Kate Collins's Blog, page 259

Welcome to National Vacation Month!

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed 

No vacation for me:(

I'm home finishing up a new Gertie story and prepping the first book in the series for audio distribution. Both launching in September:)

But I'm pretty creative, so I think I'll take an imaginary road trip this month. I’m in Wisconsin, so I’ll zip down to Chicago and hop on Route 66, aka the Mother Road. It will lead me into a world of simpler times when mom and pop diners and motels dot the landscape.

I'll take it slow and easy, travel through Illinois and Mississippi, then on through the plains states of Kansas and Oklahoma, right into Texas where years ago I ate at The Big Texan (which I hear has moved off Route 66, so I'll have to take a detour).

Next the southwest – Albuquerque and Santa Fe, through The Petrified Forest (another destination I’ve seen and well worth the time), arriving next in Arizona, through Flagstaff and into California for the grand finale.

I'll drive and dine, hike and dine, motel it and dine, and dine some more.

Anything is possible in my fantasy, where money grows on trees and time stretches as far as my imagination will allow it.

Come with me. Or do you have your own fantasy destination?

DEADLY POLITICS will be out Wednesday, August 8th

by Maggie Sefton


At last.  The first in my political suspense series, DEADLY POLITICS, will be available for sale in bookstores.  I've waited a long time to see it on the shelves.  Those characters first walked onstage in January 2006, and it's been a long road to publication.  I had to fight for Molly Malone, the protagonist in this series.  It's not a cozy mystery, it's suspense, so there are differences in style from an amateur sleuth cozy.  Some publishers weren't interested at all.  True, the plot isn't cozy, but like the Kelly Flynn series, there's a colorful cast of characters that help and hinder Molly Malone while she tries to unravel the mysteries she encounters.

We novelists are a tough bunch, and we're used to rejection.  We've faced it ever since we offered our first creations to editors and agents.  We got used to hearing "No."  But, we don't give up easily.   We're fighters.  And we'll fight for our characters because we believe in them and their stories.  I fought for Molly Malone and DEADLY POLITICS to make sure it found a good home with an excellent publisher.  I found that with Midnight Ink.  And I love the fact that the Molly Malone Suspense mysteries will be published in Trade Paperback.

Having said all that, you folks will understand my considerable delight when DEADLY POLITICS received excellent reviews from esteemed Mystery reviewers:  Kirkus, Library Journal, and Mystery Scene magazine.   You can read the reviews as well as an excerpt on my revamped website:  www.maggiesefton.com.   Meanwhile, here's a plot description, so you'll get an idea of what this series is about.  I hope you'll give DEADLY POLITICS and Molly Malone a try.  :)



DEADLY POLITICS , the first in the Molly Malone Suspense  Series, by Maggie Sefton.  August 8, 2012 in trade paperback from Midnight Ink Books and online.    www.maggiesefton.com

Welcome to Molly Malone’s world----
Politics is a blood sport in Washington, DC, and only the strongest survive.    Like the politicians she’s rubbed shoulders with for a lifetime, Molly Malone is smart and tough and savvy enough to stay out of trouble---most of the time.  However, trouble has a way of finding Molly.
Years ago, Molly Malone was driven from Washington, DC by political back-stabbing, scandals, and personal heartbreak.  But now, circumstances have forced her to start a new life in the one place she swore she’d never return to—the city that broke her heart---and face the ghosts and the enemies from her past.
As the daughter of a respected United States Senator and once the wife of a rising star young Congressman, Molly has seen it all in Washington politics---the cynics, the sincere, and the schemers.  But the brutal murder of her Congressional staffer niece brings Molly up close with Washington’s darker side.  “The beautiful monuments and parks are deceiving.  Washington can be ugly.”  How ugly, Molly’s about to find out.  There are other schemers out there who may not have won elections, but are more powerful than the politicians they ensnare.   

Are You a Sleepaholic?

by Kate Collins
If I’m any kind of “aholic” at all, I’d have to say sleepaholic first followed by chocoholic because, in my humble opinion, there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep, and now a new study proves me right. Sleep deprivation can actually make you ill.
According to recent researched published in the journal Sleep, (how appropriate) sleep deprivation has the same effect on our immune systems as physical stress, and we all know what stress does to the body. The article goes on to explain that the lack of sleep causes our immune systems to become hyperactive and start producing white blood cells—the body's first line of defense against foreign invaders, such as infectious diseases. So the body reacts to sleep deprivation in much the same way it reacts to illness. And that, in a nutshell, is why we feel bad.Some people are more sensitive to a lack of sleep than others. My husband was able to get by on five hours, although not for extended periods of time. Me, not so much. I simply don’t function well without my seven to eight hours a night, although I can make do with six on occasion. I feel so much better having gotten a full night of Zzzzzs.
How about you? Do you love your sleep or are you one of those energizer bunnies who can get by on five hours?


(Source: Sleep 2012; 35 (7) pp933-940

Strange Old Men

by Leann

I know in my writing that the devil is in the details, but it is true in all aspects of life. Making a big move to another state at my age (I am no longer in my twenties if you were wondering) has been challenging. Especially with the fatigue-creating illnesses I have. I can muster the energy, borrow some from tomorrow but with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, there is no energy carry-over from the day before. Eventually, if I borrow too much, I crash. Frustrating, yes, but part of my everyday existence. Managing energy has been the biggest challenge. So much to do, so many racing thoughts and no real home anymore.

A rather tired me met with the landlord at the old, less than stellar rent house we will be calling our temporary home. He's an aging vet, so I must cut him some slack. But should you really sit down with a woman you've never met before (myself) and talk NOT about the lady you are about to marry but instead about your dead wife? For a very long time. I know a lot about Pauline. Good thing Charlene--his intended and the actual owner of rent house--wasn't around to hear this little chat. Especially when I met with her later and she told me how scared she was about the upcoming nuptials. Since her future husband knows "Pat" at the bank and "Debbie" at Public Works, I'm thinking she has reason to be afraid. As my friend says, he's quite the flirt. But, he has worked hard to get the house in shape even while being quite the character. Grist for the mill, I always say.

Then came the encounter with old guy at the storage place. What. A. Grump. Simple questions asked pleasantly seemed to require irritated responses. I wanted to say, "I'm TRYING to give you my money." Unfortunately, it is the best place in the best location, so I was kind of stuck. I do believe his simmering anger had more to do with his having to do math and fiddle with computers. Renting the storage unit took a very long time. My only fear is I might have to deal with the Grump again. Let's hope not.

On the up side, I sure have gotten a more in depth flavor of the area. This is a lovely place with beautiful scenery--and strange old men.

What about you? Ever met some memorable characters in your life's journey? I'd love to hear about them.

My Thieving Ways

By Heather
About a month ago I bought a ton of stuff at Ikea to redo my middle son’s bedroom. Have you been to Ikea? If not, and you’re planning to go, start prepping now with a vigorous training regimen, because that place wears you out! At least I was worn out. Another note: when buying lots of stuff, don’t wear flip-flops!

Anyhow, my cart was loaded high as I checked out and the cashier zipped through the process using her little laser gun thingy to tally up the goods. I headed home ready to tackle a new project.
Fast forward to the end of the project (it looks amazing, by the way). Along the way, we decided not to use some knobs that we'd bought, so I brought them back to Ikea to return.
At the counter, I handed over the knobs (two packs) and my receipt. Only, the transaction wasn’t going through. Only one set of the knobs was showing purchased.
Then I realized what had happened.
I had stolen the knobs.
Okay, so it wasn’t quite my fault that the cashier hadn’t rung them up, but still. I felt like a shoplifter! To add to my embarrassment, the customer service woman offered me store credit for the package of knobs I DID NOT BUY. It must be part of their store policy. I politely declined the offer to be paid for my thievery...
Have you ever accidentally stolen something? Did you return it?

---By the way, A WITCH BEFORE DYING comes out on Tuesday. I can't wait to share Darcy's latest adventure with all of you!

Weeds and things

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

I'm working on two new books.  (Okay, three.  Kinda sorta.)  I'm juggling Victoria Square #4 and Booktown #8 (neither of which have titles -- but that's another story).

It's summer.  I can't sit still all that long to write.  I feel antsy when the sun is shining.  It's been shining a lot.  It's been way too hot to garden, and the weeds have taken full advantage of our hiding inside.  Well, too bad, weeds, I'm on the war (or at least weed) path.  I find I can write a few hundred words, and then I'm so antsy, I have to get up from my chair.  So I've been going out and weeding.

Again, we've had a LOT of weeds.



It's very satisfying work, and it's good for the creative process.  Go outside, yank weeds, think about my story.  Run out of ideas for one, then think about the other(s).



So, I'm making progress with the weeds, and the book(s).  Now I'm worried about what I'm going to do when I run out of weeds to pull.

Any ideas?

P.S.  Isn't my little Scottie dog cute?

Weekend away P.S.

by Julie Hyzy
My husband and youngest daughter survived my being away for four days, but I have to tell you, I couldn't stop laughing when my husband told me about one of the dinners they created.
Before I get into that, however, I have to give a shout-out to the Midwest Writers Workshop (MWW) in Muncie, Indiana. Wow! I've attended many writing and/or mystery conferences over the years and I have to tell you -- this one ranks up there with the best of them.

MWW is not focused solely on mystery but it is focused on the craft of writing. The workshop this weekend was their 39th annual. What a fabulous experience. And what an amazing group of talented writers -- all hoping to become published -- collected in one place. The pieces these writers came up with over the weekend blew me away. I was there as a faculty member -- talking about Writing the Cozy Mystery (among other things), but came away feeling as though I'd learned a great deal as well.
I also came away with new friends. Good friends. You know how you sometimes meet people and all of a sudden you feel as though you've known them for years instead of minutes? That was my experience this weekend. And we're already planning a writing retreat/get-together in the winter. How cool is that. 
My thanks to the organizers of MWW for inviting me to be part of this jewel of a workshop. It wasn't just fun, it was energizing. Now that I'm back and have an unfinished manuscript to turn in on September 1st, I need all the energy I can get! LOL
But... last week I talked about my trepidation over leaving my non-cooking husband and youngest daughter home alone. I'd left them a few things to heat up (which my husband overlooked the first night - sigh) but on Friday night, our daughter decided she had a taste for pancakes. 
Easy enough. We didn't have any mix, so they decided to make them from scratch. The recipe made 16 pancakes but they only wanted 4, so they cut down the ingredients. So far, so good. But those 16 pancakes needed one egg. My husband couldn't figure how to measure 1/4 of an egg and didn't want to waste, so the whole thing went in. Hmm...

The worst part was when they realized they needed buttermilk and we didn't have any. They decided to borrow some of the half-and-half I keep for coffee, but thought they might need to sour it somehow to replicate the buttermilk. Smart, right?

Um... wait until you hear *what* they chose to sour it with!

They searched for lemons. We were out because I'd used them all to make homemade lemonade a few days earlier.

"What the heck?" they thought. And - yes - the lemonade went in.

Over-egged pancakes made with lemonade. For extra flavor they added chocolate chips. I kid you not.

They swear they tasted good, if a little eggy. I'm relieved they only made four. I wouldn't have wanted them to save any for me.
Have you ever made an *unusual* substitution when cooking or baking? How did it turn out?

Ah, Iced Tea!

by Lucy Arlington


(This is a another of my posts where I sample a recipe from The Cozy Chicks Kitchen Cookbook.)
Drinking tea is always associated with the British, but tea is also an important part of the day for the Dutch. (In case you didn’t know, half of Lucy--Sylvia--was born in The Netherlands.) We Dutch don’t drink coffee first thing in the morning; ten o’clock is our coffee time. We wake up to tea. And then in the afternoon, when our energy is lagging, we once again turn to a cup of tea.
While I was growing up in Canada, my family continued the Dutch tea tradition, and as an adult I did as well. A hot cup of tea first thing in the morning and a pot in the afternoon.
When I lived in Virginia, I had to learn to ask for “hot tea” rather than just “tea” when I wanted a regular cup of tea; otherwise I’d get a glass of iced tea. And that made sense, considering the climate.  I also learned to ask for “sweet tea” if what I wanted was a glass of sweetened cold tea with a squeeze of lemon in it. So refreshing!
Now that I live in Bermuda, where the summer is hot and oh so humid, I still drink hot tea first thing in the morning. But my afternoon “cuppa” has become a glass of iced tea. So I was excited to find a recipe for sweet tea on page 147 in The Cozy Chicks Kitchen, courtesy of Leann Sweeney (and Jillian Hart). How brilliant it is to sweeten the tea with a cane syrup so there won’t be un-dissolved sugar crystals at the bottom of your glass! In my glass of sweet tea, I use a little less cane syrup than Jillian, and add a slice of lemon.
What is your beverage of choice? Coffee? Hot tea? Iced tea? Iced coffee? Something else?
Jillian’s Sweet Tea  by Leann Sweeney
Ingredients for cane syrup:5-6 cups granulated sugar3 cups cold water.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar and in the cold water. Heat the liquid on medium-high until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear (about 5 to 10 minutes). Cool and pour into a stoppered bottle. Use for sweetening the tea.Yield: 1 quart

For the tea:4-6 standard tea bags (the more you use the stronger the tea)OR 1 ounce good quality loose tea (black tea—not green or white)1 quart just-boiled water1 quart room temperature water
Place the tea leaves or tea bags in the bottom of a metal or glass container (do not use a plastic container). Bring the water just to the boiling point where it’s bubbling fully, but don’t sustain the water at a rolling boil (over-boiling makes the tea taste flat). Pour the hot water over the bags and allow to steep for 6-7 minutes. Pour into a 2 quart pitcher and add the room temperature water. Adding cold water leads to cloudy tea. Allow to cool, or refrigerate. (Never dilute the tea with ice.)
To serve: fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the tea over it, and sweeten to taste. Give each guest a long spoon along with the bottle of sugar syrup for sweetening, as granulated sugar never quite all dissolves.  Jillian pours about ½ cup of cane syrup into 2 quarts of tea when she's making this for herself and her regular tea drinking friends
Yield:  2 quarts

Olympic Glory

by Maggie Sefton



Olympic Gold, Silver, and Bronze.  Hard sought and hard fought for.  Every four years we get to witness this international event of all things Sport.  I've always been fascinated by the variety of competition that is displayed over the month-long, seven days a week celebration.  At least I think it's a month long.  It always seems that way.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

So far, I've seen a few events in both women's and men's swimming, diving, and women's gymnastics.  The telecasts started while I was still at the fantastic RWA conference in Anaheim, CA, and there were workshops & sessions & events going nonstop.  So my roommate and I caught up with the later night reruns of events.

The women's synchronized diving was marvelous.  Gorgeous symmetry.  Of course, women's gymnastics cant be beat for drama and trauma.  It should be called Girls Gymnastics because the participants are so very young.   Gorgeous routines on the bars, beam, and floor.  And Colorado has one of its own, Missy Franklin, in the brutal Swimming events.  So far, Missy has won one Gold medal and one Bronze, and there are more events yet to come.  Missy is really a joy to watch, whether she's swimming or talking to press or goofing off poolside with her swim buddies.  Seventeen years old with that great smile and great joie de vivre.  She's having a blast, and everyone can tell.  What a delight.  And she's a dynamite swimmer.  Wow!

Meanwhile, there are all sorts of interesting events to come---archery, basketball, marksmanship, fencing, and let's not forget the huge Track and Field events.  Lots more cheering to come.  What are your favorite events to watch and cheer?  Do you have any local athletes to cheer on?[image error]

“Budget” in the Name? Be Cautious!

by Kate Collins

 This is a cautionary tale about being misled by advertising. It’s a true story about my venture into buying window coverings that can apply to just about anything sold by a company with the word Budget in their name.   By definition, a budget is an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time. But combined with another noun, such as the word car – i.e. budget car -- one would expect to see a car at a lower than normal price. So a company selling window coverings that incorporated the word Budget into its moniker would seem to sell a product at a lower cost. Right?
Not so much.
I was told that this company, let’s call it Budget Company X, sold shades and blinds at a discount. I arranged a meeting with the salesman and found that he operated out of his van. Fine. Obviously a franchise. No overhead costs thus lower prices. Made sense to me.
He measured my windows, I selected various styles of blinds, and later that day he emailed me the estimate. First he gave me the MLP (manufacturer’s list price), in this case, Hunter Douglas’s pricing. Then he gave me his price at a 30% discount. Wow. What a difference! From $8565 MLP down to $5752.
And even though this seemed like a terrific deal, a little voice in my head kept saying, even discounted, that’s a lot of money for not a lot of windows. Yes, they’re Hunter Douglas, which is a good brand, but still… that much?
After a day of tossing it around in my head, I visited my local decorating/paint store, where they also sell Hunter Douglas blinds and shades. I took in measurements from a sampling of windows and got quotes. I was stunned! The charge for one window at Budget Company X was $446, while at the local store the same window was $195.  And down the line it went. I asked for measurements for all the windows and got a grand total of $3770. That’s a heck of a lot less expensive than Budget Company X’s quote.
So much for the “budget” window coverings. I’m saving  $2000 because I trusted that little voice in my head.  
Have you had a similar experience or been caught up in the hype and later kicked yourself for not double checking? [image error]