone.

I only bought the cell phone for emergency purposes.  Like if I got lost and needed to call Mr. L (the cartographer) to help me get found.  Usually I just used it to call home from the grocery store when I'd forgotten to bring my list.

A LOT of people kept telling me I needed a smart phone, but did I really?  I mean, I was perfectly happy with my little Tracfone. I paid $100 a year for minutes, with no contract.  (I currently have about a bazillion minutes because I rarely use the phone and I don't text.)

But now I needed a new phone. I intended to get something similar to what I had, but when I saw that a smart version was only $5 more, I decided -- what the heck! 

I've had the phone for a month now and realized ... it's time to actually learn to use it. I have successfully made two calls, but I couldn't ANSWER calls. (The only one who calls me is my brother.) Luckily, I have Mr. L, who isn't as impatient as me and is willing to read directions.  ("Directions?  We don't need no stinkin' directions!")  I used his cell phone to call my phone, and he showed me how to answer a phone. 

About the only other thing I want to do is take pictures. (Although Mr. L couldn't find how to download them. He'll just have to work harder at that.)

I did manage to log into Facebook once, but the screen is so small it's really hard to tap in a URL, so I can't see me doing that too often. And you will NEVER see me in a restaurant checking my phone and texting anyone. When I go out, I want to enjoy the company of my companion (usually Mr. L) and have pleasant conversations. I often wonder why people bother going out if all they do is check out their phones while totally ignoring the people their with. I guess that makes me an anachronism, but ... so be it.

So while I have stepped into the 21st Century, I haven't stepped very far.

How often do you check your phone?  (Mine's currently turned off.)

Please remind me!

 By MARY JANE MAFFINI aka VICTORIA ABBOTT

Some days I’d forget my head if I couldn’t count on my neck to do its job.   
There’s so much whirling around in all our lives all the time.  We have so much to do.


I don’t know how you cope, but around my house there are lots of post-it notes to save us from chaos. 
We need to keep informed.



Remember appointments! 




 Make book deadlines. Yikes.



Plan for meals (so many).

 Take care of pets!





In the midst of it, Victoria and I need to stay in the right frame of mind to write mysteries.


I think there should be National Post-it Note Day!  Of course,  I wouldn’t remember it unless it was posted somewhere.  






What do you use to aid your memory? Post-its?   Notes? Nagging relatives? Spill all, my friends!

It’s Wonder Woman Wednesday!!!!!

Duffy Brown here and once a month I’m declaring 


Wonder Woman Wednesday!
Because you all are wonder women (and men). And to celebrate this great day I want you to tell something that makes your wonderful! Because you are and I love my readers to death and want everyone to know how terrific you are.
Here’s how I’m wonderful. Drum roll please... I finished my taxes!! Lord be praised!! Granted this may seem like duck-soup to many of you but for me it is complete torture.
I get the first part...name, address, and to sex I just put NONE so that part’s easy. But from there on it’s a mystery and not the good kind. I hire a guy to fill in all these blanks but I still have to get the stuff together and I now I did it...I hope.
I’m sure you’ve done something very wonderful too. Made dinner? Cleaned out the closet? Didn’t sell you kid to the gypsies when he/she so deserved it. (Been there, nearly done that on more than on occasion.)
In Braking for Bodies  http://amzn.to/1R5GSHQ coming out April 5, Evie Bloomfield is a Wonder Woman in that her BFF, Fiona, is accused of knocking off Peephole Perry (he so deserves it) a rag reporter from LA who Fiona once worked for. Evie should have the Wonder Woman title for sure.
So now it’s your turn. Tell me about your inner Wonder Woman here today and/or over at the Cozy Chicks Group on Face Book tomorrow and I’ll give away this adorable WW apron from the responses.
Hugs to all you amazing Wonder Women out thereDuffy.

Movie Time

by Maggie Sefton



It's been a while since I posted about movies I've recently seen, so I thought I'd mention three favorites from these last two months. The first movie is BRIDGE OF SPIES, the Tom Hanks powerful true-to-life depiction of a talented New York attorney who volunteered to be the Defense lawyer for the Soviet spy that Americans caught and imprisoned and tried in a very high-profile espionage trial.  This movie also shows that volatile period in American and Soviet Russia relations when the Berlin wall was first built. It's a powerful cinematic statement.


The next movie is also a true-to-life depiction of fairly recent events in  13 HOURS:  THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI.  Believe me, this movie is riveting.  You won't leave your seat for popcorn, drinks, or a bathroom break.  It is not political at all, and politicians names are not mentioned.  But the people who were there and participated in those awful events of that day felt strongly enough to write a book and then get a movie made.  Powerful, as I said.


The 3rd movie is one I saw last night, and it is totally fictional----thank goodness.  :)  But it is equally riveting.    It's the action adventure movie  LONDON HAS FALLEN.   Believe me, it is non-stop action.  So it definitely delivers on the action front.  It's based on the premise that Bad Guys have a plan to gain access to several world leaders when they gather in London for the unexpected death and funeral of the British Prime Minister.   They murder those leaders which is bad enough, but their main plan is to capture the American President and execute him on live television.  Extremely well-done and thoroughly enjoyable, especially if you enjoy Action/Adventure movies which I do.  :)  

What movies have you seen lately that you've liked?  Share with us.    

IF EVERYTHING VANISHED IN AN INSTANT

By Mary Kennedy                  
                                                        
 I came across this quote last night as I was sorting through some Florida photos. This is the first year we haven't done our usual stay at the Ft. Lauderdale condo, and I was feeling a big nostalgic.   If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a longing, last real look at every blade of grass, every cloud formation, every speck of dust, every rainbow, raindrop—everything.  Pema Chödrön  How true! I thought. We would look at every blue sky, every sunset differently--the sand, the ocean, the clouds, every single thing would take on new meaning.                                                       The swaying palms...   The glittery pink of the ocean at sunset...                                                      Even something as mundane as a rowboat would capture our attention and deserve a closer look.   The clouds in the sky would suddenly become fascinating and a rainbow would take on new meaning.    We would draw it all in, knowing that one last look would have to last a lifetime.  I used to watch the ocean for hours from the balcony pictured below--I love the quiet, nearly deserted stretch of beach, the peace, the tranquility.    Do you have images of a special place that you want to hold on to forever?    I know I do... Mary Kennedy

Getting to Know You…

Hi, Abby Fabian. Thanks so much for the interview. So  much fun getting to know each other. 


Where do you live now?Central Texas
-Pets? Kids? Hobby?I have two dogs. Sammy a bich poo, and Daisy a black lab mix. And two cats Angie a tabby cat, and Tippy a tortoiseshell cat. No kids, yet. Reading, of course, knitting, latch hook,solitare, drawing, painting. The list goes on. Let’s just say I have a lot.
-Upcoming plans?Nothing big, just curling up on the couch reading a book with the fur babies.
-Do you travel? Got a fav place?I don't get to travel that much, but I have always wanted to visit Maine. I have read several books there and I have a friend who lives there. But I have never been. I'm hoping I can go next year. Also I have always wanted to visit Scotland.
-How did you come to reading mysteries?When I was about eight I read a Nancy Drew and I never stopped reading mysteries. In early 2013 I found the Booktown series by Lorna Barrett. That hooked me on cozy mysteries.
-Do you have a fav mystery show? Movie?That's a hard one. I like Murder She Wrote. As far as movies maybe the Mystery Woman movies on Hallmark. Or the Murder She Baked series is good as well.
-Do you have a fav book that you reread from time to time?I don't reread books. Except A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I read that every Christmas Eve.
-Do you remember the first mystery you read?Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock. Or if Miss Pickerell counts I read a very old battered copy of Miss Pickerell Goes To Mars. That was actually the first book I ever liked as a kid. It’s funny that a book that was written before I was born, is the book that turned me onto reading.
-Is there a character in a book that you’d like to pal around with?That's a hard one.  Maybe Grace from the Manor House series by Julie Hyzy.
-Do you eat or drink anything while you read?Chocolate chip shortbread cookies. Or Italian rainbow cookies. I don't know why they are my favorite to read with, but they are. As far as drinks either water or lemonade.
-Tell us anything else about yourself. We all love meeting new friends.When I'm not working, I volunteer at the library. I shelve books, but also help with events and book sales. I love to watch old cartoons especially Looney Tunes. And I love board games and rainy days.
That was a lot of fun. Thank you for letting me do this!
Abby Fabian