Kate Collins's Blog, page 32

I'VE GOT MAIL!

By Mary Kennedy                                           

It's always good to hear from readers. Some of the messages are touching, some entertaining, some may give me food for thought, but they are always welcome! 
Here are a couple of questions I've had this month.
Q. I notice you post a LOT of cat photos on FB and other social media sites. From what I can tell, you have at least four current cats and have had more in the past. Do you realize you've crossed over into Crazy Cat Lady territory? Signed, a dog lover
A. Dear dog lover, it's always good to meet a fellow animal lover. I love dogs too and am currently dog sitting my grand dog.  Because of my husband's allergies, we decided to rescue and adopt cats, not dogs. I love all animals!                                                                             
I'm not sure what the fine line is between "cat lover" and "crazy cat lady" so I don't know how to answer your question. I guess the real issue is, are my cats well cared for, and I can definitely tell you they are! Thanks so much for contacting me and give your dog a hug for me. 
Q. I'm an aspiring writer and need advice pretty desperately. How many pages do I need to send to an agent? Could you help me find an agent? Could you introduce me to your agent? Could you read a few chapters if I send them to you? I've written about half of a 300 page novel, but I don't want to write the rest of it unless I know it's going to sell. Signed, Loves to Write.                                                                      
A. Oh dear. Where to start, my friend. Ok, I'll give it to you straight. First of all, finish the book! Don't even think about agents or publishers or book deals until you get that book done. No one wants to read a few chapters, or even one chapter when they don't know if you will ever finish it. Let's face it, if you don't have faith in your book, who will? I don't mean to sound harsh, but that's the truth.
Also, it's very tough to find an agent who will take on an unpublished writer. Not impossible, but very unlikely. The competition is brutal and agents like to make sales. It would be difficult for them to persuade an editor to buy a book from a debut author and agents are deluged with thousands of queries a year. I believe my own agent receives about 6,000 letters a year, all from aspiring writers who want her to read their work and represent them.
Don't forget this is a business. Agents and editors aren't here to love and support you. You have friends and family for that (I hope!). They're here to engage in the very competitive field of publishing.
On a personal note, it wouldn't make sense to put you in touch with my agent because she doesn't take on unpublished writers. Also, you never mentioned what type of novel you write, and agents specialize. My advice would be to attend a conference and try to connect with an editor or agent at the conference. That would be a foot in the door.
But first of all, finish that book! Good luck and keep on writing.
By Mary Kennedy

The B&B experience

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

The Victoria Square MysteriesI write about the B&B experience. Just why?  Well, I haven't got a clue. I mean, I've only ever stayed at an inn once, which was a B&B experience, but this place had 18 rooms and was originally a ski lodge. We went there three time, and the third was not the charm. The inn had changed hands, and while nothing had changed physically, the new owners didn't know the hospitality trade as well as the previous owners and we never went there again. And nobody else can, either, because that wonderful building burned to the ground.

So, what's with the fascination? I guess the idea of being pampered in quiet surroundings. Many B&Bs don't even have televisions in the room so that you can do other things like read or listen to music. I always bring my own music when I travel, thanks to a MP3 player and a small speaker. (I don't like to deplete the batteries on my phone.) And I usually bring something to read, too. Like a couple of magazines and at least one book (and my Kindle).

The Lotus Bay MysteriesI love the idea of being served a wonderful breakfast. The first two times we went to the inn it was like an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord. Holy cow--not only did they serve homemade muffins and strudel (as well as have boxed cereals, coffee, tea, cocoa, milk, and several kinds of juices), but one of the owners (a former used car salesman) could whip up THE best omelets. He was originally from Texas and grew chili peppers. So I asked for an omelet with hot peppers and onions. He warmed me they'd be REALLY hot. Ha! I love spicy food and gobbled it down. (He was impressed.) But he also had blueberry pancakes ready to go, and bacon, and sausage,. You could also have waffles, fruit, and goodness knows what else, but you never walked away from that breakfast room hungry.

Tales From Blythe Cove ManorDespite the fact I haven't stayed in a lot of B&Bs, I have visited at least 15. About ten years ago, I went on a self-guided tour of the B&Bs of a nearby county. Wow--what an eye opening experience. All but one of these B&Bs was in a rural area, and while some of them had gorgeous views, the B&Bs were not places to be pampered. They ranged from fish camps to an elegant 19th century home (that was the best). Some of them served cookies and coffee, and some of them went all out with cocktail offerings without the booze. Some were creepy and some weren't very clean. Most were shabby, but their owners seemed enthusiastic and eager to talk about their (mostly) historic homes. One charming Victorian home had creeky floors, but was charmingly decorated. We were sad when it was demolished so that the bank next door could have a bigger parking lot.


I've watched many how-to videos on B&Bs on YouTube, and whenever we drive by a B&B I always look to see if they have a website so that I can compare the bedrooms.

I can envision all my inns. I know the kitchens, I can see the equipment, and I know the layout of the houses and the guestrooms (even to what's in the desk drawers in Kathy Grant's Swans Nest Inn).  I know the innkeepers and what makes them tick. I know their struggles and their joys.

I write the Victoria Square Mysteries (and the companion series, Life On Victoria Square), The Lotus Bay Mysteries, and the Tales From Blythe Cove Manor (along with authors Shirley Hailstock and Kelly McClymer). I hope you'll visit my web pages to learn a little more about them.

Now, tell us about your B&B experience(s) by leaving a comment below.

Cucumber Sandwiches

by Karen Rose Smith


This morning I was walking through the garden and I saw the first cucumber on the vines.  Although tiny, hopefully it and many more will soon be ready to harvest.  I immediately thought of my recent release, MURDER WITH CUCUMBER SANDWICHES, the third book in my Daisy's Tea Garden cozy mystery series.  Daisy conjures up a delicious recipe for cucumber sandwiches which features a pimento-cheese spread on pumpernickel bread and topped with a fresh cucumber slice.  The recipe for the spread can be found in the back of the mystery.  It would be a refreshing addition to a Fourth of July picnic.  I have included the recipe below for your holiday enjoyment.

Pimento Spread
8 ounces cream cheese (softened about 20 minutes and chunked)1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese1 ounce pimento, drained well (I buy a 2-ounce jar)1 teaspoon onion flakes1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise4 or 5 sun-dried tomato halves (sliced)1/8 teaspoon garlic powderPinch of nutmeg
1.  Add all ingredients to a two-cup food chopper and mix until smooth.  Seasonings are suggestions.  Adjust according to taste.
2.  Serve as a spread or a dip.

 

Daisy’s Tea Garden in Pennsylvania’s Amish country is known for its elegant  finger foods—but now owner Daisy Swanson has to finger a killer . . .
Restaurant critic Derek Schumaker, notorious for his bitter reviews, is about to visit Daisy’s Tea Garden, and Daisy and Aunt Iris are simmering with anxiety. A bad word from the culinary curmudgeon could really hurt their business, but Daisy tries to stay confident. After all, how can he resist her cucumber sandwiches with pimento spread—not to mention the cheesy cauliflower soup and strawberry walnut salad?
Schumaker takes a to-go order when the afternoon tea service is done, which Daisy hopes is a good sign. But when he perishes from a seizure, it looks like his food was dosed with something deadly. Considering a threat that recently appeared on his blog—and whispers of scandal in his past—Daisy has quite an assortment of suspects to sift through . . .


MURDER WITH CUCUMBER SANDWICHES on Amazon

MURDER WITH CUCUMBER SANDWICHES on Barnes and Noble

Guy or Gal Sleuth?

 
Mystery books come in all shapes in sizes when talking about characters. Some of the best sleuths are guys. Sherlock, the Hardy Boys, Spade, Poirot, Magnum, the guys on Midsomer Murders, Father Brown. They bring a certain charm and grit to the story.  They can be tough and no nonsense and maybe tender and understanding. Usually they are at the local watering hole downing whiskey and shooting pool. Even Fr. Brown likes his beer now and then.  They drive a fast car…except for Fr. Brown’s bike...or motorcycle and always tooling around at breakneck speeds. They can charm the ladies, even Fr. Brown is charming… to get their answers or sometimes beat it out of a bad guy to find out what’s going on.Then there are the female sleuths. We have Miss Marple,
 
Jessica Fletcher, Kate Becket, Nancy Drew and of course Reagan Summerside and Evie Bloomfield. They are charming and they can be tough but never brutal. Instead of the local watering hole they do tea in the kitchen or martinis on the front porch. What they lack in physical strength then make up for in sheer tenacity and never-give-upness. 
So my question to you is which sleuth do you prefer…guy or gal? Do you like someone a little harder edged? More whiskey than tea? And what about the sidekick? Would you like them the same gender like with Watson and Holmes or do you like to mix it up a bit like in Castle with Becket and Richard Castle? The mystery is the mystery but who do you like telling the story? 

Happy Independence Day

by Maggie Sefton





I hope all our Cozy Chicks Blog readers and friends enjoy a happy 4th of July this Thursday.  Plenty of good food, and family or friends, or simply relaxing at home with a good book----Enjoy, Everyone!

Closet Treasures

by Karen Rose Smith


I'm in a cleaning mood!  This week when the sliding door jumped off the track on one of our upstairs' closets, I "suggested" that my husband and I clean out the closet while the doors were off.  What started out as a simple repair turned into a week-long project.  Of course, while the closet was empty, it was the perfect time to paint the walls that were ignored when we recently had the hallway painted.  So we began the process of emptying the shelves, making a "keep" pile, a "donation" pile and a "throwaway" pile.  Then the shelving was removed and the walls were painted.

The "keep" pile had linens and towels that we use on a daily basis, extra light bulbs and extension cords, tools and cleaning supplies.  And then there were the treasures that had been stashed away on the top shelf that I had totally forgotten were there.

First, there were some of my baby clothes as well as our son's -- embroidered kimonos, crocheted baby booties, the receiving blanket we wrapped our son in the day we brought him home from the hospital, the embroidered crib quilt that was used in both of our cribs.  The items brought back many happy memories and, of course, were carefully folded and replaced on the top shelf of the closet.

My mother always had extra linens, towels and dish cloths stored in her hallway linen closet.  When we got married, she went through her stash and gave us many of the unused items to set up housekeeping in our first apartment.  When she passed away, I kept the extras that were still stored in that closet.  I tucked them on the top shelf of our closet and found them when we cleaned it out this week.  I was pleasantly surprised that they were a much higher quality than can be bought today.  I was also shocked at the sticker prices still on the items.  Memories of shopping for these items at Montgomery Ward and J. C. Murphy came flooding back and I was filled with nostalgia. I worked at Montgomery Ward when I was in college.

And there were also other "finds."  Back in the days before we had self-sticking stamps and labels, we had to lick each item before apply it to an envelope.  Mass mailings were facilitated by a gadget with a small water well and a wheel that turned through the water to moisten the stamps.  I also remember using the gadget to wet S&H green stamps before applying them to the books to save for premiums at our local S&H outlet store.  We also used the wheel when wetting the little black corners used to adhere pictures to photo albums or scrap books.

So cleaning out a closet turned out to be a trip down memory lane...to the days when a trip to the local 5 and dime store was an adventure, when handcrafted items added a special touch to an infant's layette and when a dishcloth didn't cost an arm and a leg!




   


MURDER WITH CUCUMBER SANDWICHES on Amazon

MURDER WITH CUCUMBER SANDWICHES on Barnes and Noble

You’re Planting What???

A title like Pearls and Poison doesn’t leave much to the imagination on the murder weapon of choice but the question is how to get the job done.buy Pearls and Poison hereWith a gun you pull the trigger and bam it’s over. With a knife it’s slash and dash, but with poison the possibilities are endless. The big question is, where do you get it? You just don’t walk into Walgreens and ask which aisle has the cyanide. How much do you need? Which ones work the best? What do you mix it in?So, like I always do when I have a question, I hit the Google and there it was…plants! With Pearls and Poisonset in Savannah there are lots and lots of plants year round. All I had to do was pick one, a not so healthy one. Decisions, decisions.Everyone knows Poinsettia berries are a big no-no but I bet you didn’t know those lovely spring daffodils you adore can cause big problems. You may not die; you’ll just be so sick you wish you were dead.I have a whole hedge of oleander in my back yard and one plant could probably wipe out my neighborhood.  Good thing we never used the sticks to roast marshmallows! Rhododendron, jasmine azaleas and wisteria, foxglove and columbine are so beautiful, the are the focal point of spring gardens and toxic to extreme. The victim gets deathly ill then a coma and then he kisses his butt goodbye. ( I used one of these in Pearls and Poison)You can eat dandelions but yew is fatal and has no symptoms you just keel right over. Up one minute dead the next. And then there’s Lantana, buttercups,  periwinkle Vinci rose and hydrangeas. These are in every summer garden and pot and totally lethal. How can thing be so lovely and so deadly?Never feed your dogs onions. Chokecherry is death to horses.I did a ton of research for Pearls and Poison to get the right poison and figure out how to get the victim…who deserves to die…to drink it.When doing this research I was invited to a dinner party and asked to bring ice cream instead of the salad. Gee, I wonder why?I had a cleaning lady. All my poisonous plant books along with Deadly Doses, Armed and Dangerous andIntent to Killwere on my desk. She never came back. Life is not easy for a mystery writer.I just planted an Angel Trumpet in my front yard. It’s one of the most deadly plants on earth but it’s so beautiful. Mine isn’t blooming yet but you can see how it’s going to turn out. Least the deer won’t eat this one. 
Have a wonderful summer, everything’s in bloom and remember to enjoy your flowers...just don’t eat them.Hugs,Duffy Brownwww.DuffyBrown.comConsignment Shop seriesPearls and Poison

Wonderful Animal Programs on Television

by Maggie Sefton


That's me, but I'm not scouting for sharks and whales.  I'm simply enjoying the views along the Chesapeake Bay waters leading to the Atlantic Ocean.  


I confess.  I'm a devotee of the ANIMAL PLANET television channel.  I've always loved animals, but the various series that appear on that channel catch my attention immediately.  And lately, I've been watching more than usual due to a sudden injury:

I pulled a large section of back muscles by doing a weird stretch in order to reach something up high.  Not smart, it turned out.  My instinct warned me to get a chair, but did I listen?  Of course not.  :(   And, now, I'm having to take it easier and go for PT therapy sessions every week for several weeks.

Since I'm now forced to "take it easy" for a few weeks, I've discovered some of those fascinating ANIMAL PLANET programs that I didn't know about.  I'll list some of them here in hopes you may want to check them out too.

One of the first programs that appeared about 3 years ago proved to be a sleeper hit:  "The Bronx Zoo."  I still remember the first episode I watched that hooked me.  One of the zoologists that works  at the Zoo was riding through the beautiful wooded park that sat in the midst of over 250 acress of New York.  The zoologist pulled the cart over, got out, and sat on the ground, then started calling for a wild Bluebird that lived free in the trees above.  She explained that she sat and called to him every day and gave him tiny bites of bird treat.  Sure enough, as soon as she called out "Bluebird, bluebird!" than a beautiful wild bluebird fluttered out of the treetops above and down to the ground about 2 feet from her.  Then he began eating a few of the dry treat, then flew back up to the treetops above.  Watching that, I was hooked.  Apparently a great many viewers were too, because "The Bronz Zoo" has remained very popular with viewers.

Other delightful ANIMAL PLANET programs include "The Secret Life of the Zoo" (Chester, England Zoo) and the Aquarium, televised in the HUGE Georgia Aquarium, which is so big there are several sharks and even a Whale!  Fascinating.  Some of my favorite episodes are with the colony of sea lions at the Acquarium and how the animal handlers interact with them.  Even racing down the sloped corridor with one of them who clearly wanted to walk (slap fins) along the tile floor a lot faster than the humans.  The sea lions really interact with their handlers.  And the sharks are cared for not only in the Aquarium but also in the ocean when the Aquarium staff go to check on the sharks in the ocean and check their health.  Can you believe that sharks when turned upside down, belly up, go docile?  That allows the medical staff ro check blood and take other tests out in the ocean.

Programs with even more action are "North Woods Law" (set in Maine) with the Maine Game Wardens and  "Lone Star Law"  (set in Texas) with the Texas Game Wardens.  Poachers  of all kinds better  beware:  those men and women are looking out for the wildlife in both areas, so you'd better follow the laws.  

A PET FRIENDLY GARDEN

By Mary Kennedy                                           

Calpurnia wants to alert everyone to some lovely plants that can be deadly to pets.  Calpurnia and her three housemates are all "indoor cats," but it's still good to be aware of the dangers, in case you have ferals roaming the neighborhood. 
Here's an abbreviated list. Do you see any of your favorites on there? I saw a few surprises, like Daisy...                                                               

   English Ivy...                                                                                                                                                                            Lavender...                                                            
And larkspur                                                   

And here are a few more you may not have considered. 
AlocasiaApricotBitter RootCalamondin OrangeDaisyEnglish IvyFire LilyLarkspurLavenderOrnamental PepperYewShamrock PlantParaguayan Jasmine

I have just listed a few of them, but you can find out more online.  The official website of ASPCA has a section devoted to plants that are hazardous to pets.. Have a safe garden and a great summer!
Mary Kennedy

FUN IN THE SUN? MAYBE GO FOR THE SHADE

By Mary Kennedy                                       

Oh, to be young and carefree and embrace a sunny day! No worries about sun damage, skin cancer, or slathering on a sunscreen that's at least 50 spf.  That's surely one of the joys of youth.
But the sun comes with a price, and it's a pretty hefty one. The insidious thing is that the damage doesn't occur until years later. Then when you're "of  a certain age," you're hit with annoying sun spots that don't pass for cute little freckles, and dare I say it? Wrinkles. Yes, sun can destroy collagen, hasten the aging process and who wants that?
What to do when the beach beckons?  And if you're following my Talk Radio series, you know that I'm a big Florida fan and the sun and surf is always beckoning.                                                                           
Here's someone who decided to bundle up. She's taking sun protection to the extreme. (maybe she's in New England and it's chilly, who knows. She'd be roasting in Florida in that getup.
                                                                                                                                                           Another possibility is to take your daily beach walk at dusk.
                                                                           

I decided to get serious about limiting the sun on my face and bought a sun hat with a BIG visor. Only $10.00 on Amazon and it does the job.                                                                              
Or you can enjoy the beach atmosphere from a balcony or shaded patio. I grab a cozy mystery, a big jug of iced tea, put my feet up and enjoy the tropical breezes from the 2nd floor balcony.  I took this photo from the balcony of the Ft. Lauderdale condo a few years ago.                                                                       
Whatever you do, take care in the sun. It's magical but it can be treacherous later on in life.Hope everyone is enjoying the summer! (Yes, it's finally summer here in the northeast.)
Mary Kennedy