Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 187
January 6, 2018
Which Wicked Was It?
Here are the answers to yesterday’s blog!
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B Liz: These have helped get me through long days of baking!
F Barb: An appropriate Christmas gift.
E Sherry: What I love to do on Saturdays.
C Edith: Spied this in a certain Indiana country store.
A Jessie: Purchased purely in the name of research!
D Julie: Part of a theme.
Filed under: Group posts
January 5, 2018
Guess Which Wicked
Hello friends!
On this very snowy and cold day in New England, we have a game for you! Each Wicked gave us a clue to the picture they shared. Guess which is which! We’ll post the answers on Saturday.
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Liz: These have helped get me through long days of baking!
Barb: An appropriate Christmas gift.
Sherry: What I love to do on Saturdays.
Edith: Spied this in a certain Indiana country store.
Jessie: Purchased purely in the name of research!
Julie: Part of a theme.
Filed under: Group posts Tagged: Barbara Ross, Cate Conte, Edith Maxwell, J.A. Hennrikus, Jessica Ellicott, Jessica Estevao, Jessie Crockett, Julianne Holmes, Liz Mugavero, Maddie Day, Sherry Harris, Wicked Cozy Authors
January 4, 2018
For the Love of Reading
By Sherry — Home from a chilly Northern Florida to a freezing Northern Virginia
I have a lot of things to thank my mom for, but probably none more than my love of books. We had lots of books in our house. We made weekly trips to the library from the time I was really little. Then the bookmobile started coming to a park an easy walk from our house once a week.
[image error]Mom would read a chapter of a Bobbsey Twin book to my sister and I every night. But she had a devious plan which was to get us to read on our own. I was a bit more of a reluctant reader than my sister. The plan worked because who could stand to wait until the next night to find out what was going to happen next.
There was a large collection of Bobbsey Twin and Nancy Drew books in our house. When there was a book fair at school we were each allowed to pick a few books. Oh, the joy! My second grade teacher wasn’t the best so I fell behind with my reading compared to my peers. Thankfully, I had a third grade teacher who noticed. She took to giving me extra books to take home to read out loud to my mom. And my mom always made time for me to do that. Soon I was back on track and have been a voracious reader ever since.
My dad loved to read too and as we grew up we were always trading around mysteries and thrillers. I remember us all reading the Deadly Sins series by Lawrence Sanders. And books by Sidney Sheldon. There’s an image in one of them I still can’t get out of my head.
[image error]My mom is a big fan of cozy mysteries and an avid reader of our blog. She’s introduced me to as many authors and series as I have to her. Years ago it was Lillian Jackson Braun and Dorothy Gilman, more recently Joann Fluke and Diane Mott Davidson. I’ve, of course, introduced the books by all the Wickeds and so many other friends. (A signed book makes a great gift!)
It’s something we will always share.
Readers: Who instilled a love of reading in you?
Filed under: Sherry's posts Tagged: bookmobile, Books, cozy mysteries, Davenport Public Library, Diane Mott Davidson, Dorothy Gilman, joanne fluke, Lillian Jackson Braun, love of reading, Reading
January 3, 2018
Wicked Wednesday: Fun Goals for 2018
[image error]This month is a renewal month for many of us, so on Wednesdays we’re going to talk about goals of all sorts. Today the Wickeds weigh in on their fun goals for 2018!
Jessie: I am planning to start a podcast with one of my sons. It is an entirely new arena for me and I am really looking forward to it! We already have a theme, a name and some topics planned so I look forward to getting it underway before the year is out.
Edith: My goal is to spend regular time with my cherished young friends, Miss B and Mr. J. Because nothing is more fun than laughing with children (who, without asking my permission, are rapidly getting older, and threatening to get taller than me month by month).
Liz: I’m going to plan a trip this year – somewhere I want to go, when I feel like going. Usually I plan around other people, which often means my plans are edited or cancelled altogether. This year, I’m doing something for myself.
Julie: I am going to paint, with water colors. I have heretofore no known skills as a visual artist, but I have a niece who is very talented, and she’s inspiring me to try and develop my skills. I’ve realized over the years that many artistic or craft endeavors take practice, and that by quitting too soon I am short changing myself. Looking forward to exploring this side of myself.
Barb: Usually I do set goals in January, which is both the new year and my birthday month. But this year I have both a book and a novella due February 1–so I am going to kick the can down the road a little. 2017 was a busy year for me. I told at least half a dozen people, “Now that I’m in Maine, let’s get together for lunch (coffee, dinner, drinks, dessert).” I didn’t do it. Not a one. So this year, I am definitely doing that.
Sherry: My goal is much like Barb’s. I want to spend more time with friends going on adventures. My husband just took a class for his job that said laughter releases the same endorphins as running. So I plan on laughing a lot this year!
And you, dear readers, what is your fun goal for 2018?
Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: fun, new year's goals, Wicked Wednesday
January 2, 2018
Planning 2018
By Julie, cozy in her apartment, but bundling up for the bracing 12 degree weather in Boston
[image error]I love planners. My search for the “perfect” planner is ongoing, and this year I decided I wouldn’t try to make one fit perfectly. I chose instead to employ four (!) to make an attempt at managing this year.
In this picture, the top planner is a Hobonichi Techno Planner. This I a lovely design, with quotes, moon phases, grid paper, and other bits. I look forward to using it to capture quotes, zentangles, doodles, and gratitude lists.
The pink Leuchtturm 1917 is the 2017 Bullet Journal I’ve been using. I have a new notebook for 2018. The Bullet Journal systems is terrific. It allows me to take notes all in one place, and use a cataloging system in the front to track them. If you are so inclined, there are a lot of blog articles, Etsy shops, Pinterest boards, and Instagram posts dedicated to Bullet Journaling. You can use any notebook, and make it work for you. Keeping notes together is my only hope.
The next planner is a Freedom Mastery Planner. Part of my goal planning for 2018 is about diving deeper into the realms of gratitude, and higher meanings, and I find this planner and its prompts to be helpful in that. Also, the planning layouts (monthly and weekly) will help me keep track of all things. I do use Google calendar for specific appointments, but blocking times for writing, exercise, crafts, chores, etc. is helpful in managing the important parts of my day/week/month.
Finally, a new to me tool that I am already finding helpful. The Plot Your Work planner is made specifically for keeping on top of multiple writing projects. Since I have two books due in 2018, and a third book I am thinking about, a place to keep notes, break down quarterly tasks, stay on top of author work (marketing, blogging, etc.) is very helpful.
I’ve never started the new year with so tools to keep me on point. As it is only the second day of this new year, so far so good. We shall see if I remain as enthused and/or organized as the days go by.
Tell me, dear readers, do you love planners as much as I do? Any particular ones that work best for you?
Filed under: Julie's posts, Uncategorized Tagged: Bullet Journal, Freedom Mastery, Hobonichi Techno Planner, planners, plot your work, plotting
January 1, 2018
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE WICKEDS!
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Dear Readers, as we ring in the new year, we wanted to take a moment and thank all of you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being part of this wicked excellent adventure. You mean the world to us! In that spirit, each of us will offer a toast for the new year!
Jessie: May any sleepless nights be caused by good books and any stomach aches from fits of laughter.
Edith: May we take a minute each day to tell and show our loved ones we love them, because, while life is good, it can be unpredictably short.
Sheila: It is a privilege to be part of the writers’ community, and we’re so glad you’re sharing it with us!
Sherry: My toast is one of thanks. When we started this blog five years ago this May we had no idea what was ahead. You, our readers, have made me laugh and cry with your stories. So thank you for what you’ve given us. Cheers.
Liz: To good friends, good books and the best year ever for all of us!
Barb: To health and happiness, love and fulfillment.
Julie: My toast is to you, dear readers. Our Wicked community has grown over the years, and your ongoing support of this blogs, our books, and the mystery genre is a tonic. Happy New Year to you all–with great thanks.
Happy New Year to all! We look forward to many Wicked Cozy adventures throughout 2018!
Filed under: Wicked New England Tagged: happy new year, readers, toasts, Wicked Cozy Authors
December 29, 2017
Stow-Away Snake
By Liz, already wishing for summer…it’s freezing in these parts!
So Barb had a teaser the other day in the blog about a stow away story I’d shared with the Wickeds at one of our retreats. I thought in keeping with the theme of her release day for Stowed Away, I’d share my story with all of you. But I’ve gotta warn you – it’s pretty disturbing!
So it was a really hot summer day – the kind I’m wishing for right now, in fact – and I was off to work. I was working in Hartford at the time. I was wearing sandals, and these particular sandals tended to slide off my feet. So I didn’t think much of it when I was driving and my toe brushed up against something. I thought it was the gas pedal, that maybe my shoe had shifted or something. Forgetting about it, I reached over to pick up my coffee from the center console.
And a snake slithered right through the console and vanished into the backseat of my car.
I’m pretty sure I screamed. I have no idea how I didn’t rear end the 18-wheeler in front of me. Oh, and did I mention I was merging from one highway onto another?
I had no idea what to do. In my mind, the snake was the size of a boa constrictor, and I imagined it was readying itself to wrap around my neck and strangle me, causing a fifty-car pileup on I-84 and killing me instantly. So I was driving looking over my shoulder to make sure this didn’t happen.
Being in the middle of a merge, there weren’t a lot of places to pull over. When I finally reached a spot where I could get on the shoulder safely, I did so, then jumped out of the car and opened all the doors. I had no idea what to do next.
I didn’t see my passenger anywhere. I checked the whole backseat, pulled out the dog’s blanket, checked under the seats. Nothing. At this point, my hair was suffering from the 80-degree, high humidity weather, and I must’ve looked like a crazy person on the side of the road. Or a drunk person, although it was barely nine a.m.
I wandered to the front passenger side of the car and happened to glance in the window. I wish I had been thinking clearly enough to take a picture of what I saw.
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The contaminated purse
This snake, who was clearly messing with me, had hopped into my Coach purse and was sitting there, looking around, tongue sliding in and out as he surveyed his new domain.
I opened the door, took the entire purse and threw it down the embankment. Then I waited ten minutes to make sure he’d slithered away, and I went and collected my things. I had some qualms about the bag itself – I mean, what if there were snake eggs in it or something?? but in the end I had no choice, since I had no other purse.
I went to work, a bit late and a bit disheveled, but I have to admit it’s been a great story ever since.
Oh – and it took me a few days to figure out how he’d come to stow away in my car. I’d put a bag of recycling that had been in my trunk in the driveway because I needed the room. When I put the bag back in my car, it must’ve had a bit more than water bottles in it…
Readers, has anything creepy ever showed up in your moving vehicle? Or anywhere else it wasn’t supposed to be?
Filed under: Liz's posts, Uncategorized Tagged: snake, Stowed Away
December 28, 2017
Holiday Movies–A Love-Hate Relationship
Jane/Susannah/Sadie here, wishing you all a very happy, healthy, joyous, and prosperous New Year…
Hello, Wicked People! Has a whole month gone by since we’ve chatted? Well, I’m glad to be back.
[image error]Are you a holiday movie junkie? I admit it, I am. Although I have to tell you that there are some classics that I don’t exactly love, even though I know I’m “supposed to.” Nobody throw rocks, but I’m not crazy about White Christmas. Other than the title song, none of the music is particularly good (although the singing is). And some of the songs are downright weird (that scene where Danny Kaye is wearing the French Artiste clothes and doing that very odd dance). The fact that Bing Crosby was over 50 when he did the movie with the 26-year-old Rosemary Clooney always gives me pause. However, I do love Danny Kaye in anything he ever did, and he and Vera-Ellen didn’t have such a big age gap, so I consider this movie sort of a wash.
Another one I’m supposed to love but am kind of iffy on is It’s a Wonderful Life. I know, I know. Jimmy Stewart is adorkable, if a bit overly dramatic in spots, and Donna Reed is beautiful and faithful and loving, and the story makes you understand the Butterfly Effect–I’m not sure what came first, The Butterfly Effect or the movie. Yet there’s something I can’t quite put my finger on about It’s a Wonderful Life, something that makes me (usually) watch it when it’s on, but doesn’t give me the slightest pang of disappointment if I don’t see it, as I didn’t this year. Anybody have any thoughts?
And you may really want to throw rocks at me for this one, but Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is another one I can take or leave. I watch it for nostalgic reasons, as I have fond memories of hot cocoa and real oil-popped, buttered popcorn and watching it every year with my sisters and my parents and later with my own son. But seeing it the last few years I’ve found some aspects of it a little bothersome–and I know it’s because I’m seeing it through a 2017 lens, not the 1964 lens in which it was born. There is bullying and there is nose-shaming–by both adult and child reindeer and even Santa! Only the young bucks can try out for the sleigh team, not the does. Also, there’s an unexplained problem inherent in those Reindeer Games. Santa already has a sleigh team full of magic reindeer. So how are those poor little bucks who are being coached ever going to have any hope of making the team? The futility of it all.
Lest this post be deemed too negative, here are some classic Christmas movies I do love, and I do mind if I miss them: A Christmas Story (and yet, again, this one has some aspects that are not exactly cool when viewed with a 2017 lens). How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the 1966 animated version). A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version–this adaptation has the most wonderfully pathetic Tiny Tim). Christmas Vacation because it makes me laugh every time. And here’s one that I consider a Christmas movie, even though only part of it is set at Christmas–You’ve Got Mail. Honestly, I cry every time Tom Hanks brings Meg Ryan those daisies when she’s sick and you just know that’s when she knows she loves him and he loves her, even though they aren’t ready to admit it yet. Happy Sigh.
What about you? Which Christmas movies do you love? Which ones don’t jingle your sleighbells?
Filed under: Jane's posts, Sadie's Posts, Susannah's posts, Uncategorized Tagged: Christmas movies, Christmas Vacation, Donna Reed, George C. Scott, Grinch, It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart, Meg Ryan, Rudolph, Tiny Tim, Tom Hanks, You've Got Mail
December 27, 2017
Wicked Wednesday — Stowed Away
We are celebrating the release of Stowed Away the sixth book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series by Barb! Here’s a little about the book:
[image error]It’s June in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, and Julia Snowden and her family are working hard to get their authentic Maine clambake business ready for summer. Preparations must be put on hold, however, when a mysterious yacht drops anchor in the harbor—and delivers an unexpected dose of murder . . . When Julia’s old prep school rival Wyatt Jayne invites her to dinner on board her billionaire fiancé’s decked-out yacht, Julia arrives to find a sumptuous table set for two—and the yachtsman dead in his chair. Suspicion quickly falls on Wyatt, and Julia’s quest to dredge up the truth leads her into the murky private world of a mega-rich recluse who may not have been all that he seemed . . .
The title made me wonder if any of the Wickeds had ever stowed away. So it’s confession time Wickeds. Did you ever stow away? Sneak into somewhere you really weren’t supposed to be? Sneak a friend in? Or did you sneak out? If not what kept you from doing it?
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Playing frisbee in the deserted coloseum in Pompeii
Barb: I can’t recall ever stowing away, but I am an inveterate sneaker-inner. Specifically, houses under construction are like catnip to me. As soon as the construction crew leaves for the day, I am there. I’ve done this since I was a kid and the last time was probably three years ago. I’ve always been interested in houses, as anyone who reads the Maine Clambake Mysteries knows. “Is your protagonist an architect?” one exasperated member of my writers group once asked me (sarcasm intentional). My most brazen sneaking-inning was during my post-college European tour. My friend Joanne and I took the train from Naples to Pompeii to find the site was closed due to a strike. We had neither the time nor the funds to return. As we debated what to do, three American boys came along and somehow we all egged one another into sneaking in. It is the eeriest thing in the world to be in a village where time has stopped with only four other people. I will never forget it.
Edith: Ooh, Barb, I’m the same with houses under construction! Can. Not. Resist. Poking around through walls that are only bare studs and climbing up stairs that are barely more than ladders? Candy to the illicit soul. I’ll even confess to a bit of, ahem, “hanky-panky” with a paramour in a house under construction. And I’ve definitely snuck out early from events I’d been reluctant to attend in the first place. And not a bit of remorse stains my conscience. I won’t have any remorse about sneaking away to read Barb’s book tomorrow instead of working, either!
Julie: I am a permission seeker. Always have been. Maybe that needs to be a 2018 goal. Stow away a couple of times. Barb, congratulations on this release. Cannot wait! I so love this series!!
Liz: The one place I considered sneaking in was the old, abandoned Norwich State Hospital property in Norwich and Preston, Connecticut. I have a thing for old asylums (yes, I know it’s creepy and weird) and I also wanted to use the setting for a book. I’m fascinated by not only how it was when it was a place, but the ways in which it settled into abandon. I desperately wanted to get into the tunnels underneath that connected the buildings on the massive campus. At the time, I worked as a reporter for the local newspaper and I had some contacts, but I could never finagle it. The buildings, and especially the tunnels, were dangerous – collapsing in places and full of asbestos. The area was also patrolled by security, which was a bit daunting. So I had to settle for some really great pictures I found online.
Jessie: I’m with Julie. I have run this question through my mind over and over and cannot think of any incidents of sneaking in or sneaking out. I almost jumped on the back of a moving train when I was eight but decided at the last minute not to grab on. The only places that ever make me want to sneak in are private gardens whose leafy bowers peak out through wrought iron gates. I saw a few in the UK and also occasionally in cities in the States and they always make me curious. Julie, want to plan a sneak -in with me this year?
Sherry: When we settled on this topic for today’s blog my first thought was where have I sneaked into that I’m willing to admit publicly? I couldn’t come up with anything so I turned to three long time friends (Carol, Cheryl, and Sherry) who knew me in my misspent youth. Sherry tried to say we sneaked into the library during college, but we knew that wasn’t true. But then Carol came up with something I’d all but forgotten. In high school during the summers we would sneak into apartment complexes swimming pools. Our town had a plethora of public pools and I can’t quite remember why we didn’t go to them. I’m guessing the apartment complexes had better chairs, less people during the day, and were less crowded. Or there were hotter older guys — that certainly would have been a big draw at the time.
Readers: Have you ever sneaked into a place you weren’t supposed to? Where was it? If not why not?
Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: Barbara Ross, Kensington Publishing, sneaking in, sneaking out., Stowed Away
December 26, 2017
Stowed Away
by Barb who’s celebrating the holiday in Virginia with family
[image error]Hi everyone. I hope you are having great holidays. Today is release day for Maine Clambake Mystery #6, Stowed Away.
To celebrate, I’m giving a signed copy to one lucky commenter below.
In order to keep track of what people may be writing about my books on the Web I have set up Google Alerts for my name, my series name, and my titles. Some of the alerts are nearly useless. Clammed Up and Boiled Over, for example. People are always clamming up, particularly politicians, and boiling over, particularly at sporting events. Musseled Out and Fogged Inn are much better, because of their unique spellings. When I get alerted to one of those phrases, it almost always links to my book. (Usually to a pirated edition, or much more common, some site pretending to have a free electronic edition, but actually phishing.)
So when I started writing Stowed Away, I set up a Google Alert on the title. As I result I regularly receive articles about things that have stowed away.
Some of them are adorable, like this one.
The kitten was fine, by the way, and was eventually adopted by the auto technician who opened the car hood and got quite a surprise. The little fellow was named Tacoma after the car brand in which he took his ride.
But most of the articles are absolutely horrifying, like this one.
A Giant Spider Traveled 10,000 Miles in a Swing Set
He saw the world, with all eight eyes.
The article goes on to say:
“Like a guinea pig, it was seven inches long and furry. Unlike a guinea pig, it had eight legs.”
The Huntsman Spider survived by eating locusts that had also stowed away, one of many things it eats in the wild, including beetles and small lizards. These spiders don’t spin webs, but get around by cartwheeling or handspringing a yard at a time. Imagine that coming at you. I don’t know if this particular story has a happy ending (or even what would constitute a happy ending). Last seen, the spider had been removed to the Heathrow Animal Reception Center.
Arachnids aren’t the only creepy stowaways. Over the last year and a half I have received dozens of links like these:
And this one from my own back yard.
The article continues:
“The women, who drove Wednesday from Logan International Airport in Boston to an inn in Kennebunk, found a ball python when they arrived and were taking their bags from the car’s trunk.
Kennebunk Deputy Police Chief Dan Jones said officers responded to the Port Inn on Route 1 after getting the call.
‘As calls go, this one was pretty strange,’ he said.”
BTW, if you want to hear a good stowed away story of this ilk, ask the Wicked’s own Liz Mugavero next time you see her.
I’ll keep the alert active, even though stowed away promises to be as ineffective in spotting mentions of my book as clammed up and boiled over are. I have to admit, I kind of like these stories. They’re compelling and repelling at the same time.
Readers: Do you have a story about something that stowed away? Share it here, or just say hi to be entered to win a signed copy of Stowed Away.
Filed under: Barb's posts Tagged: maine clambake mysteries
