Two finishes by Pamela

Ancestry

In your family ancestory history have you learned of any surprises? Tell us a little about some of the characters inm your family. Do you have a favorite family member?

I'll tell you a little about mine that I recently learned. My grandmother on my mother's side (she is long dead) was married five times and never bothered to divorce her husbands. This shocked me as when I remember her I remember a hard working woman who tithed every week and was a member of The Seventh Day Adventist Church. She ironed everything, never actually open or used any of her birthday or Christmas Presents. Her hobby was emboridery (which also recently learned) she lovedto wear aprons and jewerly. Grandma Goldie was short very very short and to the day she died she dyed her hair auburn brown. At one point her her life she was a nurse and she just walked away from nursing. Later she cleaned houses and beauty shops. I just never knew about the fact she never bothered to divorce her husband and yes all of her husbands never bothered with a divorce either. She lived in many different states and I guess it worked for her. The family learned of this after she died. She had to have a ceremony but she never had divorce decrees etc...upon more research it was discovered she never divorced them. Her children were very upset (as well they had a right to be) some of the children were by the same father. It never occured to anyone that she had this secret.

Anyway she is my character her name was Goldie Dale....

Hugs,

Pam

What do you think of all the amazon freebies?

Amazon has a lot of free books/stories/novellas for kindle.  I personally get them a lot.  I get emails that list the ones these people find.  I think it is great in that I defintiely will try books I might otherwise put on that LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG wishlist.  On the ohter hand, I am not so sure it is good for the authors.  Yes - their work is out there and being reviewed (maybe) finding new exposure.  If it is good I will look for other work by the author.  And on ething I do is when I DO read it, I rate and do a short review on Goodreads which is some exposure.  But it might be a long time before I do read it because I have so many things to read.  Of course my intention is to read every single thing on my kindle AND all those paper books I own too.  I know I cant do it in my lifetime as long as I keep acquiring more.  yet there is so much interesting stuff out there.  More and more authors every day.  Of course, THAT can become overwhelming too. 

So if amazon is making nothing, publishers make nothing and authors therefore make nothing.  That is not good.  So I feel guilt for getting the freebies.  Sort of.  But it doesnt stop me either.

Thoughts?

Terri

Review: Wild, Wild Death

Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels is the 8th book in the “Pepper Martin” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, January 2012

Her job has been cut, she’s low on cash, and her detective sometime- boyfriend refuses to even talk about her ability to see the dead and solve their murders. So Pepper is most certainly down for a vacation to get her spirits up.  That is, until her scruffy yet cute scientist friend Dan is kidnapped—and those responsible demand that Pepper steal the remains of Chester Goodshot Gomez, a sharpshootin’ star performer buried at Garden View Cemetery. Goodshot’s ghost has plenty of supernatural reasons to accompany Pepper to New Mexico…and raise rowdy hell once there. But when his bones disappear and bodies start dropping, Pepper has one clever murderer to track—one who idea of boot hill has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo.

I like Pepper. With no job to call her own and some questions about her personal life, Pepper heads to New Mexico when her friend Dan is kidnapped and the ransom is the bones of a dead sharpshooter whose ghost travels with Pepper. This was a good mystery that kept me guessing throughout most of the story. The setting was so picturesque, I felt like I was there with Pepper. I like the tone of the story and the secondary characters complemented Pepper and her actions as she tries to solve the puzzle and find her friend. I can’t believe I’ve never read any of the books in this series and now I’m especially looking forward to the next book in this entertaining series.

Dru Ann

previously posted at dru's book musing

Review: Affairs of Steak

Affairs of Steak by Jule Hyzy is the fifth book in the “White House Chef” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, January 2012

Assigned to work with her arch nemesis, Peter Everett Sargeant, the White House sensitivity director, Ollie must find a venue for an event to honor the secretary of state. Instead they find one of the First Lady’s assistants and the chief of staff, both murdered—and Ollie and Peter may have witnessed the killer making his getaway.  News reports suggest that the assistant and chief of staff were having an affair, but no one on the staff believes the rumor. Now, with their jobs—and their lives—in jeopardy, Ollie and Peter must depend on each other to learn who killed their colleagues and why—before they become the next victims of a merciless assassin with a secret agenda.

Ollie is back and teamed with the one person who grates her nerves, Sargeant, when their discovery leads to complications involving a wayward relative, a top official and national security. Ollie tries to stay out of it, but she’s dragged into this case when she herself becomes a pawn in someone’s game and she’ll have to quickly douse out the fire before she gets burned. What a great read. This well-written and action-filled drama kept me in suspense from the moment I picked up the book. The author did a great job in hiding the killer among the cast with a surprising twist in the caper. Like fine wine, this series gets better with age and I look forward to more adventures with Ollie and the gang in this charmingly appealing series.

Dru

Previously posted at  dru's book musing

More of Pam's Stitching

Friday the 13th

FRIDAY 13TH:

So far this morning my husband's starter on his truck went out and he had to drive my car to work. My daughter posted that her car battery died and she had to walk from the gym to her job at the law office in 13 degree weather. As for me well I go to turn on the dining room light above my table that my laptop sits on and the chain is stuck and won't budge so i'm half writing this in the dark. It's okay because if I weren't so lazy I would unplug the laptop and move to the living room with it.

Now I'm not blaming all of this on Friday the 13th I'm just saying that my exhusband's birthday is December 13th and I should have paid attention to the number 13.LOLOL No it's all good.....but I wonder if any of you have a Friday the 13th stories to share with us?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I have nothing special planned for the weekend but in the winter I don't get out of the house very much so this is nothing new for me.

Hugs,

Pam

Stitched by Pamela

It's Monday

It's Monday:

It's Monday (yawn) but the good news is that it's a brand new week and so the possibilties are endless. I plan to make the most of my week.

What will be the best part of your week?

As a reader are you reading a book you would like to share with us today? Do you have a hobby you would like to make or finish some projects this week?

As an author are you close to finishing a book? Are you beginning a new book project? Writers and editors are you busy with the new year and a new crop of authors? What about our author who write series what book in the series are you writing?

Anyone join any new reading or writing groups online/face to face?

How about research and PR who is trying to get the word out and what are you researching?

Most of all what are you looking forward to this week? Are there any new tv shows or movies that are airing this week that you want to see?

"I am looking forward Special Victims this week."

Okay I am off to have something to drink this morning.

Hugs,

Pam

Review - It Takes a Witch

It Takes A Witch by Heather Blake is the first book in the new “Wishcraft” mystery series. Publisher: Obsidian, January 2012

Until three weeks ago, Darcy and Harper were working dead-end jobs and trying to put their troubles behind them. Then their aunt Velma delivered a bombshell: They’re actually Wishcrafters—witches with the power to grant wishes with a mere spell. Wanting a fresh start, they head to their aunt’s magic-themed tourists town to master their newfound skills.  But their magic fails them when a wannabe witch turns up dead—strangled with Aunt Ve’s scarf—and Ve’s sweetheart, Sylar, is found looming over the body. Ve is standing by her man, but Darcy overheard Sylar wish that the victim would disappear—forever. With Harper distracted by her handsome new crush, Darcy is determined to sleuth her way to the truth. But it’ll take more than a wish to unravel this mystery.

Having recently discovered that they are witches, Darcy and her sister moved back to the family’s homestead to join her Aunt’s business. All was going well until her aunt’s boyfriend was found near the strangled body of a woman he wished dead. Believing in her aunt and trusting her own instincts, Darcy tries her hand at sleuthing to expose a killer. I love this book. This magically delightful mix of mystery and mayhem with a dash of romance is a well-crafted, page-turning tale that left me wishing for more time in Enchanted Village, MA. This entertaining who-dun-it boasts adorable and captivating characters and a place I would love to call home. And the ending, OMG! This is a great start to more adventures with Darcy in this enticingly charming new series.

Dru

Previously post at  dru's book musing

Guest Blogger -Alice Duncan

Happy New Year, everyone!

On the whole, 2011 was kinder to me that the prior several years were. I guess that makes me an exception to the rule. But my independent editing business picked up, three of my books were published (along with a short story I published on Kindle when I got so sick of writing the book I was writing, and decided to stick it in a drawer and do something else).

Then December happened. You know how it goes: if things are going along smoothly something will hit you upside the head to remind you that life isn’t a bowl of cherries. On or about December 8, the retina in my left eyeball detached itself from whatever it was supposed to be attached to. I felt something funny in that eye, but thought I was being sort of hypochondriacal when I called the eye doc for an appointment. However, when I described my symptoms to the appointment lady, she gave me an appointment for far too early on Friday morning.

After being dilated and poked and prodded and blah, blah, blah, they stuck me in a room, called a place called Eye Associates in Albuquerque, told me to pack a bag and get myself to Albuquerque instantly. As I sat in the little waiting room, waiting and worrying, I called my wonderful neighbors, Ann and Barry Lasky. Ann said she’d be happy to drive me to Albuquerque, Barry said he’d feed my dogs, and we set out.

Unfortunately, neither Ann nor I had any idea what to expect once we got to Eye Associates. All I knew was that a doctor was waiting for me to show up (I honestly didn’t realize a detached retina was considered a medical emergency. I do now). So my eye was dilated again, again examined, Dr. Sidd’s (he’s the Roswell eye doc) diagnosis was confirmed, and I was told to show up at Presbyterian Hospital in Abq. at some ungodly hour on Saturday morning. That’s when we learned that Ann was supposed to stay with me for the entire weekend, and that we’d have to get rooms at a hotel.

Well, what the heck, y’know? I’d been making a tiny bit more money than usual in recent months, thanks to my independent editing work, so I could actually afford to house us at Albuquerque’s Hotel Elegante, a wonderfully misnamed hotel at which the New Mexico Book of the Year Awards banquet was held a few weeks earlier. So I got to spend a lot of time in the Hotel Elegante during the last part of 2011. Ann’s husband Barry brought her some clothes on Saturday (by the way, it’s a 400-mile round trip from Roswell to Albuquerque and back again), and he also brought both of us our laptops, so we were able to communicate with the rest of the world.

Then, on Saturday, December 10, a very nice Dr. Kamalesh Ramaiya reattached my left retina to whatever it’s supposed to be attached to, lasered another weak spot in the same eyeball, installed a gas bubble (which is supposed to dissolve about six weeks from the date of the operation), and I’ve been a one-eyed, extremely bored person ever since. Can’t read. Can’t watch TV. Can’t drive (for the sake of the rest of the world as well as myself). Can’t even go for walks with the dogs. I get to lie face-down on my bed with my head in the holes of a foam-rubber pillow for the duration. If it weren’t for audiobooks, I’d be totally nuts instead of merely partially nuts, as is normal.

The problem is that I am unable to work. I am also unable to fulfill my obligation to the people who have won books in various contests. That, however, doesn’t mean I’ll always be incapacitated. As soon as I can read again, I’ll send books to everybody to whom I owe books!

These folks include winners of November’s contest and this month’s contest wieners, Brenda Williamson and Jacquie Seewald, who each won copies of GENTEEL SPIRITS in my December contest.

Also, anon at book9k@woway.com and Karen Mayers, who were kind enough to leave comments on our Magical Christmas Mystery Book Blog Tour, out of which I had to drop precipitately when my eye done me wrong, also won books. If you two could send me your home addresses at alice@aliceduncan.net I’ll eventually get your books to you. Of course, you’ll need to decide which books you want first. You can choose by looking at my web site: www.aliceduncan.net

Anyone who wants to enter my January contest (I’ll be giving away two copies of ANCIENT SPIRITS, Daisy Gumm Majesty’s sixth [and perhaps last] adventure) please send your name and home address to the same e-mail address: alice@aliceduncan.net

As for 2012: onward and upward! Forward into the unknown! As P.G. Wodehouse wrote: the future lies ahead!

Okay, I’ll quit now. Thank you. And please do have a happy new year!