Halloween Past and Present

I was talking to child #2, a rambunctious 12-year-old boy, about Halloween. He was stuck, not having any blessed idea as to what he could dress up as for his favorite holiday. I suggested my old standby, a hobo.
“What’s a hobo, Mom?”

“Well, it’s a guy who rides the rails with a pouch attached to a stick, his worldly belongings in the pouch.”

“Why is he riding the rails? And what are rails?”

“The railroad. He’s riding because he’s got the traveling jones. And no job.”

“So, he’s homeless.”

“Yes, I guess you could call him that.”

“Mom, that’s not very politically correct.”

Suffice it to say that we were in the car, on our way to Party City to purchase a costume before I could go into the politics of Herbert Hoover, explain what “Hooverville” was, or why the Great Depression created more hobos than any other historical event in our nation’s history.

We purchased a gladiator costume, true meaning of which child #2 did not know either. When he donned it, and I pretended to be a Christian hiding from the Romans who would surely throw me to the lions, he looked confused and singularly unimpressed by my acting performance. I was still bristling over the fact that we had to buy a costume and was trying to make the best of a less-than-stellar situation.

All of this talk of costumes got me thinking about my costumes of the past. Thanks to a very creative aunt and a genius of a seamstress across the street from my house, I had some pretty wonderful get ups. Here’s a sampling with only one picture. Very few pictures exist because…well, I could lie…but my mom got lazy with the camera. (Sorry, Mom!)

1. Rudy Vallee: My ingenious aunt found a size 60 beaver coat that had belonged to her Aunt May. I donned that, even though it was about three hundred sizes too big, was given a pennant to wave, a megaphone to carry, a hat to wear and sneakers to put on my feet and I was transformed into the megaphone crooner of the 1920s. So what that nobody knew who I was, this being the mid-70’s? I was dressed unlike any other trick or treater and was in my glory.

2. A Can-Can girl: My seamstress neighbor had made a dozen or so Can-Can girl outfits for a church show that was being mounted at St. Catherine’s (my home parish) and tailored one costume so that it fit my pre-teen body to a tee. Mom curled my hair and let me go crazy with the blue eye shadow and poof! Insta-Can-Can girl. I went to a Halloween party at the roller rink where I certainly would have won first place—even the cool girls thought so—but since I couldn’t skate and was unable to sashay around the judges, I wasn’t even entered. Another one of life’s shattering disappointments.

3. A Nun: No Catholic childhood would be complete without a few hours dressed as a nun or a priest. In my case, I was fully habited in a floor-length habit with a white rope around my waist. Think six-year-old flying nun and you’ll get a visual. A whole gaggle of us neighborhood girls—thanks to the creativity of the aforementioned seamstress neighbor—were transformed into a little squad of sisters, trolling the neighborhood for candy. The interesting thing? No one looked twice—maybe because there was a convent in our town?

Here’s a shot of the Can-Can outfit, my siblings, and the neighbor kids (the ones whose mom crafted most of our costumes). See, not a store-bought one among them. Those were the days, right?

Maggie Barbieri

About Reviews

My time recently has been taken up with promoting my latest Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, Bears With Us.

This is what I've done so far: a book launch at our local used bookstore (we have no book stores anywhere nearby), and two days at our Springville Apple Festival (sold about 1/2 the books I did two years ago) and I just finished up on a month long blog tour.

Blog tours always take a lot of time because of the promoting, going back and comment about the comments, plus I ran a contest--the person who commented on the most blogs could have his or her name used as a character in my next book--so I had to keep checking in order to keep track of all those who commented.

Some of the bloggers reviewed my book and all of them were wonderful, but one gave away the whole ending of the book. Eeek! She's been asked to take that line out and as I write this I'm not sure if it happened or not. Unless she does, of course, I won't promote the blog nor will I use the review anywhere.

Through the years I've received mostly wonderful reviews, but there have been some that were a bit odd, a couple where I could tell the person hadn't read the book all the way through, and once before an Amazon review gave away a surprise ending. I contacted the reviewer and she eliminated that part. What I don't understand is why anyone would do that. I work really hard to come up with an ending that might surprise most people and putting that in a review is definitely a spoiler.

Believe me I appreciate the time someone puts into writing a review about one of my books. I've written lots of reviews over the years--and believe me I would never give away the ending.

Authors, anyone else ever have that problem?

Readers, how do you feel about a review like that?

Marilyn

Lori's Book Sense

Welcome to this months edition of Lori's Book Sense.

I hope you enjoy these great titles I've chosen for you this month.

Third Degree by Maggie Barbieri ~ On her way to meet her boyfriend’s parents, college professor Alison Bergeron stops by a coffee shop to steel her resolve. It’s a big event. Not only is it the first time she’s met NYPD detective Bobby Crawford’s entire family, but it’s coming on the heels of a wedding proposal that she has left unanswered so far.Then, as she steps into the shop, a brawl breaks out that ends in the death of Carter Wilmott, a merciless and loathed local blogger. The case couldn’t be any simpler, and Alison witnessed the whole thing, but when Wilmott’s car explodes in the aftermath, what looked to be a crime of passion becomes something far more complicated and maybe even premeditate. With Alison and Bobby involved in the case and with each other, readers are in for a treat. Third Degree, the latest in Maggie Barbieri’s charming mystery series, is one heated mystery with plenty of steamy romance and cunning villains who are about to get burned.

Geez, Alison has a lot on her plate these days. She’s got the murder she witnessed, the harassment of the suspects wife, the beginning of the college semester (you have to love those new students), and her BFF Max who thinks nothing of cutting the screen in Alison’s kitchen to let herself in whenever she wants. Not done yet. She’s got a new roommate named Queen, a Hooters waitress who doubles as a private eye for Max’s new TV show, all while taking college classes.  Then there is the missed period and nausea – hmm…wonder what that’s all about?  Unfortunately there is something mysterious going on with her other BFF Kevin – but I’ll let Alison tell you about that. FINALLY – there is the BIG question. Yes or No?  Does she marry her boy…..Crawford or not?  Only Alison can figure that out for herself.  But first – she may or may not have a murder to solve!?!?! Filled with humor, wit, page turning suspense, and tons of emotion, Third Degree is Maggie Barbieri at her best!  Just don’t give me the Third Degree, because my lips are sealed!

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly ~  Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home. Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted, too--and he's certain he's on the right trail.

  Step by step, Mickey and his team work through the evidence. Disputing virtually everything the prosecution brings to the table taking us all the way to the stunning, didn’t-see-that-coming conclusion. Michael Connelly deals with an issue that is on the forefront of everyone’s mine today – foreclosures. With the economy struggling, this is something that millions of people are dealing with. He does a great job of explaining things in such a simple manner, that even those not completely familiar with how the process works will be able to understand. It’s great to see the struggles that Mickey continues to have in his relationships with his exes, the growth that Bullock shows as the new associate, and to have Mickey return to the back seat of his Lincoln. The Fifth Witness has more twists and turns than a Halloween corn maze. Michael Connellly will take you for a ride you will never forget.

So Close The Hand of Death by J.T. Ellison ~ It's a hideous echo of a violent past. Across America, murders are being committed with all the twisted hallmarks of the Boston Strangler, the Zodiac Killer and Son of Sam. The media frenzy explodes and Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson knows instantly that The Pretender is back…and he's got helpers.As The Pretender's disciples perpetrate their sick homages—stretching police and the FBI dangerously thin—Taylor tries desperately to prepare for their inevitable showdown. And she must do it alone. To be close to her is to be in mortal danger, and she won't risk losing anyone she loves. But the isolation, the self-doubt and the rising body count are taking their toll—she's beside herself and ready to snap.The brilliant psychopath who both adores and despises her is drawing close. Close enough to touch….

So Close the Hand of Death is the sixth book in the Taylor Jackson series. The book can definitely be read as a stand alone, but to get a deeper understanding of Taylor, her G-man fiance Baldwin, her medical examiner BFF, Sam, and the rest of her team, you should read them in order (All The Pretty Girls,  14, Judas Kiss, The Cold Room, The Immortals). I'm keeping the review as vague as possible to avoid spoilers. If you pay close attention, virtually everything that happens in this story is a clue as to what has happened in the terrifying past, and what's going on in the intense present and the explosive near future. There is no doubt J.T Ellison is a master of her craft. Just when you think you her last book is her best yet, you read the next one.  And you realize just how wrong you were. So Close The Hand of Death is an edge-of-your-seat, white-knuckled, can't-turn-the-pages-fast-enough thriller - that will have you clutching the book as you turn pages almost faster than you can read them - in a desperate desire to find out what happens next.

Until next month......

 

The New Kid

Thirty-three years ago, when I was asked to stand in front of the class and introduce myself to a room of fellow fourth graders who looked at me as if I was an alien from outer space (or, New Jersey, as was the case at the time), I was beside myself with fear. Would I say something dumb? Would I trip over a word? Would the cool girl in the back laugh at my sock selection? Would the cute boy in the front row see me as anything other than a shy dork?

And so it went from that day forward whenever I was faced with "the new kid" syndrome. Sure, the fears changed as I grew, molding to fit my life at that time, but still they were there, making me second guess myself and whether I would ever fit.

I guess it's probably that way with all beginnings whether they're of the first-day variety or something more. You wonder if it will go okay or if somehow you'll do something stupid to trip yourself up. But here's the thing about getting older... You start to gain wisdom, or, as I often think of it, an experienced set of eyes with which to view things in a different way--like this whole "new kid" thing. Beginnings bring new opportunities, new experiences, and that's not always a bad thing.

So today, I'll take my spot in front of the class and tell you who I am. And as you'll see, I know a lot about beginnings.

Writing:

I was ten years old when I fell in love with the idea of being a writer. At the time, I imagined myself a children's writer. But my course changed after I read my first Mary Higgins Clark book when I was 14. Here I am (on the left) posing for a picture with my mystery-writing inspiration, MHC. I was a total and complete fan girl at that moment.

After breaking into the world of novels via a small press publisher, I landed my first big publisher deal with my Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series (pen name: Elizabeth Lynn Casey). Seeing something I'd written...with a Berkley/Penguin logo on it? Wow. Just wow.   Here I am at the launch party for the first book in the series, SEW DEADLY. Those two beautiful girls--who were my best beginnings ever--are mine and they light my world every single day.

A few months ago, I signed a deal with Berkley/Penguin for a second series under my own name, Laura Bradford. The Amish Mysteries will debut its first title, HEARSE AND BUGGY next June.  That's me, conducting a little research.

 

If you watch the changing photos at the top of the blog, you'll notice that I have a romance novel under my belt. Well, I have three, actually, and a fourth on the way in late 2012 or early 2013. I never intended to write romance but found myself with a story idea that refused to be a mystery. So, at the urging of my muse, I tried a romance...and then another...etc. That first romance, KAYLA'S DADDY debuted in 2010 and was followed by two more that year, with MIRACLE BABY winning me my very first writing award ever--RT Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Harlequin American of 2010. It was a total pinch-me moment I'll never forget!  This is me, back at the hotel room (in L.A.--another first) with my award.

Behind the Scenes:

Since there's more to me than just writing, I'll mention a few other "beginnings."

Like the Brady Bunch in the 70's, My Special Guy and I found each other when we were on our own--he with three kids, and me with my two girls. We got married in April and just got back from a belated honeymoon this week.  Here's a shot from our special day.

Since the cat, Angus, is a boy, we really are a modern day Brady Bunch...although I don't look as good as Carol Brady.  :)

And finally, as is the case with a few of the ladies on this blog, I, too, dealt with a health crisis a few years ago, one I will continue to deal with for the rest of my life. In 2006 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I'm doing great and helping the cause whenever I can.  Here's me at a President's Circle event for MSAA in 2010. In this shot, I'm giving a talk at Madame Toussard's in NYC and that's Times Square over my shoulder.

So that's me (or at least a tiny snapshot of me). The new kid.

Here's to beginnings! 

~Laura

P.S.  Oh...and I have a new book coming out on Tuesday. It's the fifth in my Southern Sewing Circle series--DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS.

How to write a short story

by Maria Geraci

Sometime early this year, fellow writer and Girlfriends Book Club blogger, Malena Lott, put a call out to authors who were interested in participating in a short story anthology. Part of the proceeds would go to a program to benefit victims of domestic violence. Besides being a women's fiction writer, I'm also a labor and delivery nurse and have unfortunately seen the effects firsthand of domestic violence on women at the most vulnerable time of their lives, so I was instantly drawn to the project. The stories would be about 6-8,000 words in length and had to include a "sleigh ride."

Now, being from Florida, I can tell you that I've only seen snow a handful of times in my life (not in Florida!) and have never been on a sleigh ride. But hey, I'm a writer and writers make things up, right? So I contacted Malena and told her I would love to be one of the participating authors and Malena graciously put me on board. I had several months to write the story and I already had what I thought was a pretty good idea, so I wasn't worried.

Then I started to write the story. And about 5000 words into it I realized I'd barely introduced my characters and given them any sort of conflict. So scratch that.

Now I started to worry.

What had I gotten myself into?

I write full length contemporary romance and women's fiction. Sure, I'd done plenty of "writing exercises" before. I'd written an entire 1000 words based on the image of an empty chair or a women going into a church ( stuff like that) but I'd never written a complete, satisfying story with a beginning, a middle, and an end in so few words. I was stumped.

And then I discovered the show, Love Bites, an hour long romantic comedy (from the creator of Sex and the City). Each hour long episode featured 3 short 20 minute stories that all connected together. Think Love, American Style (if you can remember that far back in TV history). The show was funny, smartly written and perfect teaching material for someone like me who learns visually. I watched the shows (taped them on my DVR actually) and picked out my "favorites". Then I went to work. I watched the shows again, this time jotting down notes in my trusty legal pad. And I discovered something pretty basic. Short stories work almost exactly the same as longer stories. You just have to cut away all the stuff that isn't important.

Backstory can be done in just a couple of sentences.

Dialogue has to do triple duty.

And you can still get 3 act structure in 6000 words.

Sadly, Love Bites got cancelled (doesn't that seem to happen to all the best shows?) but I'll always be forever grateful to the smiles it brought to my face and the writing wisdom it gave me.

How about you? Any tips for writing short stories? Now that I have one under my belt, I'm anxious to try my hand at more!


Get ready for the ultimate sleigh ride this November with Buzz Books. SLEIGH RIDE is a wintry mix of short stories with one common theme: each story includes a sleigh ride. The book will include seven short stories and a portion of the proceeds will benefit a national domestic abuse prevention fund via Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Women helping women is one of our highest endeavors, and we are extremely excited about the project.


For more information on my writing, please go to my website,
You can also follow me on Twitter or Facebook (or both!)

Writing through... Oooh! Shiny!

by Bethany Maines

What do we think?  Alex Trebek – with moustache or without? Why is it that the only “star” I know on “Dancing With the Stars” is Rikki Lake? Did I buy wrapping paper for that wedding present? And speaking of the wedding, what should I wear to that wedding on Saturday? 

I’m having a wee bit of trouble concentrating (in case you didn’t notice). I’m really close to completing my latest mystery manuscript and if I just buckled down I could be done before you know it. Well, at least by the end of the weekend. But I’m having some sort of mental block.

I sit myself down.  I open all my little files and stare at the screen and then thirty seconds later I'm surfing the web, and checking the newsfeed on Facebook for the umpteenth time. It’s not the same as writer’s block. I know what to write and, theoretically, I know how to write it. This is more like attention deficit disorder for writers. Of course, once I had that thought I went to look up the symptoms of ADHD.

• difficulty paying attention to details and tendency to make careless mistakes in school or other activities; producing work that is often messy and careless

I’m pretty sure my editor thinks this is absolutely true. And since it took me five minutes to realize that I’d left “is” out of one of the sentences of above, I think we can easily say – check.

• easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupting ongoing tasks to attend to trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others

Ok, so I ignore the noises, but my dog never does, and then I want to know what he’s looking at so I get up, and then I go for a snack, and then… Ok. Check.

• inability to sustain attention on tasks or activities

 Um… yeah, or I’d be done with the damn novel by now.

• difficulty finishing schoolwork or paperwork or performing tasks that require concentration

Isn’t that the same as the last thing? Didn’t I already… ooh, look at that bird!

• frequent shifts from one uncompleted activity to another

What are you trying to say?  Have you been talking to my business partner? I told her I would finish the quarterly taxes before the deadline!!

• Procrastination

Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can put off until next week, I always say.

• disorganized work habits

Are you implying that working from the couch with notes scattered among the paper tow…napkins from lunch is a bad idea?

• failure to complete tasks such as homework or chores

Seriously, haven’t we already covered this?

• frequent shifts in conversation, not listening to others, not keeping one's mind on conversations, and not following details or rules of activities in social situations

They’re not rules – they’re guidelines.  And conversations are what happen when I’m thinking about plot.

• forgetfulness in daily activities (for example, missing appointments, forgetting to bring lunch)

Oh, whew, I was starting to think I might have this, but since I never forget lunch, I’m out of the woods.

Tis' the season

by: Joelle Charbonneau

Okay – I have to share a moment with you. Last week I was in my Walmart doing some shopping with the tot when I noticed that they had begun to put out the winter holiday decorations. While I’m not a huge fan of being reminded that I have tons of shopping and decorating to do, I actually was amazed that they had waited until 9 days before Halloween to start the winter holiday preparations. In past years, I’d walked into stores in late September and come eye to eye with frolicking reindeer and plastic poinsettias.

So, I was pretty pleased that this year the store displayed a minuscule amount of restraint when filling their retail shelves.

So last week, while standing in line, my son and I were surrounded by inflatable Frosty Snowmen, glowing candy canes and an assortment of other lawn adornments. And that’s when I saw it. At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me. I mean, I don’t always understand the some of the festive adornments some people add to their lawns during the holidays, but this one…..

Yeah – nothing screams a celebration of the holidays like Santa in an outhouse.

What are your favorite holiday decorations and which ones make you scratch your head and wonder what were they thinking?

Finding Yourself – Again

For most Rabbis, the Yom Kippur sermon is a "showstopper". It's the biggest, most captive audience a Rabbi is likely to get all year. Many non-observant Jews, who otherwise don't set foot in a synagogue, show up on the Day of Atonement. So the topic is often bold, provocative, urging you to repent and reflect. This year was a little different and it certainly got me to thinking.

My Rabbi began with a story. He recounted how he spends one week every year teaching a Bible course in Mexico. Over time, he's developed a close friendship with one of the families there. Prior to this year's class, the mother of the family had spent months in Texas, battling cancer, in a fight that frankly no one thought she'd survive. Thankfully, she did. She had returned to Mexico, but of course, the treatment took its toll physically. She was thin, balding, frail.

So my Rabbi said he was not surprised when the woman said she had a question for him. He was prepared to answer the inevitable: "why me?"

But instead, the woman said, "Am I still me?" It wasn't the physical changes that worried her. Instead she was frightened that she had lost the essence of who she was. That cancer had claimed not her life, but her identity.

The Rabbi's answer to the woman was thoughtful, gentle, and reassuring. Yes, cancer had changed her life, but it hadn't changed the essence of who she was. She remained a kind, caring, generous, intellectually curious individual.

Life can make us doubt who we fundamentally are. It's more obvious when it's an illness; the physical changes can be traumatic. But doubt rears its ugly head in other situations. The loss of a job often threatens one's identity. I know a brilliant man who was let go from his high-powered, high-paying position after 35 years with the company (after a mega-merger). In this economy, at his age, it was almost impossible to find a job, and certainly not one at his previous level. His professional and personal identities were intertwined. For him, and so many others who are unemployed, job loss equals identity loss.

Or take the case of another woman I know. She recently separated from her husband of 30 years. Who was she if she wasn't Mrs. X?

And it's not just the difficult moments in life that can seed doubt. Getting married, as well as having a baby are both important game changers. Different surname or the new title of Mom can affect not only how others look at you, but how you look at yourself.

But with time (and patience), with the help of family and friends, perhaps with professional counseling, and in my case, with faith, you begin to find yourself…again. The outside may change; some of the circumstances of your life may change – but the essence of who you are is still there.

I'll remember that for myself. I'll remember that when someone is in crisis. It's easy to bring a casserole, but what I must bring is reassurance. I'll remind my friend: You're still YOU.

Marian

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries - e-book series

I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

Sullivan Investigations Mystery - e-book series
Murder Off the Books Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

Romances
Love Lessons - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords