Kate Collins's Blog, page 15

Gayle's Character Roundup

by Gayle Leeson
Last week, I introduced you to myself. This week, I'd like you to meet some of my characters. 
Marcy Singer owns an embroidery shop in Tallulah Falls, Oregon. The shop is called the Seven -Year Stitch and is governed by an Irish wolfhound named Angus and a mannequin named Jill who bears a resemblance to Marilyn Monroe. The heroine of the embroidery series, Marcy's adventures span ten books, beginning with The Quick and the Thread.Daphne Martin is a cake decorator in Brea Falls, Virginia. She has an adorable cat named Sparrow that came with her house, a feisty neighbor named Myra, and a handsome boyfriend named Ben. There are five books in Daphne's series, beginning with Murder Takes the Cake. Amy Flowers owns a cafe in the quaint, rural town of Winter Garden, Virginia. She dates a deputy, which is good because she's constantly finding herself in the middle of a murder investigation. In addition to her mom and her eccentric Aunt Bess, there are plenty of quirky characters who find themselves stopping by the Down South Cafe. Amy's adventures began with The Calamity Cafe. There are four books in the series so far with another planned for the fall of 2020.Amanda Tucker 's best friend is a ghost named Maxine "Max " Engelbright who died in 1950. When Amanda decided to open her fashion design boutique in the over 100-year-old building housing Shops on Main she hadn't realized the space she was leasing came with a resident ghost. During the course of the Ghostly Fashionista series, Designs on Murder,  Amanda becomes fond of Max, despite the fact that the ghost can certainly create a lot of havoc. Book two, Perils and Lace, will be out this spring.

Would love see...

I’ve been trying to get the forever shoebox of pictures in some kind of order. These are from back in the day when I actually had physical pictures to put in shoeboxes. There are the usual pictures of the kids born, growing up, first day of school etc and then there are the pictures I inherited, stuff that happened before my time. Pictures are great, reminds us of what was but nothing beats actually being there.There’s this picture of my parents wedding. I wish I could have been at the wedding. They look so young and happy and full of life.And there’s a picture of grandpa Angelo’s store on Canal Street when we had canals in Cincy. Wish I could have shopped there...and ridden on a canal boat.
There’s a picture of my uncle coming home from WWII. I would have loved to been in NYC for that parade and been a part of the end of WWII. Maybe stand beside that sailor kissing the girl. Heck I would have love to be that girl!There’s a clipping of the first moon landing. I sure would have been neat to be standing on the moon too. Then there’s that newspaper clipping of the Titanic. I’m glad I wasn’t there for that one!I would have like to have been in the shop or whatever when Gutenberg printed his first something on the printing press. I bet they all held hands and did the Snoopy dance ‘cause they had to know they were really on to something. I know I would have liked to witness firsthand the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Talk about some brave dudes. High treason is dangerous business.So what about you? Is there something you would have liked to witness up-close and personal? Something you wish you’d been a part of? Be with Adam and Eve in the Garden? Watch Babe Ruth slam a homer? Be there when Mr. Hershey made his first kiss! 

New Virus Out There

by Maggie Sefton



I must apologize again, Cozy Chicks Blog readers and friends, for the lateness
of my post today.  One of those nasty Flu viruses attacked me one more time this season.  Boy, oh boy, do I hope Springtime comes early this year.  I believe I told you folks before, but I have cancelled all of my travel plans through February, March, and April until May.

I had plans with family and friends back in Northern Virginia which will have to go on hold.  I plan to stay here in Colorado and away from any airports---Denver, Colorado and especially Washington, D.C. Dulles Airport.  That is an International airport and is filled with travelers from all over the world.   My instinct tells me to avoid it until May and Flu season hopefully will be over.  Meanwhile, I sincerely hope all of you folks stay healthy and well.  :)    

PINING FOR PARIS

By Mary Kennedy                                                 

Yes, it's not spring yet, so I suppose I'm jumping the gun, but I can't resist the pull of Paris. I've been indulging myself with books set in Paris, making me feel alternately entranced and restless.
One of my favorite quotes about Paris is from Oscar Wilde. "When good Americans die, they go to Paris." He used to haunt the cafes and bistros in the Latin Quarter, flamboyantly dressed with an orchid in his lapel. Let Deux Magots. Cafe de la Paix, Le Select, and Cafe de Flore were some his favorite watering holes.                                                                          
My fave cafe is Le Bonaparte, and I highly recommend it for a quick lunch of a crunchy baguette with creamy Brie cheese and a coffee. (be sure to order a cafe creme.)                                                                               
Hemingway loved Paris, too and wrote a memoir about his life there, A Moveable Feast.  Ir was a fascinating time, Paris in the 1920's, and Hemingway recounts his life as a struggling expat journalist. I plan on reading it again before my next trip. He mingled with the great writers and painters of the time and had Gertrude Stein as his mentor. Heady times indeed for "the Lost Generation."                                                                               

He'd stroll for hours in the Luxembourg Gardens, mulling over plots and characters for The Sun Also Rises. (one of my favorite books of all time.)
The Paris Wife is an interesting book. It's the story of Hadley Richardson, Hemingway's first wife. The author, Paula McLain opens with the quote."Though I often looked for one, I  had to admit that there could be no cure for Paris." Hemingway eventually abandons Hadley and their son for his mistress and their doomed relationship is both touching and heartbreaking.                                                                               
No cure for Paris! Except to go back, of course. And I'm working on that right now. This wouldn't be the right season. I've been to Paris in February and it was damp and cold. (but still, as one of my friends reminds me, "It was Paris!") Spring and summer will be perfect. 
Hope you are surviving the winter, wherever you are, spring awaits!
Mary Kennedy

Coming May 8th -- A New Victoria Square Mystery!

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



Don't you just love to hear about a new book in a series you read? Well, today's the day.




COMING MAY 8th


Ya-hoo! Victoria Square #7, A Murderous Misconception is now available for pre-order.

Katie Bonner loses her lunch—literally—when her social media account serves up a shocking announcement. Her boyfriend Andy’s assistant manager, Erikka, is pregnant, and apparently with his child. And when Erikka turns up dead, the Sheriff turns up the heat on Katie and Andy, certain that one of them is to blame. But Erikka wasn't pregnant after all. Was Erikka's misconception the only way she could conceive of stealing Andy from Katie?

When Katie finds planted evidence, it’s her friend and former detective, Ray, who insists on concealing it. Is it his growing affection for her that causes him to act against his training and code of ethics, or could he be responsible for Erikka’s death? Katie is afraid to find out.

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | Apple Books |  Smashwords

Shopping anyone?

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

Remember the phrase, "I'm going to the store; do you need anything?" Oh yeah. Lots of stuff. But these days, there's not much to go to the store for. And I'm always reading about how so many brick-and-mortar stores are closing.

I have a (not-so-brilliant) theory about that: people aren't going to their local stores (and malls) because they can't get what they want. I can't count the number of times I've hit a store thinking I'll buy something, only to find they don't have the size or color I want.  I have gone to shoe stores only to find that they have NO shoes in my very popular size. They're all gone and "we don't know when we'll get another shipment."

And then came the Internet. Granted, I don't buy a lot of clothes off the Internet, but there are three things I always buy: jeans, shoes, and underwear. I've been to three different Walmart's since December looking for underwear in my size. None. But Walmart online always has underwear for sale in my size 24/7. I've got a friend who's current housebound. She's been getting her groceries from Amazon for weeks.

As for me, I went to four different grocery stores in the past month looking for a certain brand of tea I wanted to try. None of them had it. (And it's not that exotic.) Well, Walmart and Amazon had it stocked and ready to go--with one-day shipping. (Tastes different than I'm used to. I wonder if I'll prefer it after a few weeks. I'll find out.)

Of course, the lack of stores means the end of window shopping.  And there are a lot of people who shop for fun. You can't really do that online, which could save you a lot of money. Or because it's fun to receive packages in the mail--could cost you a lot more.

What's my favorite store these days? It's a thrift store near our cottage. They always have fun stuff there. As for a "commercial" store, I love Vidlers in East Aurora, NY. It's an old-fashioned Five-and-Dime type of store with wooden floors where you can buy a little bag of popcorn for a dime to munch on while you shop. I have bought so many oddball gifts for friends and family there. I've bought Buffalo T-shirts. I've bought a "welcome" mat that says "GO AWAY." Pens, cookies, earrings, coasters, doll furniture. You want it, they got it! It's a fun place to go in a wonderful little town that's known for Elbert Hubbard and the arts-and-crafts movement.

So, do you miss window shopping or do you prefer to shop online?

Gayle Leeson? Who in the World?

by Gayle Leeson
Hi. I'm Gayle Leeson, and I'm honored these Cozy Chicks have given me a place to roost here in their impressive hen house. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.
I've been around the cozy mystery world for quite a while, although some of you might know me as Amanda Lee, author of the embroidery mystery series, or GayleTrent, author of the Daphne Martin cake decorating series and the Myrtle Crumb series.

As Gayle Leeson, I write the Down South Cafe mystery series and the Ghostly Fashionista mystery series. I've also written two--almost three--Victoria Square books with Cozy Chicks' own Lorraine Bartlett.

I'll talk more about my characters in my next post, but here are a few interesting things you might not know about me:


I'm mom to a set of boy/girl twins who are 345 months old (Did that make me sound younger than it would have had I said they are almost twenty-four years old?) I have a Great Pyrenees named Cooper.Cooper has a girlfriend. She is a cat named Willow, who belongs to our neighbors but followed us home one day and stayed. Cooper slobbered on her once; and when I tried to wipe it off, she hissed at me! When I walk Cooper, she goes with us and visits her family. I love Funko Pops! Look how cute Edgar Allan Poe is with his little raven! I also currently have on my desk Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Momba Womba (from Scooby-Doo), and Jesse from Breaking Bad. I have others, but those are the ones providing inspiration right now.  I get a kick out of fun socks (see what I did there?). If you also enjoy wearing fun footwear, then check out my current giveaway where you can be entered to win the prize shown below. Good luck!

Old school

Do you use your phone calendar or are you old school? I am so totally old school. What if I lose my phone? Forget to charge it? Unless I write something down and have it out there in the open air staring at me it doesn’t happen. Kappoot, right out of my brain forever. I need to look at the whole month and see what the heck I’m doing. Meetings, doctor appointments, lunches with friends, writing deadlines etc, if I don’t put them on my calendar I don’t do them. If I didn’t put when my symphony dates were on a calendar I’d forget to go. I think my brain is oatmeal. In fact when things get really crazy I have to print off a bigger calendar to fit in all the stuff. Actually what I did this year was buy a HUGE calendar to fit all the stuff on and I can write bigger so I can see it!This forgetting stuff usually happens around the holidays. I even have to put in things like when to mail off the Christmas cards...when I used to do Christmas cards...when to bake the Christmas cookies, when to wrap presents. If I don’t schedule things out like this the week before Christmas or vacation comes and I’m running around like a crazy person trying to get it all done.I need a schedule or nothing gets done.
And I use a calendar to keep track. One of those calendars I get for free for donating to an animal rescue or animal rights group. I rip off each month and tape it to my wall so I can see it every day and what’s coming up.The newer version of this is using your iPhone. It has a calendar...so I’ve been told...and you can put the info there and that smart old phone will even remind you when you have an appointment or when to take a pill or anything else you need reminding.My problem is I need to see the whole month at once so know if I need to freak out or not. AND there’s the little fact of if I used the iPhone calendar I’d have to learn how to use it.So what about you? Do you use a physical calendar to keep track of events in your life? Are you a smarty-pants and use the iPhone calendar or are you super smarty-pants and keep all that info in your head?

Boy, Is It Winter!

by Maggie Sefton




That's not a real opening question, Cozy Chicks Blog readers and friends, it's a statement.  :)  I'm late with this post this morning because I'm guilty of being lured into watching late news about present day events.  I'm amazed I could fall asleep after all that dramatic news.

Meanwhile, here in Northern Colorado we just woke up to lots of inches of fresh snow on the latest snowstorm passing through the area.  Beautiful white snow blanketing everything.  I can be relaxed about it because I'd already taken preparations for a few days relaxing inside and no driving around on errands.  That's easy to do.  Also, our Colorado snowfall is light and fluffy and dry, not the heavy wet snow I grew up with Back East.

My 17-year old part Black Lab/part black Border Collie, Katy,  is gallumping (is that a word?) around
in the back yard.  She will ask to come in after a while, but she's having fun right now.  :)


I'm staying inside and staying warm and cozy, drinking hot tea.  I've also got several packets of Caramel Hot Chocolate sitting on the counter, teasing me.  Too yummy.  And the fridge is full of good food for meals including delicious fried chicken wings and sliced roast beef. Plenty of veggies, too.   And I've got a special Apple Spice cupcake, so Life is Good.    How about you folks?  Are you taking advantage of a snowy few days?  Or are you digging out from a heavier snowfall?  

IS MY CAT A SERIAL KILLER? SHE DROWNS HER CATNIP MICE

BY Mary Kennedy                                          

This is Calpurnia, looking rather somber at the question.  Does she look guilty, ashamed, or maybe just thoughtful?  She reminded me that the last time I asked about weird cat behavior I implied that the cat in question was clinically insane. (and yes, she found this suggestion offensive!) Her siblings are off somewhere sleeping and couldn't be bothered to join the discussion.
Since many of us have and love cats, I thought I'd reveal an odd behavior. When I buy my cats new catnip mice they invariably drown them in their water dish. Eww. Why, I wondered.
                                                                                
I've tried to come up with an explanation and have talked to some cat behaviorists. My own theory is that "nature is cruel," but here's what the experts say. 
1. It's instinct to hide prey. Since cats don't have a den or lair to drag their prey back to, they bring it back to somewhere they know is theirs--the water dish. They figure it will be safe there.                                                                              
2.Another possibility is that it's gathering or collecting behavior. Just like mother cats collect their kittens and bring them back to the nest. 
                                                                            
3. Some experts believe that cats do this to remove the scent of their prey. They don't want their prey to be stolen by other predators. 
                                                                             

Whatever the reason, this is probably one of those cat behaviors we will never understand! After all, who can understand the mind of a cat? 
Mary Kennedy