Author name: Sayling@@Away

I published this piece a while back and thought you might enjoy reading it again. I think many of us are probably fuzzy on the details of why we celebrate the 4th. Our celebrations are distracting: picnics and barbecues and parades and fireworks. A joyous day to recognize our freedom and those who fought and sacrificed for it and those continue to do so even today.  The legal separation of the original thirteen colonies was voted on by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, when the colonial representatives approved a resolution of independence put forth by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. What a momentous vote! None of the men present could predict the future, what would happen to them or to the independent country they now declared in existence, and the bravery they took in doing so must have been heavily weighed by fear for the future. The Declaration of Independence, a statement of the reasons for this decision, had been prepared by the so-called Committee of Five (John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut) appointed by the Congress, with Thomas Jefferson as its principle architect. The Congress debated the content and wording of the Declaration, and approved it with all signing it on July 4. During this time of debate, John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife Abigail: “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” Ben Franklin agreed, but from the outset, the public preferred to celebrate independence on July 4, the date the Declaration was signed. What’s most interesting is that even though Jefferson, Adams and Franklin all wrote they had signed that day, many historians believe the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776. The first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred in 1791, and the U.S. Congress made Independence Day a paid holiday in 1938. The most heart-rending association with the Fourth of July, at least to me, is that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. They were fierce political opponents with very different opinions on government, Jefferson a bit of a libertarian radical for his time, and Adams a bit of a buttoned-down conservative. But they were friends. After the death of Jefferson’s wife in 1782, Jefferson was sometimes a guest in the Adams’ home, where Abigail Adams and Jefferson became friends as well. This friendship results in 380 letters written between 1777 until their death. You can read these letters in a book entitled The Jefferson-Adam Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams by Lester J. Cappon (Editor): https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Jefferson-Letters-Complete-Correspondence-Jefferson/dp/0807842303 So to the men who gave us this great nation: my unending and heartfelt gratitude on this July Fourth. And to all of you who stop by: Happy Fourth of July!!   0 0

Death by Didgeridoo is the first in the Jamie Quinn Mystery series. It is a is short, really quick read – a straightforward mystery. The premise is simple: Jamie Quinn is a sometime lawyer who is currently dragging herself through the motions of living as a result of the death of her mother. She is pulled back into her profession by a phone call from her mother’s sister, Aunt Peg. Peg’s son, Adam, a young adult with Asperger’s syndrome, has been taken to the police station after being found standing over the bloody body of Spike, owner of a music store and former member of the rock group The Screaming Zombies. Adam took music lessons from Spike, had blood on his hands and is the owner of the didgeridoo used to bash in Spike’s head. Jamie, who is not a criminal lawyer, calls her friend Grace, who used to be a public defender, for advice, because she is going to have to confront Nick Dimitropoulas. Nick is the greasy, politically motivated state’s attorney and is determined to indict Adam. Jamie consults with the smart public defender, Susan Doyle, who is assigned Adam’s case and who tells Jamie to find an investigator to run down various leads. Jamie calls Duke Broussard, an investigator who owes her a favor from when she handled his divorce. Identifying and ruling out Spike’s enemies as the murderer occupies Duke and Jamie for the remainder of the book. What I did like about Death by Didgeridoo: the light, somewhat quirky sense of humor; and the nicely developed main characters: Jamie, Aunt Peg, Spike (the victim, even though he was already dead at the start of the book), and of course Duke. Duke – a tan, alcohol-soaked, woman chaser – may be one of my all-time favorite investigators. The dialog was good, except for the texts between Jamie and Grace, which were a little too complex for that medium and came across as stilted. There are a few things that I didn’t like. First, Jamie, in addition to telling her story, frequently breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the reader directly. It’s an option to engage the reader, but not one that I personally prefer because it takes me out of the story. I wanted further development of other characters; however, as I said, this book is short and thus doesn’t allow much space in which to do that. I hope future books will accomplish this. Finally, the formatting really distracted me after a while. I was hoping for a somewhat more complicated mystery. This one was very simple, with a limited number of possible suspects, and proceeded directly from point A to point B with no complications. That being said, I think this book will appeal to quite a few mystery readers, definitely a beach read. I’d like to see more in the other books in this series. About the author: Award-winning author, Barbara Venkataraman is an attorney and mediator specializing in family law and debt collection. She is the author of “Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person”; “The Fight for Magicallus,” a children’s fantasy; a humorous short story entitled, “If You’d Just Listened to Me in the First Place”; and two books of humorous essays: “I’m Not Talking about You, Of Course” and “A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities,” which are part of the “Quirky Essays for Quirky People” series. Both books of humorous essays won the “Indie Book of the Day” award. Barbara Venkataraman is an attorney and mediator specializing in family law. She is the author of “The Fight for Magicallus,” a children’s fantasy, “If you’d Just Listened to Me in the First Place,” a humorous short story and two books of humorous essays: “I’m Not Talking about You, Of Course,” and “A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities,” which are part of an ongoing series entitled “Quirky Essays for Quirky People.” Her Jamie Quinn cozy mystery series includes: “Death by Didgeridoo,” “The Case of the Killer Divorce,” “Peril in the Park,” and “Engaged in Danger”. Coming out in 2016, “Jeopardy in July”. All of her books are available on Amazon Kindle. 0 0

This is book two in the Ashmole Foxe Georgian Mysteries. I didn’t read the first but didn’t have to, since this is a self-contained story.  I looked forward to the read, because I have read and reviewed two other books by William Savage in the Dr. Adam Bascom Georgian Mystery series and found both of them intensely interesting from both the historical and mystery perspectives. This series is set in Norwich, England, in the 1760s. Its main character, Ashmole Foxe, is an enigma – a bookstore owner whose store in seldom open for business, and a man who dresses in a dandified fashion. He is taken by many to be somewhat of a fop, visiting the theater and prostitutes alike, but in fact is well-educated and is at ease in the company of both peers and merchants.  This positions him to take on investigations that would be awkward for others. This time, the mayor of Norwich is demanding Foxe find the murderer of a prominent merchant and banker, Joseph Morrow, who body is found in the hold of a wherry, reeking of alcohol and feces. The mayor is afraid the city will be crippled by a financial panic when Morrow’s murder is revealed and sends Alderman Halloran to run interference for him with Foxe. Before Foxe can even find clues in his investigation, the Alderman demands that he drop his inquiries into the murder to solve the problem of the apparent theft of some of his favorite books. Complicating the investigation is the fact that Joseph Morrow was Bible-thumping, holier-than-thou teetotaler, who treated his servants badly and beat his wife. The number of possible murderers increases exponentially as the tale unfolds. Foxe soon realizes he has no clues and few ideas, and without his much-loved companions, the Catt sisters (two ladies of pleasure), he has lost his ability to gather information from the streets. He hires the widow of a bookstore owner, Susannah Crombie, to run his shop, and she soon has the place stocked and jumping with sales, which makes him a prosperous merchant. How can he restore his reputation for high fashion and low morals? Surprisingly, Susannah proves a bottomless source of ideas and help. Despite a riveting opening chapter, it took me a bit longer to enjoy this book, compared to the Adam Bascom mysteries. Perhaps it was because my medical background related to Bascom or the fact Foxe is not an immediately sympathetic character.  However, the witty dialogue and the humor of Foxe’s appearance soon won me to him. How can one not snicker at a man dressed in a plum-colored velvet coat, matching breeches, and a pink silk waistcoat and stockings, all heavily embroidered? Foxe believes himself to be the height of fashion! As usual, the author pays incredible attention to the details of 18th century Norwich, its society and social and domestic norms. The plight of the single or widowed women, of orphans, and of unlucky servants is carefully told, and the value of the historical information counters the fact that this book is somewhat overheavy with telling.  I also enjoyed the details of bookselling. In short, I recommend this book and feel certain that readers of history, mystery, and general fiction will find it engaging and enjoyable. About the author: William Savage grew up in Hereford, on the border with Wales and too his degree at Cambridge. After a career in various managerial and executive roles, he retired to Norfolk, where he volunteers at a National Trust property. His life-long interest has been history, which led to research and writing about the eighteenth century.  But his is not just a superficial interest in history, but a real desire to understand and transmit the daily experience of living in turbulent times. You can find Dark Threads of Vengeance on Amazon: William Savage’s blog is Pen and Pension:  http://penandpension.com/author/bluebrdz1946/ His blog is full of all sorts of interesting historical information of the Georgian era. 0 0

Here’s a little something from Chapter 1. Darkness was just starting to settle on the crime scene, and some spotlights had been brought in so the firemen could see to cut through the wreckage of the station wagon. It was as close to a scene from hell as I could imagine. The lights bathed everything and everyone in a ghastly brightness, illuminating every crack, crevice and wrinkle. Coming soon… 0 0

I just finished the third book in the Eyre Hall Trilogy by Luccia Gray. I gobbled it up over two days and decided to introduce it to everyone as a suggestion from Rosie Amber. #FridayBookShare created by Shelley Wilson These are the contents of a #FridayBookShare Recruit fans by adding the book blurb. Introduce the main character using only three words. Delightful design (add the cover image of the book). Audience appeal (who would enjoy reading this book?) Your favourite line/scene.                                                                                    ***** First line of the book. I was dragged to this disturbing place and ensnared in a cage twelve nights ago by a group of armed men who barged into Eyre Hall while I was alone. Pretty ensnaring, yes? Recruit fans by adding the book blurb. Midsummer at Eyre Hall is the third and final volume of The Eyre Hall Trilogy, which chronicles the lives of the residents of Eyre Hall from the beginning to the height of the Victorian era. Following the death of her second husband, Richard Mason, Jane is finally engaged to the man she loves. However, her oldest son, John Rochester, will do everything in his power to stop the wedding and take over Eyre Hall and the Rochester Estate, with devastating consequences for Jane. Romance, mystery and excitement will unfold, based on the lives of the original characters, and bringing to life new and intriguing ones, spinning a unique and absorbing narrative, which will move the action from the Yorkshire countryside to Victorian London, and magical Cornwall. Introduce the main character using only three words. Passionate, determined, generous Delightful design   Audience appeal Anyone who loves historical fiction, romance, a strong woman and of course, Jane Eyre Your favorite line/scene. This one was not easy, but I’m choosing something that was a surprise: I curled into him as he held me and kissed the top of my head “By the way, I just remembered, who’s Mr. de Winter?” He’s the owner of Manderley, the large house by the sea. He also seems to own most of the farmland around here. Why?” **** In the first book of the Eyre Hall Trilogy, All Hallows at Eyre Hall, which begins twenty-two years after her marriage to Edward Rochester, Jane is coping with the imminent death of her bedridden husband – and the revelation of his unspeakable secrets. Richard Mason has returned, instigating a sequence of events which will expose Rochester’s disloyalty to Jane, his murderous plots, and innumerable other sins. In the second, Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall, Following Edward Rochester’s death, Jane Eyre, who has been blackmailed into marrying a man she despises, will have to cope with the return of the man she loved and lost. The secrets she has tried so hard to conceal must be disclosed, giving rise to unexpected events and more shocking revelations. Midsummer at Eyre Hall completes this trilogy This book is great on many levels. Romance, yes, but it also clearly illustrates the plight of women in the 18th century, the insane, and orphans. William Savage just had a wonderful post on marriage in the 18th century that arrived just as I was reading this book. https://penandpension.com/2016/06/22/marriage-amongst-the-middling-sort/ As indicated, Luccia also surprises us with a link to Rebecca, which sets the scene for her next book! 0 0

My third book, Death by Pumpkin, will be out in less than a month. I’ve decided to peak your interests by giving you a peek at some of the chapters.  And I’ve managed to use a homophone! From the Prologue: Putting the rifle back, she leaned over and closed the window. A smile bloomed on her face. She started the car and as she drove slowly through the campus, the smile became a chuckle and the chuckle, a laugh – deep and resonating. Vengeance. What do you think? 0 0

I am stuck, really stuck. I’ve started a historical (is it an historical? I’ve always wondered about that) novel based on the life of Mary Allerton Cushman, who came to the New World on the Mayflower and lived to the ripe old age of 82. She saw so much history! Trying a different genre is a challenge I set myself, and what a challenge it has become. My problem is: Mary is four years old during the voyage and writing in the voice of a four-year-old is not working for me, nor anyone else as it turns out. I am also writing in third person, which I find difficult. That may be because my three murder mysteries were written in first person, as is the WIP fourth, and it’s a voice in which I’m comfortable. I’ve consulted both my critique groups, and also my sterling editor Alison Williams, and am still struggling after numerous rewrites. So I’m going to try something different and switch to first person but have two POVs – Mary and her father Isaac. Isaac can provide an in depth POV early on, as he was one of the original Separatists, while Mary can have the longer view as soon as she is old enough – probably ten or twelve.                                                              Isaac Allerton There are no pictures of Mary and she is just an addendum to her husband’s monument! The research is overwhelming. I thought I knew a lot about the Separatists (they weren’t called Pilgrims until much later), having grown up in Plymouth and been a tour guide at Plimoth Plantation. Wrong! There is a massive amount of knowledge out there yet to learn. One thing I have developed, though – a profound respect for this doughty group of settlers and the frequently horrible and terrifying conditions they faced. I could never match them in fortitude and faith, and I hope to convey that with Mary’s story. In the meantime, I take breaks by writing my fourth mystery, which is like having a picnic. As an aside, I just finished watching the video Hugh of Hug’s News and Views took during the Second Annual Blogger’s Bash in London. https://hughsviewsandnews.com/2016/06/15/meet-some-of-the-bloggers-on-video-from-the-2nd-annual-bloggers-bash/ Such fun to see bloggers I actually know. Ten packages of Oreos to Hugh. Maybe next year…? 0 0

I am always grateful for my friends in the blogosphere who follow my paltry offerings and find them interesting! I have had almost 25,000 views since I began this blog, and that figure staggers my imagination. THANK YOU! I am just catching up with my followers, so if your name is not here, stand by! Here is a list of my new followers as a shout out in thanks: Fitness Inspirational: https://fitnessinspirational.wordpress.com Great fit bodies! Kittens That I Love: https://kittensthatilove.wordpress.com  Wonderful cat photos  for all you cat lovers out there. George Edy at GÂNDURI CURATE PENTRU LUME ADUNATE  https://dordecanaan.wordpress.com  Most recently he has a story in English called the Rabbi’s advice Gary Jeffries at https://fictionisfood.wordpress.com  He writes an inspirational blog, the most recent post is A  Random Act of Kindness Marlin Carter’s marketing at https://marketingwithmarlinblog.wordpress.com for ways to improve your marketing skills – what we all need Donna Dechen Birdwell at https://donnadechenbirdwell.com   Donna is an author, artist and archeologist whose book Way of the Serpent I just reviewed. Check her out! bahelberg1 at mywritinglifexposed.wordpress.com/https://mywritinglifexposed.wordpress.com https://mywritinglifexposed.wordpress.com A prolific blog author and a daughter of farming parents and of the farmland of Northwest Ohio, she writes about her life growing up, films, horses and farm animals – what’s not to like? The most amazing pictures of animals:  https://incredibleanimalpics.wordpress.com Definitely worth a look each day for the AWWW factor. https://anthonymize.net The author was born in Boston, Massachusetts and now live in Southern California, is married and father to three daughters, a teacher and student to it all. His influences range from the homeless to Harvard professors, and his blog is a collection of words and general understandings brought to you by me. David Ellis aka Too Full to Write at https://toofulltowrite.com   David is a 37 year old male, a writer, podcaster, lyricist, humorist, novelist/author and poet who lives in Tunbridge Wells, England. He likes/loves films, music, books, TV series, computer games, etc. He will chat with you about all sorts of stuff on FaceBook, Twitter or the chat of your choice! His books are flash fiction, short stories and poetry. https://actions15.wordpress.com who lives in Newport Beach, CA (one of my former homes) and writes, travels and tries to live a focused life. Akansha Negi at https://akanshanegi.wordpress.com/ She lives in India and has the most beautiful photos and information about India and its surroundings. Fabulous! Araav Gupta at https://theaaravblog.wordpress.com/ She writes wonderfully lyrical blogs about the human condition and soul. pixey1234556 at https://fantagexstarzblog.wordpress.com  She blogs all about her random life/hobbies/things. Pixy is a young blogger who lives in Texas but was born in Nepal and doesn’t know what she wants to do when she grows up. Any followers out there who can relate? Kevin at https://kevsravesandreviews.wordpress.com He writes exceptional book reviews about exceptional books and I clearly met him through many of my blogging buddies. Book Haunt (great name!) at https://bookhaunt.com   She is a 51 yr. old woman from Scottsdale, AZ currently running two new blogs: bookhaunt.com and thedefinedintrovert.wordpress.com. One is for book reviews and the other is for whatever strikes her fancy. Both are just for fun! She will rweview your books but is currently backlogged. 0 0

My newest followers: Ben Chittock at https://bchittock.wordpress.com/about/ Ben does movie reviews, most recently The Revenant and The Dead Pool Juliacastorp at https://juliacastorp.wordpress.com She is Romanian and describes herself as a linguist and lecture lover, a woman of present (hippie hippie). She has some nice posts on female actors. More of more who posts at https://moreofmoreblog.wordpress.com, She is a young blogger who writes about school, dancing, and bullying – and reminds me what it was like to be young with the future ahead! Ana Spoke at http://anaspoke.com. She is in middle management and a self-published author of a new book entitled Shizzle. Candice Louisa Daquin who blogs at https://thefeatheredsleep.wordpress.com. Candice is a writer with seven books to her credit (available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble) and blogs on personal subjects with sensitivity. Samantha at https://gh0stpupp3t.wordpress.com. She posts an eclectic blog – one of her latest combines Justin Trudeau and Matt Damon! Brittany at https://blg2011motherof2.wordpress.com Her blog is a collection of writings, some inspirational and others random. She is the author of a series of inspirational paperbacks. Darshan Desai at https://darshandesai54.wordpress.com. This blogger provides advice on how to use online marketing platforms and cute kid pictures! Carlos Lopez and Adrián B. G. at https://lascronicasdelotromundo.wordpress.com/ They blog in Spanish for those of you who are fluent (I’m a scanner for general meaning!) and post about their books, writing and other authors!  Bharathy Jayaraman at bharathy78. She is currently working in the U.S. as software Quality Analyst by profession and a mother of a son who is residing in India with her parents. She chooses to write about the different things such as basket weaving and quilting, the books she reads and so on. You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bharathy.jayaraman.5 Reza at https://rrrnnr.wordpress.com/ She blogs in both German and English. Jolant Kalinowska at http://photokalino.wordpress.com. She is a photographer and her pictures are amazing. J Good at http://jgoodwithsports.com/spotlight/ He blogs about sports! I am a sports nut so this blog SPEAKS to me! Rilwan Jarboh at http://rilwanjarboh.com/2015 He is a student at SOS Hermann Gmeiner High School in Gambia. He’s also a computer programmer and interested in all sorts of blogs. Check him out! Thanks to all of these bloggers for following me and do check them out! 0 0