Kate Collins's Blog, page 17
January 21, 2020
Where did your pet come from
There are a lot of pet owners out there and we come to our pets in the most unusual ways. I’m a firm believer that your pet comes to you, you don’t find them. It’s something in the cosmic universe that brings you two together.Maybe you’re driving along on one of those dark and stormy nights and there, in the middle of the road is a stray just waiting for you. A friend was pregnant and driving across an icy bridge and there walking across the handrail was a kitten slipping and sliding and inches from death of falling into the river. She rescue the kitten and he was the best pet ever and best of friends with her then unborn babe.
I found Spooky in Kroger’s parking lot mixed in with the shopping cars scared and mewing for all she was worth. I went into the store and bought a can of cat food to woo her out so I could get her.My first cat, Pixel, was supposed to be for my son. Yeah, we know how those stories turn out. When he crossed the rainbow bridge I told the kids...no more cats for bit. The next week my son brings me a kitten he found in an ice cream shop parking lot. He needed a home, I had one, end of story.
So many cats and dogs wind up on our doorsteps, they seem to know instinctively who will love and care for them. God bless those who rescue animals from horrid situations and make them family. (IMHO anyone who mistreats an animal should burn in hell for all eternity and I mean it)So what about you? How did you get your first pet? How did he come into your life and save you more than you saved him?Hugs, Duffy
Dry, Dry, DRY!
by Maggie SeftonIf this post sounds weirder than usual, chalk it up to my waking up before 5:00am on Tuesday morn to discover that my dental surgery yesterday had caused me to forget to write my Tuesday Cozy Chicks Blog post on Monday night. :)
I'm presently in Northern Colorado as Cozy Chicks Blog readers would expect. But I will be traveling back to Northern Virginia very soon. Of course I'll be happy to see all my family and friends when I return there, but I hadn't intended to leave Colorado so soon this winter. Why am I returning earlier? That's an answer I had not expected to give. I'm leaving beautiful Northern Colorado because of the weather.
Is there more snow than usual? No, in fact a lot of us in Northern Colorado would love to see more. Has the sun hidden behind clouds and refused to shine like it usually does? Nope. Not at all. In fact we have our usual bright sunny days.
It's because the weather has had too many bright sunny days in my not-so-humble opinion. I know that sounds strange, but a lot of us here on the Front Range of Colorado (that's the invisible line that runs North to South from the Wyoming border almost to New Mexico) would love to see some more snow or rain. Our High Country and Mountain towns from 9000 feet up (like most of the resort towns) have regular snow. Tourists and visitors are having great times on our snowy mountain slopes, so that's good.
Maybe it's just me. I like to have lots of humidity around. I'm sure that comes from growing up and spending so many years of my life Back East in Northern Virginia. Lots of humidity there, that's for sure. So I'm definitely not used to what most people would call a "dry spell." I'm slathering on lotions every day, so that helps. Enjoy our beautiful sunny Winter, Everyone!
January 19, 2020
SMALL TOWN OR BRIGHT LIGHTS? AUTHORS KNOW SETTING IS KEY!
By Mary Kennedy
Do you enjoy books set in small towns across rural America? Books set in lazy southern hamlets with loads of tradition and history? Or glitzy cities like LA, Miami and Manhattan? As an author, it's all up for grabs and sometimes the choices are too much to handle.
I've written 47 books and sometimes the settings choose themselves. For example, MOVIE STAR is the story of a girl at a small New England high school whose life changes when a film company decides to shoot a summer flick at her school. The book was originally titled Confessions of an Almost Movie Star and was published by Penguin. When the rights were reversed to me, I shortened the title and now it's available as an e-book.
The next book in the series. CONFESSIONS, absolutely had to be set in Hollywood. Jessie, the main character from book one, snares an internship with a Los Angeles entertainment magazine and has fun exploring La-la land.
GOLDEN GIRL, another book in the Hollywood Nights series is set in South Beach. The Miami vibe and its connection with the film industry is necessary to the plot. The book just wouldn't make sense if it was set any place else.
These are my teen novels. Now that I'm writing cozy mysteries, I have two series, The Dream Club Mysteries, for Penguin Random House which are set in Savannah.
And the Talk Radio Mysteries set in the fictional town of Cypress Grove, Florida.
How about you? Is the setting a factor in which books you choose?
Mary Kennedy
Do you enjoy books set in small towns across rural America? Books set in lazy southern hamlets with loads of tradition and history? Or glitzy cities like LA, Miami and Manhattan? As an author, it's all up for grabs and sometimes the choices are too much to handle.
I've written 47 books and sometimes the settings choose themselves. For example, MOVIE STAR is the story of a girl at a small New England high school whose life changes when a film company decides to shoot a summer flick at her school. The book was originally titled Confessions of an Almost Movie Star and was published by Penguin. When the rights were reversed to me, I shortened the title and now it's available as an e-book.
The next book in the series. CONFESSIONS, absolutely had to be set in Hollywood. Jessie, the main character from book one, snares an internship with a Los Angeles entertainment magazine and has fun exploring La-la land.
GOLDEN GIRL, another book in the Hollywood Nights series is set in South Beach. The Miami vibe and its connection with the film industry is necessary to the plot. The book just wouldn't make sense if it was set any place else.
These are my teen novels. Now that I'm writing cozy mysteries, I have two series, The Dream Club Mysteries, for Penguin Random House which are set in Savannah.
And the Talk Radio Mysteries set in the fictional town of Cypress Grove, Florida.
How about you? Is the setting a factor in which books you choose?
Mary Kennedy
Happy National Popcorn Day!
It's National Popcorn Day. How do you like yours?
January 17, 2020
Rockabye Poppy
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
My cat, Poppy, is a rambunctious little girl. Her favorite thing to do is to "flip and flop." She loves to roll around on the rug looking as cute as a button.
Unfortunately, she likes to flip and flop on my lap, too, and it never ends well. But I've finally found a trick to keep that wiggle-worm still. I rock her--like a baby. When I'm at the computer and she jumps onto my lap, I scoop her into my arms and we sit and have a cuddle. This has turned our mom-and-girl time into a much more pleasant experience for both of us. (When I'm sitting on the couch, Poppy likes me to have an afghan on my lap. She'll liable to sit with me more often when I've got an afghan.)
As it turns out, Poppy likes to watch YouTube videos almost as much as I do. Just this week we've watched episodes of Restaurant Impossible and What's for Tea? (Love What's for Tea? It's about Scottish woman, named Sheryl, who cooks dinner (sharing the recipes) often in a crock pot, or a grocery store haul, and she ends her videos with beautiful shots of Scotland. (I love her!) This is the kind of food I grew up with. (My mother wasn't Scottish, but my Dad was half Scot.) This is the kind of food I want to make. (Poppy is content with 9 Lives.)
But Poppy isn't just a mama's girl. Lately, she's developed an independent streak. Instead of spending all her time with us in our offices, she's been snoozing on the couch or behind the living room drape. Go figure. But our times together are much more calm (with a lot less biting) than they used to be just because I finally figured out what she needed as opposed to what she wants.
Does your pet require you to adapt to its needs?
My cat, Poppy, is a rambunctious little girl. Her favorite thing to do is to "flip and flop." She loves to roll around on the rug looking as cute as a button.
Unfortunately, she likes to flip and flop on my lap, too, and it never ends well. But I've finally found a trick to keep that wiggle-worm still. I rock her--like a baby. When I'm at the computer and she jumps onto my lap, I scoop her into my arms and we sit and have a cuddle. This has turned our mom-and-girl time into a much more pleasant experience for both of us. (When I'm sitting on the couch, Poppy likes me to have an afghan on my lap. She'll liable to sit with me more often when I've got an afghan.)
As it turns out, Poppy likes to watch YouTube videos almost as much as I do. Just this week we've watched episodes of Restaurant Impossible and What's for Tea? (Love What's for Tea? It's about Scottish woman, named Sheryl, who cooks dinner (sharing the recipes) often in a crock pot, or a grocery store haul, and she ends her videos with beautiful shots of Scotland. (I love her!) This is the kind of food I grew up with. (My mother wasn't Scottish, but my Dad was half Scot.) This is the kind of food I want to make. (Poppy is content with 9 Lives.)But Poppy isn't just a mama's girl. Lately, she's developed an independent streak. Instead of spending all her time with us in our offices, she's been snoozing on the couch or behind the living room drape. Go figure. But our times together are much more calm (with a lot less biting) than they used to be just because I finally figured out what she needed as opposed to what she wants.
Does your pet require you to adapt to its needs?
January 15, 2020
Crazy Weather
by Karen Rose Smith
When I write a cozy mystery, I'm always working within a projected calendar of a least a year in advance. I used to be able to look at a month like January in Pennsylvania and project cold temperatures, snow and dangerous driving conditions for my characters. Or I could assume the daffodils would be blooming by a certain date in April. But weather in the past few years has been making my predictions much more precarious.
This past Wednesday, we were supposed to have about an
inch or two of snow. But by Wednesday afternoon the trees in the yard were dusted with a beautiful coat of freshly fallen snow and my husband was shoveling five or six inches of snow from the driveway.
And on Sunday...he was raking left-over leaves in the yard! With temperatures in the sixties and a passing storm system that dumped substantial rain, the snow disappeared overnight. Our outside cats enjoyed a morning of basking in the warm sunshine. Even they seem to be confused by the changing landscape each morning when we open the door for them to go out.
Whether it is just a pleasant fluke or something more serious related to climate change, this January has been unusually warm. I only hope the weather hasn't confused the months and growing season. I hope that February and March temperatures will be below normal.
I guess I'm just learning, as with everything in life, we have to enjoy the pleasant weather while we have it and save that "to-be-read" book for a snowy or blustery day no matter in which month it occurs. And I'll just keep the snow shovel by the front door...
*****************NOW AVAILABLE
Keith Rebert is homeless with a sad story that includes the death of his wife and medical bills that decimated his finances. Daisy and her friend Jonas Groft meet him through one of Daisy’s employees and offer help. But soon Keith is caught up in a murder investigation. He was supplying the shop Pirated Treasures with antiques, including Gettysburg Battlefield memorabilia. The nephew of the shop’s owner, Barry Storm, was lowballing merchandise that Keith brought in. One day Keith and Barry vehemently argued. Soon after, Barry was found dead, killed with a marble rolling pin that held Keith’s fingerprints. Daisy’s special for the month, cherry tarts, was found spilled on the floor next to him. Keith is the number one suspect.
Keith finds a job on a farm where he can live in a cabin with his daughter Mandy. A friend of Barry’s lived and worked there before the murder, then suddenly moved out. As Daisy finds clues that give insight into Barry’s life and prepares for her daughter’s wedding, she faces danger, verbally battles with the detective on the case, and tries to figure out what part Jonas Groft plays in her life. When she finds the ultimate clue that tells her exactly what Barry Storm was involved in, she almost loses her life.
MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Amazon
MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Barnes and Noble
When I write a cozy mystery, I'm always working within a projected calendar of a least a year in advance. I used to be able to look at a month like January in Pennsylvania and project cold temperatures, snow and dangerous driving conditions for my characters. Or I could assume the daffodils would be blooming by a certain date in April. But weather in the past few years has been making my predictions much more precarious.
This past Wednesday, we were supposed to have about aninch or two of snow. But by Wednesday afternoon the trees in the yard were dusted with a beautiful coat of freshly fallen snow and my husband was shoveling five or six inches of snow from the driveway.
And on Sunday...he was raking left-over leaves in the yard! With temperatures in the sixties and a passing storm system that dumped substantial rain, the snow disappeared overnight. Our outside cats enjoyed a morning of basking in the warm sunshine. Even they seem to be confused by the changing landscape each morning when we open the door for them to go out.
Whether it is just a pleasant fluke or something more serious related to climate change, this January has been unusually warm. I only hope the weather hasn't confused the months and growing season. I hope that February and March temperatures will be below normal.
I guess I'm just learning, as with everything in life, we have to enjoy the pleasant weather while we have it and save that "to-be-read" book for a snowy or blustery day no matter in which month it occurs. And I'll just keep the snow shovel by the front door...
*****************NOW AVAILABLE
Keith Rebert is homeless with a sad story that includes the death of his wife and medical bills that decimated his finances. Daisy and her friend Jonas Groft meet him through one of Daisy’s employees and offer help. But soon Keith is caught up in a murder investigation. He was supplying the shop Pirated Treasures with antiques, including Gettysburg Battlefield memorabilia. The nephew of the shop’s owner, Barry Storm, was lowballing merchandise that Keith brought in. One day Keith and Barry vehemently argued. Soon after, Barry was found dead, killed with a marble rolling pin that held Keith’s fingerprints. Daisy’s special for the month, cherry tarts, was found spilled on the floor next to him. Keith is the number one suspect.
Keith finds a job on a farm where he can live in a cabin with his daughter Mandy. A friend of Barry’s lived and worked there before the murder, then suddenly moved out. As Daisy finds clues that give insight into Barry’s life and prepares for her daughter’s wedding, she faces danger, verbally battles with the detective on the case, and tries to figure out what part Jonas Groft plays in her life. When she finds the ultimate clue that tells her exactly what Barry Storm was involved in, she almost loses her life.
MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Amazon
MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Barnes and Noble
January 14, 2020
Hats Off...or On?
Okay, it’s National Hat Day. I just love hats but they don’t love me. I look horrible in a hat. I know, I know people say that’s crazy, everyone can wear a hat well.I wish! I’ve tried different ones and the look is always the same...give it up. Here are a few pics of me in hats. See, I need to just grow my hair longer and let it take the place of a hat.
Then there are people who look amazing in hats! My daughter could do commercials for hats she looks so good in them. Babies look terrific in hats, pets look great in hats, Audrey Hepbern is the queen of hats.So what about you? Love hats? Hate them? Look good in them or just wear them to keep from getting a head cold.
January 13, 2020
A Backward Look
by Maggie SeftonI know I'm early with this but I like to mention important subjects so people can
keep them in mind. So here goes----an unpleasant subject for a lot of people----income taxes.
January is the month when those of us who have what the IRS considers "small businesses" like writing and publishing fiction start getting our expenses in order for the previous year.
Any of you who have small buusinesses need to take a look back and see how the year of 2019 turned out for you. Good Luck, Everyone! I'll be joining you. :)
January 12, 2020
BEWARE OF JANUARY 19th
By Mary Kennedy
Why should you fear January 19th? That's the day most people give up on their fitness resolutions, according to a Stanford University study. Remember when you were going to hit the gym for an hour before work? You were going to go all vegan, banning meat, fish, fowl and dairy from your life? Bike to work at least 3 days a week? Run 10 miles every Saturday?
These goals seemed so do-able on January 1st and yet by the 19th, they will be history.
What to do about this sorry state of affairs?
Re-think the "all or nothing" trap you fell into. Change doesn't have to be all or nothing. In fact, it shouldn't be. That sort of thinking doesn't lead to success. And you want to succeed, don't you? That's why you made those resolutions.
So back to the drawing board. Starting thinking small. Yes, small.
This is a secret that most successful people already know. And you can adopt it too. Scale down your goals. Want to lose five pounds? Maybe you've identified that "late night snacking" is your kryptonite.
Establish a "kitchen is closed" routine after dinner. Get the snack dishes out of the den! No more night noshing. Try it for a week or two and check the scale. Seeing even a small loss will inspire you to keep going. One of my friends took up needlepoint to avoid snacking while she watches British mysteries in the evening. And let's face it, it's hard to do needlepoint with orange Cheeto fingers!
Good luck and think small!
By Mary Kennedy
Why should you fear January 19th? That's the day most people give up on their fitness resolutions, according to a Stanford University study. Remember when you were going to hit the gym for an hour before work? You were going to go all vegan, banning meat, fish, fowl and dairy from your life? Bike to work at least 3 days a week? Run 10 miles every Saturday?
These goals seemed so do-able on January 1st and yet by the 19th, they will be history.
What to do about this sorry state of affairs?
Re-think the "all or nothing" trap you fell into. Change doesn't have to be all or nothing. In fact, it shouldn't be. That sort of thinking doesn't lead to success. And you want to succeed, don't you? That's why you made those resolutions.
So back to the drawing board. Starting thinking small. Yes, small.
This is a secret that most successful people already know. And you can adopt it too. Scale down your goals. Want to lose five pounds? Maybe you've identified that "late night snacking" is your kryptonite.
Establish a "kitchen is closed" routine after dinner. Get the snack dishes out of the den! No more night noshing. Try it for a week or two and check the scale. Seeing even a small loss will inspire you to keep going. One of my friends took up needlepoint to avoid snacking while she watches British mysteries in the evening. And let's face it, it's hard to do needlepoint with orange Cheeto fingers!
Good luck and think small!
By Mary Kennedy
What's for dinner at your house?
It's National Sunday Dinner Day. What're you having?
