Kassandra Lamb's Blog, page 11

An Off-Week Goodie: That Day I Got Old

by Kassandra Lamb ~ With my seventieth birthday looming, I figured a reblog of this post, That Day I Got Old, by my good friend Barb Taub would be an appropriate off-week goodie.

Yup, you read that right, my seventieth birthday, as in seven-zero, is happening in less than two weeks. How can that be? Btw, I had to look up how to spell seventieth. I had no clue. I’ve never had to count birthdays that high before. At least, not my birthdays!

But leave it to Barb to make even getting old seem ...

Crime Writers Interview with DonnaRae Menard

We love introducing you, our readers, to other crime fiction writers we think you might enjoy. Today, we bring you our crime writers interview with DonnaRae Menard, the very interesting and fun author of the It’s Never Too Late mystery series.

Here is her bio:

My unofficial writing career began in the seventh grade. While writing descriptive notes about a fellow classmate, I was apprehended and sentenced to reading those notes to the class. The episode went far in undermining my pop...

10 Things I’ve Learned About Training Service Dogs

by Kassandra Lamb ~ I recently guest posted over at Joanne Guidoccio’s blog on 10 Things I’ve Learned About Training Service Dogs. I thought you all would find the topic interesting, so sharing here as well…

When I set out to write a cozy mystery series about a service dog trainer, I didn’t quite realize what I was getting myself in to. I assumed that, between my psychology background and having trained my own pets through the years, I’d be able to wing it when describing the tasks the dogs d...

An Off-Week Goodie for Newbie Writers and a New Release Reminder

photo by Joel Herzog on Unsplash.com

by Kassandra Lamb ~ For any budding writers out there, here is a great summary of the things newbie writers should and shouldn’t do when first getting started, by Anne R. Allen, whose website was named one of the top 10 for writers by Writers Digest.

Two examples from her list: #1~Come out of the writing closet and #2~Develop rhino hide.

Check out her post: 10 Things Beginning Writers Should Do Before Trying to Publish a Book.

And a reminder that...

The Blessing and the Curse of DNA Testing (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Getting one’s DNA tested can be a lot of fun—finding out more about one’s ancestry and heritage, sharing that experience with family. But sometimes there’s a downside. A curse of DNA testing is you may find out something you didn’t want to know.

And there’s no unknowing it.

The Blessing of DNA Testing

DNA has most definitely been a boon to law enforcement. The ability to use DNA evidence forensically to solve crimes is an incredible advance.

And the flip side of t...

The Psychology of Patriotism Part II: The Dark Side of Belongingness Needs

by Kassandra Lamb ~ I promised to follow up on my post for Independence Day with more on the dark side of belongingness needs and patriotism. I pointed out in my earlier post that the kids who are alienated, who don’t get these needs met in a healthy way—they are the ones who can end up being the gang members, the school shooters, the terrorists.

(photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash.com)

And I mentioned that I was one of those kids who felt alienated rather than affiliated. People who know m...

Kass’s Reviews of Three Summer Reads (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Three great books for your summer reading pleasure! Plus a reminder to preorder my new release…Goes live this Saturday! (Note: These summer reads reviews are shorter versions; for my full reviews, click HERE.)

Sugar and Vice, A Cupcake Truck Mystery #1, by Emily James ~ Free on KU or $2.99

Isabel Addington is hiding from an abusive husband and trying to make a living selling cupcakes from a food truck. But both her living and her life are in jeopardy when the old man...

The Two Sides to the Psychology of Patriotism (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ When I first set out to write this post, I intended it to be a relatively light piece about the psychology of patriotism. But as I started writing, I realized there is a dark side to this subject. And, in light of recent events, that cannot and should not be ignored. More on that in a moment.

But first the basics—what is the psychology of patriotism?

Most people love the country in which they grew up, some so intensely they are willing to sacrifice everything for their ...

Off-Week Goodies: Interview with Kass Lamb and a Virtual Book Launch Party!

I had the pleasure of being interviewed a couple of weeks ago by author Ally Shields on her Coffee Chat. We talked about my upcoming new release and a little about my writing process. She asks good questions, starting with a request to talk about something unusual that is not in one’s bio.

My answer: I owned a small horse farm back when we lived in Maryland. Only the promise of warmer weather and palm trees was able to lure me away from that beloved property.

Check out the whole “Interv...

Happy First Day of Summer~What’s Your Fave Summer Activity? (Plus a New Release)

In honor of the first day of Summer, we decided to do a group post, answering the question: What’s your fave summer activity? To kick things off, here’s…

Shannon Esposito

Summer is my favorite season in Florida because I’m happiest in the water. The kids are always up for boating (even during these dreaded teenage years).

Boating has allowed us to make so many priceless family memories like lobstering and snorkling in the Keys, scalloping in Crystal River or just hanging out in our ...