Kate Collins's Blog, page 128
March 4, 2016
Poor misunderstood Amanda Shelton
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
One of the great things about being a hybrid author (with one foot in the traditional world of publishing, and the other firmly planted in the world of indie publishing), is that you can write whatever you want. I'm under contract for the Booktown and Victoria Square Mysteries, but I also have three other series under my (various) names: the very successful Jeff Resnick Mysteries, the (still wet behind the ears) Lotus Bay Mysteries, and the totally unsuccessful Tales of Telenia adventure/fantasy series.
Why is Telenia unsuccessful? It's not my usual genre. How many of my mystery readers want to read a book about a woman stranded on a strange, misogynist planet, where every day she seems to smack into yet another brick wall? A place where the food is bad, the people unfriendly, and everything is alien to her?
Yesterday, my friends Kelly McClymer and Shirley Hailstock and I were talking about the books and why they can't seem to find an audience. Kelly read my blurb and then asked me how I viewed the series. I pretty much told her what's written in the paragraph above. She said, "But that's not what your blurb conveys."
Here's my blurb for the first book (which is not the first blurb; I've worked it this several times). It tells the story, but doesn't convey Amanda's adventures (like capturing a giant spider, or being taken captive--and her struggles with Prince Paxdon):
Amanda Shelton is clever, adventurous, and tough--and she'll have to be, because she's crash landed on a world where her saviors might well be her enemies. It takes fierce determination to keep the people of this frightening and unfamiliar place from stealing her shuttle technology, or imprisoning her while they do it. Yet what she knows could save countless innocent lives--including those who keep this world safe. Facing this test of spirit will take everything Amanda has...if she survives at all.
Blurb writing is a skill--one I obviously don't possess. I'm contemplating hiring the Blurb Bitch to attack my description to see what she can do with it.
But when it all comes down to it, I'm a writer of characters, and it's my characters that attract my readers. Poor Amanda is alone in this book ... and then she makes a friend. And then another. (Think "Thelma and Louise.")
So what's the point of this blog post?
I've been stalling writing the next adventure because the first two have not sold well. It's been three years since I wrote the second book in the series, Journey. Even though Threshold and Journey have not sold well, I can't abandon Amanda, Brannan, Dohmas, Wren, and Paxdon any longer. They are DEMANDING that I tell their story. It's all plotted. I've even got the dialog for a number of scenes memorized. (I've been thinking a LOT about this story.) I have other commitments to write books that actually do sell, but I've decided to take an hour a day and work on Treachery. It's my gift to me.
But I do wish more of my readers would befriend Amanda. She's all alone in a place called Telenia. She could use a few friends.
One of the great things about being a hybrid author (with one foot in the traditional world of publishing, and the other firmly planted in the world of indie publishing), is that you can write whatever you want. I'm under contract for the Booktown and Victoria Square Mysteries, but I also have three other series under my (various) names: the very successful Jeff Resnick Mysteries, the (still wet behind the ears) Lotus Bay Mysteries, and the totally unsuccessful Tales of Telenia adventure/fantasy series.
Why is Telenia unsuccessful? It's not my usual genre. How many of my mystery readers want to read a book about a woman stranded on a strange, misogynist planet, where every day she seems to smack into yet another brick wall? A place where the food is bad, the people unfriendly, and everything is alien to her?Yesterday, my friends Kelly McClymer and Shirley Hailstock and I were talking about the books and why they can't seem to find an audience. Kelly read my blurb and then asked me how I viewed the series. I pretty much told her what's written in the paragraph above. She said, "But that's not what your blurb conveys."
Here's my blurb for the first book (which is not the first blurb; I've worked it this several times). It tells the story, but doesn't convey Amanda's adventures (like capturing a giant spider, or being taken captive--and her struggles with Prince Paxdon): Amanda Shelton is clever, adventurous, and tough--and she'll have to be, because she's crash landed on a world where her saviors might well be her enemies. It takes fierce determination to keep the people of this frightening and unfamiliar place from stealing her shuttle technology, or imprisoning her while they do it. Yet what she knows could save countless innocent lives--including those who keep this world safe. Facing this test of spirit will take everything Amanda has...if she survives at all.
Blurb writing is a skill--one I obviously don't possess. I'm contemplating hiring the Blurb Bitch to attack my description to see what she can do with it.
But when it all comes down to it, I'm a writer of characters, and it's my characters that attract my readers. Poor Amanda is alone in this book ... and then she makes a friend. And then another. (Think "Thelma and Louise.")So what's the point of this blog post?
I've been stalling writing the next adventure because the first two have not sold well. It's been three years since I wrote the second book in the series, Journey. Even though Threshold and Journey have not sold well, I can't abandon Amanda, Brannan, Dohmas, Wren, and Paxdon any longer. They are DEMANDING that I tell their story. It's all plotted. I've even got the dialog for a number of scenes memorized. (I've been thinking a LOT about this story.) I have other commitments to write books that actually do sell, but I've decided to take an hour a day and work on Treachery. It's my gift to me.
But I do wish more of my readers would befriend Amanda. She's all alone in a place called Telenia. She could use a few friends.
March 2, 2016
Anytime is orchid time
By Mary Jane Maffini aka Victoria Abbott
If there is one thing that keeps my spirits up, it is the joy I get from the splendid little Phalaenopsisorchids. They are easy to come by: from the grocery store, and sometimes the building supply store or Costco. Wherever one catches my eye and I can think of an excuse: my birthday, someone else’s birthday, they’re on sale, the first day of any new season – you get the drill--I have another.
This one seems happy enough against a background of snow.
As I type this, I realize that we have just submitted a manuscript and, you know, that seems like a good reason to get a new orchid. As soon as the driveway is plowed again, I’ll be on the hunt.
I love these orchids because they ask so little and give so much: three tablespoons a week is all the water mine require. They get a bit of fertilizer when I remember. Some people give them three ice cubes a week. They bloom for months. When they are done blooming, they are sent to the ‘plant hospital’, i.e. the basement guestroom with a great low-light window. A couple of months later, they are ready to bloom again and rejoin the party upstairs. Some have bloomed several times. Others have gone to live with Victoria, aka the Plant Whisperer.
I should have staked this before it bloomed but I love the way it wanders!In a weird twist, our seventies bungalow was build by a man who ran a commercial orchid business out of the house. His green house has since been dismantled, but there’s still a strange cistern in the pump room of the basement where rain water was collected for his three thousand plants. I’d take a picture of the spooky thing but it’s blocked by book boxes from our basement reconstruction. I do think it would be a good place to find a body, but that’s a topic for another day.
This one is blooming for the third time!Hope March is going well for all of you. Ours has come in like a lion and we’re hoping it goes out like a lamb. But whatever, we’ll have our orchids.
Do you love orchids too? Or is there some other plant that holds your heart? Suggestions? Please come by and give us your comments or tips. I’m looking for a new fertilizer and repotting materials.
March 1, 2016
For Sale!
Duffy Brown here chatting about selling stuff. I work in the Snooty Fox Consignment Shop for real and sell stuff there all the time. I love the Snoot and even named the consignment shop in my Consignment Shop mystery series the Prissy Fox. 
But the Snoot is not my store, it’s someone else’s and I’m just a minion behind the counter and that’s okay. I love the Snoot because of the terrific people I meet there and the amazing bargains. Just picked up this pink Lily scarf in mint condition for six bucks!
On occasion though I have sold stuff on my own. My husband and I sold a car on our own, two boats and an electric lawnmower when we realized it couldn’t hold a charge for a half-acre. What were we thinking?
We’ve had our share of garage sales to empty out the house and those were pretty successful but we never sold stuff on eBay or Craig’s List. I think these places are great but now being a woman alone I just don’t do it.
So my question to you is, have you ever sold anything on you own on eBay, Craigs or had a garage sale. And what about the local newspaper? Have you ever put in an ad for something you wanted to get rid of? Here’s an ad Reagan from my Consignment Shop series might have written.Did you get rid of that something you wanted to sell? Was it worth the hassle or do you wish you’d just given it to Goodwill and taken the tax write-off?
come vist me www.DuffyBrown.com
February 29, 2016
Downton Abbey Time
by Maggie SeftonI'm going to be in mourning pretty soon. No one has died, but I'll be mourning anyway. Why? Because my very favorite TV series will be coming to an end in another week. Yes, I'm talking about "Downton Abbey," that marvelous story that has enthralled millions of people on the PBS network for these past five to six years.
Who would have thought a story set very early in the last century would captivate so large an audience? I think it's a testament to excellent writing and brilliant casting that together combined to create a very special television entertainment experience.
As a novelist I have always believed that good storytelling is all about characters. Characters carry the story, and it's what we readers carry away with us. And it's what makes us keep reading. . .or watching. I have some favorite scenes with particular Downton Abbey characters. Some of them involve those early years when Matthew was introduced as the new heir to Downton Abbey and he and oldest daughter Mary slowly began their relationship. And I've particularly enjoyed watching daughter Edith develop into a fascinating modern woman in that post World War I period of immense cultural change.
Tom Branson is also a favorite of mine and it's been fun to watch his character develop into a central figure in the family. And there are so many other characters that have moved in and out of the Downton Abbey story lines. And how can we forget Dame Maggie Smith and her Dowager Countess Violet Grantham? I particularly love her scenes with Matthew's mother Isobel Crawley. Sharp repartee at its finest. :)
Have you been watching Downton Abbey, and if so, which characters and or scenes are your favorites?
February 28, 2016
FED UP WITH TELEMARKETERS? A NEW WAY TO FIGHT BACK.
By Mary Kennedy
Are you fed up with telemarketers? I know I am. And yes, I dutifully listed my number with the "National Do Not Call" registry. Did it help? No. I even update my information every six months to make sure it is current. Yet the calls continue.
But now there's something new on the market, a way to turn the tables on the telemarketers. It's a robot answering service, designed to engage the telemarketer in conversation (and keep him on the line as long as possible)
How does the robot keep the telemarketer on the line? The system uses words like "yeah," "sure," and "okay," when it senses the telemarketer has asked a question and is waiting for a response. Every once in a while, the robot plays dumb and asks the telemarketer to go over all the information again, in other words, to start from the top.
Another feature designed to waste time is the robot interjects long, rambling sentences into the conversation, comments that have nothing to do with the product. For example, the robot might say that the telemarketer has a voice just like an old friend from high school, or he may ask what the weather is like in the telemarketer's part of the country. All designed to waste time.
In case, you're wondering who invented this gadget, it's Roger Anderson and he calls it the Jolly Roger Telephone. It allows users to listen happily while the robot outwits the telemarketer and gleefully rambles on.
So it well may be that the days of annoying telemarketing calls have come to an end. There's always the possibility that the telemarketers will have caught on to Anderson's device and will find ways to outwit it. But at least there's hope!
Roger Anderson is a man on a mission and you listen to an NPR interview with him. It's fascinating! http://www.npr.org/2016/02/25/468149405/jolly-roger-telephone-company-uses-software-to-entrap-telemarketers Good luck and maybe we can all have a little peace in our own homes again. Mary Kennedy
Are you fed up with telemarketers? I know I am. And yes, I dutifully listed my number with the "National Do Not Call" registry. Did it help? No. I even update my information every six months to make sure it is current. Yet the calls continue.
But now there's something new on the market, a way to turn the tables on the telemarketers. It's a robot answering service, designed to engage the telemarketer in conversation (and keep him on the line as long as possible)
How does the robot keep the telemarketer on the line? The system uses words like "yeah," "sure," and "okay," when it senses the telemarketer has asked a question and is waiting for a response. Every once in a while, the robot plays dumb and asks the telemarketer to go over all the information again, in other words, to start from the top.
Another feature designed to waste time is the robot interjects long, rambling sentences into the conversation, comments that have nothing to do with the product. For example, the robot might say that the telemarketer has a voice just like an old friend from high school, or he may ask what the weather is like in the telemarketer's part of the country. All designed to waste time.
In case, you're wondering who invented this gadget, it's Roger Anderson and he calls it the Jolly Roger Telephone. It allows users to listen happily while the robot outwits the telemarketer and gleefully rambles on.
So it well may be that the days of annoying telemarketing calls have come to an end. There's always the possibility that the telemarketers will have caught on to Anderson's device and will find ways to outwit it. But at least there's hope!
Roger Anderson is a man on a mission and you listen to an NPR interview with him. It's fascinating! http://www.npr.org/2016/02/25/468149405/jolly-roger-telephone-company-uses-software-to-entrap-telemarketers Good luck and maybe we can all have a little peace in our own homes again. Mary Kennedy
February 27, 2016
Getting to Know You…
Hello Margaret. Thanks so much for taking time to be interviewed. We all love getting to know the friends we chat with every day. -Where do you live now?I live in Schenectady, New York, which is part of the Capital Region (Albany, Schenectady and Troy.) Or, where the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers meet. We are a great mix of urban, suburban and country.-Pets? Kids? Hobby?I have two Balinese (long hair Siamese) cats, before them I had a Siamese and Balinese. We have always had cats, always Siamese and all girls. I was a huge fan of THAT
DARN CAT as a little girl. I am a lover of mysteries, ghost stories and monster and horror movies. I love to travel and I love day trips. Living in the NYS Capital Region we can get many places. And I love American history. Probably because I am surrounded by it.-Day Job?I have been retired 6 years from law enforcement. And now every day is Saturday (as a friend Dan always says.) I loved my job, but it is a young person's world and times have changed. I feel lucky to have been able to retire young. I do find I am busier now than when I worked. I don't know how I got anything done before.
-Upcoming plans?I am pretty excited about making my first floral entry for NY in Bloom at the NYS Museum in Albany. I have never done anything like this before, but figured why not? My plans are to to do something with bones! The entries are all designed to fit in with the exhibits. And we have a great mastodon that was found in Cohoes, so that is where I am looking to exhibit.
-What do you do for fun?I love working around the house, inside and out. Reading is definitely a passion and has been since I was a very young child. I love spending time with my friends, and now that we are all retired, or going to be retired, it makes it easy to spend time together. My greatest enjoyment is spending time enjoying the places in my community and getting out and exploring new places. -Do you travel? Got a fav place?YES! Anywhere in New England. I am a New England girl to the core. Although I loved visiting San Francisco, especially Alcatraz. Savannah and Chicago are two favorite cities. And I did make it to Ohio a few times, once for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Philadelphia and Gettysburg are favorites as well.-How did you come to reading mysteries?
I wish I knew? It is not a family trait, actually none of my interest are family traits. I know I was always an odd little girl (LOL) nothing ever scared me. I always wanted to meet the monster under the bed. Scooby Doo was my idol, when I was a kid and that is what I wanted to do when I grew up, I wanted to join the gang in the Mystery Machine. But, my very first "adult" book was DRACULA and I read that when I was in the 5th grade. In Jr. High School I moved on to Stephen King, John Saul and Robin Cook with some mysteries mixed in. But I didn't get really into mysteries until college.-Do you have a fav mystery show? Movie?I have SO many favorite movies. I love both the original play and movie by Ira Levin, DEATH TRAP. I remember seeing it on Broadway many years ago, and the collective gasp at the KISS! And another by Ira Levin, both the book and the movie, STEPFORD WIVES. I love the Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers, PINK PANTHER movies. Most of the movies and t.v. I love is from the 60's and 70's. Both decades were full of great mystery, ghost, horror and monster movies. And another favorite is the movie NOW AND THEN, it is like watching my childhood in the early 70's unfold on the screen. Although my one guilty pleasure is (the new) Hawaii Five-0.-Do you have a fav book that you reread from time to time?I have reread a few of my cozy mysteries, but there are so many new ones to discover I don't find the time to go back very often.-Do you remember the first mystery you read?I really don't remember that one book that got me hooked on mysteries.-Is there a character in a book or movie that you’d like to pal around with?I only continue with series if I really like the characters. I find if I can not relate to the characters I can't continue with the series. Not to "kiss up" or anything, but I do love Reagan; and I LOVE Boone! I am also a fan of Sophie Winston from the Domestic Diva Mysteries and Bea Cartwright from the League of Literary Ladies.-Tell us anything else about yourself. We all love meeting new friends.I love animals and help out our shelters regularly. I also love to Fence (foil) and started that about 25 years ago. And I am a huge fan of white water rafting. My two favorite rivers are the Dead and Kennebec in Maine. February 26, 2016
HOW TO BE A SOUTHERN LADY IN FIVE EASY STEPS
By Mary Kennedy
Hi everyone! Taylor Blake here. I'm the "sensible" sister from the Dream Club Mysteries. You probably remember that I have an MBA, love to crunch numbers and moved to Savannah to help my sister Ali save her vintage candy store.
True confession time. I had a lot to learn when I first moved here. Ali had been in Savannah for a few months and she's already made some great friends who showed her the ropes. She was happy to share her tips with me, and I think I've made a pretty good adjustment. Is Savannah different from Chicago? You betcha! At first I felt like a fish out of water, but here is my own blueprint for success. If this northerner can become a southern gal, so can you! Just follow these easy steps.
1.Always offer your guests a beverage. Always, no exceptions. Ali likes to keep two icy pitchers on the counter--free for the customers. One is filled with home-made lemonade and the other is sweet tea. (Yes, sweet tea. Forget about calories, it's just not tea if it's not sweet.). Ali has been known to keep a nice pot of coffee brewing too, no matter what the weather. It's a nice gesture and makes our customers feel welcome. And it's good business; they're much more like to browse (and spend money) if they're holding a nice drink.
2. Serve something to nibble on. It doesn't have to be fancy. But a little plate of cheese crackers (home-made), some sugar cookies, or sugared pecans is a nice touch. Ali even makes a few cucumber sandwiches every morning and stashes them in the fridge. She whips them out mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and you'd be surprised how many people gobble them up. Here's her recipe. She swears it's "Southern" because she uses a touch of Tabasco sauce.
Cucumber sandwiches.
Ingredients. One medium cucumber, 1 eight oz container of cream cheese, 1/2 teas salt, one loaf thinly sliced white bread, 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce, mayonnaise.
Directions. Peel cucumber and slice thinly, removing seeds. Add cream cheese and tabasco. Spread mayo on each slice of bread and assemble sandwiches. Trim crusts. You can make finger sandwiches by cutting sandwiches in thirds, or you can make cute little triangles, whatever you prefer. Chill until ready to serve.
3. Always inquire about "the family." Southerners love to talk about their family (well, most of the time) and you will score a hit if you remember to ask about their Aunt Belle or if little Lisbeth is enjoying kindergarten. They like to gossip, too, but that's another whole story.
4. Make people feel welcome. Southerners like to talk and they like to take their time. Never make them feel rushed. A friendly smile can go a long way to make them feel at home. And after all, as Ali says, the candy store is an extension of our home (we live in the apartment upstairs), so we should treat our customers as guests.
5. Always go out of your way to be helpful. People will remember it. I remember one family insisted that their chicken salad sandwiches be served on croissants and we were out. Ali said not to worry and sent Dana, our assistant, to our favorite French bakery. She was back in a flash with a dozen fresh croissants and saved the day.
Don't worry, next month, we'll talk more about everything I've learned in Savannah and I'll be sure to include a favorite recipe.
In the meantime, come for a visit and sit a spell. You'll be a southerner in no time!!
Mary Kennedy
Hi everyone! Taylor Blake here. I'm the "sensible" sister from the Dream Club Mysteries. You probably remember that I have an MBA, love to crunch numbers and moved to Savannah to help my sister Ali save her vintage candy store.
True confession time. I had a lot to learn when I first moved here. Ali had been in Savannah for a few months and she's already made some great friends who showed her the ropes. She was happy to share her tips with me, and I think I've made a pretty good adjustment. Is Savannah different from Chicago? You betcha! At first I felt like a fish out of water, but here is my own blueprint for success. If this northerner can become a southern gal, so can you! Just follow these easy steps.
1.Always offer your guests a beverage. Always, no exceptions. Ali likes to keep two icy pitchers on the counter--free for the customers. One is filled with home-made lemonade and the other is sweet tea. (Yes, sweet tea. Forget about calories, it's just not tea if it's not sweet.). Ali has been known to keep a nice pot of coffee brewing too, no matter what the weather. It's a nice gesture and makes our customers feel welcome. And it's good business; they're much more like to browse (and spend money) if they're holding a nice drink. 2. Serve something to nibble on. It doesn't have to be fancy. But a little plate of cheese crackers (home-made), some sugar cookies, or sugared pecans is a nice touch. Ali even makes a few cucumber sandwiches every morning and stashes them in the fridge. She whips them out mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and you'd be surprised how many people gobble them up. Here's her recipe. She swears it's "Southern" because she uses a touch of Tabasco sauce.
Cucumber sandwiches.
Ingredients. One medium cucumber, 1 eight oz container of cream cheese, 1/2 teas salt, one loaf thinly sliced white bread, 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce, mayonnaise.
Directions. Peel cucumber and slice thinly, removing seeds. Add cream cheese and tabasco. Spread mayo on each slice of bread and assemble sandwiches. Trim crusts. You can make finger sandwiches by cutting sandwiches in thirds, or you can make cute little triangles, whatever you prefer. Chill until ready to serve.3. Always inquire about "the family." Southerners love to talk about their family (well, most of the time) and you will score a hit if you remember to ask about their Aunt Belle or if little Lisbeth is enjoying kindergarten. They like to gossip, too, but that's another whole story.
4. Make people feel welcome. Southerners like to talk and they like to take their time. Never make them feel rushed. A friendly smile can go a long way to make them feel at home. And after all, as Ali says, the candy store is an extension of our home (we live in the apartment upstairs), so we should treat our customers as guests.5. Always go out of your way to be helpful. People will remember it. I remember one family insisted that their chicken salad sandwiches be served on croissants and we were out. Ali said not to worry and sent Dana, our assistant, to our favorite French bakery. She was back in a flash with a dozen fresh croissants and saved the day.
Don't worry, next month, we'll talk more about everything I've learned in Savannah and I'll be sure to include a favorite recipe.
In the meantime, come for a visit and sit a spell. You'll be a southerner in no time!!
Mary Kennedy
Open the mail!
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
HAPPY PISTACIO DAY!!!
But that's not what I want to talk about today.
Today I'm talking about mailing lists. Yup--you've probably signed up for a few. (And we hope OURS!!! The signup is on the left hand side of this blog. If you haven't signed up--please do!)
Every so often (and apparently not often enough), it's time to purge the list of people who don't open the newsletter. It's a rather complicated process trying to figure out who is and isn't opening the emails. I mean, it's easy--the company who sends them out for me will let me download a list. But I have to download FOUR lists to see who is and isn't opening. Then I have to cull the list. (That took an ENTIRE DAY.)
But wait! The list is by no means accurate because not everybody opens their email the same way.
Take me, for example. I have a bunch of newsletters delivered to my gmail address. But I don't open them in gmail. They get forwarded to my AOL address and I open them there. According to the company that sends them out -- I'm not opening them at all. This happens a lot with yahoo addresses, too. (And for some reason, people with comcast email addresses seem to "bounce." That is, are never delivered at all. Go figure!)
See how confusing this is?
Gmail is funny, too -- because a couple of years ago they decided to HELP their users by putting newsletters in a PROMOTIONS folder. Too bad they didn't make this clear. A lot of gmail readers say they don't get the newsletter and even look in their spam filters. No newsletter there, either. Yeah, because it's in the PROMOTIONS folder.
So today I'm sending out a newsletter to 1700+ people and asking -- do you read my newsletter? I sure hope I get 1700+ replies. But if I do, I may be out of touch for a while ... it'll take a while to open all those emails!
What do you like to see in an author's newsletter?
HAPPY PISTACIO DAY!!!
But that's not what I want to talk about today.
Today I'm talking about mailing lists. Yup--you've probably signed up for a few. (And we hope OURS!!! The signup is on the left hand side of this blog. If you haven't signed up--please do!)
Every so often (and apparently not often enough), it's time to purge the list of people who don't open the newsletter. It's a rather complicated process trying to figure out who is and isn't opening the emails. I mean, it's easy--the company who sends them out for me will let me download a list. But I have to download FOUR lists to see who is and isn't opening. Then I have to cull the list. (That took an ENTIRE DAY.)
But wait! The list is by no means accurate because not everybody opens their email the same way.Take me, for example. I have a bunch of newsletters delivered to my gmail address. But I don't open them in gmail. They get forwarded to my AOL address and I open them there. According to the company that sends them out -- I'm not opening them at all. This happens a lot with yahoo addresses, too. (And for some reason, people with comcast email addresses seem to "bounce." That is, are never delivered at all. Go figure!)
See how confusing this is?
Gmail is funny, too -- because a couple of years ago they decided to HELP their users by putting newsletters in a PROMOTIONS folder. Too bad they didn't make this clear. A lot of gmail readers say they don't get the newsletter and even look in their spam filters. No newsletter there, either. Yeah, because it's in the PROMOTIONS folder.
So today I'm sending out a newsletter to 1700+ people and asking -- do you read my newsletter? I sure hope I get 1700+ replies. But if I do, I may be out of touch for a while ... it'll take a while to open all those emails!
What do you like to see in an author's newsletter?
February 24, 2016
That thing about horoscopes
By VICTORIA ABBOTT
I love horoscopes. I like to read a couple of them every day (all for Pisces, nothing fishy about that) and then pick the best one. I only believe in the best ones. If they’re mucking about in Mercury retrograde talk, then I don’t believe in them at all.
My favorite horoscopes are from Georgia Nichols and she often tells me that this would be a good day to buy shoes. However today she said that I should ‘start by finding the floor of your bedroom closet’. I am devastated!
Other choices today, snippets from different astrologers, include this worrying warning: … if you make accusations you cannot prove, you may regret it.
Better: If you’re tired, call it an early night.
Lots of good choices, but no shoe buying or going out to lunch with friends. For the record, I’ll clean up the closet floor (Come on! They’re only slippers!) and I will refrain from making accusations I can’t prove. This is reasonable advice any time.
We were hoping to find out how The Hammett Hex will do, but that's waaaay too specific. Oh well.
But the point is, Victoria Abbott is still confused. We’ll have to wait for a better crop.
What about you? Do you love horoscopes or hate ‘em? Have any faves? Let us know!
February 23, 2016
Celeb watching...or not
Julianne Hough has a sculpted butt and sexy stems and a definite workout regimen. Phil Collins and ex-wife Orianne are getting remarried even though she took him to the cleaners for 46 million in their divorce. Lady Gaga went to Shamrock Social Club, a famous tattoo parlor in West Hollywood.
Do you care?
Advertising campaigns include celebrities like Julia Roberts for Lancome, Halle Berry and Emma Stone for Revlon, and Drew Barrymore for CoverGirl.
Male celebs are also getting into brand endorsement, from the highest-paid athletes to David Beckham promoting clothing giant H&M, to Daniel Craig in a Heineken beer ad and Brad Pitt the spokesperson for Chanel No. 5.
Gary Busey, Dennis Rodman and Terrell Owens back Trump while Vince Vaughn, Chuck Norris and the star of Pawn Wars back Rubio.
So the question is, do any of these endorsements influence you? Do you buy Chanel because the Pitt tells you to? Do you vote for Trump because Chuck Norris likes the guy? Did you ever make a decision ‘cause a celeb thought it was a good idea?
I have to confess that I’m not much of a celeb watcher so it doesn’t matter much to me if Pitt likes Chanel, now if buying Chanel made the guy look like Brad Pitt that would be a whole new ball game. Just saying.
Do you care?
Advertising campaigns include celebrities like Julia Roberts for Lancome, Halle Berry and Emma Stone for Revlon, and Drew Barrymore for CoverGirl.
Male celebs are also getting into brand endorsement, from the highest-paid athletes to David Beckham promoting clothing giant H&M, to Daniel Craig in a Heineken beer ad and Brad Pitt the spokesperson for Chanel No. 5. 
Gary Busey, Dennis Rodman and Terrell Owens back Trump while Vince Vaughn, Chuck Norris and the star of Pawn Wars back Rubio.So the question is, do any of these endorsements influence you? Do you buy Chanel because the Pitt tells you to? Do you vote for Trump because Chuck Norris likes the guy? Did you ever make a decision ‘cause a celeb thought it was a good idea?
I have to confess that I’m not much of a celeb watcher so it doesn’t matter much to me if Pitt likes Chanel, now if buying Chanel made the guy look like Brad Pitt that would be a whole new ball game. Just saying.
