To everyone who responded to my post: Help Me Choose My Cover Design – it’s done! I’ve been working with Kristin Designs, located on the west coast, and have a final of my cover, both front and back. Kristin submitted some options through 99 Designs, which I’ve now used for two covers. It’s a lot of fun and not outrageously expensive, and what I particularly like is that you get submissions from lots of different graphic designers and artists. Kristin did the cover for Death by Pumpkin. She gets my vision pretty darn well. I’m going to keep you in the dark just a wee while more, but will show you the new cover in a post next week. Stay tuned…. 0 0
This is a repost of something I wrote for my very first A-Z Challenge in 2013! It was on smells or odors and for P, I chose the warm and yeasty smell of prune doughnuts made by my grandmother. My grandmother, whom we called Memmere, came from Poland with her mother, arriving at Ellis Island in the 1890s, when she was about 5. She was the oldest of ten children and was not educated beyond second grade because her mother got tuberculosis and she became responsible for raising her siblings. Memmere married a French Canuck, as she liked to tell to me – my grandfather Peno, whose ancestors were French and came from Canada. Peno was a carpenter. There was a period of several years, when I was probably between the ages of 2 and 5, when my mother and I lived with Memmere and Peno. My father’s job selling insurance didn’t pay him enough to support us. Which brings me, at last, to the prune doughnuts. Memmere loved to cook, and one of the things she cooked often for us were pączki (pronounced pohnch’ kee), fried rounds of yeast dough filled with a variety of things – strawberry, apricot, raspberry, but most a traditional prune puree. She didn’t leave my mother her recipe but here is a good source: https://www.thespruce.com/polish-paczki-doughnuts-recipe-1136411 I remember sitting in the kitchen while Memmere dropped the doughnuts in hot oil, my grandfather at the kitchen table, singing to her in French. He was very romantic and frequently sang her love songs. They were married for well over 50 years. Maybe this is why I relate prune doughnuts and love songs. 0 0
Barb Taub is one of the funniest writers I am privileged to read. I invariably snort some coffee if I happen to be drinking it while reading one of her posts. Barb has a new book out Thursday, February 1st, and this time she’s written about something so many of us can relate to. And if you can’t, you will soon – living with children, parenting, and what happens after the kids leave home…and maybe the dog dies. Here is the blurb: Chapter 1. Once upon a time a California girl named Barb met her prince of a guy, He was tall, dark and handsome. (Actually he was a Republican. But he was definitely tall. Chapter 2. They fell in love and got married. He brought her to his castle in England and they lived happily ever after. THE END. Luckily, 35+ years of living happened between Chapters 1 and 2, giving Barb plenty of material for this collection (no particular chronological order) for her newspaper columns, articles, blog posts and that time she killed Mom. And that’s before Chapter 3 even starts. **** Here is an excerpt from Chapter 13, as a teaser: I went to a socially-impaired university. It was a time of revolution and experimentation with sex, drugs, music among kids: in other words, it was just like today. But the University of Chicago’s claim to “The Life of the Mind” reassured parents. Fathers of teenage daughters thought the mind was a lot safer place to live than where they remembered spending their college years, “The Life of the Party”. We had friends from other colleges who had social lives and arrest records, so we knew what we were missing. And it wasn’t as though we didn’t try. We’d stay up all night or even close out the college’s only bar, Jimmy’s, discussing the eternal questions. Is there a God? How do you get rid of roaches? Who’s got the $10 for the muggers on the way home? How can I make the world more fair? Why am I here? I was lucky. I didn’t get mugged (that often); the stitches didn’t scar (much); I did graduate (eventually). And, after all these years, I’ve answered all the questions: There is a God and She has a sense of humor. It’s the only possible explanation for Chicago politics and for two-year-olds. The only way to get rid of roaches is to move out. Or get a divorce. You still need $10 for the trip home because the child who has refused to eat for the whole trip will announce that she is going to die from hunger if you don’t stop at Chez Mac’s. I don’t care if it’s not fair: I’m the mother and I say so. I am here to embarrass and torture my children. Amateur parents may be concerned about this last requirement. How could you ever embarrass your children? Don’t worry. Not only will you discover just how much fun it is to mess with their little heads, but you won’t have to actually do a thing to achieve it. As soon as your child turns ten, there will be a few things about you which they will find embarrassing, such as your car, your appearance, your clothes, your habit of speaking to them in public, your very existence… **** I personally have read a couple of her Null City series books (great, great), but had a chance to review one of her others, also humorous: Do Not Wash Hands in Plates: Elephant Frenzy, Parathas, Temples. Palaces, Monkets and the Kindness of Indian Strangers. See https://saylingaway.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/book-review-do-n…tes-by-barb-taub/ My smile muscles hurt by the time I finished it. Another blogging friend of mine, Sue Vincent, also has trouble with coffee and what Barb writes: “I have learned to put down the coffee and place breakable objects at a safe distance when a post from Barb Taub comes up. It is very hard to drink coffee and laugh at the same time without redecorating the desk…”—author Sue Vincent I should take her advice, but I’d rather wipe up the redecoration than have a coffee nasal lavage! **** About the author: In halcyon days BC (before children), Barb Taub wrote a humor column for several Midwest newspapers. With the arrival of Child #4, she veered toward the dark side (an HR career). Following a daring daytime escape to England, she’s lived in a medieval castle , a hobbit house, and a Scottish isle with her prince-of-a-guy and the World’s Most Spoiled Aussie Dog. Considering all her days are now Saturdays, Barb is amazed that this is her sixth book. I’ve preordered her book, and if you are in need of a smile, a chuckle or just an out loud guffaw, you should, too. You can find the book on Amazon and Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Begins-When-Kids-Leave-ebook/dp/B079428DNQ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Begins-When-Kids-Leave-ebook/dp/B079428DNQ and you can find Barb herself in lots of different places: Her blog: http://barbtaub.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NullCityNovel Twitter: @barbtaub Linked in: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/barbtaub And Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38102265-life-begins-when-the-kids-leave-home-and-the-dog-dies Good luck, Barb, on your newest outing! 0 0
It’s been a long, tough haul so far this winter. With Hubs laid up following his back surgery and a long recovery facing both of us, I’ve had to shoulder the load (literally) both inside and out. This past week, I’ve found time to work on my planned historical novel for the first time, but now must stop to inhale all the comments on the fourth Rhe Brewster mystery from my editors and begin the (hopefully) last serious rewrite. The cover is close to being finalized, but I need a new author picture – Hubs, aka Photo Op Pop – will do the honors. And I need to get the ISBN numbers…you all know the drill. We did have some lovely snow about a week ago. More inches than we’ve had in several years, and it was so wonderful to be out in it, enjoying the total silence except for the falling flakes. It all melted completely in about five days, with much warmer temps, bright sun and then rain. I found myself shoveling for the first day or so, though, and the shoulders and back are not what they used to be. Do any of you wish you had enjoyed your younger, thinner, more fit self at that time? I would love to go back for a day and experience it! Aging is something we seem to think will happen years later, and then suddenly it IS years later! Finding things to take the edge off the drudge work had been difficult. Your blog posts have helped and Garfield has kept me laughing. He now has more toys than my kids did when they were young. We also have a set of DVDs of the Brother Cadfael Mysteries, thanks to a close friend. I enjoyed them many years ago and seeing them again has been a treat. Derek Jacobi is such a good actor. Of course, I’ve read each and every one of the Ellis Peters books on which they are based! I’m back cooking full time again, and of course there are a few pounds that have crept onto my middle. No idea where they came from…maybe at night under the sheets? Anyway, the good thing is that spring comes early here in the South, so I might be able to get back in the pool as early as the end of March. I did last year and the swimming improved my outlook. What do you do to raise your spirits? Well, enough of the blahs. Counting down the days to March! 0 0
Okay, so I have to let you know how things have been going around here. Right now, I’m Kitty Non Grata, as my two legged calls me, or else Peck’s Bad Boy. I have no idea why she would call me that, and I don’t know what these names mean. I don’t mind Fluffy Butt and Silly, but at least those sound nice. And I’m certainly quite nice – I talk to her all the time, eat my food (although there’s never enough of the good stuff), keep her company while she writes, and make her and Hubs laugh. I do demand to be petted while she’s writing, but she doesn’t seem to mind giving me cuddles from time to time. I do love two legged’s food. Something called chicken, another something called steak, cheese (my favorite) and cereal milk, although she usually takes it away before I can get my nose into it. I need my sustenance, because I’m a growing cat. I even let her brush me, although I don’t tolerate that wiry thing for long. She says I have incipient mats – do you know what incipient mats are? Anyway, she makes me all fluffy a couple of times a week. Since I’ve discovered the upstairs, I have all sorts of room to run: up and down the hallway, up and down the stairs. The only problem is, she can hear me coming. And upstairs is where I apparently got into trouble. There are these things called quilts she had hanging over the bannister and wall. They are lots of fun to play under and occasionally they fall on the floor. I don’t know what the big deal is. Upstairs is also a nice big bathroom. I like the place where the water comes from the ceiling. It’s fun to listen to it drip down the hole in the center of the floor, and I like to sleep in there. There’s also something called a washcloth – sometimes they end up on the floor, where I do battle with them. I killed at least two of them last week. Well, I think that’s all the fun I have to report. But if you figure out what Peck’s Bad Boy is, do tell. PS From Garfield’s two legged: Henry “Hennery” Peck, popularly known as Peck’s Bad Boy, is a fictional character created by George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916). The Bad Boy appeared in numerous print, stage, and film adaptations, some as recently as the 1940s. The character is portrayed as a mischievous prankster, and the phrase “Peck’s bad boy” has entered the language to refer to anyone whose mischievous or bad behavior leads to annoyance or embarrassment. I’ll have to clue him in. 0 0
TBD! No firm decision on the cover yet, but all y’all (along with family and other readers of my series) helped me narrow it down to two possibilities. I’m working with the artists now to tweak each of them, and then a final decision will be made. Stay tuned for the reveal. Or maybe I’ll let you look at the final two…. 0 0
My fourth book, Death in a Mudflat, is in its (hopefully) final edit. The story begins with the marriage of Marsh Adams (Medical Examiner) to Belladonna Zundic (a member of the Maine Major Crimes unit) on a pavilion on the beach in Pequod. The guests are drawn to the noise of Jeep, whose owner is trying to extricate it from a mudflat. With all of the spinning and mud flying, an arm is revealed in the mud. Here are my final selections for the cover. Would you left me know which one you prefer? Just put a number into your comments. 1. 2 3. 4. 5. 6. 0 0
This is the third in the Ryan Kaine series by Kerry Donovan, and it’s been interesting to see how the main character and his story evolve through the books. This one is quite a change from the first, which left me out of breath by the end with its fast and furious pace, and the second, where the pace had slowed marginally but gathered steam as it went along. On the Defensive opens in a small Greek bistro in London, where the owners, Justina Constantine and her husband Orestes, struggle to keep the business open. Justina’s father-in-law, Papa Onassis, had been killed when the flight he was on to Europe was brought down by a missile – one fired by Ryan Kaine, who didn’t know at the time he was set up. They owe thousands of pounds to the bank and business is way off because a developer has bought the block where the bistro is located and is systematically forcing the tenants to leave. This day Justina is visited by two men, who smash up the restaurant, rough her up and threaten to harm her daughters if her husband won’t sign papers selling their place to the developer. A terrifying opening and a great hook. What bothered me about the book is what came next: a long, long digression to a villa in France. There Ryan Kaine lives the veterinarian Lara, who is introduced in the first book when she rescues him from the people sent to kill him and who must now remain with him for her safety. Filled with their bandinage, the story drags while Kaine, who has promised to make restitution to the families affected by the death of their loved ones on the plane, is informed of the situation with the Constantine family. His plan to help them, his interactions with Lara, and the arrangement for a backup for him in London occupy the next seven chapters and to me, the story dragged. Admittedly, the author needs to fill in information about Kaine, Lara, and the mechanism by which Kaine is told when and where he might be needed. There is also Kaine’s internal struggle not to fall in love with Lara – a struggle he is losing – because of the mortal danger their relationship brings. However, this long a digression from what I’ve come to expect – a fast-paced story – detracted from my enjoyment. One the story returns to London, the pace picks up and the reader becomes engrossed in how Kaine inserts himself into the Constantines’ lives, identifies and finds their tormentors, manages to wreak justice on the man at the top, and rescue the bistro and the Constantine family. This is pure Donovan. As usual, the author’s descriptions of places are succinct but well-wrought and the villains are loathsomely three dimensional. All the characters are clear and identifiable, with quirks and foibles. There are the usual twists and turns along the way, leading to a satisfying ending, with more foreshadowed to come. All in all, a good, fun read, but maybe not up to the level of the first and second books. Nevertheless, for Ryan Kaine fans, this latest adventure will please. About the author: Kerry J Donovan was born in Dublin. Kerry earned a first class honours degree in Human Biology, and has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Sciences. A former scientific advisor to The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, he helped UK emergency first-responders prepare for chemical attacks in the wake of 9/11. This background adds a scientific edge to his writing. He is also a former furniture designer/maker. He is the author of a sci-fi/thriller, The Transition of Johnny Swift, which reached #1 on the Amazon Bestsellers List in December 2014. A citizen of the world, he now lives in the heart of rural Brittany with his wonderful and patient wife, Jan. They have three children and four grandchildren (so far), all of whom live in England. An absentee granddad, Kerry is hugely grateful for the development of video calling. You can find Kerry Donovan on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KerryJDonovan His blog at: http://kerryjdonovan.com/blog And on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com/KerryJDonovan His books are on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Kerry+J+Donovan 0 0
