Sherry Harris's Blog, page 20

Welcome Janiss Garza, Editor of Rescued

Liz here, and today I’m welcoming Janiss Garza, editor of the anthology Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats Through Their Eyes, to the blog!

It’s no secret that I’m the crazy cat person here on the Wickeds, and I’ve done my fair share of writing about cats before my Pawsitively Organic series. I joined the Cat Writers’ Association years ago, and it was through that group that I saw Janiss’ call for stories for an anthology based on the lives of rescue cats. Kind of a no-brainer for me, I figured! So I wrote Tuffy’s story and submitted it. Many of you know Tuffy as the genesis for the cat Nutty in my series. He had an interesting journey before he became a book star, which he describes in detail in his story From Starving to Stardom, the first in the anthology. The rest of the stories in the book are equally touching, inspirational, and will make you love cats even more! Please check it out – it’s already won in the Compilations/ Anthologies categories in the San Francisco Book Festival and the Holiday Book Festival.

Janiss, take it away!

I love writing. I also love editing. At the magazine editorial gigs I had in the 1990s and 2000s, I enjoyed working with the writers (in fact, I always thought of them as “my” writers), and to this day I edit stories in my head as I read them far more often than I probably should admit. I also love the production process and working in InDesign. Being a publisher is just something that comes naturally to me.

I also happen to love cats. I didn’t plan to publish cat books, it just sort of happened. Cats are like that – you put one on the internet and the next thing you know, people are asking you cat questions, and websites and magazines are asking you to write cat stories and you wind up doing cat books. Give a cat an inch and the whole feline species winds up taking over your whole life. At least, that is how it worked for me.

I started my career as a heavy metal music journalist and music mag editor. Along the way I also wrote about vintage film (silent and pre-code) and fitness. But in 2003, when I started on the feline path with my cat, Sparkle and her website, sparklecat.com, I suddenly became the “cat writer person.” So I figured, why not use this strange turn of events for good? Like I said, I love cats, so I certainly wasn’t going to use it for evil – unless you consider Cat World Domination something bad. 

By the time I put out the call for submissions for Rescued, the anthology I published in January 2015, I had been working on the idea for a couple of years. As part of the very large cat blogging community, I saw there were probably at least 300 active or occasionally active cat blogs in existence, and a few hundred more that have come and gone or are currently dormant. And although I unexpectedly got sucked into this crazy community, I learned a few things right away about its fun, colorful members. They are a close knit, but inclusive bunch – they look out for their pals, and happily welcome new cats, and the humans behind them, into their blogging family. They are also passionately cause oriented, and will step up to help a cat, an animal rescue, or even a fellow cat blogger in need. I’m always on the lookout for a good book project that will both enhance people’s lives… and make money for both me and the writers. Rescued seemed like a perfect fit, and it was. Twelve cat stories, with a portion of the proceeds to go to rescue – I was sure from the start it would be a winner.

Along with my fellow cat bloggers, I sent out feelers in the social media communities. You might have noticed cats have taken them over too. I looked specifically for cats (and writers) with a strong online presence since I knew they would already have an audience of fans wanting to buy the book. I also sent word out to the Cat Writers Association, a professional group of cat writers I happen to belong to. As a result, I got a really amazing variety of submissions, and most of them were good enough for serious consideration to go into the anthology.

One thing people don’t realize about anthologies unless they’ve put one together themselves: it’s not just picking out a bunch of stories and tossing them in the book. They all have to work together, and they need to be arranged in an arc. The opening couple of stories are crucial, if you want to keep the reader reading. The ending story needs to tie up in some way the stories preceding it. If you want to make enough money to eventually pay your writers, you also want people who are not only storytellers but who are willing to be promoters too – which is why I had each one pick out an animal rescue as part of her promotion. Cat lovers will fight for a cause, even when they are too shy to fight for themselves.

In the end, I picked the dozen stories that worked best together, although there were a couple of times where it was almost like throwing darts. At one point when choosing between two stories, I realized that that the majority of cats in the book were male… so I picked the story featuring a female cat. The writers themselves came from all parts of the U.S. (and one from Canada), and included both novices to experienced authors. Although I had a few submissions from men, the writers I chose all happened to be women. After working with them through the editing process, and now that I’m halfway through the book’s promotion, I have to say, I’m so impressed with the writers I picked. What a talented bunch – and what amazing human beings!

I’m really proud of the writers I wound up with for Rescued – and I hope to be equally proud of the ones I choose for the sequel. Because I had such a rewarding time with the first book, and there are so many more great cat stories out there, that I have to do another one.

Someday, I plan to break out of cat mode, but right now I’m having too much fun.

Thanks, Janiss! We love the work you do. Tuffy is thrilled that you helped him find his voice. August is his month, where a portion of the book’s proceeds go to his rescue of choice. He picked Friends of Feral Cheshire Cats, an organization here in Connecticut that supports Trap-Neuter-Return for ferals and a foster program for any friendly cats or kittens they happen to find in the course of their work. 

Readers, do you have an  inspirational pet story to share? Leave a comment below!

Filed under: Guest posts Tagged: animal rescue, cats, Rescued

Wicked Wednesday – Favorite Old Movie

It’s Wicked Wednesday, when we all weigh in on a topic.

Liz here, and I have to confess I’m totally caught up in the hype of the 30th anniversaries of The Breakfast Club and Back to the Future. Well, after I got over the idea that those movies are THAT OLD – sheesh. Seems like yesterday I was sitting on my parents’ living room floor watching Back to the Future on repeat….

Anyway, we’ve bought our tickets to see the remastered version of The Breakfast Club at the Garde Arts Center later this summer (so excited!). And it got me thinking to ask the rest of you Wickeds what movies make you feel especially nostalgic?

Edith: Sigh. Dr. Zhivago. I loved that movie and watched it many times.So dramatic, so bittersweet. That’s when I fell in love with Omar Sharif. Also, The Wizard of Oz, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and Bridges of Madison County (okay, I know I’m a lowbrow, but I love that movie). Sorry, Liz, but I’ve never see either of your faves!

Jessie: Liz, I also loved The Breakfast Club and all its kin like Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. But as for older movies I love now the list includes What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Pulp Fiction, Romancing the Stone, The Shipping News and You’ve Got Mail.

Sherry: Oh, Liz and Jessie your “old” movie choices are making me feel, well, old. Shenandoah with Jimmy Stewart is one of my all time favs. I must have been in second or third grade when I saw it at the drive-in with my friend’s family. I cry every time I watch it. Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire — the clothes in it are so fabulous it’s worth watching just for that. And I’ll watch almost any movie with either Doris Day or Cary Grant in it. Newer “old” movies include The Blues Brothers and Billy Elliot. I’ve never seen The Breakfast Club all the way through but loved Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink.

Edith: I also love The Blues Brothers and Billy Elliot, Sherry!

Julie: The nieces and I recently had a sleepover, and we watched the Indiana Jones movies. They remind me of summer. Most of my other “nostalgia” movies I remember because of the feeling they evoked. Key Largo, The Maltese Falcon, and Rear Window are also personal favorites. I’d love to see Jaws this summer…

Barb: Favorite old movies? The Philadelphia Story because Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart. The Solid Gold Cadillac, because Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas. I, too, love the John Hughes’ oeuvre, because those movies came out when my kids were infants and HBO was brand new and I spent many middle-of-the-nights watching them. Also, Four Weddings and a Funeral and When Harry Met Sally, both of which I have seen dozens of times.

Dear readers, what are your favorites?

Filed under: Group posts, Wicked Wednesday Tagged: Audrey Hepburn, Back to the Future, Billy Elliot, Bridges of Madison County, Cary Grant, Doris Day, Dr. Zhivago, Fred Astaire, Funny Face, Jimmy Stewart, movies, Pretty in Pink, Pulp Fiction, Romancing the Stone, Shenandoah, Sixteen Candles, The Blues Brothers, The Breakfast Club, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Shipping News, The Wizard of Oz, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, You've Got Mail

Guest: Anna Loan-Wilsey

Edith here, enjoying the steamy summer (remember kids, it’s going to snow soon…).

I’m delighted to welcome historical mystery author Anna Loan-Wilsey to the blog today. We share a publisher, Kensington, and a love of telling made-up stories from the past. I first met Anna at Bouchercon in Albany, I think, and I loved Anything But Civil, her second Hattie Davish mystery, as well as her third, A Sense of Entitlement. (Note to self: catch up with book one, A Lack of Temperance.) Anna has a new book out, and I wanted to find out more about the book and Anna, and share her with our readers here.

E: So tell us about your new book.

Hattie’s father’s hat shop

A: In A Deceptive Homecoming, Hattie Davish, my traveling private secretary, goes home for the funeral of her closest friend. She’s hoping to reconnect with her friend, her teachers from her alma mater (Mrs. Chaplin’s School for Women), visit her parents’ graves, and indulge in nostalgia of a simpler time in her life. But nothing about this trip home is simple. Her friend is anything but happy to see Hattie, the body in the casket appears not to be whom it’s supposed to be, and strange incidents at her alma mater have everyone on edge. Throw in a very unwelcome, unexpected trip to the local lunatic asylum and you have an idea how wrong a trip home can go.

E: That sounds great. “How wrong a trip home can go” – love it. Hattie travels all over the place. Have you lived in each of the places where you set the books, like Missouri in the current one? How do you research these places in the era in which you write?

A: I’ve never lived in any of the places where I’ve set my books but I had visited them all previous to choosing them for a book. I have also visited each one to specifically research a book. I usually have a general plot idea in mind before I visit but often take much of the plot from the actual history of the town itself. For example, when I went to St. Joseph, MO for A Deceptive Homecoming, I knew I wanted Hattie to wonder whether a body in a coffin was the person it was supposed to be and that’s all. Everything else came after I walked the streets, visited the local museums, read the historic newspapers on microfiche in the local library, and spoke with the local historians. It’s part of the fun. I never know what I’ll discover.

E: Why did you decide to write historical mysteries? Do you have any plans to write a contemporary series, too?

State Lunatic Asylum #2

A: I decided to write an historical mystery for one reason. I love history. Even as a biology major in college, I was one class shy of a minor in history. I feel that reading and writing about history is the closest any of us will ever get to time travel. I currently don’t have any plans to write a contemporary series but who knows?

E: What do you find most challenging about writing an historical, and what’s the most fun?

Jesse James’ house

A: The most challenging part of writing an historical is getting all of your facts right. Since I must rely on historical sources, and not my own experience, it is sometimes very time consuming to verify a detail. The most fun is the minute details you discover that bring history to life. For example, Hattie lived in St. Joseph when Jesse James was killed there. I had known the basic story behind his death before visiting. However, it was the little details about what happened afterward that was so much fun. For example, after his death, Jesse James’ wife was forced to auction off the contents of their house. Like today, people were clamoring to buy anything they could get their hands on. The coffee pot sold for 10 cents, a baby chair for 75 cents, and the chamber pot for $1.00. N How much fun is that!

E: I think you have young children and a day job. How and when do you find time to write?

A: I have no idea and I don’t even have the day job any more! Actually when she was small, I wrote while my daughter was napping. She’s six now and goes to school, giving me several hours a day to write. Luckily, since I get very little writing done during the summer. Needless to say, I’m going to be working very hard to meet my deadline when she goes back to school!

E: If you could invite four authors, alive or dead, to dinner, who would they be, and what would you cook?

A: Only four? You’re kidding right? I’d have to have a large several-course, Victorian-style dinner party (so we could talk for hours and hours) and would invite (and this is really paring it down): Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, George Elliot, Theodore Geisel, Elizabeth Caskell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If Irving Stone and James Michener didn’t mind escorting each other in to dinner, I’d make room at the table for them too!

E: That’s a great group! Now, some flash questions:

Pizza or chocolate? Pizza and chocolate! There is NO way I could choose.
Eating out or cooking at home? My husband’s cooking at home
Vacation at the beach or in the mountains? The beach
Wine or mixed drinks? Mixed drinks if the mixed drink is grenadine and seltzer water
Creativity time: morning or night time? Morning, I’m worthless after 4pm.

E: What’s something surprising about you that most people don’t know?

A: As a biologist, I once worked with large mammals including monkeys, seals and sea lions.

E: Ooh, sea lions  – which always seem a little scary to me. Finally, give us a glimpse into where Hattie is going next.

A: Hattie is heading to Washington D.C. next. In book 5, A March to Remember, she not only must face a life-changing decision but she’ll be there just in time to encounter the historic first march on Washington by a group called The Commonweal of Christ or simply Coxey’s Army. As I like to say, “And then bad things happen…”

Just want to say thank you to the Wicked Cozies, not only for inviting me but for inspiring me. After I met your wonderful bunch of authors, I knew I wanted to be a part of such group. And now I belong to Sleuths In Time, a gathering of authors who love to read and write historical mysteries.

E: You’re most welcome!

Readers: Do you read historical fiction? Any favorite authors? Have any questions for Anna? She’ll drop by and respond throughout the day.

Filed under: Guest posts Tagged: A Deceptive Homecoming, anna loan-wilsey, historical msytery, Jesse James, Kensington Publishing, St. Joseph Missouri

Romance and Mystery

by Sheila Connolly

Last month I spent four manic days in New York with 2,500 romance writers.

I joined Romance Writers of America over ten years ago, based on the recommendation of a college classmate I talked to when I had just finished my first manuscript and had no idea what to do next. I knew she was (and still is) a writer. She told me to join RWA. I was so new that I didn’t even know that groups like that existed, much less that they had local chapters that I could join and meetings I could attend.

I confess: I write romance. With ghosts.

I’m still a member of RWA, although a few years later I kind of slid sideways into writing mysteries, where I feel more at home. But a couple of years ago I dusted off one of those early romance manuscripts and self-published it, and then followed it with two more, so I guess now I’m writing romance as well as mystery, much to my surprise.

Times Square–portal to another universe?

Which is why I decided it was time to go back to an RWA conference. This year was being held in New York, at a big Times Square hotel, and I was told this is The Big One that everyone wants to attend. Off I toddled with my overweight suitcase and my Little Black Dress, ready to invade enemy territory.

Guess what: romance writers look a whole lot like mystery writers, only there are far more romance writers. And they talk—long and loud—about writing. Non-stop. I had conversations about craft and publishing and career at breakfast, at the bar, in the hallways, and just about anywhere else (not the ladies room, though).

I went to the conference with the goal of figuring out how romance commands a larger market share than mystery. Is there some magic trick of promotion? Or are there simply more people who like to read about people falling in love and walking happily into the sunset, hand in hand? Hey, in most murder mysteries there’s a HEA, when the criminal is caught and justice prevails—but there’s no passionate clinch and promise of a glowing future with The Right One.

To be fair, many mysteries (especially the kind we Wicked Cozies write) include an element of romance. There’s usually a guy on the scene, or maybe even two. But he or they kind of take a back seat to our heroine catching a killer; at best they get equal time. The search for justice trumps emotion?

Mark Twain is usually given credit for saying “write what you know.” But the less well known Joel Chandler Harris, the author of the Brer Rabbit tales, said, “Write about what you know and care deeply about.” Romance writers care about what they’re writing, no question. So do mystery writers. There’s room for all of us (though romance writers take up a bit more space than mystery writers).

Truth time, Wicked Cozy readers: do you read romance and mystery? Would you like to see more or less romance in your mysteries?

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Relatively Dead, RWA, sheila connolly

Opening Lines

Write an opening line for the picture below:

Edith: Worst fourth of July of my life. Or maybe I should say of HIS life. His former life.

Jessie: While everyone except her lousy brother-in-law was at the parade, Mildred decided to use the time to tidy up around the house. She was delighted to discover the new brand of trash bags she’d bought on sale that week really did hold up to two hundred pounds of garbage.

Barb: It was a tough 4th of July at the Veteran’s Home.

Sherry: The last thing I said to him was, “Don’t use that big knife to open the ketchup.”

Liz: The party unexpectedly ended early. Unfortunately I also left my knife behind.

Readers: Add yours!

Filed under: Group posts Tagged: opening lines

Ask the Expert – Glenn Burlamachi, Funeral Director

Liz here, and today I invited one of my oldest pals to join us for “Ask the Expert.” Glenn Burlamachi owns and operates the Concord Funeral Home in Concord, Massachusetts, and has worked in the business for many years prior. (Confession: I had a stint working at Glenn’s funeral home! For research, of course.) I’ve always been fascinated by the business, a little because of my love for Six Feet Under but mostly because Glenn used to tell me stories all the time about what it’s like. I thought it would be an interesting topic for the blog, so here were my questions to Glenn:

1. How are violent deaths handled?

Violent deaths are not as common, however each case is different.  There are accidents, homicides and suicides, all three can create it’s own violent story.  It is my experience to bring the survivors into the funeral home and  process the funeral services as quickly as we can.  The survivors do not want to  be there any more than you do.  We are as empathetic as we can be and keep  conversation to a minimum.  Usually we do not deal directly with the immediate family but with another family member or close friend who acts as a liaison between the funeral director and family.

2. What’s the craziest funeral you’ve been part of?

Well, fortunately we have not had any “crazy” funerals.  I am mindful however that each family may have their own beliefs, customs and religious beliefs, this can add a “twist” to some funeral services.  Example…Jewish are buried  within 48 hours of death with the exception of Saturday, they are quick and  well handled with all parties cooperating and working together.  Unitarians  are independent and need minimal assistance by a funeral home.  Greeks are  traditionalists regardless of age.  We did have a horse and buggy funeral at the request of the deceased (prior to dying of course)…I could go on and on.

3. Talk about what it’s like behind the scenes of the funeral home?

A funeral home is a business just like any other, we function as efficiently as  the leadership and staff allows.  It can be chaotic at  as death has no set  schedule.  I have witnessed the funeral home remain quiet for week(s) and have as many as 7 deaths in 2 days.  We need to be prepared and at the ready 24/7, this adds to the stress as the funeral home (neat and organized) and staff (also neat and organized) must be available.  In my history we have had 3 deaths in one day on numerous occasions.  It is also imperative both the exterior and interior of the funeral home are updated and tastefully appointed. 

4. What’s it like living in the funeral home?

As mentioned previously we are a 24/7 profession, therefore residing at the funeral home is most often convenient.  However, there are more times than  none I find myself unable to shut down and stop.  There is ALWAYS something  to do so the disconnect can be most challenging at times.  Also, most funeral homes are located on a main street, this creates a “fish-bowl” atmosphere  for the occupied funeral directors.  Some residents will observe (and comment) on your daily routine.

5. What is the worse cliché you have to deal with as a funeral director?

The daily clichés are common, “I’ll be the last one to let you down”, “I bet everyone is dying to get in there?” “how’s business?”  I have learned over t he years to politely ignore and remain professional when the clichés are  mentioned.

6. Favorite and least favorite part of job?

Favorite: the ability to assist a family in their lowest point in their life. T his is both a privilege and honor.

Least favorite: 24/7  this profession is always on your mind.

7. Typical day?

Depending on death calls, it can be very busy or very quiet.  When busy  there are families to meet, obituaries to compose, scheduling to administer (church, cemetery, military and staffing).  When there are no death calls we  find ourselves, cleaning, organizing, community service etc.

8. What happens when you receive a death call?

Most deaths are reported to the funeral home via telephone “call” hence the  term “death-call”.  These phone calls occur 24/7, death can occur at home, a hospital, nursing home or public area. In most cases we must respond  immediately.  We drive to the designated location and transfer the person with  dignity and respect.  We dress and always act professionally, it is our duty and  obligation regardless of the surrounding location or community we serve.

9. Writers try to capture feelings in words.  If you could describe the  feeling  of your funeral home, how would you do that?

A funeral home is a reflection of its proprietors. The décor should be neutral,  “home-like” and have a sense of the community.  The Concord Funeral Home is  located in historic Concord, Massachusetts, therefore we have a slight revolutionary theme throughout.  The colors are warm and comforting, the art work is appropriate and the furniture period to the home yet functional. The exterior should have good curb-appeal such as freshly painted, seasonal  flowers, manicured lawns etc.  This is the first impression for the general public therefore it must be favorable.

10. What kind of schooling do funeral directors require?

Funeral directors are required to attend and graduate from a two-year associates program.  Upon completion you are required to pass the  National Board Exam consisting of 2 sections, Arts and Sciences.  Once this  is successfully accomplished a funeral director must pass the state requirements.  Each state has its own guidelines. This consists of an apprenticeship program and both written and practical (embalming) exams.

11. Do funeral directors attend conferences?

Yes, there are many conferences offered throughout the calendar year. Most funeral directors will attend several.  Funeral Directors are required to earn 8 CEU hours each  year and are obtained at these mentioned conferences or online classes.  This profession like all professions change and it is important to keep up with the changes.

Readers: Ask Glenn a question! He’s going to stop in throughout the day as he can, in between funeral tasks.

Filed under: Ask the Expert Tagged: Concord Funeral Home, Concord Massachusetts, funerals

Wicked Wednesday – What’s got you on the NSA watch list?

It’s Wicked Wednesday, when we all weigh in on a topic. As mystery writers, we often joke about what would happen if people overheard our crazy dinner conversations on top murder methods or saw our frantic Googling sessions to find out the most logical place to hide a body. So today, we’re going to get a little silly and talk about the craziest thing we’ve ever researched. In other words, which search would end with you on some kind of watch list?

Edith: For me it’s got to be poisons. In past books and stories I have killed someone off with Datura tea, with liquid nicotine, with cyanide salts, with arsenic, with an unspecified botanical toxin, with Tylenol plus alcohol, and one coming up will use rosary peas. Deadly, deadly stuff, all of it! So if the NSA is tracking my searches, I’m, uh, dead in the water. But if the Poison Lady can stay in operation, I figure I can, too!

Liz: I think probably the weirdest thing I ever Googled was if you could kill someone with a corkscrew. Believe it or not, it has been done before….

Jessie: Disguising the smell of a decomposing body and composting a body probably would be mine.

Barb: For me, it’s probably arson. I have Googled so much about various ways to start fires, what happens when a body burns and arson investigation techniques that I hope no one ever has a reason to go through my search history.

Sherry: So many things to choose from and so little space. It’s probably from visiting so many sites with three letter acronyms — FBI, CIA, NSA, NGA, the list goes on and on. About six months after 9/11 my daughter and I were flying to Disney World with friends, when we went to check in we found out we were on the Do Not Fly list. After an airline employee spent thirty minutes on the phone we were finally allowed to fly — so maybe it started back then.

Readers: Do you think you are being watched? Why?

Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: arson, botanical poisons, composting, corkscrew, datura, decomposition, Lucy Zahray, poison, Poison Lady, rosary peas

Welcome Terrie Farley Moran!

By Sherry

We are so please to have Terrie Farley Moran with us today. I got to know Terrie last spring when we were both nominated for an Agatha Award in the best first novel category. Congratulations, again to Terrie for her win with Well Read Then Dead! Terrie is giving away a cute Caught Read-Handed (isn’t that a great title) T-shirt to a commenter today. So leave a comment and an email address!

Hi All. Caught Read-Handed, the second book in the Read ’Em and Eat cozy mystery series was released a few weeks ago and I am having a fine time wandering around the blogosphere visiting friends both old and new. I’m so excited that the Wickeds invited me back to visit them and all their terrific readers. (Thanks Sherry.)

Happy as I am that book two is out in the world, I’m struggling along writing book three of the series. I’d love to say “writing cozy mysteries is great fun” but that would be less than truthful. Writing anything is work. Hard work.

But you take research—that’s where the fun is! I am so pleased that my daughter recommended the gorgeous and tranquil (excluding the occasional cozy murder) Fort Myers Beach as the home of the Read ’Em and Eat Café and Bookstore. As part of my research naturally I read all the books that the café’s book club members read, and it would be silly not to dabble in the book-related food the café serves. (Think Old Man and the Sea Chowder, Green Eggs and Ham or Harper Lee Hush Puppies.) I freely admit there are few things I enjoy more than books and food but I am happily surprised at how much I’ve come to love the study of the flora and fauna of southwest Florida.

For one thing I had no idea the extensive variety of sea shells that can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, although I did know that all sea shells start out as the home of mollusks. Did you know that clams, mussels, oysters and scallops live in bivalve shells? That’s what you’d recognize as two sided hinged shells. How about those elegant tulip shells? Did you know they are called gastropods? Say what? Gastropods—it seems that gastropods are univalves and have snails inside with a large foot-like stomach that pushes through a hole in the shell wall to propel the gastropod around.

I still have a lot to learn about shells but one thing I can tell you for sure is that in Fort Myers Beach it is against the law to collect an occupied sea shell. If the mollusk is at home, you must leave the shell alone.

And what about those splendid palm trees decorating beaches, streets, parks and lawns—every surface imaginable? I am astounded by the sheer variety of palms, ranging from Dwarf Palms that max out at ten feet high to the more usual palm trees that reach twenty to thirty feet at maturity. For absolute grandeur there is the Florida Royal Palm which reaches a height of one hundred thirty feet and seems to live forever. In fact when Thomas Edison wintered in Fort Myers a hundred years or so ago, he bought and planted a couple of hundred Royal Palms along the roadway now known as MacGregor Boulevard, which led to Fort Myers earning its nickname “City of Palms”.

And of course there are alligators, red-shouldered hawks and large orange sulphur butterflies, not to mention the Florida panther, which lends its name to the state’s ice hockey team. I spent far too much time studying them all. And don’t get me started on the massive assortment of fish. Oh, and flowers, dazzling flowers. Some varieties bloom nearly all year. If you want to know about snakes, you’ll just have to read Caught Read-Handed.

Okay, okay, you’re right. I am having way too much fun, but hey, when was the last time you canoed through the mangrove trees on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River and called it “research”?

A writer’s life is always interesting.

Bio

Agatha Award winner Terrie Farley Moran is the author of Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series including Well Read, Then Dead and Caught Read-Handed. Her short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. Her stories have been short-listed twice for Best American Mysteries. Terrie’s web address is http://www.terriefarleymoran.com She blogs at http://www.womenofmystery.net and can be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terriefarleymoran

Filed under: Guest posts Tagged: Agatha Award Best First Novel, Caught Read Handed, Fort Myers Beach, Gulf of Mexico, MacGregor Boulevard, Read Em and Eat Mysteries, sea shells, Terrie Farley Moran, Well Read Then Dead

Dog Heros

By Liz, on vacation from the day job this week and loving the freedom!

I knew sooner or later Shaggy would start getting invited to do events, and I would be optional. (No, I’m not jealous at all! I know she’s much cuter.) Anyway, we were delighted when the lovely Kim Mather at the Guilford Smith Memorial Library here in South Windham invited Shaggy to be a reading dog this summer.

Of course, Shaggy jumped at the chance. She loves attention, and especially loves being the star of the show. So last week, she got to go to her very first solo event as the library’s “Dog Hero.”

If we weren’t excited already, being billed as a hero made the event that much better. Shaggy was thrilled with the title, as she’s worked very hard taking classes and has a goal of being an official therapy dog. She’s already visited hospitals, nursing homes and schools and brought smiles to a lot of faces with her sweet personality. And to have the library recognize the important role dogs play in the community is huge.

The craft table while kids waited their turns to read.

That got us thinking about all the hero dogs out in the world. There are so many of them, from police K-9s, to military dogs, to members of a family who do something extraordinary. We read about them all the time – the pup who alerted its family to a fire and saved everyone, or the dog who rescued a human sister or brother from an attacking animal. We loved the recent story about the dogs who saved each other’s lives when they were spotted in a shelter hugging each other and were promptly rescued. The stories are everywhere.

Reading Green Eggs and Ham.

I’ve wanted Shaggy to be a therapy dog for a while, but never more than after the Newtown tragedy. The dogs who helped the community heal are true heroes, and they brought a level of comfort that sometimes can’t be reached even with a human counselor or therapist. Seeing the smiles Shaggy can bring to people’s faces just entering a room makes me feel good – and I know it makes her happy. She’s bringing good to the world just by being here.

So kudos to my local library for recognizing dog heroes like Shaggy. And hats off to all of you dog heroes out there. Keep up the good work.

Readers, do you have a dog hero in your life?

Filed under: Liz's posts Tagged: dogs, heros, reading dogs, therapy dogs

Contest winner Jacki Goes to Malice

We have so much fun running our “Stick With The Wickeds” contests and then taking our winner with us to conferences. This time we took Jacki York to Malice where we all had a blast!

Dinner with the Wickeds and author Laura Bradford.

 

Jacki helps stuff the goody bags for Malice Go Round!

Jacki meets attendee Elaine Naiman.

Jacki with blogger Dru Ann Love, Aimee Hix, and friends.

Jacki with Agatha nominee Lea Wait!

Jacki takes a break with Jessie Crockett. All that talking makes a girl thirsty.

Jacki has a fan girl moment with Rhys Bowen and Dorthy Cannell!

Donna Andrews is happy to meet fan Jacki!

Hank, Edith and Susannah hang with Jacki at the New Author’s Breakfast cheering Sherry on!

Jackie enjoys breakfast!

Kate Flora, Liz and Jessie take Jacki to the banquet!

The lovely Dorothy Cannell gets to meet Jacki!

Hallie Ephron and Lucy Burdette had a great time meeting Jacki.

Jacki at the Opening Ceremonies with Edith and Sherry.

Kiki the Lemur and Laura Morrigan do Malice Go Round with Jacki.

Sherry, Julie and Jacki enjoy a quiet moment together.

Jacki was honored to meet Cynthia Kuhn, Malice grant winner. Julie introduced them.

Jacki meets reader Jan Kurtz.

Jackie hangs with Guppies Debra Goldstein and Marilyn Levinson.

 

 

 

 

 

Rhys Bowen