Kate Collins's Blog, page 148

August Already? Ackkkk!

by Maggie Sefton


It's mid-August, which means Summertime---My Favorite Season---is almost over!!
Oh, no!!  Where did it go?  I don't know about you folks, but I feel like this Summer has raced by, and I haven't gotten nearly enough relaxation time.  You know----the kind of relaxation where you can lie on the chaise lounge in the shade of your backyard trees and stare at the sky and think.  Just think.  About whatever.

Frankly, that's precious time as far as I'm concerned.  That's the time when new ideas can pop into your mind.  Not just ideas about writing novels----believe it or not, folks, writing novels isn't the only thing I enjoy spending my time on, no matter how fun or engaging or challenging I find the characters.  Something else I really, really, really enjoy spending time on is travel.  Especially to new places.  Places I haven't seen before.

This year started out much busier than most years.  Starting in February with the Wedding Shower I planned for Daughter Serena back in Northern Virginia where most family and friends were.  Of course that meant travel from Colorado to Dulles airport in NoVA.  I was busily writing Kelly #14 and planning the Shower and the Shower Luncheon in consultation with the wonderful chef at my fave cafe in Vienna, VA.  March brought another trip, this time to Houston, Texas for the final fitting of Serena's wedding gown.  Lots of family fun there.  And, of course, I posted photos of both those occasions on the Cozy Chicks Blog.

April brought two lengthy travel dates---the most important was earlier in the month for Serena's wedding in the Hill Country of Texas, with the bluebonnets.  Boy, was that fun!  As well as beautiful and meaningful.  Later in April was the mystery conference Malice Domestic in Washington, DC.  And I stayed later down at the river house near the Potomac for springtime in Virginia---where I kept on writing.

Back in Colorado in early May at last, and my dear 95 year old mother started her downward slide.  It was if she waited for me to return before she could leave.  And leave, she did, as I shared with the Cozy Chicks Blog audience.  On her own terms, and in no pain.  No diseases.  She simply chose to stop eating.  And eventually that frail but still sturdy little body wasted away.  Bless her heart.  :)  She did it her way.  We should all be so fortunate as to choose our own time of departure.  She passed a little after midnight on May 27th while I was with her in her room at Columbine West Healthcare here in Fort Collins.  My daughter Melissa was with me.  Daughters Serena, Melissa, & Christine got to see Mom before her passing or just as she was.  Daughter Maria arrived right afterwards and provided much needed support.

Needless to say, my writing schedule for Kelly #14 took a big hit during all those events.  So for the first time in all those years of writing Kelly, I had to tell my editor I would turn in Kelly #14 a little later than usual.  :)    I'm in the revision process now.  However, I'm going to take a slight break of my own this time.   I'm going to take a trip I've always wanted----to see the Alaska Glaciers.  I've booked a cruise for the last full week of August.  Starting in Anchorage, actually Seward for the port, and docking a week later in Vancouver, B.C, Canada.   I'm really, really looking forward to this vacation.  And. . .this year, I really, really need it.  :)   I'll tell you all about it in a couple of weeks when I return.

KATE COLLINS: THE MOVIE

by . . . (surprise!) Kate Collins
 
I’m joking, of course. There is no movie about my life.
You’re welcome.
However, there is a new video that I’m releasing today -- but first I’d better explain.
I wanted to make something educational for readers and a useful tool for new writers. I really did. I ended up with . . . well, a video that I hope you’ll find enlightening as well as entertaining.
For that entire two minute clip, we spent hours in production. First came the list of shots to get, followed by the equipment set-up, then the lighting adjustments that seemed to go on for a very long time. But as my assistant, aka my son said, “It’s better to sit and sweat under the glare of the lights for a while than to look like a reject from Walking Dead.  I couldn’t argue that.
And then came the actual filming. You’d be surprised how many takes we made of a few of those short clips, mostly because I talk too fast and move too quickly. The words, “Slow it down, Kate!” are now embedded permanently in my brain.
Finally came the hardest part – the editing, for which I take no credit at all. Putting all those clips together in a way that made sense, writing the headlines, coordinating the voice-overs, and then syncing the whole kit`n caboodle to music takes a lot of talent. 
I’m delighted with the final product. To me it shows what a tough job creating any kind of art is. No doubt about it, you have to be inspired. You can have everything perfect around you and yet not create. That spark of idea has to come from within.
 If you didn’t see the video on my Facebook author page (www.facebook.com/katecollinsmysteryauthor) you can watch it on my website by clicking on my name below the title of this blog (or go to www.katecollinsbooks.com).
If you share the video from my Facebook page, you’ll be automatically entered into a contest for a crystal flower decoration that you can set on any tabletop. As you can see in the photo, it’s lovely.
I had a lot of fun making the video but this wouldn’t have happened without my creative son, so here’s a shout out to you, Jason, at www.authorswriteinc.com.



I hope you all enjoy our product. Have a great week.

Not to Get All Philosophical, But...

by Leann


When I was in college, I loved my philosophy classes probably the most. If you don't know much about John Stuart Mill, he was a British philosopher who wrote extensively about liberty--mostly political stuff I wasn't all the interested in. No, I don't agree with a whole lot of what he said, but one John Stuart Mill quote has remained in my mind since I was in my 20s. It is shortened here (because Mr. Mill liked to write REALLY long sentences). He said: “... happiness… was not a life of rapture, but of such, in an existence made up of few and transitory pains, many and various pleasures ...  and having as the foundation of the whole, not to expect more from life than it is capable of bestowing.” Sounds a little bleak, I know.


To me, he is saying there are limits to what you can expect because, well, you are human and circumstances are not completely in your control. Simplified and taken out of context, but that's how I chose to interpret it. I faced my humanity this past week after the disappointment of missing the NY Times bestseller list for the first time in five years. See, you will always hear the truth from me. I tell the truth in my books and share who I am with the world. Sometimes disappointment is just around the corner and will smack you hard. It's one of those "transitory pains" that Mr. Mill spoke about. It will tarnish happiness. But it is to be expected.

Were there 18 other mass market paperback cozies released from my publisher alone this month? Yes. Did Amazon choose to discount 14 out 18--deep discounts, mind you--in its price war with other folks who sell books? They did. Was my book one of those discounted? No. But my good friend had the same circumstances and she made the list. I am very thrilled for her, but the other consequence of this perfect negative storm for me was that it sent me into a downward spiral and I could not write one word on next year's book for days. I am an emotional person and I took this very hard. Harder than I should have. My editor always says she cares nothing about lists, she cares about long term sales. Still, it made my heart hurt and sent me hunting for all those wise words from people far smarter than me who all seemed to have lived a long time ago. Smart people often help me right my crazy ship.

It is okay to be disappointed, but I did nothing wrong. Books are like babies, after all. They take a long time to grow big enough to be born, they require much care and feeding and love. Does this mean I love my baby--I mean my book--any less because it didn't do what I expected? Of course not. This was a lesson I needed to re-learn. It's called humility--or as the wise man said, "...not to expect more from life than it is capable of bestowing."

Dru's August 2015 Report

* * * * * * * * * *Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report: August 2015. This month we have four recently released new series for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!



Better Homes and Corpses by Kathleen Bridge
Series: Hamptons Home Garden #1
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

After Meg Barrett found her fiancé still had designs on his ex-wife, she decided it was time to refurbish her life. Leaving her glamorous job at a top home and garden magazine, she fled Manhattan for Montauk, only to find decorating can sometimes lead to detecting. . .

In between scouring estate sales for her new interior design business, Cottages by the Sea, Meg visits the swanky East Hampton home of her old college roommate, Jillian Spenser. But instead of seeing how the other half lives—she learns how the other half dies. Jillian’s mother, known as the Queen Mother of the Hamptons, has been murdered. Someone has staged a coup.

When she helps a friend inventory the Spensers’ estate for the insurance company, Meg finds herself right in the thick of things. Cataloging valuable antiques and art loses its charm when Meg discovers that the Spenser family has been hiding dangerous secrets, which may have furnished a murderer with a motive. As Meg gets closer to the truth, the killer will do anything to paint her out of the picture. . .

I like it. A chance meeting with a college friend gets Meg involved in a murder mystery that pulled me in and never let me go until the last clue was exhausted and a murderer was identified. I love the pacing and how the story flowed from chapter to chapter quickly becoming a page turner as I had to know what happened next. The author’s narrative in describing the scenes through the eyes of Meg placed me right there in the middle of all the non-stop action once the sleuthing began. Who was behind the murder? I had my suspicions and the presentation of all who had motive kept me in intrigued right to that aha moment where I knew the killer’s identity and I reveled in watching how it all played out with a couple of twisty turns that enhanced the telling of this tale. With Montauk and the Hamptons serving as the backdrop, this was a very enjoyable whodunit with good dialogue and a nice cast of characters and I look forward to learning more about Meg and her friends in the next book in this pleasantly appealing new series. Bonus vintage décor tips and recipes are included.

You can visit Kathleen at www.kathleenbridge.com

Berried Secrets by Peg Cochran
Series: Cranberry Cove #1
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

It’s cranberry picking time—in an all-new mystery series from the national bestselling author of the Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries. . .

When Monica Albertson comes to Cranberry Cove—a charming town on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan—to help her half-brother Jeff on his cranberry farm, the last thing she expects to harvest is a dead body.

It seems that Sam Culbert, who ran the farm while Jeff was deployed overseas, had some juicy secrets that soon prove fatal, and Jeff is ripe for the picking as a prime suspect. Forming an uneasy alliance with her high-maintenance stepmother, Monica has her hands full trying to save the farm while searching for a killer. Culbert made plenty of enemies in the quaint small town. . .but which one was desperate enough to kill?

A dead body in the bog and a determined heroine out to save her brother and his farm brings this wonderfully executed tale to life in what I hope is a long-running series. I like the way the mystery was presented scene by scene that gave way to a significant pool of suspects who had stronger motives to kill, and uncovering those secrets plays a strong role in keeping the story fresh with each pivotal clue closing the gap on the killer’s identity. It was fun watching how all the pieces fell into place as Monica serendipitously got the answers that she needed. With a great cast of characters that includes Monica, her brother Jeff, stepmother Gina, the eccentrically quirky twin sisters and the bookstore owner, I’ve come to like visiting the small town of Cranberry Cove and I look forward to more adventures with Monica and her friends. Bonus recipes are included.

You can visit Peg at www.pegcochran.com

Give 'Em Pumpkin to Talk About by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Series: Pumpkin Patch #1
Publisher: J Lavene

Richmond attorney Sarah Tucker returns to sell her family’s abandoned farm in Misty River, Virginia despite unanswered questions about her grandparents’ disappearance sixteen years earlier. Sarah was only twelve when she went to visit and found her grandparents had vanished. No amount of searching has brought answers.

Now Sarah is faced with other issues when a man is killed who claimed to have information about what happened to her grandparents. She learns of a Confederate chest of gold that is said to be buried on the property, and treasure hunters who are willing to do anything to get their hands on it.

Were her grandparents murdered for the gold? Sarah can’t sell the land and go back to her life until she has answers. But the cost of the answers may be her life.

Once again the Lavenes have penned a light-hearted drama that was very enjoyable and hard to put down. The pacing had an evenly flow so that each scene took me in the direction I needed to be to solve the puzzling mystery of Sarah’s missing grandparents and who is killing the potential buyers. I like how this whodunit was set-up keeping me intrigued with all the goings on in Misty River as someone desperately wants to stop the sale of the land. A suspect here; a suspect there; a suspect everywhere as the author did a good job at planting the seeds on the few with some red herrings to keep me plodding along until it was apparent as to who the killer was that came at a discovery. Sarah is a great heroine and I can’t wait to learn more about her. The dialogue was engaging and I especially enjoyed the witty repartee between Sarah and Jack. With a lead in the disappearance of her grandparents, I can’t wait to see where we go next with that and the adventures that await Sarah and her friends.

You can visit Joyce and Jim at www.joyceandjimlavene.com

Killer Jam by Karen MacInerney
Series: Dewberry Farm #1
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

When Houston reporter Lucy Resnick cashes in her retirement to buy her grandmother’s farm in Buttercup, Texas, she’s looking forward to a simple life as a homesteader. But Lucy has barely finished putting up her first batch of Killer Dewberry Jam when an oil exploration truck rolls up to the farm and announces plans to replace her broccoli patch with an oil derrick. Two days later, Nettie Kocurek, the woman who ordered the drilling, turns up dead at the Founders’ Day Festival with a bratwurst skewer through her heart and one of Lucy’s jam jars beside her. . .and the sheriff fingers Lucy as the prime suspect.

Horrified, Lucy begins to talk to Nettie’s neighbors, but the more she gets to know the townspeople, the more she realizes she’s not the only one who had a beef with Nettie. Can she clear her name, or will her dream life turn into a nightmare?

This was very enjoyable. A past perceived discretion threatens Lucy’s farm from the previous owner and when she is found dead, Lucy becomes the only prime suspects and it’s up to Lucy with some unexpected help to clear her name and save her farm. I love the pacing and the comfortable tone that is featured in this fresh new whodunit. The murder mystery was well-executed and I enjoyed watching it play out as the story got closer to the killer’s identity with a few twisty turns. The author did a great job in keeping me intrigued with all that was going on and introducing the town and residents of Buttercup that I too, wanted to buy up land and farm it myself. With a wandering cow who I found adorable, this was a fun read. Boasting a lovable cast of characters, a picturesque setting, great dialogue and a blossoming romance, this was a delightfully charming beginning to a debut series that I hope is here to stay. Bonus recipes are included.

You can visit Karen at www.karenmacinerney.com

A not-so-happy task

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

When I was 12 years old, my parents named me the executrix of their estate.  Wow, that's a LOT of responsibility to put on a kid's shoulders. But of course, I wouldn't need to do that sad duty for decades. But I was always rather proud that they trusted me to take care of things for them.

I didn't have to do a thing when my Dad passed away almost six years ago. Everything went to my mother (and my younger brother got his tools). My Mom handled everything. Now that she has passed, it's up to me.

Our first task was the funeral parlor. The last two times I've had that sad duty it was ... sad. My younger brother came with me this time and he handles death with humor. So he had me and the funeral director laughing like crazy, which was certainly better than crying. (And I've cried buckets these past two months.)

We've had to deal with insurance companies, and pension plans, and banks, and a black-sheep family member who has thrown stumbling blocks in our path, but the hardest thing for me has been the job of clearing out my Mum's house.

My mother had hobbies.  She was a quilter, a knitter (both hand and machine) and sometimes she did needlepoint. Or at least she thought she might LIKE to do needlepoint, because I've found bags and bags and bags of projects that I know were somebody else's unfinished project that she thought she might like to finish one day.

I've found unfinished quilts, sweaters, doilies, socks, afghans--some she started, some she bought at yard sales.  But most of all there's her quilting material and her yarn.  We're not talking a few skeins or a few cones of yarn, and we're not talking about a few fat quarters of quilt material. We're talking hundreds of skeins of yarn, scores of cones of yarn, and about 15 LARGE tubs filled with quilting material, all stored in a damp basement.  (The dehumidifier died some time ago. Guess who went out and bought a new one on Wednesday?)

I've been finding yarn and quilt material scattered all over the house.  So far I've got four HUGE (leaf) bags just full of hand knitting yarn.  I've got bags and bags and bags of unfinished projects. I've got boxes and jars filled with nothing but buttons.  I've got a BIG shoe box just filled with over 100 packages of seam binding.  I've found at least 14 pairs of scissors; 10 or 12 pin cushions. Six quilt rotary cutters (and tons of plastic quilting templates). Hundreds of spools of thread.  She had 8 sewing machines and 5 knitting machines.  There are dolls.  Lots of dolls.  I knew she had a collection in a glass case in the living room, but I've been finding more and more dolls squirreled away in closets and boxes.  Some of them are wearing clothes she knitted. Baby dolls, Barbie dolls. Unfinished cloth dolls.  Dolls in cradles. Dolls still in their original boxes.  And scores of teddy bears, too.

Trying to sort like-items has been a Herculean task. All I've seemed to accomplish so far is make the house a total mess.  We're going to have a sale soon, and perhaps after that first sale, we'll be able to better assess what's left. 

Sadder still:  After my mother passed, I brought the mother's day balloons back from the hospice home.  That was two months ago. They still have helium in them and I can't bear to pop them and toss them away.  They're starting to sag, so one day soon I'll have that unhappy task, too.

It's just me doing all this (for reasons we won't get into, because I don't understand them myself), plus trying to write, plus trying to keep a house of my own. Some days I just stand in my mother's living room and cry because I'm so overwhelmed. But I've got to get the job done.  They trusted me to do it.

Have you ever had to clear out a loved one's home?  Did you come up with a system to make it easier?  I really would like to know. (Thank you.)

Honestly, we were just kids!

By Mary Jane Maffini aka Victora Abbott 

Forty-eight years ago yesterday I said yes to this very cute little Italian guy.  Of course it was a bad idea: we were two kids who were partway through university and not a cent to rub together.  We were too young and had no idea what we were getting into.  Now two daughters, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren later, we seem to have bumbled through.  One of our daughters is Victoria Maffini with whom I write The Book Collector Mysteries as Victoria Abbott.  The Marsh Madness, book four, is coming September 1. 

Four generations of us went to see The Minion Movie on Sunday, proof that you never really have to grow up if you play your cards right.
At any rate, the joke around here is that the first forty-eight are the worst. 
Our decision was that I would teach school while he finished his degree and then I would finish mine. Of course, the stats were against us and two of the middle-aged teachers at the school where I worked would regularly make a point of telling me that men usually leave wives who put them through school.  This was followed by knowing smirks on their part. 
Too bad I didn’t have money riding on that one.  When he finished, I returned part-time.  None of it was easy and I do remember the years when a run in my pantyhose spelt financial disaster, but somehow we managed. 

We’ve learned the hard way that celebrating anniversaries at home with a nice meal and some good wine is the way to go.  We'll have  a treat from the grill and eat in the screen porch.  Casual, but there is a candle (and the gnome so we'll behave)

 We like flowers too.  Here is this years ‘bouquet’: a weird gathering of protea and small orchids, bark, leaves and vines.  I’m thinking Star Trek but I love it.  

We’ve had many laughs and—with my Irish genes (and short fuse) and his Italian upbringing—there have been many ‘lively discussions’ and even fireworks over the years.  But as the French say, “Vive la difference!”  Around here that could mean many things, including: No, I thought you put the dog out.
As we had a very big scare in 2011,  on so August 12th,  we felt lucky and grateful for every extra year we have together, (no matter who put the dog out) because many of our friends and family had different outcomes.  So here’s to happiness and laughter and fireworks, however you find them!

How about you? Do you have a celebration or a memory to share? Happy or bittersweet, we want 'em all.  We love to hear your stories and read your comments. I should mention that power outages in the past few weeks have messed with some of my responses, but you’re in my thoughts.

Eat what you read…

Hi, Duffy Brown here...
Seems that whenever I read I get a severe case of the munchies...which explains my recent affiliation with Weight Watchers. But that’s okay because I can still munch and read, I just have to exchange baby carrots for Fritos and dip or an apple for a Twinkie. Really miss those Twinkies.
So now my snacking is on a short leash, but back in the day of no taboos I found I ate in relationship to what I read...and for sure what I write.
For example in reading Sandra Brown’s French Silk I think I ate enough chocolate to put Hershey on double shifts to keep up. Then there’s the Stephanie Plum series and I go on my pizza binge and put Dominoes on speed-dial.
When writing the Consignment Shop set in Savannah I crave fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cornbread for months. And I consume I way more martinis. I call this the Auntie KiKi influence.
When writing the Cycle Path series it’s fudge and anything crunchy. They have fried greens on Mackinac Island and that’s the way all veggies should taste. FGB with a beer is the best.

With all those cozy mystery series out there that are centered around food do you eat what you read while you’re reading it?
Have you ever gotten food cravings from a book? A movie? (After watching When Harry Met SallyI ate salad in restaurants for weeks!)
What is you fav book-munchie or drink?
Hugs, Duffy Brown

A Night At the Opera

by Maggie Sefton



Stage set for start of  "Madama Butterfly" at Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center in Vienna, VA


Last Friday I drove from my restful spot in the woods and a block from the Potomac River back to my old hometown of Arlington, Virginia, which is a mere stone's throw across the Potomac from Washington, DC.  I drove to my youngest daughter Maria's lovely condo apartment to stay the weekend before flying back to Colorado.

Maria and I had tickets for a performance of Puccini's opera, "Madama Butterfly" for Friday evening.  The performance was at the beautiful Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, which is located in a gorgeous wooded section on National Park land near Vienna, Virginia.  "Madama Butterfly" is set in Japan in the mid-1800s.  And this production held true to the opera's Japanese setting and historical dress.

The singers were exceptional, of course.   And Puccini's music is glorious and is  familiar to everyone, even if they are not opera fans.  I grew up listening to opera on the radio on Saturdays because mymother loved opera.  And, believe me, you can't beat Grand Opera for drama, trauma, and melodrama.  Opera plots kill more people than we mystery authors manage to.  Lovers are separated, are reunited, only to be separated again, not to mention being poisoned, strangled, stabbed and stuffed in sacks.  All  accompanied by absolutely glorious music and singing.  Dramatic soprano heroines are feisty and fiery like Tosca  or sweet and delicate like the little seamstress Mimi  in "La Boheme" or saucy and taunting like Carmen.  Believe me, Grand Opera has something for everyone.  And the stories never get boring.  Too much is happening.  Even the idealistic and brave Chou Chou San in "Madama Burtterfly" keeps you watching her every move-----right to the end.  

Can You Eat Out And Be Healthy?

by Kate Collins

A bunch of girlfriends and I dined out this past week and all of us are watching our diets. So the topic of conversation centered around how to order from a menu and still eat healthy. Is that possible?

We came up with several ways, which are listed below. At the bottom, I'd like your feedback on how you like to eat healthy when dining out.

1.  Hold the bread! Tell the waitress ahead of time not to bring the bread basket. If it's not there, you won't be tempted.

2. Hold the salad dressing!  Order it on the side. And order a vinaigrette or just oil and vinegar, and pass on the fat laden creamy dressings.

3. Hold the fried food!  Order broiled meat instead.

4. Hold the potatoes!  Get an extra helping of the vegetable du jour and pass on starchy potatoes.

5. Hold the entree!  Order a dinner salad instead. They are usually huge, and you can get chicken or steak if you want the protein.

6. Hold the dessert!  Are you really hungry? Or is it the sight of all those luscious, fat-laden desserts they bring on trays that is enticing you?  If you must eat something sweet, chose a fruit sorbet, or just get coffee instead.

My friends and I proved that it was not difficult to order a satisfying yet healthy meal when dining out. The main thing was that we were together, laughing and talking. Eating was secondary.

Now it's your turn. What do you do to eat healthy when dining out?

Saying Goodbye to a Book

by Leann

When I was learning to write stories, I not only took many classes and workshops, I had an entire bookcase for my writing craft books. I also subscribed to three writing magazines.  One article has stuck with me for many years--actually many things have stuck with me--but when I have a book release like I did last Tuesday, I feel as if that book is finally finished.

The article talked about how if you are still so connected to your work that you are still fixing it, worrying about it or dreaming about it, it's not finished. There is more work to do. Some of that
"fixing" once you work on a deadline imposed by others can happen in my mind long after there is no actual "fixing" I can ever do. That is not a good feeling.

This latest book, The Cat, The Sneak and The Secret was not, thank goodness, one of those I couldn't let go of. Some books are easier than others to write. This one wasn't but I knew when I was done--and that is a good feeling. The characters in this book just made sure I told their story. The one book that I will never finish is the one I wrote first--Pick Your Poison from the Yellow Rose series. I probably rewrote that book 50 times in the eleven years it took to bring to the public. I'll bet I could do it again.

This past week has been the most I have ever celebrated a book release. I was happy to finally get it in the hands of readers where it belonged. And now I feel free to fully engage with the characters in the book I am writing now in The Cat, The Collector and The Killer. I hope those characters are kind to me. So, goodbye Sneak and hello Collector.