Kate Collins's Blog, page 243

The January 2013 Report

Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report. Today’s read are not "exactly" cozies, but recent mysteries that I had the pleasure of reading.

Front Page Fatality by LynDee Walker is the first book in the new “Headlines in Heels” mystery series. Publisher: Henery Press, January 2013

Crime reporter Nichelle Clarke's days can flip from macabre to comical with a beep of her police scanner. Then an ordinary accident story turns extraordinary when evidence goes missing, a prosecutor vanishes, and a sexy Mafia boss shows up with the headline tip of a lifetime. As Nichelle gets closer to the truth, her story gets more dangerous. Armed with a notebook, a hunch, and her favorite stilettos, Nichelle races to splash these shady dealings across the front page before this deadline becomes her last.

This is a good start to an exciting new series featuring Nichelle Clarke who is a gutsy news reporter whose simple investigation turns into a risky exposé that saw our heroine tackle the police, a mobster and a competitive co-worker. I love the concept of this well-written mystery that pulled me in immediately and kept me guessing as this captivating drama came to its explosive conclusion. Led by a believable cast of characters that was diverse in their role where everyone was suspect, this was an enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the next book in this appealing series.

Visit LynDee at http://lyndeewalker.com

FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me an ARC of this book in hopes I would review it. Book will be available January 29.
Grounds to Kill by Wendy Roberts is the first book in the new "Barista" mystery series. Publisher: Carina Press, January 2013

Barista Jen Hamby's coworkers give her a hard time for bringing coffee and pastries to a homeless man who sits outside her café--but she has a secret. The scruffy man is her father. She's also hiding the little matter of why her palm itches. But how can she explain that her hand has a mind of its own and writes messages from the beyond? Right. That'll get her Employee of the Month.

When she finds herself scrawling your boyfriend is cheating on you! to herself on the bathroom mirror, she immediately dumps the guy. But then his little fling--who just happens to be her half sister--turns up dead, and suddenly Jen's homeless father is the prime suspect. Jen knows he is being framed and must take matters into her own hands to protect him. But will anyone believe that the crazy old man is innocent? Or that his spirit-writing daughter holds the truth?

What an exciting debut! Jen has a secret that comes in handy when she stumbles upon the dead body of her half-sister. When the police start looking at her father for the murder, Jen with help from her two BFFs, set the stage for finding a killer and what a fun read this became. This was a good mystery that I could not put down as I had to know what happens next and who was trying to stop Jen’s effort in proving her father’s innocence. This was an action filled drama that never let up even when I thought I had a handle on the killer’s identity. A good read boasted by a likable cast and great dialogue, I can’t wait to read the next book in this enjoyable series.

Visit Wendy at http://wendyroberts.com

FTC Full Disclosure - I bought my copy of Grounds To Kill.
And check out these other January releases (click on the covers for more information).

Should I or Shouldn't I?

by Kate Collins

According to an article on Yahoo News, most people "waste an extraordinary amount of time obsessing about (and second-guessing) their decision making. "

Generally, I'm not one of them. I tend to make quick decisions. It isn't until afterward that I second-guess myself.

My mother wasn't good at making decisions. I remember, around the age of 12, being dragged along with her to Carson, Pirie Scott & Co when she needed an outfit for a special occasion. My dad was a policeman, and my mom a stay-at-home mother, so there wasn't much money in the budget for clothing, making a wise choice a necessity.  Still, once she had narrowed the choice down to say, three blouses, she simply couldn't decide, leaving it to me to make the final pick. Maybe that's why I make quick decisions now. I hated being kept away from the really important things in life, like lying on my bed with my bare feet against the wall, listening to the same song over and over, or talking to my best friend on the phone for hours.

I try to trust my gut when making decisions.  Last year I felt the time was right to sell my home and downsize. My big house, so necessary for a large combined family years ago, felt like a museum after my husband passed away. But once that For Sale sign was in the yard and a new "condo" style home was being built (gulp), oh boy did I second-guess my gut. For months I alternately cried and got excited as i cleaned out the house in preparation for the move.

Now that I'm all settled in, I know I did the right thing. I have wonderful new neighbors and a great new neighborhood. And the house is just right for me.

What kind of decision maker are you? Does it work for you or do you end up regretting your choice?

This Post is NOT Contagious

by Leann

From the number of posts from Facebook friends, many of you are suffering from a not-so-nice cold and flu season. My husband came down with a cold the minute we got off the airplane coming back from Christmas in Seattle. I pumped him with herbs and vitamins all to no avail. He was sick for nearly two weeks. Then it was my turn. Have to take turns, right?

When I was a school nurse, I used to dread coming back from the Christmas break. Every other kid was sick and the others had already been sick. I always sent out a note to parents at the beginning of the school year that sick children would be sent home and that they should not return until they were free of fever for 24 hours. Well along came advil and motrin. A dose before school, and guess what? Free of fever. Until about lunch time when the medicine wore off. Didn't mean these kids weren't coughing and sneezing and downright miserable. But their parents had to go to work, right?

I understood the dilemma. Lots of vacation time was taken during the holidays. They HAD to go to work. Or that was the reasoning. And in low income schools like the one I worked in, parents were often not allowed to leave their fast food joint place of business for something as silly as a sick child. I often kept feverish, coughing, vomiting children for hours while their parents scrambled to find someone to pick up their sick child. Some parents just ignored me, though. Yup. Bus drivers don't like taking home children with 103 temperatures, but that's sometimes what happened.

I honed my detective skills working that job. By the time I retired I could track down a parent (brothers and sisters of sick child are often quite helpful) within an hour and had no problem talking to the bosses who decided the parents "couldn't" leave work. Oh yes they could. And we would even send someone to come and get said parent if they claimed not to have transportation.

One time, during a particularly bad flu season like the one we are having now, one of my disabled children became very ill, very quickly. I called her mother, who said she was coming, and then held that poor baby in my arms for the next 3 hours. By the time her mother finally showed up, the child's temperature was 106. (Nurses cannot give any medicine that doesn't come from the parent with a note and directions.) She was back in school 3 days later. (Probably after getting her morning dose of motrin.)

If you are reading this and are young enough to have school-age children, don't forget the nurse when you are handing out thank-yous. That is, if their job hasn't been eliminated because of budget cuts.

What about you? Flu? Cold? Or lucky enough to be healthy?

PS--It's not too late to get your flu shot ... or flu-mist if you're scared!

A Different Kind of Resolution

By Ellery Adams

Yes, I've started the typical New Year's diet and have other goals for 2013, but this year, I've decided to launch a different, more lasting resolution. I've been thinking about how I've primarily used my writing to entertain adults, but I haven't written anything meaningful for my own children.

This year, I decided to start writing letters to my children. They'll be little snapshots - brief memories captured in print instead of on film or video. I'll keep them all in a computer file (with a back-up or two) and when they're leaving for college or getting married or whatever the milestone may be, I'll present them with a book of bound letters. Of memories. Of love.


Here's an example of one I wrote for Troll #2 (aka Sophie):


I was vacuuming today and you asked if you could help. I said “sure” and showed you how to use the vacuum. You made me smile because the thing is about as tall as you are and yet, there you were, pushing it all around the kitchen. I watched you and thought (for the hundredth time) how I never worry about you. You are going to be okay no matter what you end up doing as an adult. Do you know why? Because at six years old, you already possess the two most important traits a person can have. Kindness and joy. You have many other wonderful traits too. You're smart, beautiful, and lots of fun. But above all else, you are kind and full of joy. So I never worry about you. I just watch you light up rooms and make people smile.


What do you think of my idea? Have you ever written a letter for a family member and saved it for later? Did you ever receive one?

Dead In Red ... Check it out

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

[image error] As many of you know, in addition to cozy mysteries, I also write a harder-edged series known as the Jeff Resnick Mysteries.  I'm thrilled that earlier this week Galleycat did a shout out of one of my books, Dead in Red, giving it the top spot on their Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Self Published Bestsellers List for January 2013.  (You can see it here.)

Dead in Red is actually the second book in that series.  (Murder on the Mind, book #1, is currently free for all e formats.)  It's been an amzing week for Dead in Red.  Amazon dropped the price to $1.99 and sales went through the roof.   To say I was pleased is putting it mildly.

The series traveled a very rocky road to publication.  Nobody but me, it seemed, had faith in Jeff.  I'd written four of the books before the first one had even seen print simply because I believed in him so much.

I'm in the process of having the book made into audio.  Wow -- you'd think that would be easy, but it's been really difficult.  More than 14 actors auditioned for the part. Can you imagine hearing 14 different voices reading the same lines over and over again, trying to pin down who most sounded like the voices in my head?

[image error] Yesterday I listened to the first five chapters.  There were a few glitches.  The actor I chose is from the west coast, and doesn't know the proper pronunciations for things I take for granted.  (He'd never heard of Sunoco gas.)  He delivers lines differently than I've heard them in my head, but he's done really well with the women's parts. (Especially Sophie Levin.)

When Penguin Audio did the first five Booktown mysteries, I had no say in the choice of reader, etc. (although I did get asked about pronounciations). The narrator did a great job, too.  In fact, I'm listening to Sentenced to Death in the car when doing errands.  I'm really looking forward to hearing the rest of the Jeff Resnick books on audio, too.  That is, if Dead In Red does well.

I hope to have a sixth Jeff Resnick book out sometime this year.  (I'm shooting for summer.)  If you'd like to find out more about Jeff, Richard, and Brenda, I hope you'll check out my LLBartlett website.

Meanwhile, if you're even a little bit curious about the book, ask yourself what that pretty shoe up above could possibly have to do with the plot.  Maybe you'll be hooked, too.

Cell phones in Europe

by Julie

One of our family members will be traveling to Europe this year and we've just started doing our homework on cell phone coverage abroad. When my husband and I went there a couple of years ago, I called my cell provider ahead of time and had no trouble with texts and calls. Because I'm not super rich, I didn't make very many calls, mind you, but I was able to and that's all I cared about. I needed to know that I could, in case of emergency, you understand.

This time, because our family member will be spending more time there than we did, it may make sense to buy a new phone as soon as she arrives. Apparently, Europeans aren't saddled with two-year contracts. They rely on pay-as-you-go telephones.

But I'm a nervous Norvis. I'm sure these phones are great for inter-continental calls, but can they be  used to call the U.S.? To call me? I'll want to have contact beyond email and Skype.

I figured I'd pose this question to all you smart people who have far more experience than I do. What do you know about European cell phone coverage?
Any insights or suggestions to offer?

Thanks!

Welcoming the Coming of Old Age Genre!

by Deb Baker

Those of you who have been following my career from the beginning, or have recently discovered sixty-six year old Gertie Johnson, know that I love writing about aging characters. Unfortunately, while the past is firmly populated with protagonists of a ‘mature’ age, the current trend in publishing has paid homage to a much younger set. They want ‘em young.

Or did. Until now.

Enter a new exciting genre - Coming of Old Age (and for a certain generation there's also Boomer Lit). Mike Befeler coined the phrase Geezer Lit way back when it wasn’t fashionable. He had a vision, and he wasn’t afraid to take the risk. Mike’s fourth in his wonderful series called Cruising in Your Eighties is Murder , featuring a hero who struggles with short-term memory loss, came out today. My kind of guy. Mike’s vision of the future was spot-on.

Suddenly, romance and mystery, growth and change, isn’t only for the young. Those of us in our fifties and beyond want to strut our stuff, too. We want satisfying relationships. Some of us have to deal with all the complexities of our long-term relationships – grown up children, grandchildren, our aging parents, spouses we’ve been with forever.  Some of us are in the process of beginning anew.

Older protagonists have many advantages over their younger counterparts. They are immune to peer pressure. They march to a different drummer, one far more interesting and experienced. And they aren’t afraid to take chances.

Yes, we have a whole lot to offer in the third act.

And that’s a very good thing!
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To read more about Cruising in Your Eighties is Murder , click here.

To join Goodreads brand new group called Baby Boomer Novels, click here.

Downton Abbey is Back!

by Maggie Sefton


At last!  Downton Abbey Season 3 is here!  For those of us die hard Downtown Abbey fans who have been anxious to see what's happening in these fascinating characters' lives, the long wait was worth it.

There they were:  star-crossed lovers Mary and Matthew---would they be able to marry at last?  Beleaguered Bates, valet to the Earl, and sweet housemaid Anna---able to marry now that evil ex wife Vera is dead, only to see honest-to-a-fault Bates be thrown in prison for her murder!  And youngest rebellious daughter Sybil who defied convention, her father's orders and wonderful Dame Maggie Smith as Grandmama, the Dowager Countess of Grantham's shock to run off with Irish chauffeur Branson.  And quiet, easy to ignore middle daughter Edith, will she find happiness?  And what about that mysterious cousin Patrick, injured in the Titanic tragedy and suffering from amnesia, and now injured in World War I.   Is he actually the missing heir?

And what about scheming ladies maid to the countess, Ms. O'Brien and former footman, wounded soldier, Thomas returned to continue plotting against our favorites?  Adorable kitchen maid Daisy and  commanding head cook, Mrs. Patmore.  Stalwart butler Carson and head housekeeper Mrs. Hughes.  Downton Abbey couldn't run without them.

So, like so many other devoted Downton Abbey fans, I was ready and waiting to "turn the page" and see what the marvelous Masterpiece Classic writer, Julian Fellowes, had in store for these fascinating characters this season.  And Sunday night's first episode did not disappoint.  :)

Have you been following Downston Abbey?  If not, is there another Masterpiece Classic series you enjoyed?

Comcast, Seriously?

by Kate Collins

Comcast is on my bad list. Again. They shut off my TV service while I was away after Christmas, and when I called to find out what was going on, I was told I hadn't paid my bill.

Impossible, I told the man on the other end of the line. My bills are on auto pay.

He argued that he was reading straight from my account. He went on to say that my service had been shut off since November of 2011. How could that be? I asked. I've been watching TV!

He would not believe me. Seriously.

I finally said, "Whatever. I need to get it turned back on. What do I do?"

He transferred me to someone else because he said he couldn't help me. So what had he actually accomplished? Nothing.

The next person asked me all over again what the problem was, and when I gave my name, phone number, and explained the problem, he told me my service had been shut off since August of 2011. After trying to convince him that he was wrong and finally stating that I didn't really care what he thought, he transferred me.

The third person asked what the problem was, and once again I had to give my name, phone number, and explain my situation, which was basically how to get the damn TV turned back on.  This guy couldn't understand why my service had been shut off since I had a CREDIT of $244.

He transferred me, too.

It wasn't until I hit a fifth person, a woman, that I finally struck gold. She verified that I had a credit, pushed a button, and my TV was on.

Seriously? This is how a national company is run?

I'm furious, and I hope Comcast knows it.  They suck! I wrote a rant on their Facebook page but haven't heard anything back.

Have you suffered at Comcast's hands too? Have you had any luck dealing with them?

My New Christmas Baby

by Leann

Last week I offered pictures of my granddaughters, including the new Sweeney, Meika, born to my son and daughter-in-law on November 30th. But there is a new Christmas baby at our temporary house in Greenwood.

Here's the deal. When we came home from visiting our family in the Pacific Northwest after Christmas, our first stop was at the kennel to pick Rosie the dog and Wexford the cat. It's a new kennel to us. Back in Texas, I always used a petsitter for the cats and the dog went to a kennel (where she had a great time). But since I only had one cat, I couldn't leave Wexford home for long hours between petsitter visits.

Rosie was happy and fine when we picked up the pets, but Wexford was another story. He must have lost 2 pounds and he didn't even look like he'd been grooming himself. I felt horrible! I had been looking for another kitten for a while but Wexford is so shy, I was looking for the right match. (He has ALWAYS been shy since the minute he arrived in my life. Just his nature). The kennel stay convinced me I had to get a new kitten right away. We are planning a trip to NYC in May and I cannot leave poor Wexford there again.

The shelter cats I looked at (and they're weren't many kittens thanks to Christmas, which is not a bad thing!!) were not the right fit. Too aggressive or too shy--and neither of those personality types would be a good fit. I found a woman in northern South Carolina who had ONE KITTEN left from a litter of ragdolls. Since Wexford is a ragdoll, I called and then visited. I liked what I saw. A confident and yet sweet little boy cat.

Yesterday I brought him home. I have been debating on a mystery-related name and took into consideration all the names my facebook friends have suggested. But when I had a chance to really meet him and see how he handled walking into a new home, I knew he was Marlowe--for Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. My new baby is a cool customer with a curious mind. He has been exhausted from the travel, but I can offer one picture of my sweet new boy!

As for Wexford, he's not a happy camper right now. For the first time ever I have heard him hiss and growl. But I suspect one day soon, he will be very glad to have a new friend. I know I am!

What about you? Did you get anything extra-special for the holidays?