A to Z Challenge - M is for Monarch

For my nature theme, I thought I would focus on the Monarch butterfly today. I have always loved these butterflies, and when I was a child, our yard in Michigan teemed with them in the spring and summer. I didn't learn about the great migration until years later and was amazed that these delicate little creatures can travel hundreds of miles. The Monarch is famous for its southward migration from Canada to Mexico in the winter, then a return north in the summer. This migration can span  the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

Here in Texas we would see the butterfly en masse in early spring, but not so much any more. The milkweed, which is a major attraction for the monarch, has been disappearing along with the butterfly. HERE is an excellent article that explains some of what is happening to this beautiful little creature. We are definitely slowly killing our planet.
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Yesterday's Friday the 13th Mystery Event was a lot of fun. I met so many new friends on various sites all over the Internet. What a wonderful way to meet people without having to leave home. I am pleased that my book made it to the top 10 best-seller list for suspense on Amazon, thanks to all the folks who downloaded the book. Many of these books, including my One Small Victory, are free again for today, so tell your friends there is still time to get some good books for their Kindle. All of these are from award-winning authors who have first published with major publishers.

1. Darker By Degree by Susan Branham and Keri Knutson - A missing girl. A mysterious break-in. A brutal murder. 

2.  Diary of Murder by Jean Henry Mead -  Dana Logan's wealthy sister, Georgi, dies and Georgi's husband claims it was suicide. Dana knows her sister would never take her own life and sets out to prove it was murder, with her friend, Sarah Cafferty. 

3. Ghost Island by Bonnie Hearn Hill - Is Aaron a dream, or is he something much more deadly? Livia Hinson has just begun a Seminar at Sea when a storm hits their boat. Now, she is stranded with the other students on an island off the coast of California. NOTE: For some reason this book is still listed at $2.99

4. Kiki Lowenstein and the Purple Passion: A Kiki Lowenstein Short Story by Joanna Campbell Slan - When a customer’s daughter is falsely accused, Kiki Lowenstein foils a nasty plan to ruin the girl’s reputation. 

5. One Small Victory by Maryann Miller - the story of one woman's courage. Suspense novel by Maryann Miller, based on a true story of a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down a major distributor in her small Texas town. Don't discount what a mother can do to protect her children. 

6. Rock & Roll Homicide by RJ McDonnell - The 1st novel in the Rock & Roll Mystery Series finds PI Jason Duffy helping the widow of a slain rock star after she climbs to #1 in the police suspect charts. 

7. Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba - After starring on a hit game show set aboard a Tall Ship, personal trainer Cassidy Novak discovers that she has attracted a stalker. Can she trust Zach Gallagher, the gorgeous newspaper photographer assigned to follow her for a local series? 

8. Southeast Asian Quartet by William S. Shepard - Mystery, suspense and murder in Southeast Asia in the style of Somerset Maugham, these four tales evoke Singapore, Borneo, Malaya and Indochina. Draw up a chair at the Raffles Bar and join us.

9. Taken by Debra Lee -  Welcome to the fictitious little town of Watery, Pennsylvania where the district attorney’s personal secretary, Mary Murray never planned to become a single mom or a suspect in her infant’s disappearance. 

10. The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan - Hired to follow a young woman, private eye Simeon Grist becomes mired in murder and a million-dollar religious scam in The Four Last Things, the first in a series of highly-praised LA private-eye novels written in the 1990s by 2011 Edgar nominee Timothy Hallinan. 

11. When a Man Loves a Woman - Enhanced Multimedia Edition by Alina Adams - Can a man and woman ever truly be just friends? What about if one of them is married? What if one of them suddenly isn't anymore?  

12.  Willowtree by Mike Bove - Bruce DelRano, retired postman, golf and food nut, finds a body near the golf course. He believes the murder is connected to others and involves his Apache friend. Together, they stay a step ahead of the police in trying to solve the cases. 

13. Whispering by Gerrie Ferris Finger - Will Cleo Snow admit to making love with charming World War I fly-boy Graham Henry to clear him in the disappearance of an island woman who claims he plans to marry her? Will Graham compromise Cleo to clear himself?

A to Z Challenge - L is for Llama and Luck

In keeping with my theme, I'm going to write a little about the llama. The spelling of the name has always fascinated me. How many other words start with a double letter? That might be an interesting Internet search sometime.

The llama is a South American relative of the camel, though the llama does not have a hump. These sturdy creatures are domestic animals used by the peoples of the Andes Mountains. (Their wild relatives are guanacos and vicuñas). Native peoples have used llamas as pack animals for centuries.

Here in Texas some people have started raising llama's for shearing. Their wool can be used for fabric, rugs and rope, and some are raised as livestock.We have a few llamas down the road from us, but they seem to be more "pasture ornaments" than anything else. I have never seen anyone shear them, and since they are still there, it is obvious they have not been raised for meat.

Now for the "Luck" part of the blog. I have joined with 13 other mystery authors for a special Kindle Select promotion offering 13 books for free this weekend. These are back-list, or new, books from authors who have been published by the big 6 publishers in New York, as well as some respected smaller publishers of quality mysteries. Don't miss this Kindle exclusive opportunity to discover these 13 new authors and brighten your Friday the 13th.

1. Darker By Degree by Susan Branham and Keri Knutson - A missing girl. A mysterious break-in. A brutal murder. 

2.  Diary of Murder by Jean Henry Mead -  Dana Logan's wealthy sister, Georgi, dies and Georgi's husband claims it was suicide. Dana knows her sister would never take her own life and sets out to prove it was murder, with her friend, Sarah Cafferty. 

3. Ghost Island by Bonnie Hearn Hill - Is Aaron a dream, or is he something much more deadly? Livia Hinson has just begun a Seminar at Sea when a storm hits their boat. Now, she is stranded with the other students on an island off the coast of California. NOTE: For some reason this book is still listed at $2.99

4. Kiki Lowenstein and the Purple Passion: A Kiki Lowenstein Short Story by Joanna Campbell Slan - When a customer’s daughter is falsely accused, Kiki Lowenstein foils a nasty plan to ruin the girl’s reputation. 

5. One Small Victory by Maryann Miller - the story of one woman's courage. Suspense novel by Maryann Miller, based on a true story of a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down a major distributor in her small Texas town. Don't discount what a mother can do to protect her children. 

6. Rock & Roll Homicide by RJ McDonnell - The 1st novel in the Rock & Roll Mystery Series finds PI Jason Duffy helping the widow of a slain rock star after she climbs to #1 in the police suspect charts. 

7. Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba - After starring on a hit game show set aboard a Tall Ship, personal trainer Cassidy Novak discovers that she has attracted a stalker. Can she trust Zach Gallagher, the gorgeous newspaper photographer assigned to follow her for a local series? 

8. Southeast Asian Quartet by William S. Shepard - Mystery, suspense and murder in Southeast Asia in the style of Somerset Maugham, these four tales evoke Singapore, Borneo, Malaya and Indochina. Draw up a chair at the Raffles Bar and join us.

9. Taken by Debra Lee -  Welcome to the fictitious little town of Watery, Pennsylvania where the district attorney’s personal secretary, Mary Murray never planned to become a single mom or a suspect in her infant’s disappearance. 

10. The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan - Hired to follow a young woman, private eye Simeon Grist becomes mired in murder and a million-dollar religious scam in The Four Last Things, the first in a series of highly-praised LA private-eye novels written in the 1990s by 2011 Edgar nominee Timothy Hallinan. 

11. When a Man Loves a Woman - Enhanced Multimedia Edition by Alina Adams - Can a man and woman ever truly be just friends? What about if one of them is married? What if one of them suddenly isn't anymore?  

12.  Willowtree by Mike Bove - Bruce DelRano, retired postman, golf and food nut, finds a body near the golf course. He believes the murder is connected to others and involves his Apache friend. Together, they stay a step ahead of the police in trying to solve the cases. 

13. Whispering by Gerrie Ferris Finger - Will Cleo Snow admit to making love with charming World War I fly-boy Graham Henry to clear him in the disappearance of an island woman who claims he plans to marry her? Will Graham compromise Cleo to clear himself? 

The other good luck promo has a lot of free books being offered for today only. These are in a variety of genres from mystery to romance to fantasy and many others. No matter what your reading tastes are, you can find a book or two or three to load into your e-book reading device. Not all of the books are limited to Kindle, so this is a great opportunity for Nook owners as well. Here is a link to the page where you can find all these books listed. There are over a hundred, so have fun.

A Surprise Visit

I know, I know, I said I was only posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but sometimes I just can't help myself. (smile)

First, I want to thank my new followers, Melissa, Katie, Nay and Carol. So glad you find my blog worth some time now and then. I have enjoyed your blogs, too, and love making new friends in cyberspace.

The other reason I am popping in today is because I have put one of my short stories on free at Kindle today. It will be free until Thursday at midnight. I didn't want to post this tomorrow when Nancy Cohen is visiting, as that is her day to shine here, but I did want you to know about the sale in case you would like to sample this story. Making it Home was first published in Lady's Circle Magazine under the title A String of Pearls.

Book Review - Snakehead by Peter May

Thanks to Carl Brookins for another terrific review....

Snakehead
by Peter May
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 312 pages,
ISBN: 9781590586068

This is the ourth in the author's China Thriller series to be published by this press. Make no mistake this is one scary and thrilling book. So thrilling, in fact I had the sense toward the end of being carried just a bit over the top. The novel brings back two of May's most endearing characters, forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell, American, and Beijing detective, Li Yan. But they are no longer in China. Campbell is now the county medical examiner based in Houston, Texas, and Li Yang is learning about and dealing with America's multiple and complex law enforcement agencies as a member of the Chinese Embassy staff in Washington, D.C.

Until a major tragedy brings them together, Campbell is not even aware that they are again in the same country although still thousands of miles physically and culturally apart. The tragedy that brings these two together are the deaths of scores of illegal Chinese immigrants being smuggled to the United State via the same pipeline and organization which smuggles drugs from South America to the U.S. In this incident, the dead are found in a refrigerated truck abandoned in Texas. Those deaths appear to be accidental until it is discovered the bodies have all been injected with a dangerous virus that has no known antidote.

Now the race is on to determine what the virus is, who is behind the multi-million dollar smuggling operation, the Snakehead of the title, and Li Yan and Margaret must try to set aside their own emotional difficulties in order to help literally, save the nation from a devastating plague.

The pace is fast, the writing always to the point, the characters are genuine in their language and their emotions, and most worrisome of all, the science is real. This is a novel with the potential to scare the pants off you.  It's timely, international in scope, a whirlwind of a thriller.

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Carl Brookins - www.carlbrookins.com www.agora2.blogspot.com
Case of the Greedy Lawyer, Devils Island, Bloody Halls, more at Kindle & Smashwords!

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NOTE: My publisher for Play it Again, Sam, Uncial Press,  is celebrating its fifth year in operation, and it all ends tomorrow. To join in the fun with a scavenger hunt and have a chance at winning a KOBO reader, visit the website.

Another contest is being held by Books We Love Publishing. Enter between now and December to win a Kindle. 

Friday's Odds and Ends

I never thought I would find myself defending Rick Perry, but I have to agree with a recent column by Steve Chapman who said Perry's mandate that all teen girls in Texas get the HPV vaccine was the right call. Michelle Bachmann, and others, have taken Perry to task saying that making the vaccine mandatory was wrong.

Chapman, who is often a voice of reason when it comes to heated public debate that is more rant than true debate, points out that this is really no different than other vaccines that are mandated by law. Yes, it has that sexual connection since HPV is transmitted via sexual activity, and that is what Chapman thinks has stirred more of the controversy than necessary. To be effective, the vaccine has to be given before sexual activity begins, and, as we all know, that is starting at younger and younger ages.

As many as 20 million people are thought to have an active HPV infection at any given time, and as many as 5.5 million new cases of genital HPV infection occur in the United States each year. Most men and women — about 80 percent of sexually active people — are infected with HPV at some point in their lives, but most people never know they have the virus. It makes sense to have protection when protection is so readily available.

Just to show that the government does get it right sometimes, in a recent session of Congress members of both parties approved legislation to help states get charter schools up and running. Part of the legislation provides access to federal funding for planning and establishing the schools.

Good for us, and good for the young people who will benefit.

I usually end on a positive and upbeat note, but this will be an exception. It has now been a week since two of our cats disappeared, and we doubt that either will come back. Many of my readers have been introduced to John and Orca through previous blog posts and enjoyed their stories. Out here in the country the life-span of a cat can be very short, but we had managed to have these two longer than most of our other cats. They are missed.

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I have recently found a website, Digital Book Today, that features the top e-books for Kindle. It is a great place to find quality books, as they only take books that have ranked high enough among readers that they have been "vetted" so to speak. I am thrilled that they considered One Small Victory one of those books. If you have a Kindle and are looking for some good recommendations, I suggest you bookmark the site and visit when you can. http://digitalbooktoday.com/

New Stories

 The Wisdom of Ages - A Short Story Collection,  my new short story collection was just released by Books We Love Publishing Partners.

Three stories; four men whose lives take unexpected turns. Meet Samson who wonders what is down that country road that draws people so. Should he get in that old truck and go see? Mel and Rube have been having dinner at the Leavenworth Grill every Wednesday for years. One day the menu changes and so does life for Mel. Tom would give anything for his life to change. Can he beat back the effects of a crippling stroke by sheer force of determination? Growing old is not for the faint of heart.

"These three gems will make you think about time and how you use it. Maryann Miller has a rare gift for taking the pulse of ordinary lives and spinning that into extraordinary tales." -- Craig Lancaster, author of 600 Hours of Edward"and The Summer Son

"Miller shares her skills as a writer and her humanity in this inspiring glimpse into the realities of aging and the heartbreak of letting go." Paula Stallings Yost Editor/Author, What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest

"Sometimes the best stories come at the end of our lives, and so do the strongest lessons. Read Maryann Miller's poignant vignettes about aging and let them tug at your heart-strings. They capture the very essence of our tender humanity." ~ Dani Greer, author, editor and Special Projects Coordinator for Little Pickle Press,

 I like working with a publisher who does all the work of getting a cover, ISBN number, and getting that all up on Amazon and other sites for e-readers. But I have also been experimenting with putting my own content up. That can be very time consuming for someone like me who has a steep learning curve when it comes to new technology, but I am learning.

Last Friday I announced that I have two new short stories up on Amazon for the Kindle. SAHM I Am and The Visitor  They are both priced at 99cents and make a good, quick read.

SAHM I Am is a humorous sci-fi story. Technology may be on the verge of having sophisticated home computers that run an entire household, but have the scientists taken into consideration the human factor? When SAHM, a Sensor Activated Home Manager, is field tested at the O'Neal home, he's up against the biggest challenge a computer has ever faced; one Shanna O'Neal.


The Visitor was first written as an assignment in a writing class to adapt a classic fairy tale, and I chose Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A camping trip in the Rockies becomes most interesting when a stranger shows up and the Cantrell family has to find out who has been sneaking into their cabin.

Friday's Odds and Ends

 There is some talk of raising the speed limit in Texas to 85MPH. Silly me, I thought that was already the speed limit. If I'm driving 70 to 75 MPH, cars zoom by me all the time.

The Dallas Zoo was briefly charging a giraffe-greeting fee until enough patrons complained. Apparently the zoo was trying to boos revenue by charging people to walk out on a platform that allows them to see the tall beasts up close and personal. The charge was $5.00.

Zoo officials were smart in rescinding that charge. Imagine having to explain to a four or five year old child that he or she could not see the giraffe close up because Mommy didn't have the extra five dollars with her.

And now for some personal business. We're having a party at the Author Roast and Toast blog where I am the guest with Angel and Sarah from Open Season. Stop by if you get a chance. There are some other great guests, including Agatha Christie, and some wonderful food and drinks. We are solving the mystery of who killed the IRS agent, and one lucky person will win an ARC of Open Season.

Also wanted to announce that I have two new short stories up on Amazon for the Kindle. SAHM I Am   and The Visitor 

SAHM I Am is a humorous sci-fi story. Technology may be on the verge of having sophisticated home computers that run an entire household, but have the scientists taken into consideration the human factor? When SAHM, a Sensor Activated Home Manager, is field tested at the O'Neal home, he's up against the biggest challenge a computer has ever faced; one Shanna O'Neal.


The Visitor was first written as an assignment in a writing class to adapt a classic fairy tale, and I chose Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A camping trip in the Rockies becomes most interesting when a stranger shows up and the Cantrell family has to find out who has been sneaking into their cabin.