Kate Collins's Blog, page 24

HOW TO FIND AND FOLLOW YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS!

By Mary Kennedy                                                       

We're not hiding, honest! It's easy to find and discover our new books and I'll show you how.
Did  you know that every author has an author page on Amazon? Here's the link to mine. https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Kennedy/e/B001HCS6OW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1572200645&sr=1-3
 If you hit the yellow "follow" button on the left hand side of the screen, you'll get an e-mail alert every time I have a new book out.  How did I get to this page? Every author's name is underlined under their book title and you just click on their name. It's a link to their author page.
My website. www.marykennedy.net Another good way to keep up with your fave author!
Blogs. Did you know that Cozy Chicks was named one of the top ten mystery blogs in the country? I'm happy to blog once a week (Mondays) with my fellow Cozy Chicks. www.cozychicksblog.com Other chicks are Lorraine Bartlett, Maggie Sefton ,Karen Rose Smith and Duffy Brown.
And of course there's FB. https://www.facebook.com/mary.kennedy.948Twitter. https://twitter.com/marykennedybookand Instagram where I'm catmagnet1234 
So drop by and leave a line or photo if you can, we love to hear from readers!
Mary Kennedy

WRITING FOR TEENS IS WONDERFUL!

By Mary Kennedy                                         


A lot of people know me as a mystery writer, but I also enjoy writing for teens. My Hollywood Nights series is a particular favorite of mine. Three books, linked together by their connection to the exciting world of movies.

Movie Star deals with the excitement of a film company coming to a small New England town to shoot a summer movie at a high school. There's love, romance, excitemen, and the thrill of being part of being "on the set" on almost every page.
Confessions, the sequel, deals with the main character heading to Hollywood for a dream internship with an entertainment magazine. Set in LA, there's double-dealing, red carpet drama, fun, ambition and a lot of drama.                                                                            
Golden Girl has a new set of characters, but the theme is the same. The excitement of the film world, this time in South Beach, Florida. They call SoBe "Hollywood East" because of all the movies being shot there.                                                                                 
The Hollywood Nights series is available in e-book form.  Here's the amazon link for Golden Girl https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Girl-Hollywood-Nights-Book-ebook/dp/B011JVQGYM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=golden+girl+mary+kennedy&qid=1572052735&s=books&sr=1-1
Movie Star https://www.amazon.com/Movie-Star-Hollywood-Nights-Book-ebook/dp/B014WGLMNG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=movie+star+mary+kennedy&qid=1572052828&s=books&sr=1-1
and Confessions. https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Hollywood-Nights-Book-3-ebook/dp/B017UIHRSW/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=confessions+mary+kennedy&qid=1572052869&s=books&sr=1-2
Happy reading, everyone!!
Mary Kennedy

Are you a fan of spooky stuff?

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

Why is it that when I type the word pumpkin, I almost always type pumpKING? (When I type the name Steve or Steven, I often type SteveR.) Go figure!

Today, I'm talking about pumpkins and the the lead up to Halloween.

To be honest, I haven't been a fan of this holiday since I stopped trick-or-treating. It's just a little too macabre for me. Yeah, me who writes murder mysteries. (My neighbors decorate their entire yard with gravestones, skeletons, ghosts hanging from the trees, scary noises from a speaker, and a large blow-up hearse with horses.)

Apparently, Halloween is the second biggest "holiday" for decorating after Christmas. Since I started watching YouTube decorating videos, I have started collecting various items to celebrate the season (mostly at yard sales. Why buy new when you can keep the old stuff from ending up in a landfill when someone gets tired of it?). That said, my "decor" is mostly pumpkins, some faux leaves, and a yellow-and-orange leafy garland. I do have a sparkling hanging ghost and pumpkin, and a little sign that says "Boo" .... oh, and four little knitted white ghosts my sister-in-law sent us, but that's about as scary as it gets.

When it comes to scary, I'm really quite a chicken. I don't like horror movies, and blood and gore is a major turn off. But I can write some scary stuff, and I have written several spooky stories--and they're all from my Jeff Resnick series.

The first, was WHEN THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU .

Jeff Resnick's curiosity is piqued when he sees a sign advertising psychic readings. At first he's sure the medium is a fake, but then his funny feelings lead him to suspect that a murder has taken place in the dilapidated house where Madam Zahara holds her readings. Just who died and how? And why is Jeff compelled to look for bodies buried in the medium’s yard? 

When I started writing it, I really had no idea where I was going to take the story, so hopefully the reader is as surprised by the tale as I was writing it. (I like when that happens. I write by the seat of my pants. If I knew what was going to happen, I'd get bored and probably wouldn't finish writing a story.)

Another spooky story is SPOOKED !

The trick-or-treaters have gone home and now it's time for the adults to celebrate All Hallows Eve. When Maggie suggests they consult an Ouija board, Jeff Resnick thinks it'll be anything but fun. And when they conjure up a ghost from Jeff's past, the game turns dangerous for the most vulnerable person in his life. (This short story directly follows Dark Waters.)

This story was written on the road. Literally. We were on our way to Florida for a writer's conference (I don't fly), and I knew I wanted to write about Halloween (because it was the week before that holiday), and Spooked is what came out. Mr. L drove, I wrote on my laptop. Success!
And then there my spooky Jeff Resnick novel, SHATTERED SPIRITS .
If it weren’t for bad luck, Jeff Resnick would have no luck at all!
While riding his new racing bike, Jeff is hit by an SUV, an accident which has a cascade effect on his life. He loses his job to a replacement, his girlfriend pressures him to move in, his bank accounts are hacked, and a restless spirit begs for his help—all in less than a week. But it’s soon apparent that his so-called random accident is anything but, and the murder of a close friend has a hobbled Jeff on the run. Can he discover who’s out to destroy his life—and threaten those he loves most?
So, if you're looking for a spooky read this week, try one of the above.
And if you're not into spooky, enjoy this faux floral arrangement! (The little sign says BOO.)

Happy Halloween!
How do you celebrate?

Shelters for Outside and Feral Cats

by Karen Rose Smith


Several years ago, we cared for a yellow tabby stray who came into our yard and seemed to want to stay.  We named him Lancelot because the first time we spotted him, he was protecting a kitten. We got him care and found out he had FIV.  He lasted through the summer. When he first began staying on our property, I wanted a protected place for him to nestle and we bought an igloo.  The following year another yellow tabby came to us.  We named him Sunnybud.  He stayed for three years until his FIV took him.  In the meantime we added more than one shelter for cats who needed cover over the winter.  At times, we had three cats staying warmer.  The thing about cats is that, unless they are bonded--mother and kitties, brother and sister--they each like their own space. They can be territorial. This summer I spruced up this shelter when I cleaned it out. We have turquoise planters and I had leftover paint from a reno project. Cedar Shelter



Some of the shelters have heat pads made for the outdoors.  In those that don't, we use straw.  Blankets and rugs will mildew and stay cold and wet.  In winter, we've found the cats prefer the shelters with the heat pads. No surprise there. The photo I led with is an igloo with straw bales around it to insulate it even more both winter and summer.  Sunnybud preferred being farther away from the house until he began to stay in our patio sunroom. The igloo is equipped with a heat pad.

There are many websites on the internet that have DIY instructions on how to make an inexpensive cat shelter.  ( Link for info on a DIY Shelters ) YouTube also has many DIY clips on building outside shelters.  Some of them use styrofoam coolers and others use store-bought coolers often used for picnic soft drinks. I found these on Etsy and they are called cat pods. These include a heat pad. ( Link to Extreme Weather Heat Pad )( Link for Outside Feral Cat Shelters )

Link to Heated Cat Pod Tower
Before Sunnybud left us, he introduced a brother and sister duo to our property. My husband named them Bonnie (a dark Tortie) and Clyde (a yellow tabby.) They have been more of a challenge than any others.  It's taken three years to socialize them to a certain extent. They come inside our basement now every afternoon to eat and cuddle up until morning. Then they go out again unless we keep them in for rain or freezing cold. Our basement is their apartment with cat beds and my plant grow heat pad that they use too.  But we still can't touch Bonnie.  I can pet Clyde unless I move my hand too fast or stand up!  We're working on it.  But before we even attempted to feed them inside the basement, they had to become comfortable with our property.  These two had been caught in a TNR program because both their ears were clipped.  I imagine they had a traumatic experience which is the cause of their apprehension around humans.  We added another shelter with a heat pad when they arrived.  I catnipped it and they began using it.  It was a patiently slow process.

This is a feral shelter we have under our deck. Clyde often uses the roof to survey his domain.  He and Bonnie can go inside and then crawl into a loft space that is insulated for warmth. Bonnie and Clyde both stay on our property now both day and night. Feralvilla Shelter


A fellow writer found stray cats on her property. I've often looked at these tubes and she told me the stray cats are using the shelter.  ( Link for Info on the Tube Shelter )


I'm an animal person, especially cats.  We have five inside rescues.  I can't handle seeing felines suffer in the winter.  Hence, the shelters.

Lancelot Me and Sunnybud Bonnie and Clyde Younger Sunnybud


Sunnybud
Sunnybud and Halo before we brought her in.

Dressing up for Halloween... In or Out?

Do the question today is do you like to dress up for Halloween...or for costume parties? Do you like to get in the mood and pick out just the right costume for the event?


When we have our Mystery Weekend I do like dressing up. This year I did Nancy Drew or Miss Marple depending how you looked at the costume. And to tell you the truth no one really looked at me all that much since I was hauling around a seven-foot Sherlock Bear.But I digress. I do like dressing up as mystery characters and I love Nancy Drew. I found this incredible dress in a vintage shop and just had to have it. Then I just kept adding to it and really got into the grove. So my question to you today is do you dress for Halloween? Do you like getting costumes and putting them together? What was your fave costume when you where a kid? What is your fave costume as an adult?

"Halloween Scare"

by Maggie Sefton








If you want to see some of the adventures Kelly and the Gang can get up to when some puzzling things happen around the Lambspun Knitting Shop, check out my short, short story "Halloween Scare."  It features all the Lambspun characters looking into  something mysterious.  There's no murder in this story, so I call it an E-Short.  It's available on Amazon at an ultra low price.  :)  If you give it a try, I hope you enjoy it.      

BOOKS OR MOVIES? WHAT DO YOU PREFER?

By Mary Kennedy                                           

One of the books I loved growing up was Giant. I was on summer break and it seemed like the perfect summer read, a big, engaging love story set in a place that seemed exotic to me. Texas! (I was living in the northeast and had never been west of Chicago.) When the movie came out, I rushed to see it.  Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. What's not to like? 
Did I love the movie? Yes. I was thrilled with it. It didn't matter that the movie didn't follow the book exactly, that sort of thing never bothers me.
And Gone with the Wind! A classic. I was thrilled when it hit the big screen and rushed to see it, all three hours of it. It didn't disappoint and I enjoyed hearing my favorite lines from the book. ("I don't know nothin' bout birthin' no babies" and "I'll never be hungry again.")                                                                               Mysteries are intriguing to me, and always have been, even before I started writing them. Agatha Christie is a favorite. The books, the movies and the TV adaptations are wonderful.                                                                               
Recently, I've been re-reading my favorite Jessica Fletcher novels, written by the talented Donald Bain. I enjoyed the Murder She Wrote TV series so much, I knew I would enjoy the books, and I do! Angela Lansbury is wonderful as the intrepid sleuth and the writing is fabulous.      
How about you? Do you enjoy seeing a movie when you've already read the book? Or is that a deal-breaker for you? I'm glad that so many of my favorites have hit the screen.
Mary Kennedy                                                                                       

Sweep, Scrub, Steam...How Do You Clean?

by Karen Rose Smith



In my Daisy's Tea Garden mystery series, my sleuth, Daisy Swanson, and her Aunt Iris own a tea garden near Lancaster, PA.  Throughout each mystery, I mention baking, taking inventory and readying the cases for the next day's tea service.  Usually implied in the script is a clean environment that would easily pass food inspections.  That type of environment also requires daily cleaning of the food prep and dining areas.

My own home is sometimes not as spic and span!  While it would be much easier to hire a cleaning service, I believe I can clean the house myself in the amount of time it takes to straighten it for a cleaning service to easily complete their job and for me to figure out a way to separate the cats (most of whom are afraid of the vacuum cleaner) from the area being cleaned.  Therefore, I am constantly striving to find the easiest way to accomplish one of my least favorite tasks.

When purchasing cleaning equipment, I always ask myself...What would make the job easier?  It is hard to beat a good floor scrubbing on my hands and knees.  But...my body says a loud "NO" to that.

At first, I resorted to the good old squeegee mop, but it is difficult to clean corners and other tight spots and you have to stop often to rinse and squeeze.  The "as seen on TV" Hurricane Spin Mop caught my attention and does a good job if you don't mind pushing around a bucket of water and lifting it to empty when done mopping.

Before we installed a new vinyl floor in the kitchen and bathrooms, my husband steam-cleaned the linoleum floors.  But that required a thorough pre-sweeping to remove loose dirt.  Then last Christmas, our son gifted us with an iRobot wet mop floor cleaner.  Surprisingly, I love it!  I still do a quick swiffer mop first.  But then I just insert a pad, fill it with water, turn it on and move on to my next task.  The little machine goes to work and leaves a clean streakless floor before it returns to its starting point and stops.  It is amazing to watch and the cats are not spooked by its gentle humming.       




It seems the most popular sweepers are the upright variety.  They are great on open spaces, but I find them cumbersome to operate in areas with lots of furniture and under the beds.  I still prefer my good old canister sweeper which is easy to maneuver and reach under furniture.  I also have an iRobot sweeper which is very effective in some areas.  The cats are not as comfortable with the noise it makes and I have to pick up a lot of items prior to sweeping that might get in its way.  Like the wet iRobot, it does its job and returns to its port to recharge.  I often turn it on in my office, then retreat with the cats to another room to watch TV for the evening and my floor is swept by the time I am ready to retire for the night. 

No matter what method you choose to use to achieve a clean home, there are advantages and drawbacks to each.  The easiest method is to ignore the dust bunnies and put cleaning off until next week.  But at some point, you have to select the method that best suits your needs, dig in and look at it as good aerobic exercise--bending, squatting, pushing.  And of course, keep your eyes and ears open for the next "as seen on TV' special that will magically erase all of your housekeeping woes.



 *************
Coming in December!

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER



In Pennsylvania’s Amish country, Daisy Swanson has a tea shop to run, a daughter to marry off—and a murder to solve . . .
Daisy’s worried one of her employees at Daisy’s Tea Garden may be in a spot of trouble. Lately Karina’s been loading up on soup and second-day baked goods at the end of her shift—and while the shop’s scrumptious treats may be hard to resist, Daisy suspects there’s more going on, especially since Karina has been seen hanging out in a rundown part of Willow Creek.
Planning her own daughter’s wedding is enough to keep her busy, but Daisy can’t help feeling a protective maternal instinct—and an instinct to investigate. It turns out Karina has been helping a down-on-his luck single dad who’s been making ends meet—barely—by selling antiques at a place called Pirated Treasures.
But when an employee at the antiques store is bludgeoned to death with a marble rolling pin, Karina’s new friend is suspect number one. Though the motives are muddy and steeped in intrigue, Daisy is more than determined to flush the real killer out.
MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Amazon
MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Barnes and Noble

Brazen Squirrel is Back

by Maggie Sefton




We're having a wonderful mild sunny October here in Northern Colorado, and my daughter Melissa is here to enjoy it.  She's scheduled a longer trip this Fall because she loves Colorado and wants to enjoy the beautiful weather.  She's able to work online in her job so she loves to combine travel with work.  Plus I have a comfortable 4-bedroom house which has two guest rooms upstairs next to my master bedroom.  So it's easy to have family stay-overs.

Of course since it's October, Melissa has been on the lookout for Brazen Squirrel that lives in the big Maple tree in my front yard.  I'm presently sitting in my living room, looking out the two main windows and keeping an eye out for Brazen Squirrel.  

Last year I posted about Brazen Squirrel and his escapades involving Melissa's newly carvel pumpkin.   Neither Melissa nor I had any idea that squirrels liked to eat pumpkins.  We discovered it when we came home from running errands in Fort Collins last October and found Brazen and a friend sitting on the brick wall bordering my front walkway, happily munching away on the pumpkin.  We were totally suprised.  Who knew squirrels liked pumpkins?


I've never made it a habit to feed wildlife.  I've always heard that's not a good idea.  So we didn't put out another pumpkin.  Melissa started putting out nuts.  Natural squirrelly snacks.  :)  For those of you who are curious as to why Melissa and I call our cheeky visitor by that name, it's because Fictional Brazen Squirrel  lived in the tall Cottonwood tree across the driveway from

 Lambspun fiber shop.  Fictional Brazen loved to torment Kelly's Rottweiler Carl.  He'd dart along the chain link fence rail, with Carl barking loudly behind.  Then Brazen would take a wild leap to a nearby Cottonwood tree and scamper up into the protective branches.  There, he would perch and noisily fuss at frustrated Carl.          

DOGS IN TUXEDOS, CATS IN TUTUS

By Mary Kennedy                                         

Here's Zoey, all dolled up as Cleopatra in a hurriedly put together Halloween costume. Zoey, as you may remember is one of Yogi's (my grand-dog) girlfriends.
                                                                         
Not to be outdone, here's Tilley, Zoey's housemate, trying on her Wonder Woman costume from last year. Thank heavens it still fits!  We just need to find the little crown that goes with it.       
I'm not sure if most people have snacks on hand for dogs and cats that are out trick or treating. And I don't know if there will be any in my neighborhood, but maybe I'll lay in a selection of dog and cat treats just in case. 
No, my own fur-babies won't be dressing up for Halloween. I asked Damian what he thought about the idea and he gave me a "You've-got-to-be-kidding" look.                                                                            

Some pets really take to the idea and seem to enjoy the attention. Dogs more than cats, I'd guess.                                                                                     



How about you? Do you have any thoughts of dressing dogs and cats up in costumes to celebrate Halloween? 
By Mary Kennedy