Kate Collins's Blog, page 252

Are You a Cheapskate Or a Wanna-be?

by Hannah Reed/Deb Baker


I'm writing Beewitched, number five in the Queen Bee mystery series, and as usual when I'm writing in my cozy world, I can't read cozies. I don't know why I can't, but other authors have said the same thing, and it is what it is.

So I go out of my proverbial box and read other stuff. Like this one. And I can't begin to describe how humorous and funny it turned out to be. An easy read, but also life altering. Jeff Yeager has it figured out! Instead of slaving away for money, then turning around and impulsively buying stuff we don't need with our hard earned cash, he has a lot of great ideas to inspire us to live simpler lives, ones that are stress and worry free.

Live below our means instead of above. Think smaller. Buy a starter home and instead of moving up with those pay raises, stay where you are. Make the home an extension of you. Staying put means more affordable property taxes and manageable heat and cooling bills. Pay off that home, get out of debt, quit working for 'the man' and do what you love instead. If you follow his advise, that dream can happen.

 Most importantly, discover that the things that make us happy aren't things.
 
With 108 five-star reviews this man knows his stuff.

Here's a link to more about Jeff
And a link to more information about his first book (yes, there are several).

Uplifting, funny, motivating, exciting.
Do you think I like this book? LOL.

I'm really having a great time discovering non-fiction books like this. Do you have any other recommendations for me?

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 Just a reminder - Beeline to Trouble will be on shelves December 4th and is available for pre-order now at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and all your other favorite bookstores.




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Sparing the Canyon

by Maggie Sefton



Ever since returning from my longer-than-usual trip back home to Northern VA/Washington, DC and then trip to Bouchercon mystery convention in Cleveland, I've been trying to catch up with friends and activities here in Fort Collins, Colorado.  I'd missed a lot, like watching the trees turn from green to yellow or burgundy red mixed with green or flame orange.  I love seeing these seasonal changes and I was surprised to return on October 1st and find almost all of the trees had already changed color.  The maples in my front and back yard were bright yellow or yellow orange.  My "volunteer" tree (meaning a squirrel must have forgotten a nut he planted) had already turned brilliant red.  So, I've enjoyed the color display while driving around town on errands.

There was also something else I wanted to do.  Last week, I finally drove into Cache La Poudre Canyon on the northwestern edge of Fort Collins.  It was the first time I'd gone into the canyon since this summer's wildfires.  I had friends who'd been evacuated in the middle of the night from their beautiful canyon homes and were living in town with friends, wondering if their homes survived.  We all read the riveting newspaper accounts of the brave men and women, who were volunteer firefighters, and how a small crew of only six of them had held off the fire that spread over the ridge from Rist Canyon and came into Cache La Poudre Canyon one night.  They literally put themselves in between those flames and their neighbors' homes---over and over again.  Their heroic efforts saved practically all of the homes that were in the fire's path that night.

I was anxious to go into the canyon and fearful what I might see.  Would the gorgeous canyon be burned badly?  What would it look like?  Wildfires hop and skip, burning one patch and leaving the rest untouched.  I'd already heard from others who had driven up while I was out of town that there were only a handful of spots that showed fire noticeable fire damage.  And even those areas had new growth already starting.

So, I was hopeful and I drove up, the Cache La Poudre River running fast alongside the road, welcoming me back into one of my favorite spots---as well as my mystery sleuth, Kelly Flynn.  :)  And to my immense relief----I saw that my friends were right.  The canyon looks the same---save for a handful of places where you saw charred trees on a ridge top or burned and blackened ground on the side of the road.  Everything else looked exactly the same.  The beautiful Cache La Poudre Canyon was just as beautiful as I remembered and treasured in my heart.  I cannot tell all of you how happy that makes me.

Do you have a favoritie Nature spot or Natural area that nourishes you that you treasure visiting?  Where is it?

Dru's Cozy Report: October 2012 Reading List

Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report. This month we have two new series for your reading pleasure.

Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown is the first book in the new "Consignment Shop" mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, October 2012

Reagan’s messy divorce has left her with nothing but a run-down Victorian and a bunch of designer clothes. Strapped for cash, Reagan makes use of the two things she has left, turning the first floor of her home into a consignment shop and filling it with the remnants of her rich-wife wardrobe. Thanks to his cunning lawyer Walker Boone, her ex got everything else, including the Lexus—not to mention a young blond cupcake. When Reagan finds the cupcake dead in the Lexus, she’s determined to beat Boone to finding the murderer. As it turns out, the gossip fiends flooding Reagan’s shop will give her a lot more than just their unwanted clothes—they have information more precious than a vintage Louis Vuitton.

Reagan Summerside may be down and out but this spitfire knows what she is doing when it comes to saving her treasured home. With her aunt Kiki by her side, she’ll scour the streets of Savannah to find a killer and nothing will stop her; not even threats against her own life.

This lighthearted drama pulls you in immediately and doesn’t let you go until the final page. With so many potential suspects the author does a good job in keeping the mystery exciting with so many twists and turns that it’s hard to put this book down. The situations that Reagan finds herself in and out add comedic interludes as she searches for a killer. This book had everything, laughter, a good mystery and the possibilities of a friendship and/or romance not yet seen. Reagan is adorable and her aunt is a hoot and her friends add supporting roles in this delightfully charming whodunit. Boasting southern charm with a quirky cast of characters and great dialogue, this is a terrific start to what I hope is a long-running series. Visit Duffy at http://duffybrown.com
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought my copy of Iced Chiffon

Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham is the first book in the new "An Animals in Focus" mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, October 2012

When a top-ranked competitor keels over at a dog obedience trial, photographer Janet MacPhail is swept up in a maelstrom of suspicion, jealousy, cut-throat competition, death threats, pet-napping, and murder. She becomes a “person of interest” to the police, and apparently to major hunk Tom Saunders as well. As if murder and the threat of impending romance aren’t enough to drive her bonkers, Janet has to move her mother into a nursing home, and the old lady isn’t going quietly. Janet finds solace in her Australian Shepherd, Jay, her tabby cat, Leo, and her eccentric neighbor, Goldie Sunshine. Then two other “persons of interest” die, Jay’s life is threatened, Leo disappears, and Janet’s search for the truth threatens to leave her own life underdeveloped – for good.

When a competitor suddenly dies, the cops suspect foul play and soon it becomes apparent that a member of Janet’s dog competitive group is a killer and with Janet assisting the police, she becomes a threat to the killer who will do anything to keep her dog-tied.

This was a good read. The story was fast and easy and I enjoyed the insider’s view of competitive dog training and botany. The mystery was good as it kept me turning the pages to see what happens next. Janet is a formidable heroine whose concerns for the dogs prompted her sleuthing and when her own pets are targeted, nothing will stop her until the person is apprehended. We got to see two sides of Janet as she deals with her mother’s health issues and the blossoming friendship she has with fellow dog lover, Tom. I also loved the internal conversations she has which added humor to the story. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this enjoyable new series that is a welcome addition to the cozy genre. Visit Sheila at www.sheilaboneham.com
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought my copy of Drop Dead on Recall
And check out these other October releases. For more information, click on the covers:

If Only My Stuff Could Only Talk!

by Leann

When I packed for the move to Texas, I marked every box clearly, often the writing on top looking more like a grocery list than a label. I wanted to be sure I knew where everything was and what room it belonged in. If it went to storage, it had a big "S" on it. If it was to go to the rental house, it was marked with an "R." What could go wrong?

How about everything? Not all the "R's" ended up in the rent house. And though I tried my best to stand at the front door of the house and read what I'd written on the boxes as our friends brought them in, apparently I needed a speed-reading course. Major. Fail. Boxes stacked on boxes are difficult to read. I soon realized I should have made my content lists on the SIDES of the boxes.

We moved in the heat of summer, so did I think to set aside a few pair of socks? Of course not. I have a nice large box full of socks. SOMEWHERE. I also have a very important box of winter shirts--my favorite Henleys, my sweatshirts, again SOMEWHERE. Can. Not. Find. The latest item I am missing? My Kindle. That one is a mystery because I brought it with me in the car, even used it when I was staying with our friends. Only when I downloaded a title for researching the book that I just turned in did I realize that it's missing.

I want someone to invent a GPS something that will help me find my Kindle, my socks and the next thing I cannot find in this house full of boxes. And it's only been made worse by the fact that we are going from 3 storage units to 2. My husband is clearing one out and piling even more boxes on top of boxes here. (They didn't have any of the large units and that's why we ended up having to rent 3. We moved from a house that was twice the size of this little gem we are in now.)

Big sigh. The only good thing is that it will be like Christmas when we finally move into our permanent home. But of all the things I've lost in this move, I miss my mind the most. :-)

This ever happen to you?

A Charmed Maple Apple Ginger Crumble Pie

By Ellery Adams

Yes, it's a mouthful! But it gives me a chance to give you a sneak peak at the cover for the next Charmed Pie Shoppe mystery (Peach Pies and Alibis, due out in March) and provide you with an amazing recipe for all those fresh apples for sale in your local stores.

If you can pick them right off the tree, that's even better. Either way, the weather has turned colder. It's time to break out the sweaters. It's time for chili and football and apple pie. And this may become your favorite apple pie EVER!

How do you like to use apples during this fall season?





Charmed Apple Ginger Maple Crumble Pie
Ingredients1 Pie Crust (if you don’t want to make your dough from scratch, use a refrigerated Pillsbury crust)6 cups of peeled and chopped apples (pick your favorites or substitute the apples for Bartlett pears)1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch½ teaspoon of salt¼ cup of packed brown sugar¼ cup of pure Grade A maple syrup1 tablespoon of lemon juice 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
½ teaspoon of ground ginger
Crumble Topping Ingredients2/3 cup flour ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup packed dark brown sugar1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1Roll out pie dough and place in a 9 ½-inch deep-dish pie dish Put in the freezer to set.
2Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the chopped apples in a large bowl with the cornstarch, ginger, brown sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Toss well using your fingers.
3Place the apple mixture into the pie dish. Place the pie into the center oven rack and bake for 45 minutes.
4While baking take all the Oatmeal Crumb Topping ingredients and place them in a bowl. Use your hands and mix the ingredients until large crumbs form. Refrigerate until use.
5After the 45 minutes are up remove pie and reduce heat to 375F. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the pie and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least one hour. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

But it'll be MUCH prettier

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

We're having our house painted.  YAY!

Our lives are in upheaval.  Not so yay!

First of all ... we talked about it ALL summer, but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that we (which means Mr. L) called for estimates.  Then we had to decide who would get the job.  Then we had to decide what color to paint it. We could have painted the house the same color, but we've been here 19 years and dung brown just wasn't cutting it anymore.  Although it was different from 90% of the other houses on the street.

Have you ever noticed that most houses are painted white, beige or gray?  (And especially in new housing tracts.)  Well take a look.  There's nothing wrong with these colors, but when 99% of the homes are painted those colors its ... well, rather boring.

We went for sage green.  I'm still not clear what the trim color will be ... light brown or cream.  And we're going to paint our front door some shade of bright yellow-orange.  (And if that doesn't look good ... maybe a shade of red we saw on another sage green house.) 

So far the weather has not cooperated.  Yesterday they painted about 45% of the house -- and I'm sure glad it covered up the BLUE primer they put on the rough spots.  At least it's green from the street, but the back and south side of the house are covered in primer and it looks horrible.  It might rain today.  If it doesn't, it might be too cold to paint. 

And did I mention that our garage is now a warehouse for the stuff the painters need?  We're talking half a double garage full of someone else's stuff.

I'll be glad when the job is over and when we drive up to our house it looks fresh and nice and inviting.  In the meantime, it's been a rocky ride.

What's rocking your world today?

Bouchercon!!

by Julie
That scream you heard Saturday night coming from the direction of Cleveland was me! Woo-hoo!!! Buffalo West Wing was named as winner of the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original. Wonderful evening! What was so much fun was being surrounded by friends there -- and all weekend. Bouchercon is the world mystery conference and it gives attendees the opportunity to meet and talk and hang out with people we only get to see once a year...if that. It's so huge that I went the entire weekend without running into some people who I *know* were there.

Here's the video my friend Ali Karim shot and posted to YouTube (yes, I know Hyzy isn't spelled exactly right, but it's close!)Thank you, Ali!
Tammy Kaehler, me, Sheila Connolly, Rochelle Staab
(picture from Tammy Kaehler)
If you'll indulge me, I'd also like to share a few pictures here. I blew it by forgetting the camera, but I took a few with my iPad and stole the rest from friends' posts online. I don't have pics of any other Cozy Chicks here, but Maggie and I were on the same plane, Deb and I got a chance to chitchat a bit at the Berkley cocktail party, and Heather and I ran into each other a couple
of times as we rushed around from one place to another. I couldn't get a room in the conference hotel and Heather got bumped from her room, so there was a lot of running back and forth going on all weekend. And of course I got to hang with Dru ! She is always smiling and always so much fun to be around.
Tammy Kaehler,
Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames)
Sheila Connolly
Bouchercon is whirlwind, but so energizing. Loved meeting with my editor there and hanging out with so many of the Berkley people. Visited with my agent, caught up with friends, and met lots of new ones.

That said, I'm happy to be home. I'm ready to buckle down and start writing again. Lots of ideas for Ollie, the White House Chef (starting #7 as we speak) and for Grace #5, because #4 (Grace Takes Off) is already turned in.

Even though I'm exhausted, I'm also energized. Don't you love when that happens?

From TV series to Print

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed

Lots and lots of mystery novels have been made into television series, like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Poirot, Ellery Queen, and Sherlock Holmes.

But what about the reverse – TV series so successful they found new life and more adventures in print? Two of my favorites come to mind.

Number 1 - Every Sunday night I went on another mystery adventure with Jessica Fletcher, hunting for clues, watching the amazing woman solve crime after crime. Lucky for us, Donald Bain brought Jessica back to life after the series ended. Domestic Malice, the latest in the series, came out this month.

Number 2 is Adrian Monk. I always knew that I could count on him Fridays to share his extreme OCD and solve what seemed to be the impossible crime. Thanks to the wonderfully talented Lee Goldberg, Monk is still around and as quirky as ever. Lee’s latest - Mr. Monk is a Mess

Do you read either of these series? Can you recommend more?


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Home Again. . .For A While

by Maggie Sefton

I arrived from Cleveland and the Bouchercon mystery conference late Saturday night,  earlier than I would normally because daughters Serena and Maria had arrived the day before.  Thank goodness they were able to drive to Denver's airport to pick me up so I didn't have to drag in from the airport shuttle in the wee hours of the morning.  They came to visit me and my 92 year old mom who's living in a wonderful skilled care facility in town, Columbine West Health and Rehab.

Bouchercon was  good conference, particularly because it allowed me to re-connect with authors and readers who only attend that conference every year.  But it's also a wonderful opportunity to meet new readers and authors as well.  My panel went very well, and I answered lots of questions about both the Kelly Flynn Mysteries and the Molly Malone Suspense series.  Saturday morning, there was a signing in the Bookroom for several authors who are published by Midnight Ink Books.  I sold out of all the booksellers' supply of DEADLY POLITICS, so that was a lot of fun!

But the Bouchercon Bookroom was not a fun place for most of the Cozy Mystery authors attending the conference.  One of the biggest-selling vendors was unable to bring in his entire supply of books--through no fault of his own.  The circumstances were out of his control.  That was terrible for the bookseller who lost a LOT of money but it was equally terrible for all the Cozy Mystery authors as well.  That vendor had ALL of the paperback books for the Bookroom!  That means that NONE of the readers were able to buy their favorite authors books.

I sincerely hope the organizers of future Bouchercons and ALL the other mystery conferences heed this  story--and take pains to re-think how books are shipped and delivered to future conferences.

Mascara Wars: Truth in Advertising?

by Kate Collins


Well, I’m disappointed. Always looking for a “new and improved” formula, I just tried Maybelline’s brand new line of mascara called Mega Plush. From the packaging, I expected to see a plush mint green brush on the wand. From the commercial hype, I expected full, fluffy lashes. First of all, there was no mint green brush, and frankly, the formula looked no different on my eyelashes than their traditional Great Lash, which I think is a solid product.
I had been all pumped to try the new MAC line called False Lashes, but Amazon (or one of its dealers) was out of it.  Seriously? Amazon? I felt so let down!  And then I stepped back for a reality check. It’s just mascara! And costly mascara, at that. How much different will it actually make my lashes look? And who is going to care? When was the last time you really noticed someone’s eyelashes being different from one day to the next? (Hey, are you wearing a NEW mascara?) I’ll bet it doesn’t happen often.
In my opinion, the trickiest makeup to buy is lipstick. I can’t tell you how many tubes I’ve tossed out because the color looked fine at the store (in their awful florescent lighting – go figure!) and looked like something the bride of Frankenstein would wear once I got it home. Or it was so dry, it made my lips look like the floor of the Sahara desert. Or the gloss was so gooey my lips stuck together, making a kind of mmupp noise when I pulled them apart. I know. Check reviews.
Have you had similar luck with advertising hype? Ever find the perfect mascara? We makeup junkies are dying to know.



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