Kate Collins's Blog, page 320

Our Gift To You

We are offering free Cozy Chick bookmarks to all our loyal readers, old and new,But we do ask a couple of favors. First, tell us which Cozy Chick's book you last read
or why you'd like to read the Cozy Chicks' books.

Send us your answer in
an email to cozychicks@gmail.com and put ' CC Bookmarks' in the subject heading. Don't forget to include your snail mail address.

(Our offer extends to libraries, too.)

BTW, if you're not already on our mailing list, we will add you so you'll get all the
Cozy Chicks updates.


P.S. Just one request per person, please. We're just mid-list authors
and on a budget. (We keep track of the requests, too!)

Did you miss our newsletter?

Back in November, the Cozy Chicks sent out a newsletter to our readers who signed up for our bimonthly newsletter. (Hey, you can sign up, too. Just fill in the box down on the left hand column.)

Click this link and you can see what you missed.

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/276161/2b4285ee6e/1409003889/9508936df7/

Look--We've Got E Books!

Dear Cozy Chicks Readers,

Did Santa leave an e-reader under your Christmas tree? Do you love our books but have run out of shelf space? Fear not--all the Cozy Chicks have e-books available for down load via Kindle, Nook, and, for our backlist of older titles now out of print, books and short stories for all kinds of e-readers via Smashwords.

For those of you with Kindles, you can find a list of our books by clicking on our names below:

Ellery Adams / JB Stanley / Jennifer Stanley                   Deb Baker / Hannah Reed
Lorna Barrett  / L.L. Bartlett / Lorraine Bartlett              Kate Collins
Maggie Sefton                                                              Leann Sweeney
Heather Webber

You can also find our work available from Barnes & Noble for their Nook, Kobo, Sony e Reader, iPad, Smashwords, and many other venues.

Deb and Lorraine (Lorna) are participating in the Backlist Ebooks Still 'Tis The Season 25% off sale on Smashwords.  You can find the coupon codes for our books here-- be sure to click on the SALES tab.  

In addition, Deb is giving away her 2nd Gertie Johnson Backwoods Mystery, Murder Grins And Bears It, for FREE on Smashwords.  (Click here.) 

Two of the chicks have brand new books on Kindle.  They are:

Cooking Can Be Murder
by Deb Baker
(A Gertie Johnson Backwoods Adventure)

100 Simple Recipes from Gertie Johnson's Backwoods Kitchen. Delicious doesn't have to be complicated. Cora Mae shares her specialty - The Hot and Heavy Manly Sandwich. Kitty takes Drop Dead Desserts to a new level. Even Grandma Johnson gets into the act with several old-time recipes, including her award winning casserole.
Amazon    /    Nook


Promised To A Stranger
(an Historical Romance)
by Kate Collins

A Stolen Life.... An astonishing twist of fate aboard a western-bound train enables Madeline Beecher to assume the identity of another woman--though it means marrying someone she's never met. But Maddie's on the run for her life, and wedding a stranger is a far better fate than the one pursuing her.

A Secret Love.... Maddie never expected to meet someone like Blaine Knight. His searing gaze causes her blood to race; his strong, muscular arms make her wonder what a night in his embrace would bring. But her "intended" is Jeremy--a kind, gentle man, and Blaine's younger brother. So if Maddie's ruse is to succeed, she dares not succumb to the yearnings of her heart--or to the passion that burns like hungry fire in Blaine's eyes--even as every fiber of her being demands that she surrender to a love that's worth any risk.... 

Amazon

Merry Christmas from the Cozy Chicks!

Merry Christmas from the Cozy Chicks!

Cozy Chicks' Favorite Things

By Heather

*Warning: Must be read with a sense of humor and a warped sense of rhyming. (My apologies to Julie Andrews. Again.)


Raindrops on Abby's roses, psychics in Boston, and Jillian's kittens,Stoneham book shops and Fort Connor's knit mittens,Ellery's books by the bay and Wisconsin bee stings,These are a few of our favorite things.
Dream contracts, ebooks, and foreign rights sales,Signing and touring and original tales,All the wonderful friends our stories bring,These are a few of our favorite things!
Dru Ann's cozy mystery reviews,All the chicks' bookmarks we offer to you,Lucy's delicious recipes that satisfy cravings,These are a few of our favorite things,
When computers crash,When deadlines are looming,When reviews are bad,We simply remember our favorite thingsAnd then we don't feel so sad.
Raindrops on Abby's roses, psychics in Boston, and Jillian's kittens,Stoneham book shops and Fort Connor's knit mittens,Ellery's books by the bay and Wisconsin bee stings,These are a few of our favorite things…

Everyone here at the Cozy Chicks wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Beyond the Christmas Crush

Beyond the errands, the rush, and the long to-do lists are:
family
friends
good smells in the kitchen
twinkling lights
music
a slowdown
I am posting a simple link today to a song that I promise will move you and remind you of the power and beauty of Christmas. Trust me. Close your eyes and let this song wash over you.
Many blessings to you and yours this day and every day forward. JB/Ellery

Making Plans for the New Year

Unlike Calvin, I'm a big resolution maker. And sometimes I actually commit and stick to it. Like the time in 1974 when I quit smoking on New Year's Eve. And the time....hum...well I can't think of any others at the moment. But I'm sure...um...never mind.

For the entire month of December I've been considering my goals, making a plan of action, getting ready, getting set.

Here are a few of the most popular resolutions people make, in no particular order:

Start exercising moreLose weightFind more time for friends and familyQuit smokingQuit drinkingLearn something newGet organizedEnjoy life moreHelp othersGet out of debt 10 worthy resolutions for the New Year. I've accomplished two - quit smoking (long ago) and learn something new (my book research takes me in exciting mind-expanding directions). Only 8 to go.

I've decided! I'm doing them all!

How about you?

Spreading Holiday Cheer

Well, all the packages filled with Christmas goodies and presents have been mailed. I still have to drop by two neighbor's houses to deliver homemade goodies & take some of my fudge to Lambspun tonight, Tuesday, to share around "the table." In the real life Lambspun, there really is a long library table in the main room which is packed every Tuesday night with fiber workers---knitters, hookers (crochet), stitchery, & spinners are in the corner & weavers in the adjoining rooms. Needless to say, with that many people, we usually have food in the midst of the table. I also sent off packages of chocolate mint fudge, cranberry-orange-nut break, pumpkin-nut bread, & gingersnap cookies to my dear friends-sisters in Northern Virginia, Diane & Nancy. I was going to take the goodies in my suitcase when I leave this Thursday----until I felt how much they weighed. Wow! That stuff is dense. So, I found myself at the post office--once again. Last day to ship and have it arrive by Christmas.

Daughter Maria & I will be enjoying Christmas Eve dinner with my old friends, so it will be a special treat. Hostess & gourmet cook Nancy chooses a different theme for each year. This year, it's the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. No costumes required, but we all have to wear hats of some sort. And---bring a gift which has some connection to the theme and starts with a "T." We also have to come up with a riddle, a la Mad Hatter's guests in Alice in Wonderland. I found a cute "period" pillbox hat (circa late 40's) at a vintage clothing shop last weekend, but I 'm not one for coming up with riddles. So---I'm choosing to do a rhyme instead---taking my cue from the tipsy door mouse himself.

You remember the door mouse, don't you? He was hiding in the teapot and would recite poetry: "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat. How I wonder where you're at. . ." Frankly, I suspect that mouse was sipping more than tea.
After Christmas Day, Maria & I are treating ourselves to a few days farther south in Virginia in the beautiful historic Colonial Williamsburg, located between Richmond and Norfolk. We are staying in the Lodge right in the heart of the colonial town. If you have never heard of Colonial Williamsburg, I invite you to check out the website for this wonderful, beautifully-restored colonial era town. All the townspeople are dressed in authentic apparel and e ngaged in the typical activities of townspeople back in the late 1600's & early to mid-1700's American Colonies.

Website: http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/
I've always w anted to be in Colonial Williamsburg for the Christmas Holidays and experience all the holiday festivities. Music, dramatic presentations, decorations, and holiday events. In addition to all the holiday traditions, I also love to do "something different" for the holidays. It keeps things interesting.
How about you? What's the most out of traditional holiday thing or trip you've done?

And Just Like That.... My Seats Vanished

by Kate Collins

Losing a loved one just might be the most difficult and painful experience in anyone's life. Losing a seat on an airplane doesn't begin to compare. Except when they're connected.

My husband and I were scheduled to take a trip in January, and as many of you know, he won't be making that trip with me now. Because this destination is a special place for us, I've decided to keep my reservation and escape the cold for awhile.

I needed to cancel my husband's reservation and ask for a refund on his ticket, so I called American Airlines customer service number and explained the situation, which always brings on a flood of tears. The woman was sympathetic and told me what to do -- fill out some forms and send in verification. (I can't tell you how many forms I've had to fill out.) Then she switched me to the reservation desk where I once again had to explain the situation and ask that my husband's ticket be canceled.

During this process, I had my reservations pulled up on the AA website, and as I watched, the seats that we had chosen for the four flights –two there and two back --disappeared. Vanished. SNAP. Gone.

I politely told the woman that I was still going to need my seats (in coach, by the way). She told me, not so politely, that I couldn't have those seats anymore because I wasn't a GOLD member. I explained that I used the same Advantage credit card that my husband did, and flew every flight with him, so I had helped him earn those GOLD points. Furthermore, I had asked for his miles to be rolled into my account. Wouldn't that help?

She repeated in an even sharper tone that HE was a GOLD member and I was not! Period.

Trying extremely hard to remain polite, I said I still needed seats. So she put me in the very back of the plane on 3 of the 4 flights and informed me that on the 4th, I would have to ask for a seat assignment at the gate because the seats were all taken.

"But I had a seat on that flight. How can I NOT have a seat there now?"
"You're not a GOLD member. That's a GOLD row. The rest of the seats are taken."
"So my husband passes away and you're taking away my seat, too?"
"Yes."

I hung up crying. Later, I called back and talked to someone at the Advantage desk, who explained that there were indeed seats on that plane, but the rows were being held for GOLD members. They won't open up until 90 minutes prior to boarding. I'd have to ask for a seat then. I guess I should start praying now that there will still be one open.

Over the past few months I've had to talk to many people at banks, credit card companies, and other businesses to close down my husband's accounts. In all cases, they were kind and helpful. In all cases, that is, except this one.

So thank you, American Airlines, for proving once again that we are at your mercy. Captive audiences. That we mean nothing more than how m uch more money you can squeeze from us. And just so you know, I was with my husband on every one of those flights that earned him GOLD status. I pushed the button authorizing payment on his credit card, too. So have a jolly holiday, American Airlines, and hope that one day you don't find yourself without a seat because you've lost your GOLD member. And yes, I'm aware of the double entendre and I still mean it.

Are all airlines that heartless? Have you had any experiences like that?

Kate, still fuming

Holiday Commercial Overload

by Leann

Every kiss does NOT begin with Kay. He didn't go to Jared. And isn't likely to do so. My son will not be sneaking into the house and making coffee on Christmas morning. He won't be anywhere near my house. I don't want a vacuum cleaner for Christmas, the one being sold by a white-haired kinda creepy scientist with an accent. I don't want a new TV that might require me to wear glasses over my glasses. 3D gives me nightmares and I would think it might give children nightmares, too.

I had ONE Barbie my entire childhood. Now they come in twelve-packs. The entire set of Harry Potter movies? Nope. Don't even want one now that I've seen the commercial 500 times. And if someone somehow managed to drive a luxury automobile into my living room, I think I'd freak out so much I might have a heart attack. And the idea of cutting down a tree so big you could put a car underneath seems like a truly terrible idea. I wouldn't be smiling. I'd be asking my husband if he'd finally lost his mind.

That crazy Target lady running in high heels and spandex up hill was amusing--but once is enough. Do we really need to see the same advertisements over and over and over? It's like someone telling you a joke ten times in a row. Would you still be laughing after the tenth time? But you know there are a set of commercials they pull out year after year that I never tire of.

The Clydesdales.

Yup. Leave it to a brewery to give us some class at Christmas. Thank you, Budweiser.

Happy Holidays to all of you. (And do share your most hated holiday commercials. Consider it a gift to this grinch!)