Kate Collins's Blog, page 232
May 4, 2013
A New Book! Finally!
by Leann
So much has happened since my last book came out. The biggest change is that we moved. During that time of packing and selling and resettling in South Carolina, I wrote the book that will be released on Tuesday: The Cat, The Mill and The Murder.
This book is special in many ways, but one big thing it did for me was give me comfort amid chaos. Writing is immersion. It is therapy. It takes you to another place. I am truly visiting Mercy, South Carolina when I write the Cats in Trouble series. And I needed to be someplace else for the beginning months after we left Texas for our new state. I needed to escape to that familiar place.
I welcomed a new granddaughter who is healthy and beautiful this past year. I spent Christmas with my family in the Pacific Northwest for the first time. My sister, as well as my son, daughter-in-law, granddaughters and nephews, all live in and around Seattle. I haven't spent Christmas with my sister in decades and it was great. Yes, there has been so much change.
Returning to Mercy this time was wonderful because I needed to be there. My characters welcomed me and offered a great story to "take me away" from the stresses of moving and helped me find be calm enough to find my way in unfamiliar territory. While the last book, The Cat, The Wife and The Weapon, was about family dysfunction, this is a book about society dysfunction. And about ways my heroine found her way through a difficult time. Imagination can work miracles. That's the only spoiler I will give. I hope you all will enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it!
So much has happened since my last book came out. The biggest change is that we moved. During that time of packing and selling and resettling in South Carolina, I wrote the book that will be released on Tuesday: The Cat, The Mill and The Murder.
This book is special in many ways, but one big thing it did for me was give me comfort amid chaos. Writing is immersion. It is therapy. It takes you to another place. I am truly visiting Mercy, South Carolina when I write the Cats in Trouble series. And I needed to be someplace else for the beginning months after we left Texas for our new state. I needed to escape to that familiar place.
I welcomed a new granddaughter who is healthy and beautiful this past year. I spent Christmas with my family in the Pacific Northwest for the first time. My sister, as well as my son, daughter-in-law, granddaughters and nephews, all live in and around Seattle. I haven't spent Christmas with my sister in decades and it was great. Yes, there has been so much change.
Returning to Mercy this time was wonderful because I needed to be there. My characters welcomed me and offered a great story to "take me away" from the stresses of moving and helped me find be calm enough to find my way in unfamiliar territory. While the last book, The Cat, The Wife and The Weapon, was about family dysfunction, this is a book about society dysfunction. And about ways my heroine found her way through a difficult time. Imagination can work miracles. That's the only spoiler I will give. I hope you all will enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Never Say Never
By Heather
A long long time ago I had an idea for a book about a single mom of two boys who happened to stumble upon a series of crimes in her neighborhood. She was an ex-cop, a new divorcee, and a pro at car pool. The book was called Big Girls Don't Cryand it was the first in a planned series of books named after Oldies songs. (Going to the Chapel would be the second...)
I tried and tried to get a publisher interested in that series but although they liked my "voice" (my style of writing), and my humor, they didn't quite like anything else. Ha! One thing I kept hearing over and over again was that the book needed a stronger "hook." Mine, as a single mom-based series, wasn't strong enough.A normal person might have moved on, but most writers are far normal. We're a tenacious, stubborn lot. I put the book aside while I let the critiques I received simmer. Which advice to take? Which to ignore?
So one day while I was watching HGTV's Surprise Gardener, it hit me that this show could be my hook--gardening/landscaping. Instead of my main character being an ex-cop, I could turn my single mom into a landscape designer who does backyard makeovers in one day. She could dig up all kinds of trouble--and bodies. While rewriting, I also decided she had one son too many (harsh, I know), and that her ex should be the cop in the story.
Nina Quinn was born. And with the new rebirth, a new set of titles. The first one: A Hoe Lot of Trouble.
Within a few months of finishing the revised manuscript, I found an agent, and within three weeks of that, she had secured a three-book deal for me. I was over the moon.
That three-book deal turned into five books, and then word came from the publishing house that their entire cozy mystery line was being cut. A lucky few authors were able to move their series to other houses, but dozens of authors lost their jobs.Including me.
There wasn't much I could do to keep Nina going. Heartbroken, I had to move on, to another series, to another publisher (Lucy Valentine was born). I truly believed I'd never write another Nina mystery.
Ha! I should have known better. Never say never, right?
Because years and years later, ebooks and self-publishing started transforming the book world. And with that came the opportunity to bring Nina out of retirement. I started with Trouble Under the Tree in 2011, picking up her series where it left off in 2008. And I just released the seventh book in the series, The Root of all Trouble, a couple of weeks ago (currently available as an ebook on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, coming soon in trade paperback).
It's been amazing to me to receive letters from readers telling me how much they've missed Nina. Me, too. And I'm so glad she's back. This time, for good.
Happy reading!Heather
May 3, 2013
Information ... right at my fingertips
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
I'm in the middle (okay, I'm at the 25% point) of writing my next book. So there I am typing away, the muse is happy, and then everything comes to a screeching halt because I don't know what time the sun sets where my characters live.
This is important to the story, so I switch screens and land on Google. Okay, what time does the sun set on October 5th in Buffalo, NY? Seconds later--voila! There's the answer. (It's 6:50.)
A day or so later, I need to know when the sun comes up. I don't remember what website I landed on to look up the previous information ... but Google does. (It's 7:18.)
Years ago, little tidbits of information would be left out of a story ... or I'd have to jump in the car and go to the library and someone would have to look it up for me. Now--I just ask Google.
Need a you-assemble baby crib? Ask Amazon. How about the average water temperature of the Niagara River in October? Ask NOAA. (It's 64F.)
Writing a book takes a long time. (About six months for me.) I'm so glad to have a tool like Google at my fingertips to help me add as much realism as possible, and to cut the time I need for research.
What kinds of things to you look up on the Internet?
I'm in the middle (okay, I'm at the 25% point) of writing my next book. So there I am typing away, the muse is happy, and then everything comes to a screeching halt because I don't know what time the sun sets where my characters live.
This is important to the story, so I switch screens and land on Google. Okay, what time does the sun set on October 5th in Buffalo, NY? Seconds later--voila! There's the answer. (It's 6:50.) 
A day or so later, I need to know when the sun comes up. I don't remember what website I landed on to look up the previous information ... but Google does. (It's 7:18.)Years ago, little tidbits of information would be left out of a story ... or I'd have to jump in the car and go to the library and someone would have to look it up for me. Now--I just ask Google.
Need a you-assemble baby crib? Ask Amazon. How about the average water temperature of the Niagara River in October? Ask NOAA. (It's 64F.)
Writing a book takes a long time. (About six months for me.) I'm so glad to have a tool like Google at my fingertips to help me add as much realism as possible, and to cut the time I need for research.
What kinds of things to you look up on the Internet?
May 1, 2013
Happy conveniences
by Julie
I don't know about you, but I don't care to cook in anyone else's kitchen but my own. At home I know where everything is, and I know precisely what I have in stock - I have a mental inventory that's generally pretty reliable. Cooking elsewhere means using garlic powder instead of fresh minced cloves. Cooking elsewhere means an oven that runs hotter/colder than mine or dishwashing liquid that smells different. Cooking elsewhere is stressful and difficult.
So, Saturday afternoon, I cooked dinner at home before taking it to my mother-in-law's house that evening. Worked out great because I had things in my casserole dishes and was able to prep them at home and simply pop them into the oven when we got there. Her oven seems to run hot, in case you were wondering.
Everything went smoothly and we all had a lovely dinner.
But even with my best-laid plans, there were two instances where being in someone else's kitchen gave me a little bit of a hard time. First... my mother-in-law has no oven mitts. How did this happen and how did I not notice sooner? Or ... did she get rid of them recently? Her memory isn't too great anymore, so there's no way to know for certain (and no way to know if they're simply misplaced). When I needed to turn the casseroles or get them out of the oven, I had to use a dishtowel.
That's one.
The other thing is a matter of preference. Before we tucked the leftovers into the fridge, I wanted to cover them with plastic wrap. My mother-in-law uses a different brand than I do and wow -- what a difference. Her plastic wrap was unruly, in a flimsy carton, and the plastic was hard to unstick from its center "hold in place" spot. It fought me every step of the way. The one we have at home is in a heavy, sturdy box. We pull out the wrap, cover whatever it is that needs covering, then slide a little plastic cutter across the top of the film. Voila! Perfect. No fighting at all.
It occurs to me that in life we have these happy conveniences we depend on. Like oven mitts. Like easy-to-use plastic wrap. These are things that we depend on and probably take for granted until presented with a situation where they aren't available (as happened Saturday for me). Now that I'm home I'm paying better attention to the things I've been taking for granted. It's nice.
I've pictured two of my must-haves in the kitchen. (There are many!)
What items do you depend on?
I don't know about you, but I don't care to cook in anyone else's kitchen but my own. At home I know where everything is, and I know precisely what I have in stock - I have a mental inventory that's generally pretty reliable. Cooking elsewhere means using garlic powder instead of fresh minced cloves. Cooking elsewhere means an oven that runs hotter/colder than mine or dishwashing liquid that smells different. Cooking elsewhere is stressful and difficult.
So, Saturday afternoon, I cooked dinner at home before taking it to my mother-in-law's house that evening. Worked out great because I had things in my casserole dishes and was able to prep them at home and simply pop them into the oven when we got there. Her oven seems to run hot, in case you were wondering.
Everything went smoothly and we all had a lovely dinner.
But even with my best-laid plans, there were two instances where being in someone else's kitchen gave me a little bit of a hard time. First... my mother-in-law has no oven mitts. How did this happen and how did I not notice sooner? Or ... did she get rid of them recently? Her memory isn't too great anymore, so there's no way to know for certain (and no way to know if they're simply misplaced). When I needed to turn the casseroles or get them out of the oven, I had to use a dishtowel.
That's one.
The other thing is a matter of preference. Before we tucked the leftovers into the fridge, I wanted to cover them with plastic wrap. My mother-in-law uses a different brand than I do and wow -- what a difference. Her plastic wrap was unruly, in a flimsy carton, and the plastic was hard to unstick from its center "hold in place" spot. It fought me every step of the way. The one we have at home is in a heavy, sturdy box. We pull out the wrap, cover whatever it is that needs covering, then slide a little plastic cutter across the top of the film. Voila! Perfect. No fighting at all.
It occurs to me that in life we have these happy conveniences we depend on. Like oven mitts. Like easy-to-use plastic wrap. These are things that we depend on and probably take for granted until presented with a situation where they aren't available (as happened Saturday for me). Now that I'm home I'm paying better attention to the things I've been taking for granted. It's nice.
I've pictured two of my must-haves in the kitchen. (There are many!)
What items do you depend on?
April 30, 2013
Amazing Almond Flour Muffins
by Lucy ArlingtonLately I’ve been hearing a lot about gluten. Our grocery markets have shelves for gluten free products, containing everything from flour to cookies to pasta. Many people I know have developed sensitivities to gluten, and they’ve had to change the way they eat.
One of these friends recently invited us over for brunch, and when I asked what I could contribute to the meal, she suggested I bring a bread item of some sort so that my husband and I wouldn’t have to eat completely gluten-free. I took that on as a challenge and decided to make gluten-free muffins.The recipe I’m sharing with you today uses no grain flour whatsoever. Instead, these muffins have ground almonds in them. (I have always called this ingredient ground almonds, although nowadays people call it Almond Flour.) When I made up the batter and spooned itinto the muffin tins, I was skeptical about how they would turn out, afraid they’d be little hockey pucks. But to my delight, they rose in the oven and baked to a golden brown.
Not only that. They were delicious muffins I would be proud to serve at any time.
Do you have a gluten-sensitive friend who might appreciate these muffins?
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins:2 Cups Almond Flour (Ground almonds)2 Eggs2 Egg Whites1/4 Cup Honey or Maple Syrup1/2 Tsp Baking Soda1 Tbsp Vinegar Dash of Salt1 Tsp Vanilla Extract2 Tbsp Canola Oil 1 Cup Blueberries (I used frozen ones, not thawed)
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.2. Place all ingredients except the blueberries into food processor and blend until smooth.3. When completely mixed, fold in blueberries.4. Line muffin tins with paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.5. Evenly scoop batter into muffin tin.6. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.April 29, 2013
Going Home Again
by Maggie SeftonThis Thursday I'm going Back Home again---to Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. I grew up in Arlington, VA, "a stone's throw across the Potomac" from Washington. Really. Arlington is a county, not a city, and is only 24 square miles wide in area. So for those of us like my "sisters" Nancy & Diane who grew up across the street from me in North Arlington, we really were that close. Arlington is the name of General Robert E. Lee's plantation which once occupied that beautiful piece of real estate beside the Potomac River.
Many people have visited a prime section of that property that lies right across from Memorial Bridge which leads across the river to Lincoln Memorial. That particular piece of property was designated as Arlington National Cemetary over a century ago. If you ever get the chance to visit, it is well worth your time. It is a peaceful and beautiful setting honoring those who have served and protected our Nation.
I'll be attending the mystery confence Malice Domestic in Washington, DC on May 3rd & 4th. I'm on a panel on Saturday morning, Politics Large and Small: Think Globally, Kill Locally. So if you're attending or are in the area, drop by the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wisconsin Ave next weekend. You'll get to meet lots of your favorite Mystery authors who will be in attendance. I'll remain in the area that entire next week until May 11th when I fly back to Colorado. Right now, we have gorgeous weather in Colorado, sunny and in the 70s. Buds are pushing to open and all that great snow has made the grass a healthy bright green. Yay for Spring snowstorms!
April 28, 2013
A Chunky Cheerleader Poll?
by Kate Collins You might have heard the blurb on TV about the newspaper columnist who called an Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader “chunky.” In the column was a poll asking readers what their opinions were on the girl in her cheerleader outfit.
Voters could choose from three options. Either they thought Williams had "the perfect look to be an NBA cheerleader," "she could use some tightening up in her midsection," or "she has no business wearing that outfit in front of people."
Really? This is what a journalist is foisting on readers as a news column? Passing judgment on a young woman’s body? Or is it a new sport? Remember back in February when a former Green Bay Packers cheerleader was called "ugly" and "an eyesore" on an unofficial Chicago Bears Fan page?
You have to wonder what a person gains by ridiculing a young woman who is obviously giving her all. Does it make the writer feel better about him/herself?
Wouldn’t you like to see the journalist placed in a similar situation? Even better, how about a poll?
Choose from 3 options
1. This journalist has the perfect writing style to be in the newspaper.2. S/he could use some tightening up in her pre-frontal lobe section.3. S/he has no business posting that column in front of people.
I’d pick number three. How about you?
April 27, 2013
The Time Has Finally Come!
by Leann
We moved to South Carolina last August after a whirlwind experience selling the house we'd lived in for twenty years. Our beautiful home in Texas sold in less than ten days--and we thought it would take three months. Good thing I'd been packing since Christmas 2011!
But that meant we weren't as ready to start building as we should have been. We didn't have plans, we didn't even have an agreement between my husband and me about the size of the house. What we did have is a gorgeous piece of property on Lake Greenwood.
Can you seen the pretty blue lake through all those trees? That will be our view every morning in the near future. But those trees? Many will be gone. :-(
It is exciting, however, to see equipment clearing the way for our new home. We have plans now. A one story open concept home with a walkout half-basement. Permits have been obtained, water, sewer and temporary electricity are ready. And don't forget the Porta-potty. Got that, too! Probably next week, the first shovel of dirt will be tossed aside.
So I thought I would share the journey with the first pictures of this work-in-progress! I think my life is about to get much busier.
That's the first sign of a driveway above!
Now we have a path to our new home! And those trees toward the lake? Several will remain. As my son and daughter-in-law requested, we have to make sure there's a spot for a tire swing and a hammock when the bring my granddaughters for a visit. A tire swing. Sounds great to me!
What's new in your life? What projects are you excited about? Spring is a good time to start something new.
We moved to South Carolina last August after a whirlwind experience selling the house we'd lived in for twenty years. Our beautiful home in Texas sold in less than ten days--and we thought it would take three months. Good thing I'd been packing since Christmas 2011!
But that meant we weren't as ready to start building as we should have been. We didn't have plans, we didn't even have an agreement between my husband and me about the size of the house. What we did have is a gorgeous piece of property on Lake Greenwood.
Can you seen the pretty blue lake through all those trees? That will be our view every morning in the near future. But those trees? Many will be gone. :-(
It is exciting, however, to see equipment clearing the way for our new home. We have plans now. A one story open concept home with a walkout half-basement. Permits have been obtained, water, sewer and temporary electricity are ready. And don't forget the Porta-potty. Got that, too! Probably next week, the first shovel of dirt will be tossed aside.
So I thought I would share the journey with the first pictures of this work-in-progress! I think my life is about to get much busier.
That's the first sign of a driveway above!
Now we have a path to our new home! And those trees toward the lake? Several will remain. As my son and daughter-in-law requested, we have to make sure there's a spot for a tire swing and a hammock when the bring my granddaughters for a visit. A tire swing. Sounds great to me!
What's new in your life? What projects are you excited about? Spring is a good time to start something new.
April 26, 2013
Charmed Bacon Lattice Breakfast Pie
By Ellery AdamsI don't know about you, but the arrival of spring always means the arrival of visitors to our house. I love to make this easy breakfast pie when we have guests. If you don't care for the pepper bacon, go ahead and sub it out for regular bacon or even turkey bacon. The beauty of this pie is how simple it is to change the cheese or sausage until it's perfect for your family.
Charmed Bacon Lattice Breakfast PieIngredients:
10 strips of black pepper bacon
1 unbaked deep-dish piecrust1 ½ cups shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese (can substitute shredded Cheddar or Swiss)
4 large eggs, beaten1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 cup breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line tray with parchment paper and create bacon lattice. Line up five strips of bacon from top to bottom and then weave in five more strips from side-to-side (follow same method as making a lattice piecrust). Bake until crisp, approximately 25 minutes). Drain grease from tray and set aside.Reduce oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, blend eggs and half-and-half. Add cheese and sausage crumbles. Pour into unbaked piecrust. Bake until eggs are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approximately 1 hour.
Remove breakfast pie from oven, carefully transfer bacon lattice from tray to the top of the pie, return to oven and bake for five more minutes. Serve warm.
What's your all-time favorite breakfast food? Mine's blueberry pancakes.
Supply me with supplies, please!
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
What is it about an office supply store that so many of us find appealing? Yesterday I had to go buy yet more supplies. Mind you, I've got about 4 packages of pens (10 each) that I haven't opened, five boxes of staples (can anyone use that many in a lifetime?), and scads of other stuff lying around my office because all my desk drawers ,and a whole closet, are full of ... office supplies!
What did I need yesterday?
Rubber bands and padded mailing envelopes.
Rubber bands? Until about a year ago, I had never paid for a rubber band in my life. They come on the newspaper 4-5 times a week (well, if it isn't snowing or raining), and you'd be surprised how fast they mount up, too. But I needed rubber bands for small bundles of bookmarks. The big horsey ones from the newspaper just don't cut it. I got a wonderful bag of about a gazillion rubber bands for dirt cheap, all colors, shapes, and sizes. How cool!
So I came home, happy, and then went to use my tape gun to tape up a box and found--surprise!--I'd used the last five inches of tape. So where am I heading this afternoon? Back to the office supply store.
What do you find yourself drawn to when you hit the office supply store?
What is it about an office supply store that so many of us find appealing? Yesterday I had to go buy yet more supplies. Mind you, I've got about 4 packages of pens (10 each) that I haven't opened, five boxes of staples (can anyone use that many in a lifetime?), and scads of other stuff lying around my office because all my desk drawers ,and a whole closet, are full of ... office supplies!What did I need yesterday?
Rubber bands and padded mailing envelopes.
Rubber bands? Until about a year ago, I had never paid for a rubber band in my life. They come on the newspaper 4-5 times a week (well, if it isn't snowing or raining), and you'd be surprised how fast they mount up, too. But I needed rubber bands for small bundles of bookmarks. The big horsey ones from the newspaper just don't cut it. I got a wonderful bag of about a gazillion rubber bands for dirt cheap, all colors, shapes, and sizes. How cool!
So I came home, happy, and then went to use my tape gun to tape up a box and found--surprise!--I'd used the last five inches of tape. So where am I heading this afternoon? Back to the office supply store.What do you find yourself drawn to when you hit the office supply store?
