Terry Odell's Blog, page 21
February 1, 2024
Like Print? Like Free Books?
Let’s talk Deadly Adversaries and Cruising Undercover
I don’t normally do BSP posts, but hey, it’s my blog, and every now and I think it’s okay every now and then to alert readers to what I do, which is write books. While I love the process, it’s nice to sell a few once in a while.
First up: Deadly Adversaries, which releases on February 22nd in digital format is now available in paperback. This way, you who like the feel and smell of a new book can get it delivered ...
January 30, 2024
The Strange Case of the Phantom Smoke Alarm
The Hubster was out of town last weekend, and I was looking forward to some unstructured time to get some writing done.
Then, in the early morning hours, a smoke alarm started chirping. Insistently. Not the “there’s smoke” chirp, but the “I need a new battery” chirp. Strange, since we replace them regularly, but who am I to argue.
Since the alarm is mounted on a cathedral ceiling, and the only way to get a ladder tall enough into that area was to bri...
January 28, 2024
How Long Should A Cat’s Tail Be?
Due to a lack of communication, the Hubster wasn’t aware he was supposed to be down in the Springs minding the animals at our son-in-law’s house. Fortunately, he found out in time and was able to pack up everything (including our dog), and get there at the time he would have arrived had the dates been on the calendar.
This left me with four days to myself. And, given we had snow and freezing temperatures, I had no reason to venture outside. Plenty of writing time...
January 25, 2024
Friday Fotos – Wares From the Christmas Markets
Since our trip was centered around Christmas Markets, I thought I ought to share some of the wares that were offered. This is only a smattering.
Another time, I’ll focus on the food.
Have a nice weekend, for those who celebrate
How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate? 
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the commu...
January 23, 2024
Deadly Adversaries ARCs for Review Available
Deadly Adversaries goes live in digital format on February 22nd. It’s going to need reviews. If you’re already on my Read and Review Team, you’ll be getting an email asking if you’d like to continue. If you’re not part of my team, but would like to be, here’s the deal.
You get a digital (epub) copy of Deadly Adversaries. You read it, and you leave honest reviews at places like Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, Barnes & Noble, etc. within a week of release...
January 21, 2024
Christmas Market Recap 4
A non-Christmas Market stop on our cruise was to the Melk Abbey. Photography was prohibited inside (which, I’m sad to say, didn’t keep 2 members of our group from taking pictures). Very impressive. Probably more so if you’re a history and/or Baroque architecture person. I’ll say “ornate” and leave it at that, but if you want to know more, you can read about it here.
For almost a year prior to our trip, I used Duolingo to study German. My belief is it’s always nice to s...
January 18, 2024
Friday Fotos – Doors
The old doors we encountered on our trip fascinated me. Here are some of them.
Have a great weekend to those who celebrate.
How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate? Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gord...
January 17, 2024
Proofing the Proof
My proof (ARC) copies of Deadly Adversaries arrived. This is my chance to see what the paperback version looks like, and to catch any errors that have eluded me to this point. There’s always something. Like missing one of my books on the “Also by” pages.
Because of the way my brain is wired, I can work on only one major project at a time. This means that work on my Christmas Market novel will slow down, or—more likely—stop altogether until this proofing step is done.
The fir...
January 16, 2024
Christmas Market Recap 3
Our photography group leader wanted us to have extra time in Vienna where we could roam on our own and get pictures that might not be possible once we were on the riverboat, so we had two nights there, although in reality, only one full day. Our hotel was another small, older one, but a notch or two higher than the one in Prague. The bathroom was definitely more spacious, although the tub-shower was very high, and I’m short, so that was a challenge. One member of our gro...
January 14, 2024
Christmas Market Trip Recap 2
Our stay in Prague wasn’t part of the cruise itinerary. Our photography group leader offered it as an optional add-on, and everyone in his group added it, so he added some extras. One was a trip to the Charles Bridge for night/blue hour shots. The “blue hour” starts about 20 minutes after sundown, and gets more intense—for about 10 minutes. Hardly an “hour” but I’m not going to argue with a name. “Blue minutes” doesn’t sound as good. At any rate, we arrived before...
