Kate Collins's Blog, page 237

The March 2013 Report

Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report: March 2013. This month we have three new series for your reading pleasure.

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The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott is the first book in the new “Book Collector” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, March 2013

Jordan Bingham needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans.

Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst—the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls.

Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good…but is it worth her life?

I love the concept in the new debut series of a missing play that could have been written and the search for it. Enters Jordan who needs this job and will do most anything to keep it. I love that her nefarious uncles are there to lend assistance in a law-abiding sort of way that helps Jordan as she becomes involved in a murder, assault and thievery. The author did a good job in teasing us with clues that included a few surprises that I did not see coming not even when the killer’s identity was revealed. Love it! Jordan is a great heroine surrounded by a quirky cast of characters that I want to know more about. I love the two main inhabitants of the Van Alst mansion and I look forward to what I hope is a long running series. Bonus recipes are included and be prepared to have your appetite whetted.

Visit Victoria at www.victoria-abbott.com

FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book, in hopes I would review it.
Murder By Chance by Pat Dennis is the first book in the new “Betty Chance” mystery series. Publisher: Forty Press, March 2013

Can three scrappy, single women of varied ages find happiness in a new travel business specializing in casino junkets? All bets off when Betty Chance finds a body in a tour bus that arrives at the casino hotel. At fifty, Betty is unemployed, divorced and penniless, but with her stunningly beautiful niece Lori, she opens Take A Chance Tours, a Chicago-based company specializing in gaming destinations.

Betty quickly becomes close friends with Tillie, the perky, effervescent bus driver who happens to be an ex-con. As soon as the tour bus arrives at Moose Lake Bay Resort and Casino in northern Minnesota, Betty and her driver Tillie, discover a dead body in the locked bathroom of their motor coach. The 350-pound corpse is riddled with stab wounds. With Tillie and Lori's help, Betty puts her amateur sleuth ability to work and searches for the killer.

This is an engaging romp where slots are ringing and murder is served buffet-style. With a good start, this book picks up speed as the duo team of Betty and Tillie with Lori bringing up the rear travel to Moose Lake Bay casino where someone is trying to implicate them in a series of misdeeds. Using skills Betty learned while married to a cop and using skills Tillie learned in prison, this duo is unstoppable and not even a chase, which was hilarious, and a million bucks will deter their efforts in catching a killer. A good read and I'm looking forward to the next road trip with Take A Chance Tours.

Visit Pat at www.patdennis.com

FTC Disclosure – I bought this book.
Murder at the Blue Plate Café by Judy Alter is the first book in the new "Blue Plate Café" mystery series. Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press, February 2013

When twin sisters Kate and Donna inherit their grandmother’s restaurant, the Blue Plate Café in Wheeler, Texas, there’s immediate conflict. Donna wants to sell and use her money to establish a B & B; Kate wants to keep the Café. Thirty-two-year-old Kate leaves a Dallas career as a paralegal and a married lover to move back to Wheeler and run the café, while Donna plans her B & B and complicates her life by having an affair with her sole investor.

Kate soon learns that Wheeler is not the idyllic small town she thought it was fourteen years ago. The mayor, a woman, is power-mad and listens to no one, and the chief of the police department, newly come from Dallas, doesn’t understand small-town ways. Worst of all, blunt, outspoken Donna is not well liked by some town folk. The mayor of Wheeler becomes seriously ill after eating food from the café, delivered by Donna’s husband, and the death of another patron makes Kate even more suspicious of her grandmother’s sudden death.

When Donna’s investor is shot, all signs point to Donna, and she is arrested. Kate must defend her sister and solve the murders to keep her business open, but even Kate begins to wonder about the sister with whom she has a love-hate relationship. Gram guides Kate through it all, though Kate’s never quite sure she’s hearing Gram—and sometimes Gram’s guidance is really off the wall.

I like it. This evenly paced drama quickly became a page turner as I got caught up in the lives of Kate Chambers and her family and friends. The backdrop of the café played an important role in Kate’s determination in making a go of her new lifestyle while trying to solve the question of who killed her grandmother. The author did a good job in keeping me guessing with each clue leading closer to the truth with some surprises in store for Kate. This was a good read and I look forward to the next book in this pleasantly appealing series. Bonus recipes are included.

Visit Judy at www.judyalter.com

FTC Disclosure – I bought this book.
And check out these other March releases

     
     
     
     
     
  

Pi day!

by Julie

Happy Pi Day, everyone!

It's 3/14 today, the one day every year set aside to celebrate an irrational number that is also a mathematical constant. We can thank this lovely, neverending, and (as yet) never-repeating decimal representation for giving us the opportunity to measure a circle's circumference and to determine its area. And we can thank Archimedes for his dedication to approximating the true value of Pi.

Fun stuff, huh?

Okay... so if math isn't your thing, then let's look at another way to celebrate.
Pi is a homonym of pie, right?


And because pies are circular, they can be measured by using Pi. Is that an awesome coincidence or what?

Best of all, if you love pie, you're in the right place. Our Ellery Adams writes the fabulous Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries, the newest of which PEACH PIES AND ALIBIS, just came out March 5th!

You know what? Diving into Ellery's newest book seems like the best way to celebrate Pi day. What do you think?

A Greeting From Scotland

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed

So I got this really cool gig to write three books in a new series set in the Scotland Highlands. I'm not ready to tell you much about it yet because I'm in the early stages of character development and research. As you read this I'm in Edinburgh, Scotland soaking up the culture. It's a tough job but someone has to do it.

I haven't spotted the Loch Ness Monster yet, but I have sampled a few pints in the local pubs.  And put to rest once and for all the age old question pondered by millions of women.
"What the heck is really under that kilt?" I now have the indisputable answer!


Will share more photos when I get back. Have a great day!!

Doggie Dentistry

by Maggie Sefton

Yes, you read that right.  Dentistry for dogs.  Last week, my Border Collie/Black Lab Katy went in for her annual dental cleaning at the vet's office.  Photos at top and in middle are Katy.  Dental cleaning is a procedure that many vets perform on a regular basis for their doggie patients because most dogs will not allow their owners to brush their teeth.  None of my dogs would allow it, no matter how hard I tried.  My sweet Rottie Carl wanted to eat the toothbrush.  Of course, Carl would eat practically anything, so it wasn't surprising.

Katy refused to open her mouth.  Really.  She'd clamp those jaws tight and you couldn't pry them open.  Katy would do the same thing at the vets for her annual exam.  The vet & I were laughing so hard.  But Border Collies are scary smart, so she knew how to out smart us.   Hence, teeth cleaning procedures.  The procedure is done under anesthesia and is VERY thorough, removing plaque and taking X-rays, checking for cracked or damaged teeth, removing problem teeth if necessary, and of course getting the teeth completely clean.  Like surgery, the doggies can have no food 12 hours before and with recovery it takes all day.  And. . .its not cheap.  But, I look at it as a necessary part of keeping my dogs healthy, because dental disease can cause all sorts of problems in dogs as in humans.

 I discovered that years ago when Carl, suddenly one day, turned away from his food.  Shocked, I tried to hand feed him.  He turned away.  So I took him to the vet.  Dr. Mulnix was an old experienced vet, who checked Carl thoroughly and couldnt find anything wrong. He wasn't sick.  Then, the doc said, "Let's take a look at those teeth.". That was it.  Two loose and diseased molars
were causing so much pain, poor Carl couldn't eat.  He went into surgery that day.  And had a GREAT appetite afterwards.  I became a more vigilant pet owner from that day on.

Oh, yes, Blue Tick Hound Max, pictured here.  Max wanted to chew the tooth brush. Max loves to chew.   Anything---bones, sticks, tree limbs, you name it and he likes to chew it.  So the tooth brushing was definitely a no-go.  Here, Max is sitting alone, posing, with his Innocent Look.  Obviously hoping that vet tech with the thermometer won't be able to do anything since he's sitting down---on the part of his anatomy the vet tech is aiming for.  :)

Some of you may already be familiar with  providing  for your dog's dental health.

Back in the Saddle Again?!!

by Kate Collins

Horses have been my secret passion since my mother read BLACK BEAUTY to me as a six-year-old child. I was so in love with those big graceful animals that I used to beg my parents to let me keep one in the back yard. (We had a garage, we had grass, what was the problem?)

That hope destroyed, I  devoured every book about horses on the library shelves. I also had quite a collection of glass horses. And my old bike wasn't a bike at all. It was a horse. My best friend and I would ride our "horses" all around the  neighborhood solving crimes a la Trixie Belden and her friend Honey. (I was Trixie. There was never any argument about that.)

When I was seventeen, my best friend found a riding stable one town over, and we rented horses there twice. It wasn't a big deal. We were led along a trail by an experienced rider, but I was in the saddle! And then on our third trip, disaster struck. I was given a new horse who'd never been a part of a group. That horse, I soon found out, didn't want to follow single file through the woods. He wanted to be first in line and he wanted to run at a full out gallop. And then he decided he wanted to run at a full out gallop alone. Meaning minus his rider. Meaning me. So he started bucking to get me off.

At that point, I decided to make my exit, so I threw one leg over the horse's back to dismount just as he bucked again. I landed against a wire fence on my neck. Luckily, nothing broke but my spirit.

Where was the guide during all this trauma? Not helping me, that was for sure. Needless to say, I never went back. I was too afraid. But my love of horses never diminished. It just got buried.

And now I've discovered that a woman in my new neighborhood (if you've been following my blog, you may remember I recently moved) owns a horse. When I first heard the news, I was at a meeting with other homeowners and was listening to about five conversations going on around me at once. (This is a gift most writers have). And then out of all those voices, one sentence floated into the air above me and wrapped around the part of my brain that is still a six-year-old child: "I own a horse."

Practically elbowing people aside, I made my way to her and said, "You really have a horse? Can I see her?"

So tomorrow I get to visit a horse named Magic, who, I was told, loves people and loves treats and really loves people who give her treats. Who knows? Maybe I'll even be brave enough to sit in the saddle.

Is this love of horses a female thing?

Me Watching Them Watching Her

by Leann

This past Friday, my daughter, who is a performance artist in NYC, had a unique experience to offer the world via live stream and, without getting on an airplane, I got to watch it all--as did many New Yorkers who happened to pass by. It's called Rooftop Dance At the Window at 125--http://www.ustream.tv/channel/presenting-rooftop-dance-at-the-window-at-125

There is an archive on the site but we're talking durational art. Long. So I will describe what I saw. As I mentioned, it was live-streaming all day Friday--from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening. My daughter was in a little black room, no bigger than a closet, with a window that looked out onto a busy NYC street. 12 other artists each have a day when it is their turn to produce a duration piece.

My daughter chose to fill the space with not only movement but by drawing  a unique mural on the three walls that the onlookers could see. She wore black and white stripes and slowly adorned the walls in black and white with what looked to be ladders and lightbulbs in perspective leading down and illuminating an imaginary floor below. At times you couldn't tell where she began and the walls ended.

As we all watched, she constructed the mural, taking great pains to measure, draw and tape sections of art to the walls--and interspersing drawing with dance and music and movement. And then, she carefully began to deconstruct what she'd created. I found this so fascinating because, as a writer, I construct a story, deconstruct it in an outline so I can write it, then reconstruct it on the page. It is the way of art, but until I watched what she was doing, I was never aware on a conscious level that this was what I was doing. The mother learns from the child. I like it.

I was completely fascinated by the people walking by who stopped to watch. For the most part, my daughter was emerged in her work and paid no attention. Many were fascinated by what she was doing, some seemed confused, some looked like stalkers (I was a little worried at one point) and then, toward the end of the day, there were these three guys. I couldn't hear their words but it was obvious they were making fun of what she was doing--at least if I read their body language correctly. What a metaphor. So many times, I feel as if other crime writers make fun of the cozy mystery. It's not "good enough." It's not "serious enough." It's "fluff." And yet we cozy writers smile and keep true to our work. Many of us offer the world great insight into that person next door who isn't quite trustworthy. It's all there between the lines.

What my daughter did in response to those three young men, who were apparently laughing at her, made me so proud. She made eye contact and she smiled. She interacted with warmth. They backed off--but then they came back. She struck the most amazing dance pose. To my eye it spoke of shyness, humility and a pulling inward. They left. She had touched them and made them think about their behavior without saying a word.

You see why I love her so? Yes, proud mother has spoken. :-)

Honoring Our Animals

By Ellery Adams

There's nothing harder than losing a pet. I've known too many people who've faced heartbreak this year after saying good-bye to a dog, cat, horse, or another beloved pet.

The Cozy Chicks are all animal lovers. We add them to our books because the way our characters react to their pets provides insight into their most vulnerable feelings. Animals do that. They bring out our softer, gentler, and more playful sides.

Luckily for them, our characters rarely lose a pet. It's too painful to put our readers through that experience. But sadly, it happens all too often in real life.

So today's blog will be in memory of the animal friends we've lost over the past year. It will also be a celebration of saving lives, for this is the month in which  The Cozy Chicks renew our Guardian membership to the ASPCA. This is a monthly monetary commitment and one which we are thrilled to make.

We invite you to be part of it by adding a comment including the name of a pet that you've lost or that have recently brought home to add joy and delight to your existence. Because this blog post is a way of saying farewell, but it's also a way of starting anew.

We'll add your pet's name to our donation so the ASPCA knows that our contribution is backed by a large population of readers who also happen to be animal lovers. Thanks and here's to another year of early morning walks, vacuuming hairballs, and unconditional love.

Tea, and a camera, and Photoshop

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

Back on January 1st while other people were resolving to diet, exercise, quit smoking, and spend more time with their families, I decided that 2013 was the year when I would pick up my camera and start taking pictures again.

How's that working out?

Pretty good, actually.  But it was my Facebook teacup project that really got me rolling this past week or so.

The cup that started it all--the one I gave away.I've been posting pictures of teacups on my author page for a couple of weeks now (I even gave one away), but my Facebook pals kept saying they wanted to see MY collection.  The fact is, while I do have a couple of stunners, most of my cups are quite ordinary. They're pretty, but they're not outstanding.  But I do love them and have no plans to part with them.

I took the photo at right in my dining room.  It was sitting on a tiny table on top of a linen tablecloth.  But my friend Dan takes magnificent shots of his beautiful sculptures. They're studio quality.  We asked how he did it, and he explained that he does them on his coffee table with a foamcore display board and another piece of foamcore under the pieces.  He does have a better lighting set up than me.  I cannot get my flash to synchronize properly.  It's off to the photo store to see about that.  I may even buy one of those photographic umbrellas to soften the light ...but that'll only happen after some major research.

(Are you bored yet?)

My teacup contest hadn't even ended when I logged into Pinterest and there on my screen was my little teacup.  Someone had lifted the picture from Facebook and uploaded it to Pinterest. I have to admit, I was both pleased and disconcerted.  It's not that I have any interest in selling my work (wait a minute, maybe I do ... I buy a lot of stock photography; I wonder if I could sell something to them.  Hmm ...)  At any rate, I was not going to upload pictures of my collection, but then I thought ... if I could copyright them, I'd share them with the world.

Voila!  Welcome to the wonderful world of Youtube videos, where you can find tons of fun things and tutorials based upon just about anything.  (I have also learned to pack a suitcase like a butler!)  Okay, so the tutorial told me way more than I needed about macros, etc., but after watching it a couple of times I picked up just enough knowledge to do what I want.  And now ... I'm sharing my teacup collection on Facebook, and eventually on Pinterest.

I'm putting up a cup a day.  If you'd like to join me (and tell me about your teacups), come on over to my Facebook page.  Just click this link.

Surprises in the Snow

by Julie

It's Chicago. It's winter. There's snow. So what else is new?

Not to sound like one of those "I walked to school in the snow, up hill, both ways" kinda people, I do remember waiting at bus stops for overcrowded CTA buses to pick me up to take me to high school. Did I mention I was wearing a skirt? And because the school I went to was uber strict, we couldn't wear jeans to and from school, even if we planned to change out of them once we arrived. No jeans at my school - ever.

This wasn't some posh boarding school. This was a typical south side of Chicago parochial institution. I loved it there, to be honest. I loved every minute... well, except for waiting on the street corners in the middle of winter for the buses to come. Half the time they'd be so filled with commuters the buses would slush right past me and I'd be stuck waiting another ten or fifteen minutes in the freezing cold for the next one.

These days life in our Chicago winters is much nicer. My garage is attached to my house and the only time I'm out in the cold is when I choose to be. I wear down jackets and warm clothing. I wear jeans whenever I feel like it (which is most every day) and the snow and the cold don't hold the misery for me that they once did.

All this puts me in a happier mood. And the snow must know I harbor it no ill will anymore. Look at the lovely heart I found in my driveway the other day!



I peeked out my bedroom window and there it was! How fun!

Yeah, in case you're wondering, this picture isn't from the current snow, but from the one last week. We had a lot more to shovel and snowblow this time around.

Anyway, finding that heart made me realize that there are probably little unexpected happy surprises around us all the time. I need to remember to look for them.

Hope this heart brightens your day the way it did mine!

Oh Tablet, How I Love Thee!

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed

I’m going out on a limb, trying something brand new.

In the past, I couldn’t leave town without carting along my laptop. It’s considered one of the lighter laptops, but after hauling the darn thing through airports, it starts feeling like a ton of bricks. For a while I used a wheeled case, but maneuvering that along with a wheeled suitcase was awkward.

So I decided to buy a tablet and keyboard for traveling. The choices were amazing and confusing- ipads, mini ipads, Google nexus, Asus, Samsung, the list goes on and on. After reading reviews and pondering the techno details, which I didn’t even understand, I went with a Kindle Fire HD 8.9”.

I’m so in love! It’s user friendly, was inexpensive compared to many of the others, is light (1.25 pounds), has beautiful resolution and I can check my email, watch movies, skype, hang on facebook, write, and it has all kinds of cool app too.

Still, I’m nervous and a bit sad about leaving my laptop behind. Once upon a time we had a thing. But my heart belongs to something else now. Farewell, laptop!

Do you own a tablet? What kind is it? Has it replaced your laptop?

p.s. I and my new love are traveling together at the moment. Once I land, I'll read your comments.