Today

by: Joelle Charbonneau

Today the sun rose in the east.  It will set in the west.  Across the world people will get out of bed, eat breakfast, go to work, to school, to stores and to hundreds of other destinations.  Rain or shine, today is a just a normal day.

And yet it isn’t.

Eleven years ago today, the world shifted on its axis.  War from an unknown source fell from the sky.  Smoke billowed from the twin towers.  Heroes rushed to save those inside.  Heroes became victims as the towers fell, the Pentagon was struck and passengers aboard another flight performed a selfless act that saved lives at the cost of their own.

Today is a day to remember those who were lost to the attacks.  To remember those who saved lives and those who could not be saved.

I remember where I was when the towers were struck and the world around me became shadowed with fear.  I was inside United Airlines World Headquarters under lockdown surrounded by those who wondered if they knew someone who was on one of the planes that had become weapons in the sky. 

I remember the heartbreak.

The uncertainty.

The horror.

The fear.

And finally the hope that tomorrow the sun would rise again and things would get better.

The sun has risen today, but I have only to think back to that day and I feel the knot in my stomach tighten and tears burn my throat.  Because today is not like any other day.  It is a day to remember.  To reflect and to promise those who died that we will not take their sacrifice for granted.

Today is September 11^th and I remember where I was.  What I felt.  And what I learned.  And I’m glad.  Some things are not meant to fade or be forgotten.

To commemorate the day, I would like you to tell me where you were when the planes hit the towers and the world changed.  What do you remember?  What lessons about the people around you did you learn?  What do you hope we never forget?

New Year's Resolution

By Evelyn David

A few weeks ago I cooked a brisket, which I sliced and then froze. It was my opening salvo to get ready for the holidays which begin next Sunday evening with the celebration of Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year. It's not exactly like December 31. No Waterford crystal ball drop, no Dick Clark (RIP) countdown to Midnight. But it does have that same sense of a fresh start.

But before I begin 5773, the year in the Jewish calendar, I like to look back over the previous 12 months, give thanks for my blessings, recognize the lessons learned, apologize to those I've offended, focus on areas of improvement, and set goals for the future.

It's that last one that has me thinking. Recently I wrote a blog about our summer vacation and titled it, "Always Better in the Retelling." It's how we all now laugh uproariously at the trials and tribulations of past family vacations. But I'd like to change that for the future. Not the laughing part or the shared family memories. But instead, my hope for the New Year, besides a most fervent one of good health for family and friends, is both complicated and simple.

I'd like to learn how to enjoy the moment when it's happening – and not just after it's finally over. Too often I allow my fears and insecurities to overwhelm me and preclude me from being fully immersed in what is happening. My mind is going a mile a minute, instead of slowing down to admire the passing scenery so to speak. Or sometimes I find myself so caught up in the minutia of preparing for the holiday or family celebration, that I'm too tired or too busy to enjoy it once it's here. Or at times I realize that I'm missing my loved ones who have died so much that I fail to savor those around me.

In short, I don't want to enjoy life by looking at and then enjoying the videotape (real or figurative) – but rather learn to focus and appreciate the "right now." I don't want to live so much in the past or project so far into the future that I miss the present. It's a journey for sure, but I begin it in 5773.

I wish for each and every one of you L'Shana Tova, which means "For a Good Year." May it be filled with health, happiness, family, friends, and joy.

Marian aka The Northern Half of Evelyn David

 

 

 

Sullivan Investigations Mystery
Murder Off the Books Kindle - Nook - Smashwords - Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle - Trade Paperback (exclusive to Amazon for 90 days)
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

 

Zoned for Murder
Kindle
Nook
Smashwords
Trade Paperback

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
Missing in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Summer Lightning in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah - trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 - I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 - A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)

Romances
Love Lessons - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

Tried and True Friends

Tried and True Friends
By Laura Bradford

Even as a little girl, I could lose myself in the pages of a book for hours. I'd hole up at the desk in my bedroom and read until I was forced to stop for something like food or sleep.

When I was super little, it was books like CORDOROY and The GIVING TREE that sucked me in. Oh, and the one about the little snow plow (I think) that watched his favorite town change from a quiet place to a big city...I remember tracing his paths with my finger, again and again.

As I grew older, I moved on to stories like Little House on the Prairie, Judy Blume, Nancy Drew, Mary Higgins Clark (those were the best). Essentially, if it was a book, I read it. I liked the escape, the chance to lose myself in the pages of a story that took me somewhere different than my desk...in my bedroom.

Books, I suppose, were my most tried and true friends. They were always there, always ready to spend the day with me. They could make me laugh, they could make me cry, they could make me suck in my breath out of fear...but no matter how they affected me at any given moment, they were always there.

Over the last year or so, my reading has fallen off. Or, rather, the time to read has fallen off. Deadlines upon deadlines are one of the leading culprits in that sorry state of affairs.

So when a window opens on time to read, I seize it. Hard. Last week, I turned in the 8th book in my Southern Sewing Circle series, leaving me with a two week gap before I really have to be at the keyboard again. Of course, the first few days were spent catching up on all those things I ignored while writing (laundry, cleaning, painting my eldest daughter's bedroom, etc). I knew I wanted to read once the chores were done, but it kept getting put off.

Finally, over the weekend, I was in Target with the kids. One was trying on clothes, the other was looking at CDs, and so I wandered through the book section (a.k.a. my happy place). Something about the cover of Emilie Richards' ONE MOUNTAIN AWAY spoke to me. I picked it up, read the synopsis, and stuck it in my cart (along with the shelf and sheets that I was purchasing to go with my daughter's newly painted room). When we were done, we headed home, and the book was pushed to the side while we finished said room.

That "put aside" mentality changed on Wednesday when the kids went off for their first day of school. I got my chores done, my errands run, and about an hour before they were due home, I finally sat down with my new purchase. Sure enough, within two pages, I was reminded of all the reasons I love to read. :)

Today, I've got less than 100 pages left of ONE MOUNTAIN AWAY and I have little doubt I'll finish it before the end of the day. Though, in all fairness, this is one book I'm truly in a quandry about finishing. It's good. Really really good. And like all good things, it's hard to see it end.

Tell me, what books did you enjoy as a young teen? Why do you like to read? And finally, what are you reading now?

~Laura 

*P.S. I'll be posting details of a fun contest on my website later today. So come on over and check it out if you can. There's books involved... :)

Virtues of the Virtual Tour

by Douglas Corleone


Rather than trek from city to city, many authors today are touring from home in their underwear.  The virtual tour continues to rise in popularity, and there is no shortage of venues in the blogosphere to visit.  No air travel, no road trips, no filling the tank at four bucks a gallon – sounds like a terrific alternative to the traditional tour.  But is it? I’m touring virtually right here right now, though I am wearing shorts and a tank top.  I live in Hawaii, which makes the conventional tour a bit more difficult – but not impossible.  So, why am I typing instead of talking to you at a bookstore?  Do virtual tours sell books? 
 
Maybe.  But I don’t think they sell all that many.  What the virtual tour does do is give an author exposure.  Before reading this, you may have never heard the name Douglas Corleone or the title of my latest novel, Last Lawyer Standing.  But if you just read that sentence, you have now.  (Please try to remember it).  Are you likely to rush over to Amazon and purchase my book based on my musings on virtual tours?  Of course not.  But my name may stick in your head – Douglas Corleone, Douglas Corleone, Douglas Corleone – and next spring when my first international thriller titled Good as Gone comes out, you may remember it.  (If you need help remembering my surname, think of the Corleone family in The Godfather saga). 

In advertising it’s well known that a consumer needs to see a product about 7 or 8 times before the product truly sinks into that consumer’s memory.  The bar I’ve set for virtual tours is 30 blogs in 30 days.  (I accomplished that last year; this year, only half as many).  So if you come across half my guest blog posts this year, there’s a chance you’ll remember my name, maybe even my face, and hopefully my book jacket, next time you’re browsing the shelves in the New Mysteries section at Barnes & Noble.  And maybe then, you’ll pick up the book, read the dust jacket.  If so, whether you purchase the book or not, the virtual tour has served its purpose. 

The virtual tour should remain part of any new author’s arsenal.  But it shouldn’t replace the traditional tour.  Nothing compares to meeting readers face-to-face and signing their books in front of them.  The virtue of the virtual tour is to give an author an additional platform, to expand his or her overall internet presence.  If it accomplishes that minor goal, it’s done its job and it was well worth the 400 or 500 words written in your underwear.  Thanks to the Stiletto Gang for helping me help you remember my name – Douglas Corleone, Douglas Corleone, Douglas Corleone – though I still hope to meet you someday face-to-face.  Let’s say next spring?

Buy Last Lawyer Standing at Amazon

------------

Bio: Douglas Corleone is the author of the Kevin Corvelli crime novels published by St. Martin's Minotaur. A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Doug now resides in the Hawaiian Islands, where he is currently at work on his next novel. Visit him online at www.douglascorleone.com and follow him on Twitter @douglascorleone and Facebook.

Rejuevenating by Going to Sisters in Crime meeting

This is Ashley who attends the meetings with her mom and grandma--but spends most of her time reading. She's been coming to the SinC meetings since she was a little girl and often helps out. (She's much younger and prettier than the rest of us.)

I'm one of the founding members of the San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime (Fresno). We've met in many places, usually a restaurant, which is where we meet now.

I don't live close to Fresno, it takes at least 1 3/4 hours to get to the meeting spot from our home in the foothills--but I do try to go to as many meetings as possible. Hubby likes to go too and we took along another Sister. Traffic was horrendous because of the holiday weekend.

We have lots of interesting speakers, some from the law enforcement fields and some are authors who come and talk about their books or give writing tips. (I've been a speaker several times over the years.)

This day Simon Wood and Camille Minichino drove down from the Bay area (San Francisco) to be our guests.

Here are some of the fascinating things they had to say.

Camile loves and thinks in terms of numbers. She knows exactly what % she is in her writing. She displayed a graph that showed exactly where she is now. She creates her characters as a scientist might.

Simon talked about technology and how it can either confine or liberate. He reminded us that a cell phone can do 1000 different things. He recently updated his older books and said it was quite a chore.

He also told us if there is a major event our cell phones will no longer work. He also asked "What happens when all the power goes away?"

Camille talked about Sue Grafton never aging her character or updating technology. Camille also talked about research and finding out how to do things like hacking into email for a plot point. She reminded us that a young character would have the newest "stuff."

She confessed she went into physics because there was nothing to memorize.

Simon said his best friend is Google Earth. He also told us Congress is killing off all the science experiments. The only big one left is the fusion project.

Simon Wood speaking.

It was a most interesting meeting and despite the drive, I was revved up and anxious to get back to my own writing.

How many of you belong to Sisters in Crime?

Marilyn

My Crazy Summer

by Maria Geraci

I can't believe that in just a few days summer will be over. Although officially, summer isn't over until Sept 21, Labor Day weekend traditionally marks the beginning of fall. Soon, it will be football games, cooler weather, dropping leaves and the beginning of the holiday rush. I'm both looking forward to it and regretting it, because honestly, my summer seemed to just disappear.

Maybe it's because I had a book debut in early August and it seemed that most of my days were filled with some kind of promotion. Or maybe it's because my youngest daughter was home from college, and having a kid in the house again is always busy. Or maybe it's because I never once made it to the beach. I know. I live in Florida and I'm ashamed to type that! All I know is that we made time for vacation this week and now we're sitting in the middle of a tropical storm. Oy! I'm a native Floridian and should know better. No one takes a vacation in Florida in late August (not if they can help it, that is!).

So, I didn't make it to the beach, I didn't take a real vacation, and I didn't make much, if any progress, on my next novel. Yet, I can't remember having a busier past few months.

In the tradition of back to school essays everywhere, I asked myself,  what exactly did I do this summer?

Here's my list:

I wrote a gazillion blog and Q&A pieces for my blog tour to promote my new release. Plus, answered lots of emails.
Updated my website.
Traveled to Orlando for a book signing at the public library.
Caught up on 3 years worth of business expenses to amend my taxes. (Can you believe I found $22,000 worth of deductions?--yep, I'm a terrible book keeper.)
Cleaned out most of the closets in my home.
Took up Jazzercize again.
Went to see our local community theater's version of Aida 4 times (hey, my daughter was in the play!)
Obsessed endlessly over how my new novel was doing by Googling my title, name, etc... over and over.
Oh, and still worked at the day job (night job, to be exact- delivering babies).

Whew. I guess my summer was somewhat productive, after all.

What about you? What did you do this summer?

The END

I have a joke with a few of the writers here on Stiletto that when I’m just about to get to the end of a manuscript but have run out of ideas, my inclination—one that I have never acted on, by the way—is to write “and then they all died.”  Because let’s face it, by the time you’ve written eighty thousand words or so, you are bone tired.  Tired of your keyboard, tired of your characters, tired of finding new ways to say “murdered.” (I personally like “bought it.”)  Eventually, knowing that that is not an acceptable way to end a story, you walk away from your computer and figure out how to tie up the loose ends by not killing all of your major characters, and by extension, your writing career.

I happened upon this topic because I just read a recently published book that skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller list, loving every single page, every single word until I got to the last chapter.  Then, the book completely fell apart for me, no resolution to the main conflict that existed for the better part of four hundred words.  Several friends and even my mother read this book and I anxiously awaited their comments when they finished.  They were all the same:

Loved the book.  Hated the ending.

Now don’t get me wrong:  I don’t necessarily like everything tied up in a very neat bow, every single loose end resolved in such a way that there is nary a question or concern upon my finishing of a book.  However, I do expect some justice for the aggrieved, some sort of comeuppance for the perpetrator, so to be left hanging leaves me feeling…well, for lack of a better word…aggrieved.  Obviously, though, in the case of the aforementioned bestseller, the author didn’t feel the same way, nor did their editor, I can only assume.  They both thought that the non-resolution brought forth by the main characters was suitable, maybe more like life itself? I’m not sure.  But it did leave a bad taste in my mouth, but not completely diminishing the joy that I felt while reading the book.

The ending of this book didn’t approach my favorite “and then they all died” ending but more like “and they lived…maybe not happily…maybe not forever…but at least for a little while.”  It was interesting to me that my visceral response was shared by everyone I knew who read the book as well as a bunch of really ticked off online reviewers whose consternation practically jumped off the screen.

How do you feel when you finish a book and are dissatisfied with the ending?  Does it affect future purchases of the same author’s books? Would it drive you to post a vitriolic rant on Amazon?  Would it depend on just how unsatisfying the ending was?

Maggie Barbieri

Searching for the perfect fit

by: Joelle Charbonneau

I don’t know about you, but I’ve come to believe that life is all about looking for the right fit.  As kids we spend time doing lots of different activities in a search for the things that interest us and will help us grow into the people we are meant to be.  (My son is currently in this stage.  This summer alone we did swim lessons, played t-ball and raced up and down the soccer field.  He loved them all!) 

As we get older we search for the right colleges that will help us develop our interests.  We search for friends that will see us through the good and bad times and go on date after date hoping to find the right match to walk through life with.

We shuttle through television shows and books in a quest for those that speak to us.  We work job after job hoping to find that which fulfills us.  Day by day we continuously are searching.  Growing.  Changing.

In my life, we are currently searching for a perfect something.  For us it is the perfect house.  While I love our townhouse, the time has come for us to move somewhere that has space for me to have an office….with a door!  (And with a handful of deadlines and an active 4-year old to deal with, moving sounds like a relaxing thing to do, right?)  I’m lucky the tot loves the house search.  He counts bedrooms and bathrooms (often testing the bathrooms…sigh) and smiles with delight over every interesting detail.  (Or not so interesting depending on your point of view.  Personally, the large bathtub in the master suite of one house was way too interesting for me.)

During our quest for the right house we have seen bathrooms without doors (I wish I was joking), closet doors wallpapered on both sides, attached garages that have no direct entrance to the house (this apparently was a trend in the 70s?) and décor that belongs in an Austin Powers movie.  Fun times.

We also found a house that I love.  I think.  Today is the day the inspector will go through the house and let us know if it is the perfect fit.  If it is, there will be boxes to pack, a piano to move and lots of work ahead. 

And if it isn’t so perfect…well, I guess house hunting is a lot like searching for the next great book to read…you have to keep looking until you find the one that speaks to you.

Do you have any great “search for the perfect fit” stories?  If so, I’d love to hear them.  And if you’ve seen anything crazy while hunting for houses, I’d love to hear those, too!