Kate Collins's Blog, page 301
June 25, 2011
When Products Actually Work
Three times in the past two weeks I've come across household linens that needed stain treatment. (A tablecloth, a sheer panel, and some doilies.) Each time I've turned to one product to take them from dingy to sparkling clean. I used Oxiclean. Like magic, the stains are gone. I wish I could say every product I use actually does what it's supposed to do. Sometimes you try something new because of hype.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a pine shelf and decided to paint it white. But from bitter experience I also knew that the knots on the wood were likely to show through. So I bought some primer that's supposed to cover them and keep them covered forever. It's been two weeks and so far so good. Ask if I like it two years from now.
Every week I walk down the grocery store aisles and make choices. This instead of that. Some things I won't compromise on, some things I will try a different product.
What product have you recently used that you could give a testimonial for?
June 24, 2011
Insult to Injury
The other night my daughter came into my bedroom at 1 AM.
Her in a loud whisper: Mum, Mum!
Me (coming fully awake in an instant): What's the matter?I had instant thoughts of her being ill or that she heard something. That sort of thing.
Her: I need your help.
Me: With what?
Her (voice quivering): There's a centipede in my room. It touched my foot!
I hopped out of bed, a mama bear ready to defend her cub against the horrible creature. Centipedes and I have a love / hate relationship. They love to sneak into my house, and I hate them. Hate, hate, hate. Hate is a strong word, I know. But it's not strong enough to express how I feel about centipedes.
We marched into her room (me armed with a good wad of toilet paper) where she promptly crouched on her bed, her eyes wide in terror. I knew the feeling. A centipede was on the loose. Shudder.
Me: Where is it?
Her: It went that way.
"That way" was a generalized direction. That little sucker could be anywhere. I started moving things around and lo and behold, he revealed himself. I quickly dispatched him (flushed), and gave her a hug.
Her: I'm traumatized.
Me: It'll be okay.
Her: Mum?
Me: Yeah?
Her: Could you get the spider, too?
She wasn't kidding. This is when the whole story spilled out in a rush (post traumatic stress?). She'd gotten up to brush her teeth, etc. (she's a night owl) and opened her bedroom door. A large spider (who'd apparently been lying in wait) rushed in. She dropped a box of art supplies on it and was debating what to do with it when the centipede scurried over her foot.
Now I was traumatized. The impact of the art box did in the spider, but by the next morning, I was looking up pest control companies. Enough is enough. I found a couple of names and am waiting for estimates. But now every time I use my computer, ads for the Orkin man are in the corner. Ads with ants marching have appeared along the bottom of my screen. I. Am. Not. Happy. But so help me, if those ants morph into centipedes, my computer is history.
Any pests bothering you?
June 22, 2011
Recipe For a Perfect Summer
By Ellery Adams
I love summer and have been looking forward to it since…well, since February. I am not a winter person and though I love to watch the snow fall and to cozy up to a book near a toasty fire, I'd rather sit in my garden and watch fireflies dance.
Thinking about my love of summer a little more, I realize that I feel younger at heart when the sun is shining. Summer reminds me of a carefree childhood, the feel of sand between my toes, and the sight of sailboats heading out to the open water.
How can an adult recapture that feeling of a childhood summer? I think we should come up with a recipe. Here are a few items I think we need to add:
1. Chew a piece of gum and blow a big, loud bubble
2. Paint your toenails a crazy color (not pink or red – orange or silver or blue!)
3. Buy a pinwheel
4. Eat a Popsicle bought from the ice cream truck
5. Light a sparkler
6. Bite into a juicy piece of watermelon and then spit the seed as far as you can
7. Wear flip-flops.
8. Decorate your car for 4th of July
9. Fly a kite
10. Hunt for seashells (and if you're no wear near the shore, ask someone to mail you one)
11. Read a book in a hammock, chaise lounge, or Adirondack chair
12. Drink through a silly straw
13. Run through a sprinkler
14. Make a daisy chain
15. Add to your freckle collection
That's what I've got so far! What else do we need to have a perfect summer?
June 21, 2011
Hot and Bothered
By Deb Baker /Hannah ReedSaturday, I attended a romance panel moderated by Barbara Vey. Barbara hosts a popular blog for Publishers Weekly called Beyond Her Book , and she did a great job with the Hot and Bothered panel. In fact, I bought Helen Brenna's The Moon That Night, and am enjoying it very much. She's a wonderful writer.
That panel got me pondering romance in mysteries, and led me to the question, "Are We Getting Enough?"
Romance, I meant. What were you thinking?
Cozy readers don't want explicit sex scenes on the page. As a writer of cozies, I close the bedroom door at that point. But what about the romantic aspects? How important are they? Julie Hyzy, Denise Swanson, and moi were talking at the event about readers' mail. We agreed that most of them are about the romantic relationships in our books. Readers are extremely interested in what might happen next, and they have strong opinions about what our protagonists should do next. So romance plays a big part in our mysteries.
I'm actually considering crank up the love in my mysteries.
So tell me, are you getting enough? Or do you want more?
June 20, 2011
FANTASTIC NEWS!!
by Maggie SeftonWow. . .I am way past excited. Last week, I shared the Barnes & Noble great news about the latest Kelly Flynn release, UNRAVELED. Now. . .I have even more good news. Great news, actually. So, at the risk of being boring or braggy. . .bear with me. I simply can't help sharing:
UNRAVELED was the New York Times #34 Bestselling Fiction Hardcover! That's ALL fiction, not just mystery. Believe me, I am humbled and awed by that. Those books are a little over $25 each, and this is a recession/depression. That simply blows me away.
Why am I trumpeting it from the rooftops? Well, the obvious, of course. But there's another reason. That statistic is just one more indication of the vast popularity of cozy amateur sleuth mysteries. Our readership is huge. And, that makes me. . .and all the rest of my mystery novelist colleagues. . .very, very proud.
Thank you, thank you, Readers! You have done this, and I am overwhelmed and awed by your fantastic response to the Kelly Flynn mysteries. Kelly and the Gang thank you, too. :)
June 19, 2011
Hello, American Airlines? It's Me Again!
by Kate Collins
I'm not a happy flier.
See, I've used your airline to fly from Chicago to Miami, and your American Eagle for the leg to Key West, for fourteen years now. And for the last four, you've sent me surveys to rate my experiences. Have you noticed that the ratings I've sent back have gotten progressively worse?
Okay, obviously not, because your service hasn't improved. It has deteriorated, in fact – most noticeably on the Eagle. This last trip was one of the worst. With Miami at 100 degrees, we sat inside that tiny barrel you call a plane with our knees against our chests, and only hot air to breathe, for over twenty minutes because of a delay caused by ten extra pounds. We wondered whose bag – or small child – would be left behind. Turns out they merely shifted a bag from one side of the hold to the other. And that took twenty minutes. Bet I could have done it in five.
Then there was the carry-on bag issue. After fourteen years, suddenly, I was not allowed to take on my small carry-on PLUS my purse – a slender one, by the way. I would have to cram my purse inside my bag. In disbelief, I kept my purse on my shoulder only to be stopped at the top of the stairs and not let on the plane until I complied. "Sorry. The FAA is watching," the flight attendant told me. I glanced around but didn't see any spies in FAA flak vests hiding behind the baggage cart, so I wasn't sure what she was talking about.
And,last, my one piece of checked luggage didn't make it from Miami to Key West. Fortunately, because I had regained my Gold status -- after a lot of weeping and tearing out of hair and emails from Facebook friends who graciously came to my aid – I hadn't had to pay the $25 handling fee, or then I REALLY would have been ticked.
My bag was finally delivered to me after 10:30 p.m. that evening – six hours later. Good thing there weren't critical medicines inside, I mentioned to the woman at the baggage claim counter. She replied that I should always keep meds in a carry-on. But where would there be room? I asked. My little carry-on would be stuffed full with my purse.
So, AA, what do you use all those $25 baggage fees for? To pay the service who has to deliver all those mi
ssing bags? That's my bet. So here's a possible solution. Dock the baggage handlers who screw up. Make them pay for missing and damaged luggage. (Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that the bag had been damaged from a previous flight, when it sat on the tarmac in the rain, then was dragged across the pavement). Maybe that would make the handles a little more careful. And even better, your customers wouldn't have to pay for bags that don't show up.
Have a nice day and thanks for listening. Hope I get a new survey soon!
Kate
June 18, 2011
Happy Cupcakes!
May and June are jam-packed with celebrations in my family. My sister's birthday, my son and daughter-in-law's anniversary, Mother's Day, my birthday, my anniversary and Father's Day. This year, because my husband had to have major surgery, all the celebrations got a little lost. There were lots of flowers, yes, but we were naturally preoccupied. Then my precious cat died. That was the loss that mattered most, that and a big anniversary sort of passed over.
But this past Thursday, my daughter came to visit and we had a little family meeting about what we expected from this wonderful visit. Mostly we just want to enjoy each other's company, but for my husband Father's Day, he wants his favorite banana bread. It's a recipe I've used for decades and I can make it without eggs and it comes out beautiful and delicious (I'm allergic to eggs). We'll have banana bread after a nice dinner out. He's well enough to get out now and that's cause for celebration in itself.
What did I want for my missed birthday? Cake! Since my kids have left home and have families of their own far from Texas, we rarely celebrate much of anything like anniversaries or birthdays. Plus, cake made without eggs isn't always easy. Kind of falls apart. My daughter has been experimenting with vegan cooking, though, and vegans do not use eggs. So she grabbed her ipad, found a recipe and tweaked it, deciding that cupcakes would probably hold together better than a layer cake. She got busy and wow! did those cupcakes turn out beautiful and de-lish! Made me feel very special, too, Have a look see!
Anyone done anything special for you lately? Just a cupcake can make a day wonderful!
It might just come in handy some day
My office was once a bedroom, although not in the 18 years I've lived in this house. Therefore it has a pretty good sized closet. Not long after we moved in, I had shelves installed, since I had no intention of hanging clothes or storing shoes in it.
I have a lot of boxes in there (mostly shoe sized), and all of them are neatly labeled--otherwise I'd forget what's inside. I have boxes of my books, boxes of stationery (I seem to collect note cards), and office supplies, and what not. And I have a large, clear-plastic tub of craft supplies.
The odd thing is ... I don't do crafts.
I love to look through that craft box, which houses my glue gun (handy for quick fixes), ribbon, darning yarn, needles, thread, sewing machine parts that I picked up in a box lot some years ago and didn't know what to do with, but kept them anyway. Popsicle sticks. Rubber stamps. Embroidery floss and Aida cloth (I used to do counted cross stitch . . . before I got carpal tunnel syndrome). Buttons. Fiberfill. Glue. Cloth for pillows that will never be made. You name it, that tub has at least a scrap of it.I always think that one day I will find the time (and talent) to fix things. To create things fun things out of bits and bobs. It isn't going to happen, but I like to think that one day it might.
Have you got a box of stuff that pleases you but has no real value?
June 17, 2011
What's In Your Purse?
I've been trying to simplify my life lately, which isn't going so well. I realized it's really hard to simplify when I have so much going on, so many things to do, busy, busy, busy (aren't we all?).
And the biggest representation of all that busy-ness is my purse. Yep, my oversized, has-so-many-compartments-it-could-be-a-suitcase purse. All it takes is one peek inside for a glimpse of my crazy life (and disorganized mind?).
Wallet, phone, a dozen random receipts. (Not so bad so far, right?) Two planners (I use an academic planner and this time of year they overlap), multiple pens, all kinds of medication, and two types of lotion (you can never have too much). (Still not so bad.) Then comes the freebie allergy med from the doc's office (for son #2), small mirror (not like Mary Poppins'), an extra set of keys, my Kindle, two notebooks (one little, one big), stickers from son #2's college orientation, a brochure for house numbers, a granola bar, two Blistexes, last week's grocery list, a bank envelope with money in it (woo-hoo!), Altoids, a mini Snickers, a coupon for the local Hallmark store, and...not one but two trumpet mouth pieces (all that brass is heavy). Whew!So, on the top of my to-do list (I hate that thing), is to clean out my purse. And in hopes of a simpler life, I think I might need to downsize purses. Maybe. I'm going to have to sleep on that one. For a few weeks. Or months. It's a big change. Who knew simple could be so hard?
What's in your purse?
June 15, 2011
Leaving Your Reading Comfort Zone
I was thrilled when Ellery asked to guest blog with the Cozy Chicks. "But what am I going to talk about?" I asked her. "Especially since I don't write cozy mysteries."
She suggested I talk about ... well, like the subject line says--leaving your reading comfort zone.I primarily write short stories and novellas, either on Women's Fiction or YA fantasy, but that isn't all I read. I also read mysteries (and you can bet the Chicks are at the top of my list), memoirs, and tons of non-fiction. (I'm a big cookbook collector.) I read two newspapers a day, I have subscriptions to at least six monthly magazines, and there are always cereal boxes, soup cans, and yogurt cartons that can (must?) be read.
I've recently had to acquire more bookshelves, because despite being the owner of a Nook, I still keep buying (and reading) books. I'm a bookaholic--and happily so.
But would I leave my comfort zone to read romance, science fiction, or horror? I might ... if I had a good reason to do so. Let me give you a reason to try my work.
I write stories about women in complicated relationship. It's a sad fact, but lots of times women make foolish decisions when they're in love. But making a bad decision doesn't make one a bad person. the women in my tales are strong but have been emotionally wounded. But a wound can heal--and so do my heroines as they take control of their lives.
They are:
TRAPPED In An Abusive Relationship: Amy Reynolds thought she had a great boyfriend, until one by one all her freedoms began to disappear. When her job is threatened, Amy decides it's time to become more independent. But that's not how her boyfriend Brad feels. He's likes things the way they are and will go to any length to keep it that way. Kindle ~ Nook ~ Sony E Reader ~ Diesel ~ Smashwords
Life On The Perpetual Diet: Emily has always had a problem with her weight. Yo-yo dieting was something she'd accepted as part of her life. But when an opportunity arrives to expand her horizons, she leaps at the chance. That brings her a new income source and a chance at love. But when her new significant other plots to keep her fat--and unattractive to other men--she objects. And then she meets a man with the ability to sweep her off her feet. Will she give up everything she thought she wanted or will she cling to the vows she made when she said "I do"?Kindle ~ Nook ~ Sony E Reader ~ Diesel ~ Smashwords
Married in Haste: Jennifer has always been a wallflower, so when Mike Palmer flatters her—and asks her out—she feels on top of the world. But Mike's a sports nut, and soon Jennifer feels like she's playing second fiddle to every sport televised. Her ultimatum has Mike reconsidering their relationship. Soon their dates are fun and fulfilling. Without telling a soul they elope, and then Jennifer's problems really begin when she discovers the man she thought she'd known is almost a complete stranger.
Kindle ~ Nook ~ Sony E Reader ~ Diesel ~ Smashwords
The Eyes That Haunt Me: One hot September afternoon, Annie Henderson's life changed forever. That was the day she was raped. Nine months later, she gave up the daughter she'd conceived on that terrible day. Forging a new life was difficult, but Annie had a successful military career and then had a family. Life was good, until the daughter she gave up reenters her life, and threatens to ruin it forever.
Kindle ~ Nook ~ Sony E Reader ~ Diesel ~ Smashwords
The Luxury Trap: Erica came from a large family and always had to work hard for everything in life. Then she met Donovan Whitmore—the man of her dreams who could give her everything she ever wanted. Only … it turned out Donovan worked just as hard as Erica—-maybe harder. And then everything she always wanted wasn't nearly enough.
Kindle ~ Nook ~ Sony E Reader ~ Smashwords
And, of course . . .
THE EDGE AND I: A collection of all the above stories for $2.99. (5 for the price of 3!)
Kindle ~ Nook ~ Smashwords
Not sure you'd like them? You can download samples of each free from Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.
I hope you'll give my stories a try. Thank you!
