tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89233393363952207072024-03-18T15:50:09.472-04:00Mayhem and MagicBlog for Pamela and Terri from the CozyArmchair Group on yahoo
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cozyarmchairgroup/Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.comBlogger1240125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-40919486495766347362019-06-12T13:17:00.001-04:002019-06-12T13:17:27.257-04:00Review: Blotto, Twinks and the Intimate Review by Simon Brett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ntM2JVzfPM/XQEyh8h8bNI/AAAAAAAADs8/68eI9erHC2Q05G7cksaJmYKaOVrbvw0GQCLcBGAs/s1600/blotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ntM2JVzfPM/XQEyh8h8bNI/AAAAAAAADs8/68eI9erHC2Q05G7cksaJmYKaOVrbvw0GQCLcBGAs/s1600/blotto.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Blotto and his friend go see <i>Light and Frothy;</i> a new popular show and his friend falls for the star of the show. After his friend is kidnapped, Blotto and his brilliant sister Twinks start investigating and Twinks goes undercover. Multiple twists and a lot of laughs, this is a very satisfying read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the things I struggled with at first was the crazy slang of Blotto and his friends. That said, it was like a delicious romp through a bygone era and Aristocracy that no longer exists in the same way. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As for the crimes - funny schemes and ways to make easy money - until the master plan goes forward. A crazy plan to be sure, but one very amusing and leading to a satisfying take down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Very fun!</span>Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-21430559371742485912019-04-12T13:05:00.000-04:002019-04-12T13:05:32.511-04:00Review: Deadly Solution by Keenan Powell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AWuFfDvCH8/XLDE_7KEwMI/AAAAAAAADsU/9mzAsDasIacWVEmodX_v_Zgk23LrDdu8QCLcBGAs/s1600/deadly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AWuFfDvCH8/XLDE_7KEwMI/AAAAAAAADsU/9mzAsDasIacWVEmodX_v_Zgk23LrDdu8QCLcBGAs/s320/deadly.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Maeve Malloy is a lawyer who has had struggles with drinking, done a stint in rehab and trying to prove herself again as a lawyer. She is given a case that was from a colleague who has died, defending Ollie Olafson of killing his friend Joe. Ollie and Joe were both homeless and living in the woods. Ollie is convinced he never would have killed Joe even though he couldn't remember anything due to blackout. <br />
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As she investigates to prove her client's innocence, she finds bad autopsies, prosecutor misconduct and a possible serial killer.<br />
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Nice complex story that really shows what alcoholism can do to people's lives as well.<br />
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<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-80428106979929351232019-04-05T10:34:00.000-04:002019-04-05T10:34:09.398-04:00Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">APRIL 2019</span></strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Yippee! PECOS VALLEY DIAMOND will be
published in early April! Here’s the lovely cover art and a pre-order link. I’m
really excited about the re-birth (well, re-publication, anyway) of my entire
inventory of back-list novels. As I think I mentioned in another blog, I’m not
accustomed to good things happening to what I laughingly call my writing
career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Here’s the pre-order link for</span><strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-decoration: none;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pecos-Valley-Diamond-Alice-Duncan/dp/1641199059/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8">PECOS VALLEY DIAMOND</a></span></strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The Pecos Valley
books are dear to my heart. My mother’s family moved from Georgetown, Texas, to
Roswell, New Mexico, in the early 1900s. In fact, my maternal grandmother
bought the property upon which my house sits in 1903! Most of the things I
describe about Rosedale, New Mexico, are stories I heard from my mom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">By the way, my
maternal grandmother was born in Switzerland. Her family immigrated to the USA
before Ellis Island was the incoming destination for immigrants. I think her
family docked at the Battery. Her ship also hit an iceberg on its way from
England (departure point for all of Europe, I guess) to New York. My
grandmother was so seasick, she wanted the ship to sink, but I’m kinda glad it
didn’t. Don’t know her feelings on the matter. The <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Titanic</span></em> disaster disturbed her a lot, even though <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Titanic</span></em> hit that iceberg about
thirty years after her own ship collided with its berg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Anywho, until she
was an adult, my maternal grandmother believed her last name to be Ischy,
because the man whom she regarded as her father was named Christian Ischy. It
wasn’t until she grew up and wanted to get married (to a fellow named
Daugherty) that her mother admitted that the father of my grandmother, Emma,
and her sister, Lina, was a gent named Krieg. Only she didn’t seem to consider
him a gent. Emma Krieg (or Craig, which is the name I used for several of my
earlier novels) died before I was born, but she used to tell my mother (Wilma
Rachel Wilson, which explains another of my pseudonyms) the only thing her
mother told <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">her </span></em>(Emma) about
her father was that he was a “wonderful musician.” I used to weave romantic
fancies when I was a kid about my great-grandfather being some famous old-time
composer, but I couldn’t find any who were Swiss. Maybe Franz Liszt visited
Switzerland a time or two? Frederic Chopin? Hope to heaven it wasn’t Richard
Wagner!!!! In reality, he was probably a championship yodeler or something.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Oh, and my
maternal grandmother married William Jones Wilson when she became a widow. Her
first husband, the Daugherty in question, died of tuberculosis after they’d
been married less than a year. My maternal grandfather died two days after my
mother was born, so poor Emma was left to rear five of her own children and, I
think, something like six kids from Will's prior marriage to his first wife,
Emma’s best friend, on her own. At least she had a vocation: seamstress. I
still have the mirror upon which eager brides-to-be would scrape their rings in
order to see if they were real diamonds. That mirror holds scratches from
lovesick maidens of yore, by golly!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Anybody confused
yet? My father’s family is <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">so much</span></em>
easier to trace. Oh, well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">By the way,
according to an author friend of mine who lives in Georgetown, Texas, there are
still Ischys running around all 0ver the place there. I guess technically we
aren’t related, but what the heck. Here's a photo of my grandmother and her
children. This picture was probably taken in 1920 or thereabouts, and Emma was
maybe 49 years old. Left to right are Bill Wilson, Maren Wilson (who owned the
house I gave to Mrs. Bissel in my Daisy Gumm Majesty books), Jesse Lee
"Red" Wilson, Wilma (Mom to me) and Adolph. Rough life:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ejINcpof1k/XKdTJvUeObI/AAAAAAAADrs/L3K3yTndeGI43OFfkt-HqnrMla-Kdb30wCLcBGAs/s1600/Emma%2BWilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="792" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ejINcpof1k/XKdTJvUeObI/AAAAAAAADrs/L3K3yTndeGI43OFfkt-HqnrMla-Kdb30wCLcBGAs/s320/Emma%2BWilson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">So… as for the
rest of my life, things are pretty much back to normal, as normality relates to
me personally. Not only did I have to replace my refrigerator in February, but
March also provoked a call to an electrician and one to my very favorite
plumber of all time. This favoritism is probably because I have to call him so
often, and we’ve become pals. Good thing he’s a nice guy, because I think I supported
his family last year.<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">And now for the
medical issues. I already knew I’d have to have carpal-tunnel surgery on my
right wrist. Had similar surgery on the left one last year; easy-peasy. Right
wrist’s surgery’s scheduled for April 8<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In the not-so-easy
category is my left shoulder. Blasted thing has been hurting like heck for
months. So I figured I’d probably torn the rotator cuff or something. Ha! I
should be so lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">On Friday, March
29, I went to see Dr. Bryant, who fixed my left wrist last year. This time I
wanted him to look at my wonky left shoulder. So he had his tech take X-rays. I
think he was the only person happy with the results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Honest to dog, he
was positively THRILLED when he went through those X-rays! First one:
"Wow!" Second one: "Will you look at this!" Third one:
"This is amazing!" Evidently most people with shoulders like mine
can't move their arms at all. Medical miracle here. Oh, and it’s not a
rotator-cuff injury. It’s pure-D osteoarthritis. No cartilage between the
socket and the ball joint. He then aspirated about a quart of some kind of
fluid that shouldn’t have been in my shoulder (telling his nurse, “Wow, look at
this! You don’t see <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">this</span></em> very often!
I sure wish a med student was here so I could show them this procedure!”). I <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">live</span></em> to give joy to surgeons.
Anyhow, whatever parts need replacement will be replaced as soon as I recover
from the carpal-tunnel thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Funniest thing he
said, however, is that he's never seen such terrible, widespread osteoarthritis
in a person as young as I! He called me <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">young</span></em>!
Peter Brandvold, who should know better, asked if he was speaking in tortoise
years. But I’ve got two of his book under my personal editorial control, so
he’d just better be nice to me. If possible. Can’t expect too much from that
source, I reckon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">What else to
report? Poor little Jazzy has been having ear problems. She began shaking her
ear as if one or both ears were itching. So I called my vet only to learn HIS
OFFICE WAS CLOSED UNTIL APRIL FIRST!!!! How <em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">dare</span></em>
they be closed when Jazzy needs them? Besides, Dr. Smith is the only
veterinarian in Roswell whom I trust. Another vet murdered my wonderful, sweet,
darling Bella; another one ripped me off for too many hundreds of dollars; and,
well… never mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vfrkJKbDSb8/XKdnOYNA7TI/AAAAAAAADsI/qwoJgobe5BwOow6tAGeetWx6Jid4pOOwQCLcBGAs/s1600/Jazzy%2B1%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1154" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vfrkJKbDSb8/XKdnOYNA7TI/AAAAAAAADsI/qwoJgobe5BwOow6tAGeetWx6Jid4pOOwQCLcBGAs/s320/Jazzy%2B1%2B1.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br />
<br />
So, since I didn’t know what else to do, I called Jazzy’s Founding Father,
Jacob Torres. Jacob found her running along the highway to Ruidoso, collarless,
tagless and chipless, so he picked her up. He intended to keep her, but Jazzy
proved too much for him, so he gave her to me and took up the breeding and
showing of long-haired Chihuahuas. Jacob told me to bring her in, so I did.<br />
<br />
He cleaned out her ears, having found a little ear wax build-up. But Jazzy
began shaking her head again today, and now her ears (or maybe only one of
them) hurt. So I’ll try Dr. Smith again on Monday, the day I have to
pre-register for carpal-tunnel surgery. And I have 597 books to edit and 7,000
of my own books being re-published any old day now. Life always picks the least
convenient times to go wrong, you know?<br />
<br />
Here's Jazzy, the Beautiful Blue Wiener and Queen of All She Surveys. She's
gorgeous, and her head's full of cotton fluff. And she doesn't care!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAM9yzdhn4M/XKdT41fKUKI/AAAAAAAADr4/_UT0CyCvZxQ0FVl0pPwEH1XhbSKWLknYACLcBGAs/s1600/PecosValleyDiamondFLAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAM9yzdhn4M/XKdT41fKUKI/AAAAAAAADr4/_UT0CyCvZxQ0FVl0pPwEH1XhbSKWLknYACLcBGAs/s320/PecosValleyDiamondFLAT.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">
But enough of that. Bam-Bam has chosen wieners of March’s book-giveaway. They
are:<br />
<br />
Sue D’Amico, who wins a copy of UNSETTLED SPIRITS,<br />
Kristie Dilcher, who wins a copy of SPIRITS UNITED,<br />
And Kathleen Lauri-Lewis wins a copy of SPIRITS UNEARTHED!<br />
<br />
Congratulations, ladies! I’ll get your books to you as soon as I can.<br />
At the end of April, I’ll be giving away a few copies of PECOS VALLEY DIAMOND! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Providing I can use my left shoulder then. But don’t worry. I’ll get ‘em sent
somehow or other.<br />
<br />
My Daisy publisher, ePublishing Works, has also set up a pre-order page on </span><a href="http://amazon.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Amazon.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> for SCARLET SPIRITS, the next Daisy book,
which will be published in the fall of 2019. Yay, me! Haven’t a clue what the
cover will look like, but here’s the Kindle link if you have a burning desire to
pre-order it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-067Q3RSZrxg/XKdTwIvC3hI/AAAAAAAADr0/AtsMp-s-yo8WJfpAeD7sYzh_iRoAPHqiQCLcBGAs/s1600/carlet%2Bspirits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-067Q3RSZrxg/XKdTwIvC3hI/AAAAAAAADr0/AtsMp-s-yo8WJfpAeD7sYzh_iRoAPHqiQCLcBGAs/s320/carlet%2Bspirits.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br />
</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07L3KW12R/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?crid=2T3A7AC293797&keywords=scarlet+spirits+alice+duncan&qid=1554151569&s=digital-text&sprefix=Scarlet+spirits+alice%2Caps%2C188&sr=1-3-fkmrnull" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Pre-Order SCARLET
SPIRITS</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br />
Iris Evans and Leon Fundenberger founded a Facebook page called DAISY DAZE just
for posting stuff from the 1920s that Daisy Gumm Majesty and her family might
have used or seen or gone to or shopped at. It’s fun, and if you’d like to be a
member, check it out here: </span><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=3ad14e3bb9&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> .<br />
<br />
If you’d like to visit my web page, here’s the link: </span><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=ede803b670&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">http://aliceduncan.net/</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> . And if you’d like to be Facebook friends,
please go here: </span><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=2e61ec6c1f&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br />
</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br />
I think that’s it! Thank you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-29772522413590141862019-03-18T13:13:00.000-04:002019-03-18T13:13:11.463-04:00Review: Cry Wolf by Annette Dashofy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eB-gLa2D4bk/XI_RQqqoDmI/AAAAAAAADrU/xk7Dkzq8a2A2HH-IZCOALT-asCLjLV6pwCLcBGAs/s1600/cry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eB-gLa2D4bk/XI_RQqqoDmI/AAAAAAAADrU/xk7Dkzq8a2A2HH-IZCOALT-asCLjLV6pwCLcBGAs/s320/cry.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
Police Chief Pete Adams is working extra shifts while one of his officers is recovering from the trauma of shooting a suspect. There is a murder of his old Training Officer in the Nursing home where his father is a resident.<br />
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Meanwhile, Paramedic and Deputy Coroner Zoe Chambers is pulled into the same investigation after the Coroner is hospitalized.<br />
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Meanwhile a man claiming to be Zoe's long lost brother appears, stretching everything even further. Another body is found - is it related or not?<br />
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I do have to say though that it is hard to take that Zoe has time to be a paramedic, a coroner, take care of her horses while renovating the farm and still have time for friends and family. She is a superwoman. LOL<br />
<br />
This is a nice, complex mystery which is very satisfying.Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-24268235166592867082019-03-08T11:43:00.000-05:002019-03-08T11:43:22.791-05:00Review: Invisible Victims: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women by Katherine McCarthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5sYbhWh67sE/XIKbaMbDdBI/AAAAAAAADrI/NZkO0CNmGBYR2fJl7HLfvQ2Xtb2zAhhQgCLcBGAs/s1600/invisible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5sYbhWh67sE/XIKbaMbDdBI/AAAAAAAADrI/NZkO0CNmGBYR2fJl7HLfvQ2Xtb2zAhhQgCLcBGAs/s320/invisible.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Though I think I was vaguely aware of the higher murder rate of indigenous women in Canada (mostly from the Robert Pickton case), the true extent is incredibly saddening. What is worse, is the national policies and reporting strategies that hide the problem as well as the lack of the media's attention. So many policies mirror the US's policies re. the treatment of Native Americans.<br />
<br />
The book deals with the systemic failures as well as reporting on specific victims and serial killers who target Indigenous women and explores many of the reasons why. <br />
<br />
It also introduced me to the concept of epigenetics (genetically inherited memories of extreme trauma that can affect cultures such as holocaust survivors and indigenous peoples). It is something I found fascinating and something I will explore more in the future.<br />
<br />
The tone of the book is frustrated and angry and after reading, you can certainly see why. Definitely recommendTerri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-19628014944083571372019-03-06T08:50:00.001-05:002019-03-06T08:50:25.064-05:00Guest Blogger: Alice Duncan<br />
<div align="center" style="margin-right: 1.95pt; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">March 2019</span></strong><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Okay,
so three <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">excellent</span></em>
things happened to me January. It was an exceptionally amazing (and unusual)
run of good luck for me, and I knew it couldn’t last. Of course, it didn’t. So
February began by kicking my butt (actually, my head) with a sinus infection,
my refrigerator died, and an outdoor faucet broke. Oh, and now I have some sort
of gut problem probably brought about by the antibiotics I had to take for my
sinus infection</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Life
seems <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">much</span></em>
more normal now. The best thing, though, is that even though February hated me,
the three good things that happened in January are still happening! The
publisher of my Daisy Gumm Majesty books (ePublishing Works) will continue to
publish same and will also re-publish Mercy Allcutt’s books and any new ones I
write in the Angels series. And Wolfpack (recommended to me by Peter Brandvold,
who gave me Lou Prophet) still aims to publish my entire backlist. My backlist
includes the Pecos Valley Diamond historical cozy mystery series, featuring
Annabelle Blue. The Pecos Valley books take place right smack here in Roswell,
New Mexico, only I named it Rosedale in the books because I didn’t want anyone
to take exception and sue me. Not that I write anything negative about Roswell.
Honest.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">So,
yay! I’m not accustomed too good things happening in what I laughingly call my
writing career, but it looks as if they’re going to happen anyway, so I’d just
better get used to it, huh?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Let me
see. Is there anything else to talk about? Um . . . I can’t seem to think of
anything, probably because my head’s all fuzzy and my innards are in a turmoil;
therefore, I’ll just post the winners of February’s give-away books:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Sue
Farrell wins a copy of PECOS VALLEY REVIVAL,</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Trish
Rucker wins a copy of FALLEN ANGELS, and</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Carol
Goerz wins a copy of SIERRA RANSOM!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Congratulations,
ladies! I’ll get your books to you as soon as I can.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">In the
meantime, if you’d like to get the latest Daisy Gumm Majesty book (SHAKEN
SPIRITS, in which Daisy begins the new year, 1925, by being hit by a car and
shoved into a pepper tree after watching the Tournament of Roses Parade) feel
free to do so! Here’s the cover Amazon Kindle link:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07B6GRK4Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23A5NZ3IDSH52&keywords=shaken+spirits+alice+duncan&qid=1551300760&s=digital-text&sprefix=shaken+spirits%2Caps%2C191&sr=1-1-catcorr" target="_blank">Buy SHAKEN SPIRITS for your Amazon Kindle</a></b></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">It
would also be lovely of you if you’d leave a review of the book. Doesn’t have
to gush or anything. Just a brief “I loved this book” or “I hated this book”
will suffice, although I do hope nobody actively hates it. Reviews help an
author big-time, even if the author herself isn’t big-time, and I’m definitely
not. Heck, even if I got rich and famous, I wouldn’t be big. I resent shrinking
those four inches, for all the good that does me.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">And,
what the heck, after you read SHAKEN SPIRITS, feel free to pre-order SCARLET
SPIRITS. Don’t have the cover art yet, but I am looking forward to seeing it. I
must say that, since Mean Pete gave me Lou Prophet, I’ve had a lot of fun with
the gnarly old guy. Poor Lou. He used to be <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">such</span></em> a daredevil and a womanizer and a
truly dangerous bounty hunter. When he hits Pasadena in 1925, he’s old
(probably even older than I am right now!), crabby, cantankerous, resentful and
one-legged. Daisy and Sam both like him in spite of themselves, although Daisy
objects to his unseemly language quite often. Anyway, here’s the link to
SCARLET SPIRITS, if you’d like to pre-order it. I consider it a fun book. Yet
another refugee from the Old West moves to Pasadena in this book and, of
course, havoc ensues.<b><u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07L3KW12R/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?crid=8Y3OTKELQ7EC&keywords=scarlet+spirits+alice+duncan&qid=1551304580&s=digital-text&sprefix=scarlet+spirits+alice%2Cdigital-text%2C188&sr=1-3-fkmrnull" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></a></span></u></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-right: 1.95pt; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">Buy SCARLET SPIRITS for your Amazon Kindle</a></span></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">I’m
looking forward to seeing what ePublishing Works will do when they re-publish
my Mercy Allcutt books. They’ve done such a smashing job with Daisy; I’m sure
they’ll work wonders for Mercy.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">And
Wolfpack! I’m <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so</span></em> excited that my old, out-of-print books will be
available in paperback format again. Wolfpack is doing wonders for Peter
Brandvold’s formerly out-of-print books. I can hardly <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wait</span></em>
to see what they’ll do with mine. I really love some of the books I wrote years
ago, and I’m <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so happy</span></em> they’re going to get a new life. I want to see
TEXAS LONESOME in print again. And PHOEBE’S VALENTINE! And . . . oh, heck,
there are zillions of ‘em. Sigh. Every now and then, things go well. Not often,
but every now and then.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Okey-dokey,
so what books should Bam-Bam choose wieners for at the end of March? Let me
think for a moment. Huh. According to Bam-Bam, I don’t think well, so he’s
chosen March’s books for me. They are UNSETTLED SPIRITS, SPIRITS UNITED and
SPIRITS UNEARTHED. If you’d like your name to be entered into Bam-Bam’s special
contest doggie dish, just send your name and home address to <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="mailto:alice@aliceduncan.net">alice@aliceduncan.net</a></span>
. By the way, if you’ve ever wondered what Bam-Bam looks like, here he is in
all his glory (and sitting on the silver crunchy thing that's supposed to keep
the dogs off the bed. It doesn't work). He’s an extremely handsome boy, but he
came from a puppy mill in Big Spring, Texas. At the time, he was so skinny, you
could count his ribs and vertebrae, and he’s never quite learned how to be a
dog even after having lived a secure life for many years. He also started out
in life as a black-and-tan wiener dog with just a little white dappling on his
head. As he ages, the white seems to be creeping down around his muzzle. He’s
maybe nine years old (puppy mills don’t keep great records) and I adore him. He
adores me, too, but he’s not so sure about most other humans in the universe.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape alt="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5/images/fddb70a2-42da-415b-af34-18c37e6a787a.jpg" id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 443.4pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 384pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
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<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Iris
Evans and Leon Fundenberger founded a Facebook page called DAISY DAZE just for
posting stuff from the 1920s that Daisy Gumm Majesty and her family might have
used or seen or gone to or shopped at. It’s fun, and if you’d like to be a
member, check it out here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #00ccff;"><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=3ad14e3bb9&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #00ccff;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/</span></a></span></span>
.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">If
you’d like to visit my web page, here’s the link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #00ccff;"><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=ede803b670&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #00ccff;">http://aliceduncan.net/</span></a></span></span>
. And if you’d like to be Facebook friends, please go here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #00ccff;"><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=2e61ec6c1f&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #00ccff;">https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925</span></a></span></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-right: 1.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">And I
think that’s it. Thank you!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-7673547779158548202019-03-05T10:42:00.000-05:002019-03-05T10:42:00.497-05:00Review: South of Hell by PJ Parrish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3IF3d4f0p4/XH6Yl29fWPI/AAAAAAAADqo/3ddsNcfuB9I18jnZoCzS803bXxzRoPd0ACLcBGAs/s1600/south.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3IF3d4f0p4/XH6Yl29fWPI/AAAAAAAADqo/3ddsNcfuB9I18jnZoCzS803bXxzRoPd0ACLcBGAs/s320/south.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Retired cop and now PI, Louis Kincaid is asked to go back to Michigan by a local cop to check into the missing person's case of Jean Brandt. He teams up with his lover, Joe who is also a cop. When looking into the case, they discover a young girl, Amy. Amy is the daughter of Jean and believes she saw her father kill her mother. Only under hypnosis, the details she describes do not match the evidence and when bones are found on the family property, they are determined to be quite old. <br />
<br />
While trying to sort out the truth, they have to fight to avoid her abusive father from getting access or custody of Amy. Only her father is a violent man, and he certainly does not want the truth uncovered.<br />
<br />
A very suspenseful story with flashes to the past they made be reincarnation of epigenetics, it is a lot of tragedy and very dark happenings.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed the story quite a bit, but truthfully, my favorite character was Amy. I would love to see a spin off of just her story - she is fascinating!Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-35878164270841700792019-02-27T11:49:00.000-05:002019-02-27T11:49:29.131-05:00Review: Mushing is Murder by Patti Benning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HGFdKeX6MxI/XHa_YMs7ScI/AAAAAAAADqc/xHLPIwnTEnImvwb3mBd99ovluqOQqbvbQCLcBGAs/s1600/mushing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HGFdKeX6MxI/XHa_YMs7ScI/AAAAAAAADqc/xHLPIwnTEnImvwb3mBd99ovluqOQqbvbQCLcBGAs/s320/mushing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Angie heads back to her childhood home in Alaska after troubles in her life as well as to help with her mother who has Parkinson's. Her father raises, trains and runs dogs in sled races as well as running the family diner. Soon after her arrival, a neighbor shows up in the Diner looking for her father because a sled team has shown up on his property without a driver. She and the neighbor head out to find out where he is only to find his body. After thinking it was an accident, the Sheriff comes around to question her dad as a possible killer since the victim was his best friend. She starts asking questions to find the real killer.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed the book a lot because of the setting, characters and yes - the dogs. LOL the thing is the mystery part was really weak, but that's okay because I did enjoy it. Maybe book two in the series will make up for it with a better mystery. I think part of the problem was the length - a bit longer, more clues or suspects and motives could have been provided. Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-5621303748668306192019-02-25T13:11:00.000-05:002019-02-25T13:11:28.888-05:00Review: Teggie: Lucy's Story by Roger David Francis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kvlsKtnd9a8/XHQvethI7pI/AAAAAAAADqQ/Nm-A6eCp1OkGJUYh5peKU3Ke61dDN7chACLcBGAs/s1600/Teggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kvlsKtnd9a8/XHQvethI7pI/AAAAAAAADqQ/Nm-A6eCp1OkGJUYh5peKU3Ke61dDN7chACLcBGAs/s1600/Teggie.jpg" /></a></div>
I was really intrigued by this book. I had never heard of the legend of Teggie in Lake Bala. I have to say that this version of Teggie is truly horrifying and evil. That part of the book was excellent, as was Ben's descent under Teggie's control. Where the author lost me was Lucy. It is her story - as she watches the man she loves obsessing over a monster and behaving in worse and worse manners. A great story. BUT.... She turned out to be a protagonist I truly despised. She repeatedly made excuses for Ben, thinking he will "get over it", even as things progressed to more and more hideous violence. Making excuses. HOPING he would be able to fight Teggie's influence. Passive and pathetic. Even as Ben was nastier and nastier to her and others. After crimes were being committed. It was a visceral feeling. Grrr... I was glad when it was over so I wouldn't have to deal with her any more. <br />
<br />
That said, Ben's descent and Teggie were great. Additionally, the book has many other Teggie/Lake Bala tales which were quite interesting as well.Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-9702262208757078282019-02-19T13:19:00.001-05:002019-02-19T13:19:59.163-05:00Review: The Red Death by Brigitte Märgen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7yrBAwEA7U/XGxISoFyIaI/AAAAAAAADp8/Pp720kiWWlEZRJp-sXybmluT2FATZuWgwCLcBGAs/s1600/red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="274" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7yrBAwEA7U/XGxISoFyIaI/AAAAAAAADp8/Pp720kiWWlEZRJp-sXybmluT2FATZuWgwCLcBGAs/s320/red.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
Cases start emerging in NYC where the victims are dying of a bacteria similar to the Black Death of the Middle Ages. Only this pathogen is 100% fatal. The CDC investigates and find an ancient bacteria that one professor's career had been destroyed over when no one believed his findings. A search for a natural cure takes the Professor and a CDC researcher to the Amazon while the plague starts spreading quickly throughout the world. <br />
<br />
The story is told by multiple POVs including some of the first patients, showing the method of the spread. It is a story that is chilling because of how easily we could see this happening today. <br />
<br />
Excellent readTerri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-69195056046498742142019-02-11T14:28:00.001-05:002019-02-12T09:18:01.647-05:00Review: 13 Stolen Girls by Gil Reavill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drsrdOsVqBU/XGHMTAP53pI/AAAAAAAADpw/btBNFDgEyD4Gias7ye_s_AO-H4fb6Mi6ACLcBGAs/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="327" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drsrdOsVqBU/XGHMTAP53pI/AAAAAAAADpw/btBNFDgEyD4Gias7ye_s_AO-H4fb6Mi6ACLcBGAs/s320/13.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">After an earthquake in LA, Detective Layla Remington finds a large broken barrel with a body inside. It turns out to be a missing actress and a HUGE missing persons case. Only she sees connections to other missing girls' cases that none of the powers that be see. As she investigates, she treads on some powerful toes in the Motion Picture Industry and gets in deeper than she expects. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The story contains some really vile men based on a deep BDSM subculture where slaves asked to be killed. Not for those who don't like their books DARK.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The interesting thing about the "Cor" series in this book is that it clearly is a nod to the old Gor books. Nothing I ever liked, but I had a friend WAY back when (30ish years ago) who LOVED them and she started writing one of her own. Early fan fiction I guess.I had forgotten all about that until reading this book.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Very suspenseful and interesting. I really enjoyed it</span></span>Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-75333279170007184472019-02-05T13:09:00.005-05:002019-02-05T13:09:58.545-05:00Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan<br />
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<h2 align="center" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
February
2019<o:p></o:p></h2>
Mercy sakes, January’s over. That happened fast, didn’t it? The coming
month will feature the eleventh birthday of my great-granddaughter, Kasumi.
<em>That</em> happened fast, too. I remember visiting my grandson and his
family shortly after Sumi’s birth, when they lived in Kansas. And now
Sumi’s turning eleven. Worse, Andrew, her older brother, is going to be <em>fourteen</em>
in May! Well, I don’t mean worse precisely, but I have almost-grown
great-grandchildren, and that makes me feel old, which is only right since
I <em>am</em> old. So I’m trying to remember my age in order to minimize
falls, etc. I’m not used to being old, and I don’t like it. Too bad. So
sad. Sigh.<o:p></o:p><br />
But enough of that. SHAKEN SPIRITS was released in January, which made
me happy. People seem to appreciate the addition of Lou Prophet to Daisy
and her gang. Old Lou is extremely fun to write, so I hope Peter Brandvold
(who created him and writes about Lou when he was in his salad days) lets
me keep him. So please go out and buy several copies! You know. For gifts
and stuff. Here’s the cover and the Kindle link:<b> </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8i00bIUxmA/XFnQDCUyKWI/AAAAAAAADpU/eF6o0NeXou0tmcbHXBVCIRUW2Jr3iWe3QCLcBGAs/s1600/Shaken%2BSpirits%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8i00bIUxmA/XFnQDCUyKWI/AAAAAAAADpU/eF6o0NeXou0tmcbHXBVCIRUW2Jr3iWe3QCLcBGAs/s320/Shaken%2BSpirits%2BCover.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div>
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<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07B6GRK4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548973351&sr=1-1&keywords=shaken+spirits+alice+duncan">Shaken Spirits link</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p><br />
Also, if you want to read about Lou Prophet when he was a young,
vigorous, womanizing, hard-drinking bounty hunter (and still had two legs),
please go and buy several copies of BLOOD AT SUNDOWN, too. It’s a <em>great</em>
read, in my not-awfully-humble opinion. Here’s the cover and Kindle link
for BLOOD, too. Hmm. That title doesn’t shorten awfully well, does it? But
it’s a good book!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ssgUppfJIBo/XFnQkHAn3oI/AAAAAAAADpc/it9B-EGBvXsXu-Xlpov7xbVcunfEGkM3wCLcBGAs/s1600/Blood%2Bat%2BSundown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ssgUppfJIBo/XFnQkHAn3oI/AAAAAAAADpc/it9B-EGBvXsXu-Xlpov7xbVcunfEGkM3wCLcBGAs/s320/Blood%2Bat%2BSundown.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Sundown-Prophet-Bounty-Hunter-ebook/dp/B07BVGKNNX/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548970644&sr=1-1&keywords=blood+at+sundown+peter+brandvold">Blood at Sundown amazon link</a><br />
<br />
My Daisy publisher, ePublishing Works, has also set up a pre-order page
on <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></span>
for SCARLET SPIRITS, the next Daisy book, which I just finished writing.
Yay, me! Haven’t a clue what the cover will look like, but here’s the
Kindle link if you have a burning desire to pre-order it:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07L3KW12R/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548973318&sr=1-1&keywords=scarlet+spirits+alice+duncan">Scarlet Spirits amazon link</a><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqqUUEs4fM8/XFnRY86cqKI/AAAAAAAADpk/R8Bo9qkhOTYQewYN6Cc17pLdvmswxUAYgCLcBGAs/s1600/Scarlet%2Bpage%2Bholder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqqUUEs4fM8/XFnRY86cqKI/AAAAAAAADpk/R8Bo9qkhOTYQewYN6Cc17pLdvmswxUAYgCLcBGAs/s320/Scarlet%2Bpage%2Bholder.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
Two extremely good things regarding what I laughingly call my writing
career happened in January, although I’m afraid I’ll jinx myself if I write
about them here. But what the heck. If I’m jinxed, I’m jinxed.<o:p></o:p><br />
The first extremely good thing was that Five Star <em>finally</em>
relinquished the rights to Daisy’s seventh adventure, SPIRITS REVIVED.
Therefore, ePublishing Works (run by the fabulous Nina and Brian Paules)
are going to reprint the whole series and number them correctly! That means
the books will follow one another in a logical sequence, SPIRITS REVIVED
will be #7, and the rest of the books will be numbered accordingly. I’m so
happy about this I could squeal, but I don’t want to scare the dogs.<o:p></o:p><br />
The second extremely good thing to happen is that a person who hates to
be thanked for anything and whose name I won’t mention here (Peter
Brandvold. Okay, so I lied) told me about a publisher called Wolfpack run
by a fellow named Mike Bray. Mean Pete suggested I send an email to Mike
Bray with “Mean Pete Sent Me” in the subject line. So I did, and I included
a list of all the books I’ve written (around 60-something). Mike Bray got
back to me and said he’s <em>extremely</em> interested in re-packaging and
re-publishing my entire back-list except the Daisy books (the ones to which
I own the rights, I mean)!<o:p></o:p><br />
Wow. It would be spectacularly nice to make some money on books I wrote
way back when, and I’m super-excited about this possibility. Wolfpack will
probably begin by re-publishing either the Pecos Valley historical cozy
mystery series (beginning with PECOS VALLEY DIAMOND, and going on through
PECOS VALLEY REVIVAL and PECOS VALLEY RAINBOW) and starring Annabelle Blue;
or my post-<em>Titanic</em>-disaster series, featuring three women who
survived the sinking of <em>Titanic</em>. The books in order are A PERFECT
STRANGER, A PERFECT ROMANCE (my personal favorite), and A PERFECT WEDDING.
All three books feature Loretta Linden, a fabulously wealthy San Francisco
woman who is bound and determined to help everyone around her, whether they
want her help or not.<o:p></o:p><br />
The bitter truth about the <em>Titanic</em> series is that I <em>loathed</em>
writing the first book (A PERFECT WEDDING). That’s because I thought Daisy
Gumm Majesty was dead and floating belly-up in the goldfish bowl of
publishing, and I only wanted to write more Daisy books. I got over it and
enjoyed writing the second and third books. It probably helped a whole lot
that Daisy got a new lease on life, thanks to Five Star. And now
ePublishing Works has done a totally <em>fabulous</em> job on the entire
Daisy series. In fact (this is embarrassing to admit, but what the heck),
ePW is the very first publisher I’ve ever had (and my books have been
published by most of them) that has ever made any money for me. I love Nina
and Brian!<o:p></o:p><br />
Very well then, let’s get to the important stuff. The people who won
copies of SHAKEN SPIRITS are: Meredith Hillenbrand, Tammy Corcoran (who
lives in Minnesota, poor frozen thing), and Teena Stambaugh (who lives in
Ohio. Not sure what the weather’s like there). I’ll get your books to you
as soon as I can get to the post office, ladies.<o:p></o:p><br />
As for books I’ll be giving away at the end of February, lemme think for
a minute. Okay, I’ll give away a copy of PECOS VALLEY REVIVAL, a copy
of FALLEN ANGELS and a copy of SIERRA RANSOM. SIERRA is an historical
romance novel, but it’s pretty good anyway. Due to the high cost of
postage, I’ll only be able to send physical books to people residing in the
USA. However, if you live in a far-off place and win, I’ll be happy to send
you an ebook (Kindle or Nook).<o:p></o:p><br />
Iris Evans and Leon Fundenberger founded a Facebook page called DAISY DAZE
just for posting stuff from the 1920s that Daisy Gumm Majesty and her
family might have used or seen or gone to or shopped at. It’s fun, and if
you’d like to be a member, check it out here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #00ccff;"><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=3ad14e3bb9&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #00ccff;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/</span></a></span></span>
. <o:p></o:p><br />
If you’d like to visit my web page, here’s the link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #00ccff;"><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=ede803b670&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #00ccff;">http://aliceduncan.net/</span></a></span></span>
. And if you’d like to be Facebook friends, please go here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #00ccff;"><a href="https://aliceduncan.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=79093b8e8b1b1b6af2bdd21c5&id=2e61ec6c1f&e=0a55a0c9e3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #00ccff;">https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925</span></a></span></span>
<o:p></o:p><br />
I think that’s it! Thank you!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-83655013471425670882019-01-31T12:40:00.001-05:002019-01-31T12:40:59.957-05:00Review: Sister of the Mist by Eric Wilder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGjcB7irLJY/XFMy5F0E7ZI/AAAAAAAADpI/EQqsv663EmMTWYEGAzsYF9hBo9dKMmPwACLcBGAs/s1600/sisters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGjcB7irLJY/XFMy5F0E7ZI/AAAAAAAADpI/EQqsv663EmMTWYEGAzsYF9hBo9dKMmPwACLcBGAs/s1600/sisters.jpg" /></a></div>
Interesting book. Sort of two different mysteries in one. Both set in New Orleans amidst its craziness. One mystery is the story of men investigating the murder of a jockey and a racehorse. Another is a group of very different people on a magical quest to save a woman who joined a convent after the death of her twin sister. Only the convent was a front for a very evil priest and nun who were human trafficking. Throw in some vampires, Swamp monsters and a Scottish warrior and it is very dramatic and intriguing. I am honestly not sure why the two divergent mysteries in the same book though.<br />
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That said, it is an amped-up New Orleans Halloween blast!Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-17376120732746636132019-01-30T12:53:00.001-05:002019-01-30T12:53:24.686-05:00Review: Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mbaNVvnqyfw/XFHjgtQ9o5I/AAAAAAAADpA/wwcWsPWHNDsPOVFHKycvYBGq8VXOT_R2gCEwYBhgL/s1600/little.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mbaNVvnqyfw/XFHjgtQ9o5I/AAAAAAAADpA/wwcWsPWHNDsPOVFHKycvYBGq8VXOT_R2gCEwYBhgL/s200/little.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">In the Falkland Islands, tragedy is entwined in the lives of Catrin, Rachel and Callum. Each tells their own version in different sections of the book. A horrible accident that destroys multiple lives, missing children and a lot of pain, anger and false beliefs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">So many dead or missing children. So many questions. Three people with many of the answers. The anger of a small community.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">When the truth finally unravels, it is surprising. Very enjoyable</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">The only thing that I was frustrated with was the final reveal -- I felt like there were no clues anywhere to lead to it. A good reveal, but leading to more questions and a sense of no resolution.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"></span>Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-27428752749829922612019-01-29T12:48:00.001-05:002019-01-29T12:48:34.051-05:00Review: The Crocodile Hunter by Steve and Terri Irwin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu0ZDuBweZw/XFCRzfG3JdI/AAAAAAAADow/3PeAb7BK1hE-Si6Tl7hQ8-l6ruFLJJ_YgCLcBGAs/s1600/croc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu0ZDuBweZw/XFCRzfG3JdI/AAAAAAAADow/3PeAb7BK1hE-Si6Tl7hQ8-l6ruFLJJ_YgCLcBGAs/s1600/croc.jpg" /></a></div>
When Steve and Terri Irwin started their filming, I am sure they had no idea how influential they would become in the word of conservation and just educating and entertaining people. After Steve's tragic death, I missed the shows a lot. Steve's enthusiasm for the animals always made me enthusiastic as well. I cannot watch him and NOT smile. It always makes me happy. So, this book was so nostalgic as well and educational for me. Between the wonderful pictures, and personal insights, it gives you just want you want and expect. I also love that Steve's work continues at Australia zoo and I continue to be amazed at how powerful his message has been. Basically a trip to Australia Zoo is one of my bucket list items. <br />
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<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-89887802011376307672019-01-16T13:26:00.001-05:002019-01-16T13:26:29.540-05:00Review: Die Again by Tess Gerritsen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GM8VY2auEk/XD93Mlco9HI/AAAAAAAADog/n90wwe1o9_g4c6RfHqfzITxzCmS99S_XwCLcBGAs/s1600/die.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GM8VY2auEk/XD93Mlco9HI/AAAAAAAADog/n90wwe1o9_g4c6RfHqfzITxzCmS99S_XwCLcBGAs/s320/die.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Rizzoli and Isles are investigating the brutal death of a big game hunter/taxidermist and the stolen snow leopard pelt taken from him. In their investigation, they find a very unusual killer who may have been active for years throughout the country, preying on hikers and isolated people. Then they find that it may be connected to a 6 year old Interpol case where an entire tourist party was massacred except for one lone survivor.<br />
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Millie is the survivor from Botswana, and she has been brought to Boston to help them catch the killer.<br />
<br />
I really enjoyed this book. It shifts from first person POV (Millie's account of the Botswana expedition) and 3rd person POV - the current investigation. I know some people don't like that sort of thing, but I don't mind it. In this case particularly, I like the story told from Millie's POV, because it feels more real.<br />
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Additionally, I liked the narrator as well<br />
<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-57777857181451036482019-01-09T12:57:00.003-05:002019-01-09T12:57:46.720-05:00Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYGOmfX14Pk/XDY14mYikZI/AAAAAAAADoU/x_-2iKU6GF8fZY8Nd6tsZAeN1HxbluD2ACLcBGAs/s1600/New%2BYear%2BPhoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="465" height="269" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYGOmfX14Pk/XDY14mYikZI/AAAAAAAADoU/x_-2iKU6GF8fZY8Nd6tsZAeN1HxbluD2ACLcBGAs/s320/New%2BYear%2BPhoto.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYGOmfX14Pk/XDY14mYikZI/AAAAAAAADoU/x_-2iKU6GF8fZY8Nd6tsZAeN1HxbluD2ACLcBGAs/s1600/New%2BYear%2BPhoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="465" height="269" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYGOmfX14Pk/XDY14mYikZI/AAAAAAAADoU/x_-2iKU6GF8fZY8Nd6tsZAeN1HxbluD2ACLcBGAs/s320/New%2BYear%2BPhoto.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h2 align="center" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
2019????<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">When I
was a kid, I once calculated how old I’d be in the year 2000. I couldn’t even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">imagine</i> being fifty-four years old!
Well, guess what? I not only achieved the astounding age of fifty-four, but
have surpassed it. I’ll be seventy-four at the end of November, 2019. This
would be totally unbelievable to the kid I used to be. Unfortunately, these
days, it’s not only believable but real. Not quite sure how I feel about it,
although I do know I’m not handling the aging process gracefully. In fact, I
resent the heck out of it, for all the good that does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">At any
rate, I’m sure I’m not the only person in the world who’s happy to see the end
of 2018. It wasn’t a great year for lots of us. Personally, I was deathly sick
during much of the early part of the year, bronchitis and sinusitis finally
deafening me completely in my right ear and destroying my vocal chords. Since
singing was about the only thing I liked to do that I still <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could</i> do, this wasn’t a happifying outcome
for me. I re-joined the Methodist choir I used to sing with anyway because …
well, why not? Of all the things I’ve lost as I’ve aged, including four inches,
my left hip (which has been replaced by a metal one), the ability to run,
dance, walk long distances, cook huge feasts, and sing, the thing I miss most
is my voice. Too bad; so sad; la-di-dah. The only thing I can do now that I
couldn’t do when I was younger is set off alarms at airports. Since Roswell,
NM, is a relatively small place, the airport doesn’t have X-ray equipment, so I
always get patted down before I board an airplane. Heck, they had to pat me
down at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, too, since the X-ray only went so far.
Only women security folks are allowed to pat down female passengers, so even that’s
boring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">However,
I attended my—gulp!—55<sup>th</sup> high-school reunion in October and had a
whole lot more fun than I expected to have! I wasn’t a big kid on campus, and
that’s not counting the fact that I was only 5’2” tall (I’m even shorter now).
But I managed to reconnect with two women with whom I used to play flute in the
Eliot Jr. High School Band (Altadena, CA). It is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so good</i> to have Phyllis McKown and Janet Levine Goldberg in my life
again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">As
soon as I left California, the entire state went up in flames. The Woolsey Fire
got to within a mile or so to my younger daughter and her husband. That fire began
in Thousand Oaks the day after that monster murdered so many people at the
Borderline Bar and Grill. Fortunately, neither my daughter nor the above-mentioned
Janet Goldberg was burned out, but lots of people weren’t so lucky. The Camp
and Hill Fires in Northern California were even more destructive. I love my
home state and really wish it didn’t have so many fires.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Both
of my wrists needed surgery to repair problems associated with carpal-tunnel
syndrome. Got the left wrist done. Still have to have surgery on the right,
because stuff intervened to make having that wrist fixed in 2018 impossible. I
aim to get that done in 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Had a
serious bout of colitis, too. Spent a hideous five hours at the local ER, and
eventually lost ten pounds I didn’t exactly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">need</i>
to lose, but what the heck. A woman can never be too rich or too skinny, right?
I’m still waiting for the rich part of that equation to catch up with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">I lost
my problem child, Giblett, this year. I mourn Giblett, although he was kind of
a monster dog. Still, he came to me after being abandoned in a home where a
murder-suicide had been committed, so I cut him some slack. Poor Gibbles was so
scared when he first came to me, he refused to leave his crate. He got over
that problem a little too quickly for my taste. Still, I miss him, even if he
did take every opportunity he could find to bite the heck out of me. </span>Here
he is, doing his favorite thing: destroying and unstuffing fluffy squeaky toys.<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RhjgugPPARo/XDY1XAC8nUI/AAAAAAAADoE/29TONPNiVb8h5Anxb0UrKeJNAtM6Nzz9gCLcBGAs/s1600/Fluffy%2BGiblett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1325" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RhjgugPPARo/XDY1XAC8nUI/AAAAAAAADoE/29TONPNiVb8h5Anxb0UrKeJNAtM6Nzz9gCLcBGAs/s320/Fluffy%2BGiblett.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">The
House of Howling Hounds (and fluff) was enriched this year by another dog,
Bella-the-Biter, who came to me via a lovely woman in Albuquerque. Bella has wild,
squinchy eyes; a little pink nose; a furrowed brow and origami ears. She doesn’t
bite as many people as she used to, which is a good thing. It’s also a good
thing not too many strangers visit my house, because I really don’t need to be
sued because Bella bit someone. Oddly, Bella is the only one of my five dogs
who worships me the way I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> be
worshiped. Wish I could convince other humans and canines of this pertinent
fact. Oh, well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">The
rest of my herd remains well. Bam-Bam is still scared to death of anyone in the
universe who isn’t me (and so many people aren’t, you know?). Jazzy remains a
Beautiful Blue Wiener and Queen of All She Surveys. Scrappy, the friendliest
Chihuahua on the face of the earth, is well and healthy, although he’s getting
really gray around the gills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Cookie,
my mixed terriorist, is well, although she suffered a terrible attack by a
neighbor’s dog right before Christmas. She’s okay now, and my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wonderful</i> veterinarian, Dr. Charles
Smith, charged me virtually nothing to fix her. He kept her two nights in his
hospital, sedated her, shaved her, flushed out her wounds, sutured them, sent
her home with a bottle of pain pills and a bottle of antibiotics—and the saintly
man charged me a piddly few bucks. I can’t think of another veterinarian in the
world who would do such a kind thing. I took him and his staff two dozen
tamales (a dozen red and a dozen green) from El Charro which, according to the
guy who cuts my hair, is the best place in Roswell to get them. It was a very
small thank-you for taking such good care of Cookie, and two dozen tamales
doesn’t cover a fraction of the gratitude I feel for those folks. Not only
that, but the woman whose dog attacked Cookie, came by today and reimbursed me!
How often does something like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i>
happen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">In
2018, many of my friends were diagnosed with ghastly diseases, from cancer to
scleroderma to lupus. In fact, my older daughter, Anni, was just diagnosed with
lupus. Because the only person I knew whom I knew had lupus(if that makes
sense) died of the fell disease in the 1970s, I thought a diagnosis of lupus
was an automatic death sentence. I’m <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever</i>
so glad to know I was mistaken! Lupus won’t be a lot of fun for Anni, but it can
be dealt with. Whew!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">A few
good things happened. Peter Brandvold gave me his character, Lou Prophet, to
play with. By the time he came to me, Lou was old, weathered, cranky and
one-legged, having lost one leg in an accident when one of the floozies he was
with drove a car loaded with bootleg liquor off a cliff in Santa Monica. Lou
was the only one who survived the accident, although one of his legs didn’t and
had to be replaced by a peg. Boy, did I have a fun time with Lou Prophet!
Although Mean Pete <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hates</i> it when I
thank him for giving me Lou (even though he waited until Lou had one foot in
the grave and the other … well, a peg), I thank him anyway. I’m madly working
on finishing SCARLET SPIRITS, which will be my second Daisy Gumm Majesty book
containing Lou Prophet. Lou kinda stole SHAKEN SPIRITS, Daisy’s upcoming
adventure, but that’s okay by me. I love Lou.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Speaking
of SHAKEN SPIRITS, the paper book will be released on January 1, and the ebook
will be available on January 15! What’s more, you can begin leaving reviews for
same on January first! That’s just a teensy hint. Reviews are important to
authors. If an author’s book gets enough reviews, bookstores like Amazon and
Barnes & Noble will actually recommend it to people! So leave a review!
Heck, leave several reviews! I’d appreciate it a whole lot, and so would Daisy,
Sam, Lou Prophet and Spike the Dachshund! Here’s a link:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QhCM4VVmgIE/XDY1bMb0oTI/AAAAAAAADoI/c_NgSx5SG0U9KMW0bSDllnUvL1CJtrQKQCLcBGAs/s1600/Shaken%2BSpirits%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QhCM4VVmgIE/XDY1bMb0oTI/AAAAAAAADoI/c_NgSx5SG0U9KMW0bSDllnUvL1CJtrQKQCLcBGAs/s320/Shaken%2BSpirits%2BCover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://ebookdiscovery.lpages.co/aliceduncandaisygummbook13excerpt/">https://ebookdiscovery.lpages.co/aliceduncandaisygummbook13excerpt/</a></span>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">My
wonderful publisher, ePublishing Works, has also set up a pre-order page on
Amazon.com for SCARLET SPIRITS! I don’t have the cover art yet, but here’s a
link if you’d like to pre-order it. I’m buzzing right along with it and should
have it finished shortly after the first of the year, thank <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">goodness</i>! And then my reward will be to
write another book! There seems something slightly askew about this picture,
but I’m not quite sure what it is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
SCARLET
SPIRITS Link : <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07L3KW12R/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1546119761&sr=1-1&keywords=scarlet+spirits+alice+duncan">https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07L3KW12R/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1546119761&sr=1-1&keywords=scarlet+spirits+alice+duncan</a></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Okay,
down to the good stuff. Emily Newman wins a hardback copy of HIGH SPIRITS, </span>Joy
Isley wins a hardback copy of HUNGRY SPIRITS, and Nancy DeLoera Arellano wins a
copy of ANGELS OF MERCY! The last book is a trade paperback (which means it’s a
largish paperback). It’s my only self-published book (so far), but I like it
anyway.<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Now.
Since SHAKEN SPIRITS will be released in January, I’ll give away a few copies
of it at the end of the month. If you’d like to enter, just send me your name
and address: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">alice@aliceduncan.net</a></span>
. Due to the high cost of postage, I’ll only be able to send physical books to
people residing in the USA. However, if you live in a far-off place and win, I’ll
be happy to send you an ebook (Kindle or Nook).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">I
think that’s it! Iris Evans and Leon Fundenberger founded a Facebook page
called DAISY DAZE just for posting stuff from the 1920s that Daisy Gumm Majesty
and her family might have used or seen or gone to or shopped at. It’s fun, and
if you’d like to be a member, check it out here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/</a></span>
. If you’d like to visit my web page, here’s the link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://aliceduncan.net/">http://aliceduncan.net/</a></span>
. And if you’d like to be Facebook friends, please go here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925">https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925</a></span>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">In the
mean time, HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US. We are, in order from left to right
(more or less) Jazzy, Bam-Bam, Bella, me, Cookie and Scrappy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYGOmfX14Pk/XDY14mYikZI/AAAAAAAADoU/x_-2iKU6GF8fZY8Nd6tsZAeN1HxbluD2ACLcBGAs/s1600/New%2BYear%2BPhoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="465" height="269" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYGOmfX14Pk/XDY14mYikZI/AAAAAAAADoU/x_-2iKU6GF8fZY8Nd6tsZAeN1HxbluD2ACLcBGAs/s320/New%2BYear%2BPhoto.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Thank
you!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-7530798833182641972018-12-20T15:39:00.000-05:002018-12-20T15:39:53.285-05:00Review: A Merry Murder at St. Bernard Cabins by Cindy Bell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bWci-DXPODY/XBv9zDnwoUI/AAAAAAAADnw/iBBB1TloHOArVYON-NMgRGbEiIvMEDOhwCLcBGAs/s1600/merry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bWci-DXPODY/XBv9zDnwoUI/AAAAAAAADnw/iBBB1TloHOArVYON-NMgRGbEiIvMEDOhwCLcBGAs/s1600/merry.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Nikki heads to a resort to meet with her family and have Christmas together. After unexpected calls from two of her pet sitting clients, she, one of her clients and two dogs head out only to be snowed in at the resort. After a nasty employee is murdered right outside of her cabin, and her brother is considered a suspect, she is determined to figure out who actually did it. Along with her client/new friend Sonia, she asks questions until on her quest to find the truth she endangers herself and her brother. An exciting rescue and capture and a pretty satisfying mystery.</span>Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-23555321630496626472018-12-19T09:15:00.000-05:002018-12-19T09:15:33.497-05:00Review: The Christmas Shop Murder by Linnea West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UIwq4cgU6Ao/XBpSD222McI/AAAAAAAADnk/Bu1FMYn7604JsS9-RcumjpudYoNqpl9MQCLcBGAs/s1600/51S3YwQerVL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UIwq4cgU6Ao/XBpSD222McI/AAAAAAAADnk/Bu1FMYn7604JsS9-RcumjpudYoNqpl9MQCLcBGAs/s320/51S3YwQerVL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Tessa is excited when Sue opens a all-year round Christmas shop in their small town and is caught up in the excitement of its opening, until a woman who threatened to shut it down to make a dog grooming shop is murdered. When her brother is suspected, she decides she needs to find the truth.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It was a fun setting with likable characters. A little light on the mystery aspect - few suspects or motives. A setup of a love triangle (which I know upsets some cozy readers). A light, enjoyable read.</span>Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-77041887386092606432018-12-11T12:52:00.004-05:002018-12-11T12:52:56.909-05:00Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan<br />
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
December? Whew!<o:p></o:p></h2>
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Well, blow me down with a gentle
breeze, another year’s nearly bitten the dust. They seem to fly by faster and
faster, the older I get. That doesn’t seem fair somehow. Ah, well. Such is
life.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">However, I can show you the great
cover for SHAKEN SPIRITS (created by the brilliant and talented Nina Paules),
Daisy Gumm Majesty’s… Oh, Lord. Here we go again. This is Daisy’s 14<sup>th</sup>
adventure into publishing, but the book cover says the book is her 13<sup>th</sup>.
As I’ve often mentioned before, the actual 7<sup>th</sup> book (SPIRITS
REVIVED) is one for which I haven’t yet been able to get the e-rights back.
Therefore, as an audiobook, SPIRITS REVIVED is #6½. When it comes out in print
and e-book format again, it will still be #6½. Publishing is a strange and
mysterious business, if you’re me.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Anyway, back to the cover of
SHAKEN SPIRITS. Here it is! That’s Daisy reclining pretty much underneath the
wheel of that automobile—which is a 1923 Cole Sportster Sedan—and Spike, her
loyal dachshund, valiantly attempting to rouse her. Somebody paid somebody else
a lot of money to mow poor Daisy down. The car actually slaps her up against a
pepper tree (pepper trees lined Marengo Avenue, where Daisy lived, in those
days). Daisy is quite shaken up by this non-accident, which occurred right
after the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day, 1925. Her shaken-ness
doesn’t abate when she realizes someone actually <i>is</i> out to get her.
Below the picture of the cover is a link where you can read an excerpt from
SHAKEN SPIRITS. Moreover, you can buy it, because there are links to every
e-reader, paperback and hardback site known to man. Well, maybe not <i>all</i>
of them, but close enough:</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://ebookdiscovery.lpages.co/aliceduncandaisygummbook13excerpt/">Buy <strong><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">SHAKEN SPIRITS</span></strong>
for anything at all</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">(and
read an excerpt, too, if you want to)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">About halfway through SHAKEN
SPIRITS, Lou Prophet, a washed-up, one-legged former bounty hunter, shows up.
The elderly Lou was given to me by Peter Brandvold, bless his heart (don’t tell
him I said that. He cherishes his image as Mean Pete) after I’d already written
nearly half of the book. Anyway, when Lou came along, I had so much fun writing
him into Daisy’s life, he darned near stole the book! I’m trying to tone him
down in the book I’m writing now, SCARLET SPIRITS, although he still plays a
role. If you want to read about Lou before he hit rock-bottom and ended up in
the Odd Fellows Home of Christian Charity in Pasadena, California, in 1925,
here’s his latest book (by Peter Brandvold, of course), BLOOD AT SUNDOWN (to be
released December 19, I believe). In Mean Pete’s book, Lou’s about forty-five
years younger than he is in Daisy’s day, and he’s a wild and woolly,
hard-drinking, womanizing, irreverent, rascally bounty hunter. He looks good,
too. When he hits Pasadena, he’s still a little woolly, but he’s old and not
nearly as wild as he once was. He resents it, too (and I don’t blame him, being
in the same fix myself, although I was never a hard-drinking, womanizing bounty
hunter):</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WDUrBETKRWs/XAHhxYUGj8I/AAAAAAAAnAY/vDCC5G98ewMXx1uUyhrI3vw_5sVa38-wQCLcBGAs/s1600/Blood+at+Sundown.jpg"><span style="color: blue; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WDUrBETKRWs/XAHhxYUGj8I/AAAAAAAAnAY/vDCC5G98ewMXx1uUyhrI3vw_5sVa38-wQCLcBGAs/s1600/Blood+at+Sundown.jpg"
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<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Sundown-Prophet-Bounty-Hunter-ebook/dp/B07BVGKNNX/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1543611575&sr=1-1&keywords=blood+at+sundown">Buy
<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: ""serif"",serif; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">BLOOD AT SUNDOWN</span></strong> for your Kindle</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Um… Oh, yes! I need Bam-Bam (who
went to the vet this morning for a checkup and trembled the entire time) to
pick a November wiener for my book-giveaway! Bam-Bam, while terrified of pretty
much everyone in the universe who isn’t me, at least doesn’t scream as if he’s
being tortured when he goes to the vet like Jazzy does. Of course, Jazzy is a
Beautiful Blue Wiener and Queen of All She Surveys. She’s also an <i>incredible</i>
drama queen. In fact, here’s a photo of Bam-Bam the Not-Very-Bold and Jazzy the
Drama Queen. They’re lying on my bed, which has on it a crinkly silver thing
that’s supposed to keep dogs off the furniture. You can see how well it works:</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qU72DJLve0/XA_5NXMbmZI/AAAAAAAADnA/cEj6VIXWWmkMsUVjgHhGz6pMsObIxHgzgCLcBGAs/s1600/Bam-Bam%2Band%2BJazzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="519" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qU72DJLve0/XA_5NXMbmZI/AAAAAAAADnA/cEj6VIXWWmkMsUVjgHhGz6pMsObIxHgzgCLcBGAs/s320/Bam-Bam%2Band%2BJazzy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cX5dGGT1_D4/XAHhJoZTRRI/AAAAAAAAnAQ/b4FwipiqgzwxaAovbXyD1vnshSxecvEmwCLcBGAs/s1600/Bam-Bam+and+Jazzy.jpg"><span style="color: blue; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cX5dGGT1_D4/XAHhJoZTRRI/AAAAAAAAnAQ/b4FwipiqgzwxaAovbXyD1vnshSxecvEmwCLcBGAs/s1600/Bam-Bam+and+Jazzy.jpg"
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<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">And (thank you, Bam-Bam) the
wieners are: Julianne Sparks, who wins a copy of CACTUS FLOWER; Karla Jans, who
wins a copy of SIERRA RANSOM; Marilyn Silverstein, who wins a copy of
THANKSGIVING ANGELS; and Mary Jane Hopper, who wins a copy of FALLEN ANGELS.
I’ll get your books to you as soon as I can drag myself to the post office,
ladies.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Let me see… I’m sure something
else exciting happened in November. Oh, yes. I remember now. Right after I left
Southern California, the whole blasted state caught fire, and my daughter and
her husband barely escaped being burned to a crisp by the Woolsey Fire. The
Woolsey Fire started in Thousand Oaks the day after that horrible man shot all
those people in the Borderline Bar. That bar is where Robin and Gilbert (my daughter
and her husband) go with pals to watch sports and stuff. Fortunately for my
family, everyone in it was spared. Far too many other people weren’t so lucky,
and the entire town of Paradise, CA, was burned to cinders in one of the fires
in the northern part of the state. Here’s what it looked like in Robin and
Gilbert’s neighborhood while firefighters were gallantly attempting to save it
from total ruin:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jp9nAA1K2aI/XA_5SUJ7rRI/AAAAAAAADnE/NMlY16YIkWM2MNdBjUQmvhcoe2vtdNhsgCLcBGAs/s1600/Woolsey%2BFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jp9nAA1K2aI/XA_5SUJ7rRI/AAAAAAAADnE/NMlY16YIkWM2MNdBjUQmvhcoe2vtdNhsgCLcBGAs/s1600/Woolsey%2BFire.jpg" /></a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">For what it’s worth, rains have
come recently, and California has experienced terrible mudslides in the
burn-scar areas. Fortunately again, Robin and Gilbert and their neighbors were
spared. However, the air still stinks to high heaven. I fear it’s going to take
a lot of work and planting and more rain to make my home state beautiful again.
I love California, so this makes me sad. Sniffle.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Oh, yeah. Here’s something
not-so-awful. Joyce Abbate, a long-time friend and dancing pal, sent me some
pictures from when I belonged to the dance company, Gypsy. Here I am. These
were the good old days. I could still hear, had all my original body parts (and
they worked) and I could sing and dance and have fun. I miss those days. Deep,
theatrical sigh here. Hmm. Maybe Jazzy takes after her mommy in some ways. But
never mind that. Anyway, the Gypsy Folk Ensemble has a Facebook page, if you
want to visit it: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Gypsy-Folk-Ensemble-168129599867691/?hc_location=ufi">https://www.facebook.com/Gypsy-Folk-Ensemble-168129599867691/?hc_location=ufi</a></span>
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KkQB2kryATA/XAHgxI83xJI/AAAAAAAAnAI/OOqz3KOaQ1cyk7k3q7kA5_7jfxMy51fqgCLcBGAs/s1600/Me,+Gypsy+1.jpg"><span style="color: blue; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KkQB2kryATA/XAHgxI83xJI/AAAAAAAAnAI/OOqz3KOaQ1cyk7k3q7kA5_7jfxMy51fqgCLcBGAs/s1600/Me,+Gypsy+1.jpg"
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<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Oh, yes! The very <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">best</span> thing that happened in November
(for me) was that Iris Evans and Leon Fundenberger created a special Facebook
page for Daisy! It’s called Daisy Daze, and it shows photographs of things that
were around in Daisy’s days and that Daisy and her friends and kin might have
used. For instance, they found a copy of SIXTY-FIVE DELICIOUS DISHES MADE WITH
BREAD, the cook booklet Daisy used when she was coerced into teaching a cooking
class at the Salvation Army. Poor Daisy, who can burn water, <i>hated</i>
teaching that class. Worse, she didn’t learn how to cook while she did it. If
you’d like to participate in Daisy Daze, go to this link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/</a></span>
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Let me see… What books should I
give away at the end of December? Beats the heck outta me. Lemme think. Ow.
That hurt. However, I did find a few books I can give away. Some lucky folks
will win an original hardback version (these are first editions, by golly. If I
were famous, that might actually mean something) of HIGH SPIRITS or HUNGRY
SPIRITS, and I’ll also give away one of my Mercy Allcutt books, ANGELS OF
MERCY. If you’d like to enter, just send me your name and address: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">alice@aliceduncan.net</a></span>
. Due to the high cost of postage, I’ll only be able to send books to people
residing in the USA. However, if you live in a far-off place and win, I’ll be
happy to send you an ebook (Kindle or Nook).</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">I think that’s it! If you’d like
to visit my web page, here’s the link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://aliceduncan.net/">http://aliceduncan.net/</a></span> . And if
you’d like to be Facebook friends, please go here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925">https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925</a></span>
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: ""serif"",serif;">Thank you!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-86859707687413435562018-12-10T13:13:00.002-05:002018-12-10T13:13:57.114-05:00Review: Fear by Bob Woodward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4lk-QVZtDEQ/XA6stJY0mZI/AAAAAAAADms/bDNl7UhuwT4gszkrdNrb6AbjNU1ObXj_QCLcBGAs/s1600/fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4lk-QVZtDEQ/XA6stJY0mZI/AAAAAAAADms/bDNl7UhuwT4gszkrdNrb6AbjNU1ObXj_QCLcBGAs/s320/fear.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
In this day and age of horrible journalism, it is refreshing to see Bob Woodward's reporting. About of a third of the book is actually source referenced. He reports on the chaos of the administration and the games people in it are playing, to try and work around the President's behavior. It seems a sad state of the world that any of this is happening, but Woodward's reporting is making sense of the chaos reported by various news sources.<br />
<br />
Whether a Trump supporter or not, it is important to have the facts as opposed to all the #FakeNews out there. Well worth the read.Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-44720036617002382932018-12-04T13:27:00.002-05:002018-12-04T13:27:34.082-05:00Review: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (ed) Maxim Jakubowski<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yed4AOvjZWU/XAbG6OjdblI/AAAAAAAADmg/OlU5j605paIFX6VYc2-ok6hkz8dFgciLgCLcBGAs/s1600/61nducDisKL._AC_US218_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yed4AOvjZWU/XAbG6OjdblI/AAAAAAAADmg/OlU5j605paIFX6VYc2-ok6hkz8dFgciLgCLcBGAs/s320/61nducDisKL._AC_US218_.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Everyone has their favorite Jack the Ripper theory or suspect. The odds are, we will NEVER know definitively who was responsible. That said, This book is full of fictional stories based on various old and new theories as well as just plain imagination. It will get us no closer to solving the crimes, but it does give us enjoyable reads of various possibilities. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Some of my favorites from the book were: "His Last Victim" by KG Anderson, "It's All in the Genes" by Cara Cooper, "Bluebeard's Wife" by Catherine Lundoff and "Autumn of Terror" by CL Raven.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Terri</span>Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-58073026043934132802018-11-28T15:39:00.000-05:002018-11-28T15:39:09.089-05:00Review: Seances are for Suckers - Tamara Berry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oGGS5Lg4V10/W_78zOfRE1I/AAAAAAAADmU/Oq0UUuts3YwUNtVF_pgV3N7DmKlgagpkQCLcBGAs/s1600/seances.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oGGS5Lg4V10/W_78zOfRE1I/AAAAAAAADmU/Oq0UUuts3YwUNtVF_pgV3N7DmKlgagpkQCLcBGAs/s320/seances.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1038460120"></span><span id="goog_1038460121"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Ellie is a professional Medium. She doesn't believe in ghosts, she just needs to make good enough money to care for her comatose sister. She has a bag of tricks and uses it to help people by providing relief when the ghost is exorcised.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Nicolas Hartford whisks her to his family Estate in England, knowing she is essentially a con artist, to try and find out who and how its haunting is occurring.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">So with reservations, she goes and finds out that someone is indeed playing the tricks and after a stranger's body appears at the house, she realizes things are much more dangerous than she thought.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I enjoyed the story a lot, but I have to admit, I really do NOT like her job at all.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Terri</span>Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-20629155479650875182018-10-12T11:45:00.003-04:002018-10-12T11:45:29.215-04:00Review: 'Knock, Knock' Who's There? The Truth about Jehovah's Witnesses by Anthony James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZuJsAz9TDpU/W8DA8XwZaoI/AAAAAAAADmI/0X-F9JG93GE2H6A9IhLh3C_oabKPACLUACLcBGAs/s1600/51u3jOkOonL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZuJsAz9TDpU/W8DA8XwZaoI/AAAAAAAADmI/0X-F9JG93GE2H6A9IhLh3C_oabKPACLUACLcBGAs/s320/51u3jOkOonL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
This is a true account of a former Jehovah's Witness who explains their version of the 'Truth" and their beliefs in a concise, logical way. Most of us have had experiences with Jehovah's Witnesses and know some basic things - like their door-to-door prosthetizing, their refusal to celebrate holidays, birthdays and the like, their refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, cross their heart for the National Anthem etc... I personally, have never been able to understand their beliefs until I read about The Watchtower Society, its teachings and revisions to the 'Truth' that have happened throughout the years. I have also been offended by the outright misogyny I have encountered -- tried discussing it with a JW coworker who basically could not discuss it in any logical way. The more and more I read about the JW, I see how cult-like its behaviors are and how harmful the isolation of members can be. This book is one man's experience but he explains things in a way you can understand and is very thought provoking.<br />
<br />
For all the sincere belief many of its members have, I find it sad that they have such a horrible view of the world and the people in it. I am happy for the author - his leaving the JW seems to have made him happier.<br />
<br />
I have said before, a true good religion should stand up to questioning and in fact, should welcome it. Not just give authoritarian pronouncements and oppress its members to live us/them dynamics which never amount to good.<br />
<br />
TerriTerri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923339336395220707.post-48129201071560965712018-10-02T10:58:00.000-04:002018-10-02T10:58:23.655-04:00Gust Blogger - Alice Duncan<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Saga of Daisy
Gumm Majesty’s Publication<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before
I begin telling you about Daisy’s epic publishing history, here are the wieners
of September’s book giveaway (SPIRITS UNEARTHED): Elizabeth Keene, Paula Adams,
Jon Ludwig and Linda Ames-Boman. Congrats! I’ll get your books to you…
eventually. Truth to tell, I only managed to mail August’s books yesterday.
Sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
back to the subject of this month’s newsletter, let me tell you that keeping
Daisy published wasn’t easy. Here’s why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
idea for the Daisy Gumm Majesty series came to me in the early 2000s. The books
were supposed to be historical cozy mysteries, and they were supposed to feature
as their main protagonist a fake spiritualist-medium named Daisy Gumm Majesty, a
young woman married to a crippled veteran of the War to End All Wars (it wasn’t,
more’s the pity). Daisy plied her art during the 1920s in Pasadena, California,
my old hometown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
order to achieve publication of this series, I gathered what few wits I had
left and sent a proposal for the first two books to my publisher at the time
(Kensington). The Powers That Were liked the idea, the characters and the
period, but they said there wasn’t enough mystery. That’s undoubtedly true, and
it’s also pretty much the story of my life. Their fix, however, was for me to
take out the dead bodies, add a subsidiary romance (since the heroine was
already married) and they’d market the books as romances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I
did, they did, and STRONG SPIRITS and FINE SPIRITS were published. They tanked.
Big-time. Broke my heart. I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">loved</i>
Daisy. More, I loved Pasadena, California, and the era in which Daisy lived.
Nevertheless, Daisy and her pals seemed to be floating belly-up in the goldfish
bowl of publishing, and there was nothing I could do about it. The late, great
Kate Duffy called and apologized for mis-marketing the books, but that didn’t
help a whole lot. My heart remained, squashed and pulsing with grief, on the
floor at my feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nevertheless,
I did as the Kensington goddesses asked, took yet another pseudonym (I think
this made six of them), and I wrote a series about survivors of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Titanic</i> disaster. I used <span class="3oh-">a combination of my daughters’ names for my pseudonym </span>and churned
out A PERFECT STRANGER, A PERFECT ROMANCE and A PERFECT WEDDING as Anne Robins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then,
because I was editing books for Five Star-Cengage, I asked if I could submit a
book for their consideration. Five Star doesn’t acquire books on proposal, but
I already had the third Daisy book written. Therefore, I sent it in, and they
acquired it for their women’s fiction line. I was delighted, even if the books
still weren’t dead-body-cozy mysteries. And then Five Star closed their women’s
fiction line. I managed to get book #6 (ANCIENT SPIRITS) published as a
romantic suspense novel, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">then</i> I
got to turn Daisy’s books into cozy mysteries! Yay!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Five
Star published SPIRITS REVIVED, Daisy’s seventh adventure, as a mystery!
Wheeee! Then Five Star closed their mystery line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Um .
. . I wasn’t sure what to do after that. However, a lovely woman named Jeanne
Glidewell, whose cozy mystery novels I’d edited for Five Star, told me she’d
found a great publisher and suggested I get in touch with them about my Daisy
books. So I did. ePublishing Works (Brian and Nina Paules) decided to reprint
the entire Daisy series, give the books new covers that clearly defined them as
cozy mysteries (“branding” is, I think, what this is called), and they even put
the series number of each book on the front cover! Wow. You can’t get much
better than that. What’s more, ePW actually promotes<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>their authors’ books! This has never happened to me before in my
life. I’m actually making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">money</i> with ePW.
Whatta miracle!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
only thing neither ePW nor I can do is get the rights to SPIRITS REVIVED back.
Therefore, there’s a hole in the middle of Daisy’s series. However, when the
narrator reading the Daisy books for audio (the extremely talented Denice
Stradling) got to SPIRITS REVIVED, Nina Paules made a lovely cover for it and
numbered it 6 ½. I tell you, those ePW folks are clever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyway,
book #12 (actually, it’s #13, but I just explained the reason it’s not numbered
as such) was published in July of this year. SPIRITS UNEARTHED begins at the
Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, California. It’s not as gruesome as it
sounds (to start with, anyway) because Daisy and her fiancé, Sam Rotondo, are there
to visit their late spouses’ graves. Daisy’s dachshund, Spike, begins the
action by finding a shoe. Unfortunately, the shoe contains a foot. And so the
fun begins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By
the way, I grew up and lived in Altadena and Pasadena for most of my life, so
it didn’t occur to me that having only one cemetery to serve an entire
community was in any way unusual. I’ve since been told by my number-one beta
reader, Lynne Welch, librarian extraordinaire, that most cities have little
cemeteries dotted all over the place. In Altadena and Pasadena, it’s either
Mountain View or an urn on somebody’s mantel, I reckon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
running theme in the Daisy books is the magnificence of Viola Gumm’s cooking.
Vi is Daisy’s aunt-by-marriage and is a genius in the kitchen. That’s a good
thing because neither Daisy nor her mother can cook a worth a lick. They all
live together in a sweet little bungalow in Pasadena. One of Vi’s recipes appears
in SPIRITS UNEARTHED. In order to make Vi’s Swedish-style smothered chicken,
you first have to haul out your Scotch kettle. Don’t know what a Scotch kettle
is? Neither did I. So I did some research, and it turned out to be a Dutch
oven!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Daisy’s
13<sup>th</sup> (actually, her 14<sup>th</sup>) adventure is titled SHAKEN
SPIRITS, and it will be published in January of 2019. This novel features a
character created by another author for his own books. Peter Brandvold (who
writes terrific westerns) gave me his very own, personal, made-up character,
Lou Prophet, to play with. Mind you, Mean Pete waited to give Lou to me until he
was old, weathered, falling apart and one-legged, but Daisy and I had a whole
lot of fun with old Lou in spite of his antiquity. Daisy thinks Lou is quaint.
Lou, who was once a hard-drinking, violent, womanizing, dangerous and tricky
bounty hunter in the wild and wooly Old West, would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> be happy with Daisy’s assessment. Being a woman of
understanding and compassion, Daisy will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i>
tells Lou she thinks he’s quaint mainly because, if she did, Lou would hobble
out of her life as fast as he could. Please pre-order SHAKEN SPIRITS if you
feel so inclined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amazon Link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07B6GRK4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1538354240&sr=1-1&keywords=shaken+spirits">https://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07B6GRK4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1538354240&sr=1-1&keywords=shaken+spirits</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
the heck, you can get Lou Prophet’s latest story (written about his early career,
when he was young, virile, handsome as heck, and not quite as cantankerous as
he ultimately became) right now if you want to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Link for STAGECOACH TO PURGATORY: https://www.amazon.com/Stagecoach-Purgatory-Prophet-Bounty-Hunter-ebook/dp/B077WZ6884/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1538354279&sr=1-1&keywords=stagecoach+to+purgatory<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
I’m writing SCARLET SPIRITS, Daisy’s 14<sup>th</sup> (actually, her 15<sup>th</sup>)
adventure. Lou Prophet’s in this book too; however, even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i> fictional Old-West characters show up in SCARLET. I made up
all these new guys, though. In fact, a proposal for a western novel no one ever
showed interest in publishing (because westerns are supposed to be jam-packed
with adventure, and all my characters ever do is sit around chatting with each
other. Well, and they eat a lot), is helping me with SCARLET’S plot. Never let
a good plot go to waste is my philosophy. In truth, it isn’t, but it sounds
good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
tell you, publishing is a strange and confusing industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
the end of October, I’ll be giving away even more copies of SPIRITS UNEARTHED.
I seem to have about fifty billion copies of that particular book for some
reason. If you’d like to find out more about Daisy and the gang, please visit
this page (https://ebookdiscovery.lpages.co/aliceduncandaisygummbook12excerpt/
), where you can read an excerpt from SPIRITS UNEARTHED and learn more about my
Daisy books. That page also contains links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and
everywhere else if you’d like to buy the book. If you’d like to visit my web
page, here’s the link: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://aliceduncan.net/">http://aliceduncan.net/</a></span> . And if you’d
like to be Facebook friends, please go here: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925">https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925</a></span>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thank
you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Terri Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312153887529889846noreply@blogger.com0