It Was A Sign

by Sparkle Abbey

So last week, we were on our way to work and of course that means a trip through the Starbucks drive-thru. Our Starbucks is very popular, especially in the mornings and on the weekends. It’s not unusual for there to be a five or six car wait before you even reach the speaker to place your order. Why not go inside, you ask? Well, like most of the U.S., we've been hit with bone-chilling subzero weather and over ten inches of snow. So regardless of the line, you don’t get out of your vehicle unless you have to.

On this day, the drive-thru was almost deserted. There were only three cars in front of us. That’s a good thing, right? The lack of customers certainly didn't have anything to do with icy roads, a wind-chill of twenty below, or the fact that it was after 8:00 am and the morning rush had already passed though. It was a sign to proceed! So we did.

Just one example of our many Starbucks stops 

In what felt like seconds, but was probably more like five minutes, it was our turn to order our usual: grande non-fat no water chai, and a grande skinny hazelnut latte. The only problem was that the driver’s window wouldn't roll down. It was frozen shut. There was no way that window was moving.

You see where this is going.

Since there were cars behind us, keeping us from backing out and a making a clean getaway, we had only one choice—open the door to place the order. We looked rather silly, and felt a little foolish. And while we were hoping no one was paying attention to us, we weren't that lucky. We caught the driver behind us was smiling at us. Our barista also got a good chuckle at our predicament and casually mentioned we weren't the first customer with a frozen window.

Within a few minutes it was our turn to pay. Once again, we opened the door, allowing the freezing wind to slap us around for a few seconds and to steal our breath. As we reached for a Starbucks card to pay, the barista informed us there was no need-—our drinks had already been paid for. Turned out the driver in the car before us felt so bad about our window, he paid for our drinks! A true random act of kindness. It was completely unexpected and it totally made our day.

February 9^th - 15^th  is Random Act of Kindness week. The idea is to cheer up, inspire, or help a stranger. There are many simple acts you can do: a smile, let someone cut in front of you in line at the grocery store, or pay for someone’s drink at your favorite coffee shop. Most acts of kindness are free, you don’t have to spend money to “pay it forward.”

If you’re lacking inspiration and need some “kindness” ideas, check out the Random Acts of Kindness website. If you’re social media savvy, take part in helping #RAKWeek2015 trend by flooding your social media platforms with kindness. Look for us as we’ll be taking part in the fun.

What about you? Have you initiated a random act of kindness? Have you ever been the recipient of an act of kindness? Tell us about it! You never know who may read your comment and feel inspired by you!

**The Starbucks story is mostly true. It happened to only one of us. We’ll let you guess which one.

One last shout out! If you're in the Ames area this week, we'll be at the grand opening of Treats on a Leash for a book signing from 10:00 am- noon. Stop by and say hi! Click here for more details!

3 Firsts for Me!

By Kay Kendall

Here are my three firsts:                                                   

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1) My first short story.

2) My first venture into sci-fi.

3) My first self-published project.

The shortest way to explain that list above is  – I seized an opportunity.

A group of writers asked me to come aboard an anthology of short stories written around a common theme—called The Prometheus Saga. There were rules to what we could do with our alien character who dropped to earth, plus rules for making our stories as Kindle shorts available only on Amazon. Set price = 99 cents. Such a bargain.

On Monday, January 26, twelve of us published thirteen stories in The Prometheus Saga. Settings include pre-history, the American Revolution, and the sixties. That latter was mine, entitled “Strangers on a Plane.” The sixties is what I write about, always.

Fans of the suspense genre will recognize my title as an homage to the great Patricia Highsmith’s sinister novel, Strangers on a Train. But my story is not sinister. Instead, it shows my amateur sleuth Austin Starr traveling across the North American continent, rushing to the rescue of her dear friend, Larissa Klimenko. Readers who know my debut mystery DESOLATION ROW will recognize these characters.

New is an odd elderly woman who calls herself Promethea. Strange things happen. Then Austin and Promethea disembark from the plane, never to see each other again. This short story is a bridge to my next mystery, RAINY DAY WOMEN (due out this summer), and the sci-fi touch is so light that I don’t bend the mystery genre—not too much.

Why did I seize this opportunity? Advice to writers is to issue short stories in between major books as a way to keep your readers interested. While some of my author pals crank out more than one book a year, I don’t do that. Thus, this advice seemed wise.

Moreover, there was a chapter I dearly loved that for various reasons my editor suggested I chop from my next book. Here was a way to save it.

Finally, authors are encouraged these days to become “hybrids.” That means that you mix up your projects—some issued through publishers and others self-published. When I checked, the wonderful Ken Coffman, owner of Stairway Press of Seattle, was fine with my participating in The Prometheus Saga.

So, here’s the bottom line. If you ever felt a tiny urge to read my fiction and never acted on it, you now can do so for only 99 cents. You don’t even have to own a Kindle. There’s an app that lets you read “Strangers on a Plane” on your tablet, cell phone, PC, or Mac. Return to the time of America’s first moon landing, the week of the horrid Manson murders, and endless bad news from the Vietnam War. August 9, 1969—with just a hint of the paranormal!

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE E-EDITION

 OF "STRANGERS ON A PLANE"

13 stories make up The Prometheus Saga

*******   

Kay Kendall set her debut novel, DESOLATION ROW--AN AUSTIN STARR MYSTERY in 1968. The sequel RAINY DAY WOMEN (June 2015) shows her amateur sleuth Austin Starr proving her best friend didn't murder women’s liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver. A fan of historical mysteries, Kay does for the 1960s what novelist Jacqueline Winspear accomplishes for England in the 1930s–present atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit of the age. Kay is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. 

My Humble Opinion of the Movie, American Sniper by Marilyn Meredith

I'm not a fan of war movies--but hubby is, so with some reluctance from me we went together.

First I should say that I've read all the controversy over the movie--but I also read comments by my daughter and several friends who loved it.

First off, it isn't a pro-war movie--it is a factual movie about war, if anything, it's the opposite.

Second, Chris Kyle was not a coward--he was a hero, and his main mission was to protect our men.

And third, and the most important part, the movie was a good depiction of what happens to a man and how the changes affect a family.

How do I know it was factual portrayal? Because I experienced some of what his wife and family did.

Hubby spent 3 tours in Vietnam as a Seabee. No, he didn't shoot anyone, but he and the base he worked from were underfire all the time. When he worked with the heavy equipment building roads and airstrips, he was shot at--and a Marine riding with him shot back--but they kept on working.

Like Chris Kyle, he didn't like to talk about what went on over there--and still doesn't.

Like Chris Kyle, between tours he wasn't the man I married. And he was always anzious to go back (something I couldn't understand), though he turned down the 4th tour and soon retired with 20 years of service.

Besides the worry of whether or not something may happen to the amn you love and the father of your children, not only does he change while in combat--but you change too. When you are the one running the home and taking care of the emergencies (with 5 kids there were plenty of those), you become independent and it's hard to give up being in charge when hubby does come home--especially if it's only for a short time. (This wasn't depicted in the movie, but I know it happens.)

I remember once saying to my husband, "You may be a Chief in the Navy, but I'm the Admiral of this house." I don't remember his reaction, and it's probably a good thing that I don't.

I was blessed because I still have my husband, and over the years he's mellowed.

Marilyn

Mystery She Read by Lynn Cahoon

I'm in a reading mood. I adore getting lost in a story, reading through the hours until my body is stiff and my dogs are chewing on my leg, trying to get me to let them out....

Okay, maybe not that.

I've been working on a presentation for my RWA chapter (go MoRWA) on Killer First Lines. Authors are warned away from several starts, one is this classic Snoopy line, "It was a dark and stormy night." We're told not to use it. It's weather and setting and boring.

Except, if you're Madeleine L'Engle and writing A Wrinkle in Time. I loved that book growing up. As a fatherless child, myself, this story gave me hope that my dad too, was just on another planet, waiting to be magically pulled back to my life.

Yes, there are reasons I'm an author. Like my mom asked, "How do you make up all these stories?" I would have thought she knew I'd been doing it all my life.

Authors don't give up their imaginary friends, we just give them lives in our books.

Another book I loved as a kid was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I loved the story of a little boy driving through the fantasy world through a tollbooth that showed up in his room, just because he was bored.

Boredom doesn't happen for authors as we're off imagining a new world. And it that gets boring, I need to change up the story.

So what was your favorite book as a kid? Was it mystery related?

Lynn

Oh, and if you want a bit of romance for your Valentine's Day, I have a novella in My Sexy Valentine. My story, The Twelve Days of Valentines, twists the classic Christmas song into a how to win your love in 12 days.

Flying Flags

by Bethany Maines

I had to laugh when I read Debra Goldstein’s post yesterday about football being “only a game”.  I live in Washington State, which, in case you’re living in a hole, is home of the Seahawks, contenders the upcoming football high-holy day – the Super Bowl.  Although, even when living in a hole, I’m fairly certain that you probably felt the Beast Quake or possibly Richard Sherman dropped by to tell you how awesome he is, and then probably stuck around to make pointedly blunt statements about the corruption in the NFL.  Football may be only game, but tis the season for every football fan everywhere to lose their dang minds.

As I’m only an occasional football watcher I find most of the fan-actions a bit mystifying.  Twelfth man flags decorate every building, a local tattoo parlor is offering a 12’s tattoo special and last game against the Packers the Seattle City Council banned cheese from the premises.  Like Debra, I say, “But it’s only a game!”  Not that I say that very loudly – my husband would glare at me. 

But also like Debra, I identify with the way fans pour over every detail, dissect plays, and watch every report on the subject.  A fan, no matter the subject, wants to know all about the thing they love.  So I don’t wave a twelfth man flag, but the books on my shelf tell their own tales (pun intended).  Anyone visiting my house knows where I stand on the topic of Lord of the Rings (pro) and the work of cover artist Thomas Canty (also pro) and Tintin (highly pro). I don’t have any tattoos, but I can quote The Walrus and The Carpenter – it’s tattooed on my brain.  And as for cheese… no, sorry, I have nothing there. Cheese is never banned at my house and neither are books. 

Am I the only “12^th Man” uber book fan out there?  What “flags” are flying on your bookshelf?

It's Only a Game by Debra H. Goldstein

It’s Only a Game by Debra H. Goldstein

My husband’s blood runs Crimson.  Nick Saban’s signed picture hangs in a prominent place in his man cave, which doubles as my den since we downsized. Signed University of Alabama footballs and Bear Bryant memorabilia also grace the room’s shelves.

Just as he deems these men to be G-ds, my husband religiously attends games or is glued to the television screen cheering his team on or bemoaning bad umpire calls. If the Alabama team wins, he takes pleasure in another week of bragging rights, but if, as they did on New Year’s Day, they get blown out of the water, he mutters for a few minutes and then philosophically notes, “It’s Only a Game.”

Many of our friends will be in mourning until next year’s football season.  They still spend hours dissecting the bad plays or interceptions that “lost the game.” They talk about how difficult it is to be a “marked” team because of having had a high ranking throughout the season.  Their sorrow will be tempered by verbally analyzing critical plays at parties and watching DVR’d games to relive the high moments of the season.

There are other people in our state who mourn in a more aggressive manner.  Newspaper stories of fights prompted by insults, stealing of mascots, and destruction of property are commonplace. Why?  After all, “It’s Only a Game.”

As a Johnny-come-lately to the writing world, I am in awe of many writers.  Their books are on display on my upstairs bookshelves, much as Nick Saban mementos are downstairs.  Throughout the years their works entertained, educated, and engaged me. Now, as I have met many, my respect for their repeated generosity and kindnesses to other writers constantly grows, especially while watching each struggle with juggling time to write, marketing and selling enough books to get another contract, handling today’s social media demands, and living balanced lives.  The reality is that most don’t “win” every day, but the successful ones handle their losses in a similar manner.  Rather than dwelling on the set-back or sabotaging their competition, they understand the defeat of the moment reflects that “It’s Only a Game.”

Where Do Story Ideas Come From - Part Two by Debra H. Goldstein

Where Do Story Ideas Come From – Part Two – by Debra H. Goldstein

The question most asked after whether I miss my former job is how do I get the ideas for my stories and books? For me, inspiration comes from research, dreams, observing human behavior, contest or submission prompts or out of the air.  In my previous Stiletto Gang blog, I traced the evolution of one of my favorite short stories, Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief! from the research stage to its February 2014 publication in the Mardi Gras Murder short story anthology.

Contests and open submission calls often stipulate a phrase or thematic concept that must be used. The problem is that with everyone entering or submitting writing to the same prompt, many of the stories will incorporate the identical ideas.  Again, I strive to find an unusual twist or idea.  For Mardi Gras Murder, I knew most people would consider writing about Krewe activities and parades or New Orleans charm, but I kept researching until I found information about the secretive Mardi Gras Indians and their parades.  That research led to Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief!

The open submission call for The Killer Wore Cranberry: a Fourth Meal of Mayhem required The Killer Wore Cranberry is a well-established series, I knew many writers would be competing for the few open slots.  My first decision was to find a food item fewer people would focus on.  I picked greens because I could find a way to work them into a murder; they reflected the South, where I wanted to set the story; and they felt funny to me.  Once I had the food item, I had to have people do something with it.

tying the story to Thanksgiving and using a food item.  Because the publisher wasn’t going to run all turkey stories and

I was stumped and then I remembered that Thanksgiving weekend often is used for weddings because families already are together.  Having officiated at Thanksgiving weddings and attended several (our extended family has a propensity to them), I concentrated on the guest behavior and interaction I had observed at these various functions. Taken out of context, each wedding had its own humor.  The more ideas coming from my brainstorming, I realized I would have to limit my remembered incidents to avoid overwhelming the story I was writing.  The result:  Thanksgiving in Moderation.

The key for me is to take the seed of an idea and find the odd twist.  For example, Grandma’s Garden was written for a short story contest that had a rain falling prompt.  Although I incorporated some rain, I ended up using an analogy between tears and rain and contrasting regular gardening with growing flowers in window boxes.  The story, Early Frost, features two characters attending a football game.  It is a short short story that fully addresses the rivalry of Alabama-Auburn football, but has a twist that brings in an unexpected concept.  Both stories grew out of experiences – rain at the beach, attending football games, but imagination took the tale far beyond the original idea.

Sometimes my impetus is a suggested name.  My next book, Should Have Played Poker, was prompted by wanting to incorporate the name of the first person to ever buy one of my future characters at a charity auction.  I was so tickled by her generosity and wisdom to buy my character that I wanted to put her name in a book rather than a short story.

Ideas come from all different avenues.  Most recently, a friend came up to me and said, “I have the perfect idea for your next story or book.”  Usually, when I hear these words, I run the other way, but this one was different.  He suggested, “Take the extra banana.”  No more than that, but it just might end up in a short story because it tickled my fancy.  That’s the magic of writing – becoming engaged in an idea.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Oscar by Marilyn Meredith

I've been watching the TV broadcast of the Academy Awards since the first time they came on TV in glorious black and white.

My father worked for Paramount Studios while I was growing up and he had little respect for most of the movie actors. Despite that, our family went to the movies every Friday night to see a double feature.

As a kid I collected movie star photos and autographs. The best place to get them was at radio shows and catching the stars in the parking lot behind the theater where the broadcasts were made.

Things I remember about some of the earlier Academy Award shows (in no particular oder):

Edith Head almost always won for best costume design.

When the guy streaked across the stage at the Oscars--and charming David Niven handled it in elegant stride.

The  many times Bob Hope was the announcer.

(In my opinion, no one does it as well these days as those old timers.)

When Jack Palance did one-handed push-ups.

When Marlon Brando didn't show up for his Oscar, sending an Indian woman in his place.

I saw these all, but only remember Sally Fields, "You love me, you really love me."

And here's the nominees for best picture for this year.

Nominees

Best Picture: American Sniper · Birdman · Boyhood · Grand Budapest Hotel · The Imitation Game · Selma

I've only seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, and didn't much like it. Hope to see the others.

Best Actor: Steve Carell · Bradley Cooper · Benedict Cumberbatch · Michael Keaton · Eddie Redmayne

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard · Felicity Jones · Julianne Moore · Rosamund Pike · Reese Witherspoon

Director: Wes Anderson · Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu · Richard Linklater · Bennet Miller · Morten Tyldum

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Duvall · Ethan Hawke · Edward Norton · Mark Ruffalo · J.K. Simmons

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette · Laura Dern · Keira Knightley · Emma Stone · Meryl Streep

I didn't see most of these performances--except for Keira Knightleys and Meryl Streep's in Into the Woods. Of course Meryl was wonderful--but I think the movie itself lacked something.

I usually catch-up on all the nominated movies eventually. Netflix makes it easy to do.

Through the years I've often been disappointed in who and what movie actually wins the Oscar--but who cares what I think? 

So, folks, what are your feelings about the Academy Awards and he nominees for this year?

Marilyn