Monday Morning Musings

I thought I would try a little different format for my Monday offerings. I've been accused of never wanting to change a thing - not even to move a sofa in my living room - so I am just showing some folks how versatile I can be.

WHAT I'M READING: Several books on tap for reviews. First up will be a humorous look at parenting, Mommy A-Z, which is scheduled for next Sunday. Good read so far. After that will come Silent Partner, a mystery that I am resisting the temptation to start reading. Need to do things in order, right? No link to that book as it will be released September 1.


WHAT I'M LAUGHING AT: The cat races that just started at my house. My cats love to chase each other from one end of the house to the other. If they would slow down, I'd try to get a picture.

WHAT I'M DISMAYED ABOUT: I may get lots of boos for this one, but I am really concerned about the doctor infected with Ebola coming to the U.S. Yes, great precautions have been taken as he was transported to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, but this is a very deadly virus, and according to experts, it is not entirely clear how Ebola is spread. Most commonly it is spread to a human by contact with an infected animal's bodily fluids. Transmission from first human infected can occur  through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids from an infected person. Others can also be infected by contact with contaminated medical equipment, particularly needles and syringes. While direct contact is the most common form of transmission, it is likely that it can also occur through oral exposure and through conjunctiva exposure. That has proven the case with non-human primates.


Dr. Mike Brantly is a 33-year-old father of two young children who works for the North Carolina-based Christian organization Samaritan's Purse. He was in Liberia responding to the worst Ebola outbreak on record when he contracted the disease. Since February, more than 700 people in West Africa have died from Ebola, a hemorrhagic virus with a death rate of up to 90 percent of those infected. The fatality rate in the current epidemic is about 60 percent.


More about Ebola from the World Health Organization. While all of us pledging to remain civil about this, what do you think?

WHAT I'M LUSTING AFTER: BTW, this might not be a regular part of my Monday blog, but I just had to share the picture of this wonderful guitar owned by singer/songwriter, BettySoo. She did a concert this past Saturday at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts, and I fell in love with her guitar. The concert was great, too, but the guitar....

Thanks to the talented Michael Alford for the wonderful picture.

BettySoo said there are only four of these guitars in existence. The possibility of me getting one are so slim, I wish my waistline looked like that. Well, maybe not. I do need some meat between my belly button and my back bone. But am I right about this being a great guitar?
 
AND NOW JUST FOR FUN: This one is from Shoe by Gary Brookins & Susie MacNelly.

Shoe walks into his favorite bar and says to the bartender, "Hi, Fred. What's new?"

"Sigh... Nothing good, Shoe... My divorce from Ethel has been finalized."

"I can sympathze with you. How did the settlement turn out?"

"It became quite the nightmare," Fred says. "Once I realized the decimal point was just a bagel poppyseed."

And this from Mallard Fillmore by Bruce Tinsley.

Mallard is on the news anchor desk and says, "As 'Back-to-School' time nears, we're joined now by our Mediocrity Correspondent, Dylan Custard..."

Custard says, "I'm seeing some really encouraging signes in the mediocrity movememnt. For instance, more school systems are ending the elitist practice of naming a valedictorian!"

Mallard responds, "Woo. You must be excited."

"Guaredely optimistic. But there are still some disturbing statistics like these." He hold up a paper.

"What do they show?"

"Who knows?! They're all fill of numbers! Math-adverse students immediately feel marginalized..."

Sadly, that is not so far removed from what really happens in so many schools across the country.

Book Review - Silent Prey by John Sandford

Silent Prey
John Sandford
File Size: 596 KB
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (March 1, 1993)
Series: A Lucas Davenport Novel (Book 4)
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B000QFCFJS


A follow-up to Eyes of Prey, the book that featured a psychotic pathologist Dr. Michael Bekker, this book takes Lucas Davenport to New York where Bekker has started killing again after escaping at the end of the previous book. NYPD Lt. Lily Rothenberg, a former lover, asks Davenport to come to Manhattan and assist with the investigation.

In addition to tracking down Bekker, Davenport is asked to work undercover to find the group called "Robin Hoods," a vigilante group believed to be comprised of cops. The rogue cops have been taking out criminals, so some people think it would be okay to just look the other way. Rothenberg and Davenport have a higher standard of ethics and don't want to look the other way.

I read this book back when it first came out, not long after reading Eyes of Prey, and in some ways it was like reading one long book with a break in between, mainly because of the central characters facing off, Bekker and Davenport. However, there were enough fresh elements added to the story to help it stand alone.

Lucas Davenport is one of the best detectives in fiction today, and I especially like his sense of humor. That is such a nice counter-point to the hardass cop side of his character. Sandford's stories always move at a rapid pace, and the plots are complicated enough to keep the reader guessing and turning pages.
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I'm doing a Kindle Countdown Deal for my mystery, Boxes For Beds. On July 31 the price dropped to just 99 cents, and later today - Sunday - the price will jump to $1.99, where it will stay until midnight, August 7th before going back to the regular price of $2.99. This is my first time to do the Countdown Deal, and if you have not already gotten a copy, this is a good time to snag one at a good price. The book currently has 98 reviews - most of them very positive - and I am thrilled that so many people have enjoyed the story. For those who subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, the book is available there for free any time.

Tokens And Talismans

Please help me welcome Elizabeth Hein as today's Wednesday's Guest. She is going to talk about the importance of some of the tokens we may hold dear. In honor of Lara, the central character in Elizabeth's book, How to Climb the Eiffel Tower, I thought we would have some tea as we sit back and read what she has to share.

I am honored to be a guest here on Maryann’s blog and share a little insight into where story elements come from. 

The tokens we keep can take on significance far beyond their form. For instance, I wear a silver scarab ring as a memento of my journey through cancer treatment. In 2002, I visited the “Quest For Immortality - Treasures of Ancient Egypt” exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston. The timing of our trip was fortuitous. I had recently finished the radiation phase of my cancer treatment and was on the mend.

The special exhibit had a room that traced Thutmose III’s journey through the netherworld to the after life. The parallels between the Ancient Egyptian story and my experience with cancer treatment were remarkable. I stood in that room studying the hieroglyphs and reading about the Egyptian god Ra in the form of the rising sun, Khepri, until my family pulled me out of there. Khepri, the god that escorted the dead person across the river of death into the afterlife, is usually depicted as a scarab beetle. I love a good symbol so the image of the lowly dung beetle laying its eggs in a ball of dung and rolling it from place to place as a metaphor of rebirth and the rising sun resonated with me.

In the little gift shop at the end of the exhibit, I bought the silver scarab ring to mark my visit. For several years, I wore it every day as a talisman. I still wear it often, especially if I am feeling anxious or worried about the future. It reminds me of how I went through a terrible experience and came out the other side.
When I was writing How To Climb The Eiffel Tower, I decided to use my scarab ring as a model and imbue pieces of jewelry with significance. In a pivotal scene, Lara Blaine, the main character, finds the cross her grandmother wore and begins to wear it as a reminder of her grandmother’s love.

Jane Babcock-Roberts, the other main character, has a charm bracelet that she uses to remember all the places she has visited in her world travels. Whenever she visited a special place, she added a charm to her bracelet. Instead of scrap books or trinkets, she kept her memories around her wrist. I won’t give too much away, but that charm bracelet becomes significant to Lara and Jane’s relationship

Now it's your turn. Do you keep things? Have they become more significant to you over time? I’d love to hear about them.

Don't forget to enter the RAFFLECOPTER Give-Away  to win a lovely charm of the Eiffel Tower.

About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth Hein grew up in Massachusetts within an extended family of storytellers. Her childhood was filled with excellent food and people loudly talking over each other. After studying psychology at the College of the Holy Cross, she and her husband embarked on the adventure of parenting their two beautiful daughters. They now live in Durham, North Carolina.

In 2002, Elizabeth was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the blood. During her extensive treatment, she met dozens of other cancer patients and developed close relationships with several of them. These friendships were the inspiration for How To Climb The Eiffel Tower. She learned that a cancer diagnosis is a life changing experience, yet it does not necessarily change a life for the worse.

Elizabeth Hein writes women’s fiction with a bit of an edge. Her novels explore the role of friendship in the lives of adult women and themes of identity. Her first novel, Overlook, spotlighted a housewife dealing with a cheating husband and the pressures of keeping up appearances. Elizabeth has published several short stories and is currently writing a novella and beginning to write a historical family saga about how love and identity effect four generations of women. Elizabeth enjoys interacting with her readers and can be found on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and her blog. 

Lets all Vote

As this campaign season winds down - thank goodness - I'm trying to not let my cynicism over the mess that government and politics are in to deter me from voting. It is so easy to say to hell with it all and stay out of the mess, and plenty of people do, but that is the last thing we should do.

 Even though is seems that nothing is "for the people" or about the people, we need to hang on to this primary right we have to chose our leadership. And perhaps we need to start thinking seriously about a major overhaul of leadership, but that is a topic for another time.

Today, I just want to encourage people to be involved in the process these last few weeks leading up to the election. Don't just listen to the news or pick up on the campaign ads, but spend a little time on the Internet visiting sites that offer factual information that can help you make an informed decision this November.

Politifact.com is a site that separates fact and fiction when it comes to what we can believe from political ads and press reports.

Factcheck.org is another source for ferreting out distortions of fact for political gain.

Both of those sites cover the presidential campaign, as well as various state campaigns and don't show any favoritism to either political party. That is what makes them so valuable.

And if you get messages in your e-mail box that purport to have important information about Obama or Romney, go to Snopes.com to see if the information is accurate or just another urban myth. Some of the messages that have been sent to me with requests to pass them on have been shocking.

I got the idea to write this piece after reading a column by Steve Blow in The Dallas Morning News. In fact, thank you to Steve for giving the links to these three sites. The title of his column was Let the Truth Be Your Voters Guide in November, and he ended by saying "Investigate what you hear in the next few weeks. Don't just accept what sounds good. Regardless of political leanings, our highest loyalty ought to be to the truth."

Amen to that.

A New Book

If you enjoy reading books such as the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, then you'll love this new release, 25 Years in The Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back. It is now available as a bargain e-book for Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, and more. This collection of poignant and uplifting essays is the perfect book to enjoy over your morning coffee. The stories will warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life.

My essay "Family Fun at the Dinner Table"  is one of the stories included in the collection and tells about those special moments of family dinners that sometimes get a little crazy. Above all, we had fun.

I was honored when Stacy Juba invited me to join the 52 other authors to answer the question “What were you doing 25 years ago?” She came up with the idea as a tie-in to her mystery book Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.

In this collection you can read about school days, quirky jobs, romance, raising a family, hard times, the writing journey, and find out what makes your favorite characters tick. This book will help readers to discover new authors for their to-read list, and inspire them to reflect upon the small defining moments that have shaped their own lives.

The book includes a foreword by Elaine Raco Chase, award-winning author of seventeen paperback novels with over 3 million books in print. The contributing writers are New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling, and Amazon bestselling authors. They also include recipients of the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award, Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, Mississippi Author Award, Benjamin Franklin Award and Eppie Award, as well as nominees of the Pushcart Prize, Agatha and Shamus Awards, to name a few of the many honors.

To purchase the book, visit one of these online retailers: Amazon:    Barnes & Noble:  Smashwords:     Kobo:     

To see a full list of authors and essay titles visit Stacy's Blog  

If you would like, you can follow the authors on the Rearview Mirror Blog and Radio Tour, with over 60 tour stops scheduled from September through December. Three "My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software" downloads will be given away via the Rafflecopter form you can find HERE. 

 

Finally, we invite you to join the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror Yahoo Group. Readers are invited to stop by and answer regular memory sparker questions, discuss which essays resonated with them the most, meet many of the authors, and get the inside scoop on their latest book releases, special offers and news. Download tons of freebies in the Authors' Corner! Here is the link to join. 

A to Z Challenge T is for Trail of Tears

At first glance it may appear that I am once again diverging from my nature theme by writing about this sad moment in American history, but bear with me.

There are many atrocities involving death and incredible injustices to groups of people that should never be repeated, and the Trail of Tears is one of them. It is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The removal included many members of the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations, among others who were all living peacefully in areas in the southeast. When that land became prime for new settlers, the Indians were forced to walk from their homelands to Indian Territory, located in eastern sections of the present-day state of Oklahoma. Many Native Americans suffered from exposure, disease and starvation en route to their destinations and many died, including 4,000 of the 15,000 relocated Cherokee.

The Legend of The Cherokee Rose holds that when the Trail of Tears started, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving and crying so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift the mother’s spirits to give them strength. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the seven Cherokee clans. The wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears into eastern Oklahoma today.

Because of my Cherokee heritage, I was deeply touched to find some of the roses growing along the fence across the road from me. I didn't know what they were at first, but my neighbor clued me in. The roses don't bloom every year, and I had not seen them for several in a row. Imagine my delight when I saw them blooming this year. They were deep in a thicket, so I could not get close enough to capture the center, but HERE is a picture that shows the details of the rose.

A to Z Challenge - Q is for Quartz

I knew the letter "q" was going to be a real challenge in keeping with my nature theme. I could have written about Quebec, which is a province in Canada, and in comprised of land and people and animals and plants. They all fit in the category of nature, and Quebec is a beautiful place to visit.

However, I decided to write about quartz after I worked in my flowerbeds this morning and saw the quartz one of my daughters brought me from Tennessee.

Often small bits of quartz are mixed with other minerals, and that is what is seen most often when the sun glints off of something shiny in a dark rock. I have a few like that in my rock collection, and maybe I'll write more about that tomorrow. But these few pieces my daughter gave me have big chunks of pure quartz.

The ideal crystal shape of quartz that can be used for making jewelry and hardstone carvings is a six-sided prism terminating with six-sided pyramids at each end. Well-formed crystals typically form in what is referred to as a bed, and you can see the two large pure pyramids in my piece of quartz. I don't know what type of mineral the pyramids are "bedded" in, but it looks a little like cement to me. I'd have to ask a geologist, which I just might do the next time our youngest daughter comes out. More about her tomorrow, too.

This other picture is of pure quartz, and I found it on Wikpedia. Quite beautiful, don't you think?
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Before I go, I want to thank all who have been visiting my blog so far. I really appreciate all who have stopped by and left comments, and even those who have stopped by and not left a comment. I also want to acknowledge my new followers and say welcome to my place. I hope you enjoy your visits.

A-Z Challenge - G is for Goats

Today's post is brought to you by the letter G.

I'll admit it. I like goats. Not as much as my friend Tracy Farr, who has written a whole book about goats, but I have enjoyed my goats. So have some of my grandchildren who loved to come and feed grandma's "doats."

Banjo, Lucy, Millie

One of my first encounters with a goat was when our oldest daughter was about three years old and we took her to a petting zoo. She was so excited to get a bottle and go into the enclosure to feed the young goats and sheep. Problem was, one of the goats kept wanting to eat the tassel on our daughter's hat. She bonked the goat on the head with the bottle and said she was done.

It's not surprising that her kids are not the ones who were so excited to feed the goats. Although to be fair to that daughter, she does inquire about my animals when she calls.

When I first moved to our little place in the country, I made the mistake of getting a billy goat and a Barbados Ram. They were both so cute as babies, but grew up to be most difficult to deal with, so I sold them and got a Nannie goat. We named her Lucy for no particular reason other than it was the first name that came to mind. When Lucy runs to the fence to get a treat, she does a little prance step that almost looks like dancing.

She runs to the fence often. In fact, every time I go out the back door she dashes over to see if I am bringing out a treat.

Not long after we bought Lucy, we decided to get her a goat companion, and we named the new girl, Millie. Again, not for any particular reason.

The first small animals were acquired to first clear the back three acres of brambles and brush, and boy did they. It looks like a park back there now. But I also got them to be companions for my horse. Since they are all herd animals, they do prefer company than being in a large fenced area alone.

Food? Do you have food for me?

Millie died last year of a snake bite, so that left me with one goat and one horse, which has been fine all winter as they are both in the back pasture together. However, when the horse gets moved to the front pasture for the summer, that would leave Lucy alone, so I got her a new companion; a little lamb, Marie. I did not name her, my neighbor  did. She was one of twins whose mother died after giving birth, so my neighbors hand-raised the two lambs, one male and one female. They named them, Donny and Marie. I didn't ask my neighbor why.

Could you make the goat leave me alone?

Right now, Lucy is not real happy about Marie being there. Lucy is a bit of a pig, so if Marie comes by Lucy's feed dish, or Lucy's hay, or the green stuff I have pulled and thrown over the fence, Lucy chases Marie off.

I hope she gets over it soon. I will be moving the horse to the front by the end of this month. The grass is looking good out there.

A Little Tolerance, Please

Tom Leppert, the former mayor of Dallas and current Texas senatorial candidate, has recently caught a lot of flack because he marched in  gay rights parades when he was mayor. He justified his action by saying that when he was in that position it was his obligation to represent everybody.

Ted Cruz, the former Texas solicitor general, has criticized Leppert for participating in the parades, inferring that Leppert is supporting sinners.

In a letter to the editor, Joel Hale of Dallas wrote that it is a sad state of affairs in Texas when the focus of a senatorial debate is on whether homosexuality is a sin.  He further wrote, "In politics it shouldn't matter if something is considered by some to be a sin - that's a strictly religious matter. In America, freedom, human rights and justice should always be the deciding factors in lawmaking."

While some may quibble with those comments from Hale, it is hard to quibble with his statement that all parades are full of sinners, "so it is interesting to note that only sinners of the homosexual variety are being singled out."

Interesting point indeed. There has been so much furor over same-sex marriage, or civil unions, and most of the loudest voices coming from the same types of people who used to brand women with a scarlet A and burn witches at the stake.

This is not the Christianity I believe in. This is not the way Jesus would respond. He embraced the sinner and cautioned the righteous not to be so quick to toss the first stone. So why can't we find a peaceful, sensible solution to how to accept the loving, committed relationships between two men or two women?

Words That Drive a Parent Crazy - What's For Dinner?

It's been a while since I shared an excerpt from my humorous memoir, A Dead Tomato Plant and a Paycheck. This is from the beginning of chapter fifteen: What's For Dinner or Mutiny of the Midgets. 

There are certain words and phrases in the English language, dirty words aside, that are guaranteed to disrupt the otherwise peaceful existence of any mother and drive her to the brink of insanity. Paramount in this area are the words, "What's for dinner'?"

At our house, this question was always asked at the most inconvenient times – at lunch before I'd even had a chance to mop up the soggy cheerios from breakfast, occasionally during dinner the night before, and once before I'd even had my morning coffee. Approaching me before coffee, by the way, had to be the epitome of curiosity, courage, and stupidity. I barely breathe before my morning caffeine, let alone answer a question, and the kid who was brave enough to tread where no others had ever trod was putting his life in jeopardy.

When the kids came home from school the first words out of their mouths would be, "What's for dinner?"
Every other year I might have gotten a "Hi, Mom" first, but I quickly learned not to let my emotional security hinge on whether or not that happened.

I can remember thinking how simple it would have been had they all waited until everyone was home and sent one delegate to ask the question instead bursting into my office every hour on the hour. Or I could have called a family conference and made a general announcement. Or made a recording and left the tape player handy so all they had to do was push a button to hear what was on the dinner menu.

Sometimes I’d decide it would be a terrific idea for them to be surprised once in a while. But when I suggested that they just wait and see, they’d act like I just invited them to experience Chinese water torture. And maybe it was agony for them not to know. They were pretty good at devising all sorts of sneaking-and-peeking games that usually left me with fallen bread, sticky rice, and an almost uncontrollable urge to scream.

It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I thought they were asking because they really cared about what I'd expended so much time and energy to prepare. But it was terribly deflating to be asked that question for the fifth time in a row and have to hear for the fifth time in a row, "Ugh! I hate stew."
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I hope you will come back tomorrow for the virtual blog party for the release of the new book by Alex J. Cavanaugh, CassaFire. He has lots of prizes for visitors and all the bloggers will be giving out virtual goodies. Come share in the fun.

Veteran's Day 2011

Instead of my usual Friday fare on the blog, I wanted to pause a moment to honor the men and women who have served in the military in defense of our country and our freedom. If you would like to see the ceremony being held at Arlington Cemetary in Washington D.C. today here is a LINK.

Late yesterday a friend of mine, Clint Brady, posted this on his Facebook status and it encompasses all of what I would like to say to those in the military and those who served at one time.  With his permission, I'd like to share it with you.

"A few hours early here in Texas. Let me say a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of our veterans and those in active duty military. I may not have always agreed with ,or completely understood, what you were fighting for. But each of you has done something that the large majority of Americans either can't or won't do...you put on a uniform to serve our country, and in many cases you risked your life to do that. I can never fully understand the sacrifices you made to serve our country since I was never in the military myself. What I can absolutely assure you is that you have my respect and gratitude. Happy Veterans Day, and thank you."

And I would like to add a special thank you to my brother, Michael, who served in Vietnam, my son, David, who served in Desert Storm, my daughter, Danielle, who served in the army, my grandfather Stewart who served in WWII, and all the military men in my father's family who served in every war since the Revolutionary War.

Happy Fourth of July

Just making a brief appearance today to wish all my American friends a Happy Fourth of July. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend with lots of friends, family, and good times. 

My long-time followers may recall that I also celebrate my birthday on the Fourth, although I am not nearly as old as the U.S.A. So I am partying all weekend with my husband and our son and our new daughter-in-law. Tomorrow, some of the other kids will be out and we will have a Texas BBQ. (That's barbecue for all you non-Texans.) So I will not have my regular posts today or tomorrow.

The kids like to come out to Grandma's Ranch for the Fourth because we can usually do our own fireworks show in my front pasture, but not this year. We are under a burn ban and fireworks are limited to a few places where the volunteer fire departments are set up to handle any flare ups that may occur. Some of the kids joked that if we couldn't do fireworks there was no reason to come for my birthday, but they were just giving me a hard time. They really like to do that.

Anyway, we are going to have to be satisfied with looking at pictures of fireworks from last year and the year before.

Doug Corleone - On Writer's Block

 First, I want to thank Maryann for hosting me here today. I appreciate the opportunity to be a guest and share some thoughts on writer's block.

As an author I’m often asked: Is there such thing as writer’s block? There are two schools of thought on this. The more popular among published authors seems to be “no.” Authors frequently reply to this common question by saying, “Writing is a job, just like any other. A plumber doesn’t wake up one morning and decide he has a case of plumber’s block.”

I disagree. In addition to being a writer, I am a lawyer, and I do indeed occasionally wake up with a case of lawyer’s block (a term I first read in a David Rosenfelt novel). It’s not as though I’ve suddenly forgotten the law or how to argue. Lawyer’s block, like writer’s block, is a simple lack of confidence. It happens to all of us at some point in our careers, I believe, whether we argue motions, write novels, teach young children, or fix pipes.

Confidence is key to my own writing. On days I receive glowing reviews, I typically write until I fall asleep at the computer. Conversely, when my work is panned, I’m sometimes frozen for days or weeks. Maybe I’m hypersensitive; maybe in time, that will change. But when I lose my confidence – at the computer or in the courtroom – I tend to think of it as being blocked.

How to overcome writer’s block? That’s the question. More pointedly, how to regain your confidence once a critic or agent or editor has done some serious damage to it? I’ve tried a number of things, with varying degrees of success. First, you might try taking some time away from your current project. Not too long, or else you may never return to it. When I step away, I try to work on something fun, something that requires less concentration. I find that when I return to my former project days or weeks later I feel refreshed. Unblocked. 

Read. When I’m blocked I often read books in the genre in which I’m working. That often gets the creative juices flowing. I also go back and read my own work, published novels and short stories, articles and editorials. Reading work others have praised provides a shot of affirmation just when you need it most. 

Of course, you could also do what many writers do. Pretend that writer’s block doesn’t exist. Sit down at your computer, stare down that glowing white page, eye that blinking cursor, and simply start typing. Of course, when your confidence is down, you may not write your best material. Which may lead to further panning and rejection. Which may lead to even lower levels of confidence. Or writer’s block. If it exists, that is.    

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Douglas Corleone is the author of the Kevin Corvelli crime series published by St. Martin's Minotaur. His debut novel ONE MAN'S PARADISE won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. A practicing attorney, Douglas divides his time between New York and Hawaii. NIGHT ON FIRE is his second novel. 
    

Book Review - McMansion by Justin Scott

Thanks to Carl Brookins for sharing another book review....


McMansion
by Justin Scott
Poisoned Pen Press
255 pages, hardcover
ISBN: 1-59058-063-X

Justin Scott has written over a dozen mysteries, thrillers and adventure novels under several names, taut, exemplary stories that illuminate and explore many of our social concerns.  They are good stories, well-written
with drive and panache.  This is another, peopled with interesting characters, a serious underpinning, and enough crime and mystery to satisfy the most enthusiastic crime fiction reader.

Ben Abbott is a sometime private investigator, sometime real estate agent, and a full time commentator on some of the more egregious aspects of our modern society and the influence on small town America.  Abbott is also one of the more pleasant and thoughtful investigators readers are likely to run across in this age.  Abbott is concerned about the effects of aging on his Aunt Constance who lives nearby, he takes in children in need of adult supervision and he worries about unrestrained development of open spaces in the Connecticut town of Newbury where he lives.  That last concern forms the core of this interesting novel about crooked developers, and a badly twisted legal system.

One of the worst developers, a Billy Tiller, possessed mostly of terrible taste, monumental greed and a willingness to break the law anytime he thought there was profit in it, gets his come-uppance when somebody drives a bulldozer over him at a construction site.  The perpetrator, a young member of ELF, is discovered by the local troopers sitting at the controls of the offending 'dozer with the crushed body of Billy Tiller underneath.  Open and shut, but Abbott, retained by the boy's lawyer, doesn't believe it.  His pursuit of the truth leads him into some interesting and stressful situations.



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

I am not Believing This

I just read this news update and couldn't let it pass without a comment:

"Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston have called off their second engagement after he told her he may have fathered a baby with another girl. The other girl was not identified, but a pregnant ex-girlfriend of Johnston has publicly denied he is the father."

Apparently Bristol learned about this turn of events the same day they announced their engagement - July 14th - but didn't act on it until now. According to the news story, she decided to call off the engagement in part because obviously Levi does not know how to keep his pants zipped. But the primary reason cited was because he lied recently about going on a hunting trip. Instead he went to California to be in a music video that made fun of her family. 

Okay, I can barely suppress a laugh here. Are not all these stories about their on-again off-again relationship and all the reasons why just a tad embarrassing?

I think our society is more than a little skewed when one can become a celebrity by making all the wrong decisions in life and airing the dirty family laundry.

The Real Alice in Wonderland

Cathy Rubin co-author of The Real Alice in Wonderland contacted me recently with an interesting bit of trivia.

American Independence Day and Alice in Wonderland share the same birthday. So, I not only share my birthday with my country, I share it with a timeless story.

According Cathy, Friday July 4, 1862 is credited with the first time Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell and her sisters the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  It was shortly after the first telling of Carroll’s story that Alice began to urge the author to write it down for her.

I've been intrigued by this book since I first heard about it, so I went to Cathy's Web site to get more information about how and why she came to write this book. 
"In 2007, my daughter’s school  selected  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for Book Day.  My daughter Gabriella remembered we had a connection to the Liddell family.  Alice Liddell inspired Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) to write the original story.  At this point I knew very little about Alice Liddell’s story other than what my grandmother and my great aunt Phil Liddell had told me about her when I was a child.   Gabriella bugged me to help her research the story. You could say we jumped down the rabbit hole together. It took us several months to research the content for our Book Day workshop  which we called The Real Alice In Wonderland. After we presented the workshop to Gabriella’s school and other groups we were encouraged by educators, friends and family to turn our story  into a film or book.  The book as you can see came first!"


Like many other readers, I did not know that Lewis Carroll wrote about a real  person. It was interesting to find out a bit about her:   

Alice Liddell was born into a privileged, academic family on May 4, 1852.  She was the fourth child of Henry and Lorina Liddell.  Her father, one of the most prominent educators of his day, was the Dean of Christ Church College, Oxford University.  Alice was home schooled by some of Oxford University’s finest tutors.  She was a bright child with significant artistic talents.  Alice was also known to be free-spirited (largely due to her never-ending curiousity about everything).   She grew up to become a beautiful and cultured young woman.  Her beauty inspired many distinguished photographers and artists such as Charles Dodgson, Julia Margaret Cameron and Sir William Blake Richmond.  She also inspired the devotion of many suitors including Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria’s youngest son.  In 1880, she married a wealthy landowner, Reginald Hargreaves, with whom she had three sons.

So, I wish a Happy Birthday to the gool ol' U. S. A. and to the wonderful story of Alice and the rabbit hole.

Let's all be Mellow

I thought after slamming HOAs and talking about road rage, it would be a good idea to focus on something pretty and relaxing.

In Texas we have some of the most spectacular cloud formations I have ever seen. And the sky can go on forever, giving this amazing "postcard" view of the clouds. At sunrise and sunset, the colors can take your breath away.

Last night, as I was coming home from picking up some hay, I almost ran off the road when I saw the clouds along the eastern horizon. Of course, by the time I got home and ran in to get my camera, some of them had dissipated. Plus I didn't have the same vantage point I did when I was on a high point in the road. Not to mention the problem of  the trees that tend to get in the way. But I did get some shots and I hope you enjoy them.

A Double Whammy of Absurdities

First,  I thought the story about the woman in a suburb of Dallas who was told she had to get rid of the tree stump in her front yard was the most absurd news item I read this week. According to the report, the stump has been in her yard for about 15 years and the city just now cited her for it.  The stump is huge. In fact, her son carved part of it into a seat where she can sit and watch the birds and the rabbits who frequently visit. It is a special place for her but apparently, the city does not care. There is an ordinance against having a dead tree stump on private property.

Could we all say "private property?"

As absurd as that is, however, it pales next to the story about a Homeowners Association in Texas that foreclosed on the home of a soldier  because he was late in paying his dues. The soldier was serving in Iraq at the time and apparently his wife did not open the mail that had the notices that the HOA payment  was overdue. The dues were $977 and the HOA sent several notices that were not responded to. So they foreclosed on the house and sold it at auction for $3, 201 to a man who later sold it for $135,000.

The house was originally purchased for $315,000.

Those who support the Texas law that allows foreclosures for non payment of HOA dues say that foreclosing is the only way that HOAs can compel people to pay the annual dues and abide by the other rules.

That reasoning is so absurd the person who drafted it ought to be tarred and feathered.

What do you think?

A Bit of Humor

Thank goodness I can always count on my friend, Tracy Farr, to have something fun to read on his blog. I have been out of town for a few days and swamped with work, so coming up with something new for the blog is a challenge I just can't deal with right now.

Tracy is gracious enough to let me ste..., er, borrow, from him when I am in a bind and the following is the lead to a piece he has on his blog today. It really is funnier than anything my overloaded brain could come up with right now. Enjoy.....

I spend way too much time on the computer. And when I say “I spend too much time,” I’m including YOU because you do too, and you can’t deny it – unless you don’t have a computer, then I guess you could deny it, but I’d think you were lying, so don’t.

We all spend way too much time on our computers and not enough time mingling with the people around us because 1) we don’t have to brush our teeth to chat with someone over the internet, and 2) we don’t want to talk to real people out in the real world on the off chance that they’ll have last night’s spinach stuck between their teeth.

To Read the rest click HERE

Book Review - A Journey to Die For

A Journey to Die For
By Radine Trees Nehring
ISBN 978-1-60364-020-6
Wolfmont Press, trade paper
296 pg., May 2010



Here’s a good example, if readers still need one, of a crime novel that fits comfortably into the fine tradition of fiction that relies on good writing, a fine plot, odd and usual suspects, and an interesting setting. The author relies on a good story rather than tortured or crass language, logical development rather than constant physical action.

Carrie King, a neighborly, bright, woman of late middling years, and her husband, Henry King, a retired cop from Kansas City, are exploring Arkansas history with a trip on a restored train to a small historic community on the shores of the Arkansas River. At the halfway point, passengers leave the train to enjoy a brief sojourn in the town of Van Buren. When Carrie and Henry reach the river and see a large historic mural to study, the possibility of encountering a dead body is the farthest thing from their minds. But alas, there it is. And then there are the buttons.

A charming and delightful mystery ensues. Nehring’s unerring ear for dialog and her sense of what constitutes a well-rounded character serve the reader well as the Kings travel between home, Van Buren, and Kansas City where Henry had a solid career as a police officer. There have been allusions in the past to Henry’s rather abrupt retirement and in a powerful emotional scene at the Van Buren police station, Carrie and readers will receive serious and deep insight into Henry’s secret.

In the fine tradition of traditional American mysteries, A Journey to Die for is an excellent and satisfying entry in this author’s “to die for” series.

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Reviewed by:

Carl Brookins
www.carlbrookins.com
www.agora2.blogspot.com
Case of the Greedy Lawyer, Devils Island, Bloody Halls