Kate Collins's Blog, page 181

THE KENNEDY CATS

by Mary Kennedy                               
 Did you know October was National Cat month? Here at the Cozy Chicks, we're gearing up for a fun celebration of cats (both real and fictional) and a giveaway for both you and your cat! I can't say any more right now because I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I can guarantee that one lucky reader (and one lucky cat) will receive a great gift. I thought I'd tell you a bit about why cats are so important to me. When I tell people I'm a mystery writer, they picture my life as glamorous and exciting, filled with an endless round of power lunches and research trips to exotic locales. What they forget is that 90% of my time is spent hunched in front of the computer, wrestling my characters and plots into submission. A writer's life is a surprisingly solitary one.                                                          And that's where my cat comes in. I have eight rescued cats and they bring enormous joy to my life. The spend much of the day with me (when they're not snoozing or just chilling on the glassed-in sun porch) and their quiet presence is comforting.                                                         You're never alone when you have a houseful of cats, there's always someone who needs a pat on the head, a belly rub or a quick snuggle. My cats have very different personalities and I enjoy them all. All are rescues, by the way, and I feel very lucky that they have crossed my path. I never planned on having 8 cats (who would?) but now that I have them, I can't imagine a life without them.                                                            I included two fictional cats in NIGHTMARES CAN BE MURDER, the first of the Dream Club Mysteries. The fictional cats are named Barney and Scout and like my own cats, they have no magical powers, don't solve crimes and are just lovable house cats. You can see them on the cover. Barney may have just destroyed the dreamcatcher, look closely on the bottom right of the cover. Oh no!                                                         Because of my cats, I never have to spend a lonely hour at the computer, I have plenty of fur-babies to offer me companionship.  Only 4 cats were featured in today's blog (and let me tell you, the other Kennedy cats are furious!) so I'll have to include the other 4 in next week's blog, which will kick off National Cat Month and a fun celebration.                            Till then, stay tuned, hug your cat, and be sure to tell him or her that a fun surprise might be arriving next month!    Mary Kennedy

Who doesn't love a wedding?

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

The Cozy Chicks often talk among ourselves, and yesterday the subject came up about weddings.  Wow -- it turns out we're kind of fascinated by them. A bunch of us have written about them in our books, too.

Of course, all of us have been married at one time or another.


This picture is from MY wedding.  At left, our best man Danny, my maid of honor Anne, my dad, me, and Mr. L.  (Honestly, Mr. L and I are the same height, but that day I wore heels -- and probably for the last time, too.)  Um...we kind of have a tradition in my family of wearing crazy nose-and-glasses for special occasions.  (Doesn't everyone?)

And so for the next few days the Chicks going to talk about weddings ... mostly on social medial.  So look for us on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr.

First up is ... me! (Hey, I'm introducing this conversation, right?)


 Amazon | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Book Depository | Indigo-Chapters
Look forward to some wedding fun with Ellery's upcoming Books By The Bay Mystery, Lethal Letters, too (with contests)!

And please, we'd love to hear about YOUR wedding.  Leave a comment, and please -- have a piece of this virtual cake!

Welcome to the junk drawer.

  By Mary Jane Maffni aka Victoria Abbott
 Tell the truth: does your  junk drawer look like this? 

Okay, this is not my junk drawer  (I’m not showing mine!), but it’s a good example of what the inside of  a junk drawer can look like.  Mine has a lot more elastic bands.
Yes, I am letting down my guard, but I haven’t completely lost my mind. Revealing the junk drawer at its worst? As if. 
Some items currently residing: 
The Princess dachshunds’ toothbrushes and toothpaste. We seem to be out of beef and chicken flavor
Two measuring tapes
2 packs of sparklers because you never know when a birthday party will break out














Bag of red candy of mysterious origin
Dozens of elastic bands from the newspaper
Collection of false noses and glasses - for visiting children or silly adults














Car keys
Sunglasses
Canadian Tire money (10 cents)
Small gardening scissors















Binoculars to follow antics of squirrels
















You get the point.
I’ve been trying for years to solve the junk drawer problem. Finding a place for everything and everything in its place.  If you try to live by that principle, why would you need one? 
Then this week I read an article about Daniel Levitin, neuro-scientist and author of The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information,  Included in the brainy article:  The Junk Drawer.

I immediately ordered the book so it could sit in the pile of other non-fiction books urgently awaiting my attention. 
But I digress. Apparently, we have to adopt organizational tactics to help reduce the brain’s workload.  Come on, friends, try to stay awake:  I’m getting to the point, which is of course, the junk drawer. This holding tank for 'stuff'  allows us to cut down on time and mental energy wasted on trivial decisions, such as where to put three pair of false noses and glasses.  Face it, they didn’t merit a lot of thought.  The dogs’ toothbrushes? Right.  I’m sure I’ll find them mentioned in the book when it shows up. 
That’s all I needed! 
Now I have this advice from an expert, I can really relax—about this one silly thing anyway.  We don't need to worry about that junk drawer!
Maybe twice a year I’ll throw out the stuff I can’t identify. Exactly where did that red candy come from, anyway?  I’ll use the mental energy saved to catch some bad guys on the page.  Or read a book!
Okay now, your turn. Junk drawer confessions? Triumphs?  I can’t wait. And if anyone wants to share what’s the weirdest thing they’d found in their junk drawer, well, I’d sure like to know what that is.

I do declare...

I live in Cincy  but sort of moved to the South when I started to write the Consignment Shop Mysteries. I had to suddenly start thinking and living like my characters. I guess I’m a bit of a method writer like there are method actors where they live the part to get into the part.
I had to acquire the taste for sweet tea, I do love fried okra so that was already in place but I no longer carry Chapstick in the back pocket of my jeans but have instead learned to wear lipstick every-single-day-of-my-life-no-matter-what-and-no-matter-where-I'm-going.
My thick wool sweaters have been relegated to the back of my closet and I’ve  made room for light cottony cardigans. I have a front porch so I put a rocking chair on it and as far as my speech goes my family thinks I’m crazy as a June bug.
Some of the Southern sayings I’ve tired out with limited success here in Ohio are…

Oh! Bless your heart..." My kids think this is sort of adorable but actually this expression is commonly used when Southerners need an excuse for speaking ill of someone. Example- "She's as ugly as a mud fence, bless her heart." Even though the line was an insult it is made better by showing that you, in a way, feel sorry for the person.
And of course there’s Well Butter my butt and call me a biscuit. The fam thought I’d hit the vodka when I tried this one.

She looked like she’d been ridden hard and put away wet. I’ve used this one a lot all my life. That’s what I get from living so close to the Kentucky border.
He could sell a Popsicle to a lady wearing white gloves. Meaning the individual is so good at persuasion that he or she could talk his or her way into anything. The sales lady at Macy’s ran when I tried this one.
You can't get blood from a turnip. Meaning you can't get something from someone who doesn't have it. My accountant got this one right off the bat.
Madder than a wet hen and  He's like a bull in a china shop and Cute as a bug’s ear. I’ve used these for years too so the fam didn’t blink an eye when I started working them into the conversation.
We were just sittin' around chewin' the fat. The kids told me I needed more veggies and fruit and forget the fat
Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I used this one on my next door neighbor and she was tickled pink she’d be getting fresh eggs

She was all over him like white on rice. I used this one on my other next door neighbor and  she smacked her husband upside the head. Guess it hit a little too close to home.
You can't see the forest for the trees. Is another one I’ve used tons but my new favorite is Easy as sliding off a greasy log backwards.

So, next time you find yourself sittin' around chewin' the fat and sippin' on some sweet tea think about your favorite sayings Southern or otherwise and let me know here what it is and I’ll work it into Demise in Denim, book four of the Consignment Shop mysteries.Go whole hog today and have yourself a mighty fine time.
Hugs, Duffy  

Sheep People

by Maggie Sefton


The weekend of October 18-19, I'll be signing books at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.  about 80 miles north of Manhattan.  I'll be at the Merritt Bookstore booth.  More about this later.  That's Shirley below weaving on the Mother Loom.


One of the fun things about hanging around a popular yarn and fiber shop like Lambspun in  Fort Collins, Colorado, is you get to meet sheep and alpaca owners, llama lovers, and their animals.


Some owners are also breeders and they pay a fair price for the various bloodlines of their breeding stock, particularly sheep and alpaca.  Those are the fuzzy creatures that provide those wonderful fibers that people all over the world spin, weave, knit, and crochet into all sorts of garments, pillows and socks, sweaters, hats----heck,
even tea cozies.





Recently, Shirley, the owner of Lambspun of Colorado where I based my Kelly Flynn Knitting Mysteries, had one of the regular attendees of the Tuesday night get-together around the knitting table bring several sheep and one of her alpaca to visit with customers outside in an informal petting zoo.




People loved it.  Kids had the chance to come and pat the sheep and stare at the alpaca.  Saturdays are really busy at Lambspun and the Backporch Cafe at the rear of the shop, so there were lots of people wandering about enjoying August summer weather.

Do you have a favorite shop in your area that has special items or events?  Please share with us.

HOW IS YOUR NOSE?

By Kate Collins

Seriously, I’m not being rude. This is actually the customary greeting for the Ongee tribe of the Andaman Islands. For them, the universe and everything in it is defined by smell.  I find this amusing. You might surmise I’m easily amused. You would be correct.

But smells are important to me, too. For instance, a strong garlic odor is delightful if I’m in an Italian restaurant, not so delightful when I’m seated next to someone on a train. A heavy floral perfume will give me a headache in ten minutes. Same with cigarette smoke. Also some potpourri mixes.

When you think of Thanksgiving, can’t you just smell the turkey roasting? The pumpkin pies baking? Christmas – the pine scent of the trees?  When you think of summer, do you smell the freshly mown grass?

For the cattle-raising Dassanetch of Ethiopia, no bouquet is more beautiful than a herd of cows. The men wash their hands in cattle urine and smear their bodies with manure to make themselves more attractive to the ladies. The Dogon of Mali rub fried onions all over their bodies. I think I’ve sat next to one of them on the train, too.

Back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, physicians like Hippocrates promoted the therapeutic use of scents, which we now call aromatherapy.  Then in the early nineteenth century scientists tried to discredit the medicinal use of aromatics in favor of drugs. (Hint: It’s about the money.) And then the pharmaceutical companies sprang up in the 1950s, and they’ve been doing their best ever since to discredit EVERYTHING that isn’t made in one of their laboratories.  Again, money.

Fortunately, aromatherapy is now making a strong comeback. You’ll find a host of essential oils available at your local health food store, each one good for many uses. Just put a dab on your wrist or under your nose, or put some on a cotton ball and set it in a bowl in the room. Then breath. Ahh. All better.

Here are a few that I thought were helpful:

Depressed mood: Peppermint, chamomile, lavender, and jasmine.

Stress: Lavender, lemon, bergamot, peppermint, vetiver, pine, and ylang ylang.

Insomnia: Lavender, chamomile, jasmine, benzoin, neroli, rose, sandalwood, sweet marjoram, and ylang ylang. (But not lemon oil. It can wake you up.)

I know what you’re thinking. What the heck is ylang ylang? It’s the yellow-flowered tree native to the Malay peninsula and the Philippines from which this oil is obtained.




I would add a few of my favorite scents to the mix. For relaxation, the smell of coffee brewing, or a cup of hot chocolate. To ease a cold, the smell of Vicks Vaporub.  For a sense of coziness, any kind of cookie baking.

What would you add to the list? Have you ever tried aromatherapy?

It's Time!

by Leann

Many of you may know I am a TV junkie. Crime dramas, of course. Always crime shows or singing competitions. Throw in So You Think You Can Dance and I am in heaven. The new season is upon us and tonight I am looking forward to The
Good Wife. I have watched every episode since the beginning and think the acting and writing is superb. I wasn't too thrilled with the "surprise" last year since Josh Charles is one of my favorite actors, but that's the way it goes in show business. They come and they go--and they don't ask us whether it's okay!

I did catch the pilot for the new show The Mysteries of Laura and found it entertaining but this past summer the best "funny" cop show for me was Taxi Brooklyn. Just a great show that I hope will return since it ended with a ginormous cliff hanger.

What I am looking forward to in the next couple weeks? Castle of course! What happened to him? Will they get married? I rarely remember the ending from a show last season and appreciate the "recaps," but I remember that ending very clearly. It's been a long summer, Mr. Castle, and you better be okay or they'll have to rename the show.
weeks?

The Blacklist (adore James Spader) is another favorite and right before it, The
Voice. For me, there isn't a competition show besides the aforementioned SYTYCD that even comes close to being so much fun. Funny, intelligent and filled with talent. Love it!

Elementary, Person of Interest, all the NCIS's, Criminal Minds, Bones ... as you can tell if there's even a hint of mystery I'll watch it. I am also looking forward to a couple new shows: How to Get Away With Murder and Scorpion. Some of you may remember a very intelligent crime show a few years back called Numbers. I'm hoping Scorpion is along those lines.

I've missed a few, I know. I've been madly setting up my DVR to record many of these since I am on deadline and television is a huge way for me to procrastinate. But I try to use it now as a reward. "Leann, if you write this many pages, you can watch this show." Yes, I do bargain with myself! I just like to be told stories as well as write them. That seems normal for a book lover, right?

What about you? Any shows you're looking forward to this season? And how do you think the whole Castle thing will work out?

THE MYTH OF THE BRADY BUNCH

by Mary Kennedy


Remember the theme song? "Here's the story, of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls." The Brady Bunch was a wildly popular TV show from1969 to 1974. Every week, we'd gather around the television to see what the happy clan was up to and watch as they magically solved any squabbles and remained just "one big happy family."                                                         
Carol Brady was the perfect step-mom. Endlessly patient, caring and sensitive, she managed to run a pretty chaotic household and make it all look easy.
Of course she had help--Alice! If only every family could have such a devoted housekeeper.                                                                            
And then there was Mike, the dad. The perfect father in so many ways, a guy who never lost his temper and always had time for the kids.
                                                          
The perfect blended family! But this was television and real life is quite different. When you have biological children, step-children, ex-husbands and ex-wives thrown into the mix, things can get out of control very quickly. You not only have a blended family, you have an "extended" family to deal with.
As a psychologist in private practice, I've seen many "blended families" and understand both the joys and challenges they present. Here are a few points to consider.
*It's a whole new game plan as everyone adjusts to the "new normal." Few of the old rules apply, new allegiances are formed, kids jockey for position and if you're not careful, your fragile alliance can collapse completely. Best to set some ground rules from the start, and remember, this is a trying time for everyone, both parents and kids.                                                          
*Jealousies and resentments are bound to occur, it's best to address them immediately. Some changes are inevitable. A young girl who used to have her own bedroom might have to share with a new stepsister, household chores might increase (since most people can't afford full-time help like Alice) and some of the children might have to transfer to a new school district. Any disruption in the system is bound to cause distress and so many changes at once can surely be overwhelming. It helps to acquire the "we're-all-in-this-together mindset," and remember that things will eventually smooth out and a new dynamic will form.
* Try to establish new rituals, new family nights, ways to bond. Sometimes the parents forget that even if "their" relationship has grown and evolved over time, the children feel as though this new arrangement has been thrust upon them and they resent it.                                                         
*Try not to show favoritism. This is perhaps the toughest challenge of all. Each parent wants to make sure that his/her kids get their share. It's helpful to take a step back and look at each child as an individual. Try to learn about them, their special interests, their likes and dislikes, their quirks. And do your best to bond with them.
I've come across a wonderful short story that deals with these issues, "Married with Stepchildren," by Tonya Thomas. It's a fictionalized account of one woman's experience with blended families.  If you find yourself part of a blended family, try your best to adapt to the situation with humor, grace and empathy. Remember, this is going to be a challenge for everyone and you're not alone.
Mary Kennedy




Social Media and me, er ... us!

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

A couple of weeks ago, Leann suggested that we might want to try out Tumblr.  My reaction was, "Yeah, great. Let's do it.  ... Uh, what is it?"

According to Wikipedia, "Tumblr is a microblogging platform and social networking website. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog. Users can follow other users' blogs, as well as make their blogs private. Much of the website's features are accessed from the "dashboard" interface, where the option to post content and posts of followed blogs appear."

Leann's mentioned her son-in-law's twice-monthly podcast, Welcome to Night Vale. She told me how Tumblr helped find them an audience. 

Well, I figured ... why not try it!

So, not only are Leann and I up there, but so are the Chicks and Ellery, too.

Great.  Wonderful.  Now what do we do?

Well, we're posting.  Why do we want to use Tumblr?  A lot of people don't like Facebook.  Tumblr is another way we can communicate with our readers.  The problem is ... how do we find our readers on Tumblr?

Well, I guess that's what my post today is all about.  Why not come over and take a look at our mini blogs and see what you think.  I'll give you the links again ... just click on our names and take a look.  Maybe you'd like to join in the fun.  We'll be happy to follow you, too!

Lorraine  |  Leann  |  Ellery  |  The Cozy Chicks

I can't help it. It's my face!

 By Mary Jane Maffini aka Victoria Abbott and her eyebrows

You hope your children and grandchildren inherit your good points and not your less than sterling qualities. You really do.  But it’s not going that way for me and mine.  
Today I was warned that the latest child in our large and ever expanding  family has inherited my raised eyebrows, widely considered to be weapons of mass destruction.


Known as The Look or The Eyebrow, this facial fur has struck fear into many hearts for a lot of years now, not that there's anything wrong with that in my humble opinion..

However, here are some commonly overheard comments about my eyebrows from my daughters:   
Look out, we have lift-off. Run!
When her eyebrows hit the hairline, make yourself scarce.
I think Mom’s eyebrows might be on the back of her head now.  That can't be good.
Or the latest: Is there such a thing as Irritable Eyebrow Syndrome?
Very funny,  I don’t think I’m all that scary, I mean, if you toe the line. 
But then I received these pictures of baby Ella, my great-grandaughter  who is usually sunny with the happiest disposition,  I appears she has perfected The Look.  Let me tell you, it gave me something to think about.
Here, she's really working it!
The message is clearly:  Mummy, you’d better hop to it. 
For some reason, this inspired great hilarity around our family. Not sure I fully understand, but wanted to share.
So is there an expression, facial or verbal, that gets things going in your family? Let’s hear it. Don’t let me be all alone here, my friends.