Kate Collins's Blog, page 164

The March 2015 Report

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

* * * * * * * * * *
Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz
Series: Seattle Spice #1
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

After leaving a dicey marriage and losing a beloved job in a corporate crash, Pepper Reece has found a new zest for life running a busy spice and tea shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are the talk of the town, and everyone stops by for a cup of her refreshing spice tea, even other shopkeepers and Market regulars. But when a panhandler named Doc shows up dead on the store’s doorstep, a Seattle Spice Shop cup in his hand, the local gossip gets too hot for Pepper to handle—especially after the police arrest one of Pepper’s staffers, Tory Finch, for murder.

Tory seems to know why she’s a suspect, but she refuses to do anything to curry favor with the cops. Convinced her reticent employee is innocent, Pepper takes it on herself to sniff out some clues. Only, if she’s not careful, Pepper’s nosy ways might make her next on the killer’s list. . .

I like it. I love the way the story flowed and the comfortable tone that made me feel like I was part of the scene. The author did a great job in presenting this finely-tuned whodunit with a mystery that was equally engaging and enticing with its savory flavor of what’s to come. I like how the telling of this drama that was laced with spice tidbits and how it helped moved the story to an outcome befitting this story. Pepper is a great character and I like what we know about her already, her will and determination to do for her friends. This is a great series and I can’t wait to read the next book in this wonderfully appetizing series.

Visit Leslie at www.lesliebudewitz.com


A First Date with Death by Diana Orgain
Series: Love or Money #1
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Reality TV meets murder in the first in a new mystery series from the author of the Maternal Instincts Mysteries and co-author the New York Times bestselling Scrapbooking Mysteries.

When brokenhearted Georgia Thornton goes looking for romance on reality TV, she has nothing to lose—apart from a good man, a cash prize, and maybe her life. . .

What was Georgia thinking? Sure, some cad ditched her at the altar, but can she really find love on TV? Her best friend—and producer of the reality show Love or Money—thinks so. Ten men. Ten adventure-filled dates. What can go wrong? For starters, a faulty bungee cord that hurls Georgia’s first date into a tragic spiral off the Golden Gate Bridge.

He’s replaced by Paul Sanders, Georgia’s former fiancé. But the cop isn’t looking for a TV gig. Suspecting that the lover’s leap was no accident, Paul’s going undercover. When another bachelor gets a fatal kiss-off, the reality is that someone has killer new plans for the show—and for Georgia herself. Now, under the threat of permanent cancellation, Georgia fears that the only man on the set she can trust is the one man she just can’t count on. . .

I like the premise of this whodunit with two mysteries to solve: who killed the two bachelors and who will Georgia pick as this reality show comes to an end. I love the set-up and how it the scenes intertwined with the “reality” and the “real-life” action in this enjoyable story. The author did a great job in this fast-paced drama where the suspects were few, but cunning in keeping me in suspense as to how this will all play out. This was a good read and I look forward to more adventures with Georgia and her friends in the next book in this likable series.

Visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com

BAD LUCK, GOOD LUCK, ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?

by Mary Kennedy                      
 Yesterday was Friday the 13th. (Yes, I know I'm a "day late and a dollar show," but this is such a fun blog topic, I just couldn't resist.)  If you're reading this, I assume you survived Friday the 13th with no mishaps. So...no black cats crossed your path, you didn't open an umbrella in the house and you didn't walk under a ladder.  These are just a few things that are supposed to bring bad luck; of course there are several others.  Breaking a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck, stepping on a crack will break your mother's back and toads cause warts. (or so they say.)                                                              Some superstitions believe that certain objects or practices will bring you good luck. Finding a four leaf clover, like the one above, is supposed to bring good fortune your way. Other good luck charms are finding a horseshoe or wearing your clothes inside out. (Wearing your clothes inside out may attract some unwanted attention, so I wouldn't recommend it! I have no idea where that superstition came from.)                                                               How do you ward off bad luck?           Garlic is supposed to protect you from evil spirits and vampires (although it may ward off your friends, too). Some people think throwing salt over your shoulder is protection against bad luck and they even claim you can "reverse" a pattern of bad luck by walking 7 times in a circle, clockwise.

As a psychologist, I always find it interesting when my clients insist that their "fate is the stars" and I'm fascinated by their belief system. As a mystery writer, I know that statistically, writers, actors, musicians and entertainers are more prone to being superstitious than the rest of society. Why? Because so much of their career trajectory is out of their hands. Luck plays a large part in their success, so it's not surprising that they tend to be superstitious.

And it's not just artistic types. Some celeb golfers insist on wearing a certain shirt for a big tournament and some Olympic gold medal athletes eat a "special" meal each night before the event. Many Broadway actors insist on a quiet time for meditation and getting centered before they go on stage and they are careful to repeat the same mantra each time.
                                                         
Superstitions can be harmless--unless we put too much stock in them. As a cat lover, I know that black cats are delightful creatures and are never responsible for bad luck! Do you have any special superstitions you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them!
 Mary Kennedy                                            


In search of comfortable shoes

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

It's always annoyed me that women are labeled as shoe hounds.  There's a commercial where a vapid woman stares at her enormous shoe closet and wonder if she shouldn't buy some periwinkle-colored shoes because she doesn't have any.  (I feel like throttling her.)

How many women on HGTV's House Hunters say they need a BIG closet or even a room JUST for their shoes???  (Too many!)

So I never thought of myself as being a shoe hound ... until I found a truly comfortable pair of shoes. They weren't even expensive.  (I think they were $20 at Payless Shoe store.)  Whoa!  What a concept--an actual comfortable shoe.  I went back and bought another pair.  I wore those comfortable shoes until they fell off my feet. (They lasted more than a year of everyday HARD wear.)  They looked like little more than a slipper, but they were wonderful.

So ... then it came time to wear the replacement pair.  Uh-uh.  Wasn't gonna happen.  I wasn't going to wear them out and have NOTHING comfortable for my poor little tootsies.  I went to several Payless Shoe stores, but they said the style was discontinued.  They showed me what they had that was similar, and I bought a pair (paying $10 more than my comfees ) but those shoes HURT MY FEET.  I thought, "I just need to break them in."  HA!  I've worn them for about 30 hours around the house and they still hurt my feet.

I saw a pair of shoes in the L.L. Bean catalog that looked similar to my comfees.  They were $70 MORE than my comfees, but, hey, L.L. Bean.  They HAD to be good, right?  Well, I can wear them. They don't hurt my feet, but my feet aren't happy.

So what do you do when you are unhappy?  As I mentioned last week, seek advice from your BFFs. Leann Sweeney suggested I get a pair of Bzee shoes.  Back online I went.  Hmm... they're not exactly attractive, but I was desperate. I ordered a pair. That was during one of the terrible snowstorms and, on their trip across the country, my shoes ended up stuck in Pennsylvania for about four days. When they finally arrived, I decided they were even uglier in person than online.  (Gray and black. Ick!) But then I put them on my feet ... and if feet could sing, mine would have been doing an aria--in Italian!

BFFs know what they're talking about. These are the most comfortable shoes in the universe. I put them on first thing in the morning, and take them off last thing at night.  My feet are happy all day long. There's a lot of comfortable support, so I can even do aerobics in them!

Then ... I looked at them. They just aren't pretty.  I told Leann I couldn't wear them to the grocery store. She said it was the grocery store where she needed them most. 

Ponder, ponder. 

There was only one solution.  Buy a NICER looking pair of Bzees.  Guess what?  They came yesterday.

: )

Kids in the kitchen: a good time for all!

By MARY JANE MAFFINI

Is there anything more fun than baking with children? This past weekend I unearthed my CHESS PIE recipe from years ago (can’t even remember the original source) and made a date with a darling little girl, Teagan, my great-granddaughter.  
We warmed up for the kitchen event by going to see Paddington at the movies. 
The movie with the misadventures of the charmingly disastrous little bear from darkest Peru was a lot of fun and I’ll probably see it again. I recommend it highly. Better yet, it prepared mentally me for the possibility of household disasters on a grand scale.   As it turned out, no mental preparation was necessary for our baking date.  I am happy to announce that there were no fires, floods or unnatural disasters.
There wasn’t even much mess! We used a prepared pie shell, because we’d chewed up a lot of time having a good time at the movies. Next time, we’ll do the whole thing ‘from scratch’.
Chess pie is a Southern recipe and one that sounded very exotic to my Canadian imagination back in the eighties when I first came across it in a woman’s magazine. I no longer have the clipping, just a handwritten recipe card, faded and splotched.  But that was all we needed. 

The pie itself it absolutely delicious, slightly translucent and tasty with a bit of crunch to the top.  There are lots of Chess Pie recipes with slight variations out there, but this one is my favorite.
Teagan and I thought it looked very nice at every stage and it was fun to make and good to eat.
 

Chess pie 1 pie shell, homemade or purchased2 cups sugar1 tablespoons flour¼ tsp salt½ cup butter, melted2 tablespoons cornmeal¼ cup milk1 tablespoon white vinegar1 tsp good quality vanilla extract4 extra large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425.
Line your pieshell with tinfoil. Or pop in an aluminum pie plate. Cover with dried beans or rice if you don’t have pie weights. We used dried split peas.  Bake for 5 minutes. Remove peas (or whatever you’re using) and foil.  Bake for about two more minutes or until golden. 
Cool while you make the filling. 
Reduce oven heat to 350.  
In a medium bowl, stir sugar with melted butter, cornmeal, flour, salt, milk, vinegar, and vanilla.  Blend well, but don’t overbeat.  Don’t use a mixer for this! It’s better this way. 
Lightly beat eggs.  Add to sugar mixture. Pour into baked pie shell. 
Bake for 50 – 55 minutes.  Test by inserting a butter knife. It should come out clean!  We needed to bake ours a bit longer this time. 

Cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream. True confession: we did it all!

Next time we’ll try chocolate chess pie or maybe coconut …
So do you have a child you enjoy cooking or baking with?  Let us know what you enjoy cooking. And if you have your own version of chess pie, let's hear it! 

Guilty…or not guilty…that is the question

Duffy Brown here chewing my fingernails to the quick. I’ve been called for jury duty and I can’t decide if I’m excited or scared to death.
I got myself prepared for this by watching Run-away Jury (very good) My Cousin Vinny (very funny), To Kill a Mockingbird (very chilling).
The excited part is that I get to see the legal system up close and personal. How it works, who does what, one of the best parts of America at work for sure. I wonder how they pick people to serve? Names in a hat? I worked the voting polls for years, maybe that list?
I got called once before for jury duty about thirty years ago. I just gave birth and they were not accepting that as an excuse back then. I had no one...and I do mean no one...to leave the baby with. My husband could have taken the baby except for the breast-feeding situation.
Finally I pleaded and begged and said just give me a year and I’ll be there, I swear. Well, thirty years later they took me up on it.
The scared part of all this of course is the case. Each case is important and then making a decision…the right decision. I see nightmares ahead on this one. I wake up in the middle of the night wondering if I bought the right shoes to go with that dress? Did I get the right wine to go with that dinner? Making the right decision is very scary indeed and with something so important it takes scary to a whole new level.
One of my neighbors got called for a murder trail. They could not have had a better person on the jury as she is very intelligent and calm. I’ve had two lawyer friends called and again they are very good candidates as they know law and are rational.
Then there’s the mystery write who kills people for a living. Lord have mercy. I’m wondering how that’s going to play out in any courtroom with any lawyer. I’ll let you know.
So I’m asking you all for advice. Have you been on jury duty? What’s it like? What do I need to know? How did you survive? Were you as scared as I am?
Thanks for chatting. I’ll keep you posted. Hugs, Duffy Brown www.DuffyBrown.com

Hints of Spring

by Maggie Sefton


To the right is what I call my River House (one block from the Potomac River) in the Northern Neck of Virginia.  It's all closed up for the winter.  They've had more snow than usual Back East this year.  Lots of snow is unusual near the River.  My neighbor took this photo.  I won't return until April.  :)   


This morning early when it was just dawning (Daylight Savings Time dawn) here in Fort
Collins, Colorado, I heard one of my favorite bird songs.  A lovely sweet chirp, chirp, chirp.  A Springtime Bird Song.  Boy. . .did it make me anxious for Spring to come even faster.  Of course, I shouldn't be antsy.  It's still March.  But we've been having a wonderful spell of early spring-like weather for weeks---literally from mid-January to mid-February.  It was 50s and into 60s.




That happens often in the winter here along the Front Range of the Rockies in Northern Colorado.  Still, March usually turns out to be our snowiest month.  So far, we did have a big 8" snow last week.  But with our glorious sunny sunny days, that snow has been steadily melting.   :)  



It's actually perfect weather for what I'm doing.  January through June is devoted to
writing the next Kelly Flynn Mystery.  So Wintertime is good for squirreling in and writing----for me, at least.  Thank goodness we have such sunny weather here in Northern Colorado, because I don't think I would be content to "squirrel in" if the majority of days were gray and cloudy.  Our family lived in West Lafayette, Indiana for 15 years when my then-husband was a professor at Purdue.  And, during the winter, there were a LOT of gray days.





So----Today, that's why I decided to post some colorful photos of Spring flowers.  These are the azalea bushes around the river house.  I thought these gorgeous heralds of Spring would  cheer up all of us who are anxiously awaiting Spring.  I also included one snowy photo of the river house.  It's only one and one-half hour away from the DC/VA/MD Metro Area Madness, but it's another  world.  A peaceful and quieter world, surrounded by trees and lots of places to sit outside on the wrap-around deck and relax.   When it's not covered in cold and snow, that is.  :)  


What are you foks doing to think of an Early Spring?

All About the Face: Best Makeup List

by Kate Collins  I love makeup advice. I’ve found a few definite winners that way but I’m searching for some new products. So let’s share our favorites!
Here are my winners:
Best Eyebrow Product: Anastasia Eyebrow Powder Duo            I’m amazed how easily it goes on and how it lasts.
Best Eye Shadow Primer:  Urban Decay Eyeshadow Potion Primer in nude            I’ve tried many other drugstore products. All promise to keep the shadow from creasing. Urban Decay’s primer is the ONLY one that works in Florida heat, both on the lid and under the eye.
Best Eye Shadow: Rimmel trio.            I stumbled on this inexpensive brand in Germany when I forgot to pack my blush, of all things. I bought the only product I could find near the hotel – the Rimmel bronzing powder. (See below.) That led me to their eye shadow. You can’t beat the price or the staying power, but that factor may be helped by the primer. (See above.) Anyway, I love the brown combination.
Best Mascara: Still looking for a thickening, non-globbing/flaking product. I’ve tried several drugstore brands and Lancome’s Hypnose, Gradiose, and Definicils. They work but they don’t add the thickness I want and some flaking has happened.
Best Foundation: Dior Forever Diorskin SPF 25            I’ve been looking for a liquid ever since I got tired of my Bare Mineral powder foundation. I wanted something smooth but not thick and also non-toxic. This is somewhat pricey at first glance but it lasts a long time! Only a drop is needed. A special flat brush spreads it, and believe me, a little goes a long way. I tried Bare Mineral’s new liquid and found it thick and oily. It also seems to accentuate the crease on either side of my mouth. Ugh. Dior Forever!
Best Blush: Still looking.
Best Bronzer: Rimmel bronzing powder. Very inexpensive but floats on like a dream.
Best Lip Liner: Still looking for one with staying power.
Best Lipstick: Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Sugared Maple.             This color seems to change with whatever I’m wearing. I love it.
Your turn! What is your very favorite product? Do you have suggestions for me for mascara, lip liner, and blush?  
GIVEAWAY ALERT: My second giveaway starts today! Answer a question from A ROOT AWAKENING for a chance to win a $25 gift card. Enter on my website. Click on my name at the top of this page. 

Never Saw This Coming

by Leann

For those of you who do not know, I have been battling several "invisible" illnesses for a long time. Late in the 90s, the diagnosis was fibromyalgia, then came Chronic Fatigue syndrome (which has a new name to eliminate the idea this isn't real and is abbreviated as ME). Research now shows both of these are neurological in origin (NOT psychosomatic), but no one has the answer--despite plenty of snake oil salespeople saying they can cure these illnesses.

About 2005, a blood test hinted at Lyme and then a comprehensive test sent to California confirmed it. I also had multiple co-infections and ended up being on antibiotics for almost two years. The side effects were awful, but I thought this was the answer. My blood tests were below "symptomatic" levels for about a year and then they weren't. Back on antibiotics. So why didn't I feel better? Why did I have so much pain and so much fatigue? And why, when I had my gall bladder out, did I nearly die? (That was super scary and the poor care I received in the hospital has made me phobic. I never want to go under anesthesia again!)

But the fatigue and the pain kept getting worse. This past year, I developed double vision, trouble swallowing and terrible neck pain. I thought it was the Lyme or one of those other mystery illnesses. Then I went for my yearly eye test and mentioned the double vision. (It was intermittent, but was happening every day for short periods.) My nerdy (wonderful) optometrist was able to create the double vision in the office by making my eyes work extra hard. She promptly sent me to a neurologist. I had many tests, most of them inconclusive, but the neurologist felt that I might have myasthenia gravis. He put me on the medication that has been used for this autoimmune disease for almost 50 years.

Trouble is, this medicine is very hard on the stomach. I had to gradually increase it and take another medication along with it to combat the side effects. (Almost everyone has the side effects, not just me). The good news is that my neck pain is gone, the difficulty swallowing is gone and the double vision has been reduced dramatically. I have been unable to increase the medication to the correct dose yet. So perhaps in the future, all the symptoms will go away. The fatigue is better, too. But it's still there, always lurking.

This is a story of never giving up hope that one day, all these problems would go away. Have I seen my share of quacks? Oh yes. Have I felt like some doctors don't want to deal with this? Yup. But here in a small city, I found two doctors who were willing to go the extra mile and work on finding answers. That has been uplifting after years of disappointment, pain and confrontations with folks who wanted me to just go away. So, if you have a problem, my advice is to never give up. I never gave up on getting published, either. I guess I'm just stubborn, but I stayed true to myself. This is why I only write one book a year. And now I have one piece of my own very personal mystery. Thanks for reading my books. Writing has kept me sane!

WHAT WE LEfT BEHIND, and WHAT WAS WAITING FOR US

by Mary Kennedy                                   
 Not to bash the North East (hey, it's my home) but here's a look at what we left behind 2 weeks ago as we headed for Ft. Lauderdale for our annual winter vacation. Yes, the snow can be picturesque and there were some cute photo ops at home (see the doves balancing on a tree branch outside my bedroom window.)                           But what was waiting for us--as it does every year--was so spectacular that it took my breath away. Gorgeous blue sky, puffy white clouds, shimmering blue-green ocean and sugary white sand. If I sound like a travelogue, you'll have to forgive me, I love Florida and even set one of my mystery series there. (The Talk Radio Mysteries. It's all about a New York psychologist who closes up her Manhattan office and moves to south Florida to become a radio talk show host like Frasier. Oh, and she solves a murder in every book). But back to Ft. Lauderdale. It was wonderful to see that nothing had changed in the oceanfront condo.      The beach was still quiet and unspoiled, the air was soft and intoxicating. I loved walking out of the condo and feeling my toes hit the sand. Here are a couple of views from our balcony.                                                            And one I took leaning over the railing.  I love the idea that the condo is right smack on the ocean. The ocean's colors are ever-changing. Someone thought I Photo-Shopped the pink color on one below, but it's natural, I swear! Whether the day is sunny or cloudy, the ocean is always beautiful. Here's sunny...                                                             . And here's cloudy.  So that's my Florida escape! Do you have a favorite place you like to escape to--a place you can relax, rejuvenate and kick back? I hope so!by Mary Kennedy

When you need your BFFs the most

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

There comes a time when you are at your lowest ebb.  I'm pretty much there right now. Two of my family members are looking down the gun barrel of cancer, and that's not a place where anybody wants to be. One is living under a certain death sentence; the other is just coming up on a pretty grim diagnosis. (And she lives hundreds of miles away and where Mr. L and I are, and we cannot give her any day-to-day support.)

And there's me smack in the middle.

To add insult to injury, yesterday I got the old jury duty summons.

Sometimes I think I could just pull out a spade and dig a hole only big enough for me to hide in.

And yet ... out on the horizon is more than a tiny spot of positivity and support.  It is the connection I have with my two BFFs.  It probably won't surprise you to find out that they are two of my fellow Cozy Chicks.  They are Leann Sweeney and Ellery Adams.

I don't know how we connected, and I sure as hell don't care at this moment in time, but somehow the three of us did connect and we are there for each other when things get bad.  We are separated by hundreds of miles, but we're as close as an email.

When one of us has a bad day, the other two are there to offer virtual hugs and words of support. When we have things to celebrate, we share them with each other first.

The first emails I look forward to in the morning are from my best girlfriends.  The last email I usually write at night are to these same two women.

Are you lucky enough to have one or more best girlfriends in your life?