Kate Collins's Blog, page 329

Too Tired to Think

by Leann

Being a grandma is hard work, I have discovered. With the state of my health--not the best--I "hit the wall" this past week after trying to do way too much. (But I enjoyed doing many of those things!) I have spent the last 3 out of 4 weeks in Seattle and finally arrived home Saturday evening. My recliner never felt so good! Little children absolutely need to be raised by YOUNG PEOPLE. :-)

Sorry to say, I only had one cat to come home to. Indigo is fine and happy, so that's good news. The other two cats, because of their health problems, boarded at the vet. Agatha is still on the blood sugar roller coaster and part of Archie's mystery illness is that in one of the very few times--and I mean VERY few--that he got outside, he contracted FIV, the cat equivalent of HIV. He was negative the last time he was checked, so I am sad and worried and now they are checking Agatha, too. But my cats do not fight with each other, ever--and bites and scratches are the most common means of transmission. I'm just hoping they didn't transfer it through saliva to each other. I will find out on Monday morning. At least we can pick up our dog Rosie this afternoon after four. That will make the house seem more like home.

While I was away, as most of you know, Kate's husband passed away suddenly. I still have such a heavy heart. To help with the publicity she cannot do, I bought two copies of her new release, Dirty Rotten Tendrils, and they should arrive soon. One for me and one for my library. But if you'd like to honor her husband's memory in a special way, he was a public defender and there are several charities he and Kate knew always need help: The Caring Place, 3107 Cascade Dr., Valparaiso, IN 46383, Habitat for Humanity, Porter County, P.O. Box 492, Valparaiso, IN, 46384-0492 (poortercountyhabitat.org) or The United Negro College Fund, 826 Willow Oaks Corporate Dr., Fairfax, VA 22031 (uncf.org)

If you have any ideas on how we can help Kate with her publicity, please share them. One thing I know for sure, word of mouth sells book. If you read something she has written and you liked it, spread the word!

Time and Temp and this time of year

By Lorna

Sorry this post was late today.  I slept in.

Doesn't that sound heavenly?  It would if you're used to getting up between 4:30 and 5 a.m. during the summer hours.  I just can't sleep when it's light out.  Was I a farmer (or his wife) in another life with chickens to feed?  What is it that compels me to be up when old Sol peeks over the eastern horizon?

Of course there's also something else that keeps me in bed.  It's called THE COLD.  Who wants to put their feet on a cold floor when Mr. Duvet is toasty warm (without the crumbs, of course).

And then there's dinner.  With the days getting shorter, we've already resorted to some of our favorite cool-weather meals:  meatloaf, chili, homemade soups, and roast chicken.  (Okay, I kinda lied about the chicken.  It's one of my favorites and I sneak it in as often as I think I can get away with it.)  Can stew be far behind?

I have this hankering to bake, too.  Muffins, cookies, and pumpkin bread.  That urge lasts until about Christmas and then thankfully goes away.  (Just in time for the annual diet to begin.  You know, the one that lasts all of a couple of days before hunger puts an end to it.)

So, with all this talk about food -- what'll be on your table tonight?  (We're reverting to summer and having hamburgers.  Hey, who wants to rush the season?)

Mysterious Minds

By Heather

Next week the Cozy Chicks are getting together (virtually, at least) for a meeting of our mysterious minds.

There are many items on our agenda, ranging from ordering new bookmarks to our gift card giveaways.

Another reason for the meeting is to discuss how we can improve the blog. What's working, what isn't, and for that we'd like some feedback from you.

Ahem. What's working and what isn't? Does anything stand out to you?

Do you like the gift card giveaway? Does it inspire you to leave comments? Should we continue with it? No?

Are you on our newsletter list? Do you read the newsletters when they arrive in your inbox? Do you find them helpful/entertaining?

If you're not on the newsletter list, why not?

Do you like our theme weeks? When we do recipe swaps and the like?

Do you like our header/logo, the typewriter? Or would you like to see a revamp of the site? Different colors, fonts, etc.

Are you our friend on Facebook or "like" or Cozy Chick page? Anything you'd like to see different there?

I think that's probably enough for now—but please, if you have any other suggestions or comments, our mysterious minds want to know…

September's Gift Card Winner

Congratulations to MICHELE L, this month's B&N gift card winner (for your comment left on 9/13)!

Please send an email to contest@lornabarrett.com with your email address to claim your electronic gift card from B&N.com.
 
Thanks so much for your comments and for supporting all of us here at the Cozy Chicks blog!
 
(Unfortunately, if I don't hear from you within a week, another winner will be chosen.)

In Honor Of...

Fellow Cozy Chick and dear friend Kate Collins has a new book out on Thursday, October 5th.
It's called Dirty Rotten Tendrils and I can guarantee it will be as fabulous as the rest of the entries in her Flower Shop Mysteries.
Why am I blogging about her book? Because she's facing a great personal loss and cannot handle promotion right now.
To honor her, a talented writer and a wonderful woman, I'm asking you not only to buy one copy of this book, but to buy a second copy to donate to your library or give to someone you care about.
Consider this purchase in honor of Kate's dear husband. Consider these purchases a way of supporting Kate during her darkest hour. Lastly, if you'd like to send her a condolence card, I'd be happy to collect them and send them to her in a scrapbook.
(Jennifer Stanley, 5 Ramsbury Ct, Richmond, VA 23238)
Thank you, friends.

My Great American Novel

When I graduated from college with a degree in English, I was a literary snob. Not only that, I wanted to write the great American novel. Something to resonate through the ages, ripening over the expanse of time. You know what I mean - an Oprah pick.

So I began. Fingers to keyboard, mind open to exploration, a thesaurus at my side.

And Gertie Johnson arrived, filling my head with her personality. And the story began. Crusty, unpredictable, expanding her vocabulary with a-word-of-the-day, basically goofing off. Where did this come from? And it most definitely wasn't going to be the great American novel.

Oh, well. I'd have time later for the 'real' stuff. So I wrote what my editor told me was a cozy. And I continued to write more of them because it was fun. But something was missing. I felt kind of...well...silly for writing humorous romps instead of emotional sagas.

Until one day...
A letter arrived.
From a woman with breast cancer, who was going through the painful process of chemo, radiation, the works. She said only one thing could make her laugh throughout those scary months. And that was my Gertie and her stories.

And I so I really did write that great story after all.
At least for one woman.
And that's enough.


The End

Fatal Four Texas Tour

Hey, everyone! Don't forget that the Fatal Four will be in five (5) Texas cities this week. Deb Baker (as Hannah Reed), Wendy Lyn Watson, Jennifer McKinlay, and I will be signing in five (5) bookstores this week. Five days, Five booksignings. Pretty cool. And WE are really excited.
Check out our websites for the location of each bookstore. But I can tell you the cities we'll be traveling in: Wednesday, September 29th, 7:00pm, at a Barnes & Noble in Denton, TX, (suburb of Dallas). Thursday, September 30th, 7:00pm, we'll be at the Barnes & Noble in Round Rock, TX (suburb of Austin). Friday, October 1st, 7:00pm, we'll be at Murder by the Book in Houston, TX, a wonderful indie bookstore who's helped hundreds of mystery writers over the years. On Saturday, October 2nd, 7:00pm, we'll be signing at the Barnes & Noble in San Antonio, TX. And on Sunday, October 3rd, 2:00pm, we'll be signing at Barnes & Noble, Fort Worth, TX.


Please come out and see us folks! We'd LOVE to meet some of our bloggers and readers. Come say "hi!"

Breakfast on a Cruise Ship

by Kate

Have you been on a cruise? Is there anything better than their breakfast buffets?

I am a huge fan of breakfast. I can't function without a balanced meal first thing in the morning. I get crabby, shaky, and headachey if I skip it. So I always eat a nutritious breakfast. But I also get in food ruts, having the same thing every day. Well, not on a cruise I don't. Yummmm.

Waffles! Crunchy, golden waffles topped with anything you like. Who has time to make them in the morning? Not me. How abo...

Of Fall, and Fairs and Toddler Fun!

by Leann

I am still in Seattle, where I am spending 3 of 4 weeks thanks to the early arrival of my new granddaughter Morgan. Her mom felt well enough this past Wednesday for us to have an outing--Morgan, Maddison, my daughter and my daughter-in-law all went along. We went to the Puyallup Fair. (pronounced PEW-ALL-UP). I haven't done something like this in a very long time and though I ended up exhausted it was so great to share that time with a toddler. Maddison is the rock star on the "motorc...

The Recipe That Got Away

By Lorna

Years ago, Mr. Lorna and I traveled to Colonial Williamsburg for a much-needed vacation.  While there, we stopped at one of the little places tucked behind one of the historical homes and bought a snack of Queen's Cake.

Yum yum!  As I remember it was very much like poundcake, but a lot lighter, possibly lemony, with poppy seeds.  I say possibly because it's probably been twenty or more years since I tasted it.  As I wasn't a poundcake fan, I was hoping I'd be able to find the recipe.

N...