Another Word For Slob

We joke around that our cats are so messy that they're not cats, they're pigs.  (Oddly enough, the cats don't laugh at this.)

But the other day I saw a real life pig, and it didn't have four legs.

I was sitting at a stoplight and a bus pulled up at a stop.  Three teenagers got off.  They were in the 13-15 year old range, two boys, one girl.  The girl reached into her pockets, pulled out a bunch of candy wrappers, and threw them on the ground.  Then she and her friends crossed (I should say ambled across) the street AGAINST THE LIGHT, causing those of us who had already waited an entire cycle to wait for them.

Were these kids brought up in a barn?  Didn't anyone ever teach them that littering IS A CRIME.  That crossing against the light CAN GET YOU KILLED?

But it was the littering that really made me angry.

There's one stretch of highway (Route 104) that looks like part of a third world coutnry because so many people toss their trash out their car windows.

Sometimes I'm really ashamed of my home town and especially some of the people who live here.

This is what I call pre-planning!

The other day Mr. L invited me to go to the local nursery.

"What for?" I asked.

"To get spring bulbs."

Hot dog!

This is what I hope to see in late March or early April.

Okay, we've had a lovely (unseasonably warm) fall, but I know winter is right around the corner.  I don't think it's too soon to starting thinking about spring.  Do you?
.

Tricia Decks Those Halls . . .

I'm now hard at work on the next Booktown Mystery (and making good progress, I might add).  If you read my Cozy Chicks blog post on Saturday, you know I've been creeping into Christmas by playing holiday music. What's this got to do with Booktown #7?  (Gonna have to run a contest pretty soon to get a real title.  But more on that later.)

Back in May, I had lunch with my editor who asked me why I didn't write about winter in Stoneham.  The answer is simple, because I don't live in Southern New Hampshire and I don't KNOW what winter in New Hampshire is like.  He thought I could probably fake it.

Well, I'm not writing about winter, but I am currently writing about November in New Hampshire.  And what do retailers do in November?  They ramp up for Christmas holiday shopping.  Even in little stores like Haven't Got a Clue.

So what is Tricia doing in this story?  Decorating with the help of her staff . . . and hopefully it'll be funny.

What's fun for me about this is she's decorating her store with some of my own decorations.  Think of her front window with a few of these little cuties.


Vintage ornaments in a store that sells vintage mysteries. But that's not the only kind of vintage decorations going up at Haven't Got a Clue.  And she's being aided by a woman who would willingly wear this kind of Christmas apparel.


Oh yes, I'm having fun with this one.

What's the first thing you put up in the way of holiday decorations?
.

When Did Common Courtesy Become Uncommon?

Last week I got an email from someone who wanted to sell jewelry at my holiday bazaar.

Um...I don't HAVE a holiday bazaar.  I am, however, participating in three of them (and if you're in the Rochester area you can check them out.  I've got them listed on my website(s) under Events).

Nowhere in the note was there a nicety like, "could you give me some information (PLEASE)," or "thank you for your trouble."  Nope, just "call me at this number."

I emailed her the information I had.  I got a note back saying, "the telephone number for this person doesn't work."  Not, "could you recheck the number or give me another one?" or "Thank you for your trouble."

Nope.  Nothing.  I thought twice about answering, but did anyway.  (My parents brought ME up right.)  And did I hear back from her saying "thank you for your help?"

Nope.

As it happens, it's probably too late for her to rent booth space (I rented mine back in the summer and I've been on their lists for years).  She's not selling hand-crafted jewelry, either, so it's not likely they're going to let her in the shows anyway.

But you know -- a please and a thank would would have been nice.  After all, these shows are holiday bazaars and aren't we supposed to be nicer to each other during the holidays?


Common courtesy seems to be foreign to most people these days.

More's the pity.

You won't go broke at the Farmers market

Yesterday I had to go to the dentist.  The news was NOT good.  I've been stalling on yet TWO MORE CROWNS (one is to replace an old leaky one) for three years now and can't put it off any longer.  (Wahhhhh!)

So what do I do to celebrate the loss of a ton of money?  I go to the local Farmers Market.
Let me tell you, it was COLD.  I was only there for about 15 minutes and I froze. I can't imagine what those poor farmers feel like at the end of a long day of selling veggies.  And quite a few of them have given up for the season, for there weren't half as many vendors.  Still, the brave few that were there sold enough to empty my wallet.

I bought leeks and potatoes.  Guess what I'm having for lunch today?  Leek and potato soup. (And you can find the recipe for it here on my website.)

I bought two acorn squashes and one butternut squash (they were on special: 3 for $2).

I bought Brussels sprouts on the stalk.  Can you say roasted in olive oil with a little fresh ground pepper?

I bought a lovely (and huge--the size of a bowling ball) cabbage for $1.  We're going to make our own version of cabbage rolls (with the same thing we stuff green peppers.  Yum-EEEEE).

Last night we had the most delicious cauliflower.  I made enough for my mom, and there's still enough for a bunch more meals.

We are going to be eating our veggies for the next week.
The grocery store charges by the pound.  The Farmers Market charges by the item (and usually less than what the grocery store is selling it per pound.)  The market will be open this year until November 19th.  Can you say "Thank Goodness For My Chest Freezer?"

What did you get at the market?
.

Witnessing a new low when grocery shopping

Yesterday I went grocery shopping . . . and saw a man in his PJs and robe.

YES--his PJs AND ROBE.  He was returning his empty pop and beer cans ... probably so he could buy more pop and beer.

This was at about 11 a.m., too.

And this guy wasn't a teen or college student. He was in his late 40s or early 50s.

What is wrong with people?

Heck, I don't even go shopping in shorts.

Have you ever seen those Walmart shopper pictures?  (He didn't look anywhere near as good looking as the guy above, either. He looked ... scruffy.  Hadn't shaved, etc.)

This guy was a candidate to join those shoppers.

What weirdness have you seen at the grocery store?
 .

A shopping I must go

Do you put things off?  I really need to do some serious shopping.  First of all, I need cat food.  We buy from the pet store because it's (a teensy bit) cheaper than the grocery store.  So we usually buy it by the case.  We're talking 15-20 cases at a time.  (And I'm the lucky one who gets to schlep it to the basement because I have two real--not replaced--knees.)

I need a new door handle for the pantry door.  That's a trip to Home Depot.

I need some new socks.  Haven't figured out where I'll go for them.

I need a new flash drive.  Lost the other one.  That's a trip to Staples.  (Which is right next to Home Depot.  Hmm...)

I need a bunch of other stuff, too.  But I just can't seem to get myself OUT of the house and shopping.  What a pain.  Get in car.  Drive.  Park.  Get out of car.  Go in store.  Don't find what I'm looking for.  Get back in car.  Drive somewhere else.  Get out of car.  Go in store.  Don't find what I'm looking for.  Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Maybe that's why I do so much shopping online these days.

A few years ago, our grocery store chain did have online shopping.  I think they were ahead of the curve.  Nobody used it so they discontinued it.

Today is grocery shopping/errand day.  By the time I get back (lunchtime), I won't want to go out for another week -- and then it will be grocery shopping/errand day again.

Do you like to shop?
++++++++++++++++
P.S.  I'm guesting today on two different blogs:  Lori's Reading Corner and Crazy For Books.  (They're giving away copies of Recipes to Die For and Murder On The Mind!)
.

Like Jerry Seinfeld says, "it's got a taint!"

More than a month ago, I ordered a book from Hoffman Media called Scones & Tea.  Yes, it's by the people who put out Teatime and Victoria Magazines.  Now, I've ordered stuff from them before and never had to wait more than a couple of weeks to get it.  This one ... took 6 weeks.

When I opened the package, I noticed there was a bill inside and a note that said I had ordered via check and underpaid.  No, no, no.  I ordered right from their email and paid via my credit card.  Now, truth be told, I don't remember if the shipping was free or not, but since I've ordered from them before (and since) and there was never a shipping fee before, I assumed the shipping was included in the $19.99 price.

Nope.  Now they want $4.

I sent them a note telling them that I did NOT order by check and that I believed the shipping was free.  Guess what--it wasn't Hoffman media that answered my email.  It was some fulfillment house.  (Probably they're the ones who sat on my order for 6 weeks.)  Make no mistake, they want that four bucks, and there was no "Dear Customer," no apology for whatever misunderstanding that may have happened, no explanation, no nothing--just a statement that says I owe and I need to pay it ASAP.

This is NOT good customer service, and not what I expected from a company that prides itself on Southern hospitality.  First of all, they should have acknowledged that I didn't pay by check.  They should also have given me some explanation as to why when ordering by credit card the shipping was NOT included. They did neither. "PAY UP SISTER" was their message.

It's too bad I really enjoy these magazines, or I could just ignore them and never order another thing from them again.  But I still want to read those magazines.

I tried to call and was on hold so long that I was in danger of using up my cell phone minutes for the month.  (Which is why I ended up emailing.)  But I'm not happy about this situation.  Would I have paid an extra $4 for this book had I known the cost was $4 more? Maybe -- maybe not.  But having to pay extra after you've already received the book?  Not amusing.

And I haven't even opened the book.  Now, to quote Seinfield, "it's got a taint."

Have you ever had an experience like this before?  If so, what did you do?

I'm a one-woman cleaning machine

We're having company!  Company coming means one thing to me:  CLEANING.

Did I ever mention how much I loathe house cleaning?

Yesterday I did the BIG loads of laundry.  Our greasy hairy cats love to sleep on the guest bed.  That means stripping the very cute (white vintage) chenille spread and the pillow shams.  I decided to go even deeper and washed the mattress cover, too.  This time I was smart, once everything was nice and clean, I covered the whole bed with an old sheet.  This way when our guest arrives today it'll be nice and fresh -- and no (black) cat hair.

I washed all the towels.  I washed all the dining room place mats (I have a lot, so I can save them up for weeks and do one big load).  I even washed all the throw rugs.

I tidied the kitchen.  I tidied my office (it needed it). I tidied the living room. I'll tidy the living room today (why do our cats scatter all their toys but refuse to play with them?) and vacuum. (Our baby suck (small shop vac) bit the dust yesterday.  I tried to fix it, but it's lost the will to live.)

Our guest will only be here two days, but our house should be clean and shining and inviting.  And then later this week we can go back to real life.

How do you prepare for a guest?
.

Why can't I find any pants in my size?

I've got an "occasion" coming up and I decided to go online to try to buy some new pants.  Guess what.  There are no pants in my size with a high waist.  They cannot be bought for ANY PRICE.

I have been buying my jeans from JCPenny for at least the last 15 years.  Why?  Because they sell to tall women.  Okay, I'm not all that tall (5' 7"), but I do happen to have long legs.  I need pants that are at LEAST 31 inches.  Guess what?  The average length is 29 1/2 inches.  So what's an inch and a half, right?  Well, it might as well be 6 inches in the winter when your pants are far above your ankle.

But now that Penny's has gone out of the catalog business--there went my source for pants that actually fit.  (I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS, JCP!!!)



But even if I can find pants that are long enough, I can't find them with a high waist.  Someone my size does NOT look good in hip-hugger jeans.  Every week I go shopping and see heavyset women in low-riding pants with rolls of excess flesh hanging over the top.  That's not a look I want.

Before I could find tall jeans, my Mom used to add a length of denim to the bottoms of my pants.  This was not an elegant solution, and you can't do that with dress pants.

I have searched the web and can't find any pants I can wear.

Don't tell me to wear a dress -- I gave that up years ago because I couldn't find anything flattering.  (It doesn't help that I don't know how to pick clothes.)

I may have to go to this party in my yoga pants.

Are you hard to fit?  If so, where do you buy your clothes?

Bargain priced--Jeff Resnick Mysteries Volume 2

At least one person expressed interest in the ebook second volume of the Jeff Resnick Mysteries.

Yes!  It's now available--two books for the incredible price of $5.98.

You can find it for/at:


Kindle

Nook

Smashwords (for all e formats)

(Coming soon to Sony E Reader, Kobo, Diesel, and iTunes.)

Yup, that's the entire crop

For the past few weeks we've been drowning in tomatoes and green beans.  Not a bad was to go, eh?
Friday I realized I had forgotten about my potato crop.

The potatoes had a rough summer.  Mr. Groundhog kept eating them down to about the 2-inch level.  Then one day, he said, "I've had enough potato leaves" and went out to the farm to destroy a large part of their eggplant crop.

So, the potatoes soldiered on.  They never had flowers and I figured we'd never get any potatoes, so I more or less forgot about them.  Until Friday.

By Friday, most of the leaves had shriveled up.  I looked around the weed-strewn patch and thought, "I'll never find them."  But, I dug where I thought they might be and sure enough I found them.  Aren't they cute?  We had some (with parsley from the yard) the other night.  Yum yum!

What a fabulous cover!

Marketing is everything.  It is.  Which is why I sent my character Katie Bonner (from the Victoria Square Mysteries) to grad school to get a degree in it.  She was determined to do a fabulous job of marketing her B&B, The English Ivy Inn ... of course, she never got to own the old Victorian House where she'd hoped to open her business ... and that's the first book.  (A Crafty Killing.)

But I'm talking about ME marketing my work.  And one of the things I decided to do was offer the first two Jeff Resnick Books as a 2 fer.  Buy both books in one package and you save $2.

Look at the detail on this fantastic cover.  Isn't it wonderful?  (Done by the fabulous Pat Ryan Graphics.)

It's currently available from Kindle and Smashwords. (Nook always takes their time about these things.  But Smashwords sells all e formats, so everyone is still covered.)  And the cost for these two books?  $5.98 -- that's less than one paperback!  Such a deal!

As soon as I get my butt in gear, I'll be offering the other two books in the series as a 2 fer, as well.  (I already have the cover for that box set, too, and it's just as fabulous.)

COMING SOON:  A Jeff Resnick contest. 
.

Where are all the pretty leaves?

On of the most depressing things about the changing seasons is the light -- or lack thereof -- in the mornings.

In the spring, the sun comes up waaaaaay too early.  Do I really need birds chirping outside my window and the sky getting lighter before 5 am?

But now, it's just the opposite.  Do I really want it to be pitch black out at 6:30 am (and even later come December)?

This is usually the pretty time of year.  When the leaves turn yellow, gold, red, and orange.  Only too many of our maples have blight this year (too much rain and then not enough) and so the leaves are turning brown on the trees and just falling off.  (Even our pin oak is dropping leaves like crazy and usually it doesn't do that until November.)

Is fall happening differnt in your area, too?
====================================
BTW, did you miss my last newsletter? If so, you can find it here:  http://p0.vresp.com/hqTemM
.

My weapon of choice . . .

No sooner have I turned in one book (yesterday), when it's time to start the next.

Right now, I only know what several of the subplots will be. (That's because I'm writing an arc for the characters that won't be finalized until at least book #9.)

Still, I need to turn in a synopsis this week.  YIKES!

As of now I don't know who is killed, with what, or why.  Some day that will all be clear, but in the meantime . . .

Over the summer I purchased an old telephone similar to the one I describe in the Booktown Mysteries.  You may remember that I blogged about it back in August. (And you can read about it here.)
 
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a big community sale and found the following solid brass letter openers.  I knew I had to have them, and I knew one of them would eventually find its way into one of my books (and one of my characters).



Now the problem is ... which one do I use for this next book?

Anybody got any strong feelings one way or another?
.

Green Beans For Me!

Oh, how I lamented the loss of half of my bean crop.  Mr. Bunny (Groundhog ... whatever) ate HALF of my beans.  Nipped them right at ground level, ate a couple of leaves, and left the rest of the plant to die on the poles.  Mr. Bunny got dispatched to the Police Academy (thanks to Animal Control) and the rest of my bean crop was safe.

And boy, as a memorial to their eaten brothers, have these guys gone into overproduction.  We're up to our eyebrows in beans.  But then, I always overplant because I expect Mr. Bunny's relatives to eat at least some of them.

It's been very difficult to pick the bean crop.  Hurricane Irene didn't bring any rain our way, but we sure got a LOT of wind and it blew over not only the bean poles, but the tomato cages, too.  Everything's a mish-mash and it's hard to get in and find the beans.  But Friday we picked half a grocery bag of them because there's no way we could eat them all now.  And thus began the job of freezing them.

Since it's been so hard to pick the beans (there's a fence to contend with, plus we're trying to grow new grass on the other side of it), a lot of them are far too big and tough to eat.  No problem!  We've had problems getting seeds for the variety of beans we prefer. And, in fact, most of this year's crop was from seeds I collected two and three years ago.  They came up just like clockwork.  The pile of beans on the right are just some of the ones I'm drying for next year's seed crop.


After blanching, they went into the ice bath (which in this case happens to be the top of my Tupperware cake tote).

By the time we'd sorted through the beans, we got six bags to freeze.  I estimate we'll have at least that much to do today, too.


Yeah, we could buy a bag of frozen beans for $1.99 that would probably last us for 2-3 meals, but this is so much more satisfying.  I guess only another gardener would understand.

What have you frozen or canned from your veggie garden this year?
===============================
By the way, today I'm guest blogging on my friend Dru-Ann Love's blog, Dru's Book Musings about my new cookbook, RECIPES TO DIE FOR. I hope you'll come by to see what Katie Bonner has to say about the book.
.

Recipes To Die For a reality at last!

The other day, I got my proof copy of RECIPES TO DIE FOR: A Victoria Square Cookbook.  My first reaction was:  Gosh, it's cute!  First of all, the cover pops right out at you.  I love the logo my cover designer made--which sort of reminds me of the covers on the Booktown Mysteries.  But I also love the noose hanging from my name, too.

Although it's a paperback, it's not a mass-market paperback (the size of the novels--this one is bigger...trade size).  One of the complaints I get about the paperbacks is that the type size is too small.  Fear not, this is readable.

But what makes this cookbook special?  (And believe me it is NOT a mystery.  It's a companion piece to the Victoria Square Mystery series.)  The book starts out by introducing quite a few of the characters from the series and giving the reader information that isn't included in the books.  Katie's introduction tells how she came to live with her beloved great aunt Lizzie, and her love of baking.  But you'll find out (hopefully) interesting facts about people like Luther Collier, who owns the local funeral parlor, and vendors Liz and Gwen, who have a much greater presence in the third book than the first two.  But Ida Mitchell, the tag room manager, contributes a couple of her favorite recipes, too.

And the print book differs from the e book because it has graphics.  (I wonder if you can guess what recipe this graphic represents?)

I had a lot of decisions to make about the pricing of the book.  One thing I wanted to do was keep the cost down.  Hey, these are tough times, but the distribution options weren't as attractive as I would have hoped.  In order to make the book available to many retail organizations, the MINIMUM I had to charge was $6.99.  (I may yet have to charge that, but for the now the book costs $5.99.)  Even then, I would make only 17 cents per copy sold.

Therefore, I've chosen to only make it available from My e Store (via the publisher) and on Amazon.  I know--a lot of people don't like Amazon, but selling it on the Barnes & Noble site means I'd only make that same 17 cents a copy, and let's face it ... the author should make more than 17 cents a copy on a book sold.

The book went live just last night My E Store, where it can now be ordered (and where I'll get the highest royalty).  By next week it should show up on Amazon.  I'll let you know when that happens.  But for now, if you'd like to order a print copy of the book, you can find it here.

It's also available as an e book from:  Kindle ~ Nook ~ Smashwords (which has can be downloaded for all e formats).

I hope you'll give Recipes To Die For a chance!
 .

Kate & Will's Kiss . . .

A few weeks ago, when I visited Niagara On The Lake, I visited my favorite shop--The Scottish Loft.  There they stock all things Scottish (and a bunch of them say "If it isn't Scottish, it's CRAP!").  I stocked up on English candy (love those travel sweets) and one more thing.



I have quite a collection of Royal Family memorabilia.  This was just my latest addition.  I had been hoping to find one in bone china but this was it.  (I did see a William and Kate cake plate, but it was something like a hundred bucks, and it only had writing, no picture, so I passed it by.)


Here's my entire Will and Kate collection to date:



What have you added lately to one of your collections?
.

I know it's autumn because . . .

Okay, to be technical--fall doesn't arrive until Friday, but it officially arrives for me today.  Why?
The pool gets closed.

Why does that make me sad when I haven't gone swimming in the thing for at least five years?  Because the pool uncovered is a beautiful thing.  Especially this year because we paid to have it cleaned every other week.  It sparkles.  But when it's closed, it's ugly.  It's a blunt reminder that SUMMER IS OVER and we're going TO FREEZE FOR MONTHS ON END.

I hate pool closing.

But . . . the seasons must change.  It's time to think about other things.  We'll soon be going down to our basement pub in the evenings.  It's got the world's most comfortable couch, a bar, tons of books and magazines to read, music, TV--it's like a 2nd living room.  (Okay, we already have three other living rooms, but it's my favorite one.)

What event marks the end of summer for you?
_______________________________________
BTW, RECIPES TO DIE FOR: A Victoria Square Cookbook is now available for Nook.  Will have an update on the print version in the next couple of days.
.

Recipes To Die For is now available ... sort of

Okay, when I said I was shooting for October 1st, I had no idea things would come together so fast for my Victoria Square cookbook, Recipes to Die For.

Well, not exactly.  Amazon uploaded the book in less than six hours, which has to be a record.  Smashwords is always fast, but then you wait for a long time to see if you make it to the Premium Catalog (which means they distribute it to places like Sony, Kobo, Diesel and Apple.  Still waiting on that.)  As I write this, I'm still waiting for Barnes & Noble to upload it for Nook.  The last time I uploaded to them, it took three weeks.  I nagged and nagged, but they weren't going to put that story up until they were good and ready, I guess.

The print version could be ready as soon as next week.

I decided to do a print version because so many of my readers have said they don't have e readers and don't plan on getting them, either.  The only problem is, the price tag is higher than I would have liked.  And I decided NOT to make the book available to libraries and other bookstores simply because I would lose 23 cents for every book sold.  I just can't afford to do that.  So, the price tag is $5.99, which still seems high to me, but it was the cheapest I could make it and not lose money.

So, if you'd like to purchase the book right now, it's available on Kindle and (for all e formats) Smashwords.  I'll let you know when the print version is available.

I hope you'll like getting to know not only Katie Bonner better, but her vendors and friends on Victoria Square.  And ... maybe try a recipe or two while you're at it.

Thank you!
.

And I Didn't Pay For Shipping!

Way back in 2008, I blogged about how I wanted a GT Express 101 counter top cooker thingy.  (And if you missed that post, you can read it here.)  It was being sold on an infomercial for $40 (for two) with an astronomical shipping price.  Suffice to say, I didn't buy it.  I figured I probably couldn't use two of them and didn't have anyone to give the second one to.

I must've watched that infomercial at least 100 times. I could practically recite along with the hostess Cathy Mitchell and her pal Joe, who cooked all kinds of omelets, cakes (with bite-size Snicker bars in the middle), enchiladas, cornbread, and all kinds of neat stuff -- in ten minutes or less!

Boy, I really wanted one . . . but I got over it and moved on.

Earlier this summer, I saw a used one at a yard sale, but it didn't have the recipe book.  I came back a second time and looked at it longingly . . . but decided that at $3 and no recipe book, it wasn't going to come home with me.

And then ... last weekend I saw another one, BRAND NEW IN THE BOX for $5.  You never saw anyone peel off five bucks as fast in your whole life.  It had everything, the little flipper-overer, a bottle to measure pancake batter, and best of all, the recipe book full of 101 recipes.  Woo-hoo!

It was with great anticipation that I fired that baby up. Since the infomercial touted it as great for using up small quantities of leftovers, that's where I started.  I beat a couple of eggs, tossed in some leftover parsley potatoes and a half a slice of Swiss cheese to make my very first omelet.

The booklet said it would take 7 minutes to cook.  I peeked halfway and shook my head.  It was going to take a LOT longer.  But then the 7 minutes was up (I used my handy dandy kitchen timer) and gosh darnit if that little omelet wasn't done to a turn.  Of course, then it was time to get that baby out of the GT express 101. The flipper overer looks like it should be easy to use, but it felt awkward in my hand.  I had to use my left hand to get the omelet out of the left hand side of the cooker.

Was this omelet any better than I could have made in my omelet pan?  Probably not.  Was it easier to use?  Yes, because I didn't have to stand there and baby it. Did it taste better?  I would've tasted a lot better if I'd cooked it in a big gob of butter, but they tell you NOT to add more than cooking spray, and therefore you get healthier food.

Was it everything they advertised?  I'd say yes.  Of course, I've only used it once, but I have a feeling I'll use it again.  Maybe not tomorrow, but soon.  Will I ever use it for anything other than an omelet?  That's debatable.  But it is easier to clean than my omelet pan, so ... what the heck.

Have you ever used an AS SEEN ON TV product that worked?

Recipes to die for?

When I told my sister-in-law I was writing a cookbook, she laughed.  "You?  Cooking?  Telling other people how to cook?"

Now, wait a minute, I never said I couldn't cook, I just prefer NOT to, although I've always enjoyed baking. (And hey, since someone else was willing to do most of the cooking, I didn't object.)  Since I started writing the Booktown Mysteries (and one of the main characters is really into food and cooking), I've done a lot more cooking--and a lot of experimentation in the kitchen.  I've even successfully reproduced (or a reasonable facsimile) recipes of food that I've eaten in restaurants, something I wouldn't even have contemplated a few years back.

So, this summer I decided to write a cookbook for my Victoria Square characters.  And what we have is: RECIPES TO DIE FOR.

This was my "play piece."  As I've mentioned before, we had a rough beginning to the summer. (Beginning as in early April and plowing through mid-July.)  Having a play piece was fun--an escape.  It also didn't hurt that I was writing a novel with the same characters at the very same time.  I got to explore their lives, where they came from, and express it through the recipes they contributed to the Victoria Square Cookbook.

Author Ellery Adams, now known for ther Books by the Bay mysteries (and for the Supper Club Mysteries under the name J.B. Stanley), will soon be known for her Charmed Pie Mysteries.  Ellery/J.B knows her way around the kitchen.  So I was thrilled when she gave Recipes To Die For an enthusiastic two-thumbs up.  She said:

"Cozy readers everywhere have fallen in love with Lorraine Bartlett's A Crafty Killing and the inhabitants of Victoria Square, a charming and sometimes dangerous berg featuring one-of-a-kind businesses like Artisans Alley. In Recipes To Die For, Katie Bonner and the rest of the locals from Victoria Square invite you into their kitchens to share tantalizing recipes and intimate stories about food, family, and life. So tie on your apron and sharpen your knives, because Recipes To Die For is chock full of culinary treasures such as Andy Rust's Cinnamon Rolls, Vance Ingram’s Barbequed Ribs, and Sweet Sue’s Toffee Squares. And you don't want to miss Aunt Lizzie’s Cream Scones. They're to die for!"

So, when will it be avaiable?

October 1st.

How will it be available?

In print and as an ebook.  First, on Kindle and Nook, and within a week or so of that date, all other e formats.  You'll be able to order it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any independent bookstore.

Would you like to read a Victoria Square cookbook?
.

CHARGE IT!

by Guest Blogger Sylvia May

When Lorna asked if I’d like to guest blog on Pet Peeve Thursday, I replied with a resounding yes. Trouble was, I couldn’t think of any Pet Peeves. Not one thing to complain about. Aren’t I lucky?

Nevertheless, I settled into our comfy chair with my laptop, figuring inspiration would hit eventually. Turning on the computer, I was greeted with a message telling me there were nine minutes of power left on my battery. Oh yeah, I’d forgotten to plug it in the night before. Annoyed with myself, I scrambled out of the chair to get the charger and realized that I did have a Pet Peeve to write about.

A few mornings ago, after virtuously dragging myself out of bed at 6:00, I donned my running clothes, grabbed my cute little iPod Nano (which has on it an invigorating and motivating playlist) and went outside. Did my stretches, put in the earbuds and turned on my Nano. Except it wouldn’t turn on! You guessed it; I’d forgotten to charge it.

That same day (same day!) I was out running errands when my cell phone rang. “Hi Sylvia,” my sister began. “I wanted to ask you—” and then the phone died. Really? Had I forgotten to charge that too? (And this one is crucial, since our cell phone is our only phone.)

You’d think I would have learned my lesson. Not so. The other night I climbed into bed with my iPad, which I primarily use as my e-Reader. I was eager to devour a few more chapters of the wonderful book, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, before nodding off. Alas, before I’d gotten through a couple of pages, the battery died. Then I remembered that my daughter, who was visiting us for a few days, had been playing Fruit Ninjas on my iPad, frantically trying to beat her own score of 564, an activity that had apparently run the power down.

I am obviously dependent on my portable electronic devices—for work, for reading, for play. But I seem to forget that they only work when they’re charged!

So now, I’m trying to make it a habit to plug everything in before going to bed. Well, I plug in my iPad in the morning, since I actually use it in bed. I’ve been at it for three days. So far, so good—everything is fully charged when I set out to use it.

Have you run out of power recently?
==============================
Sylvia May’s emotionally charged debut novel, The Unraveling of Abby Settel, was released two weeks ago. A women’s fiction novel, it is a story of mid-life reinvention and the importance of friends. Watch the trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNZvTaIOIZE), visit her website (www.sylviamay.com) and her blog (http://sylviamaysblog.blogspot.com/).

Keeping the lights on

I often worry about the wrong things.  One of the things I worry about is losing power.  Worse--losing the Internet because I've lost power!  But wait, maybe after recent events, this isn't such a wrong thing to worry about.

During the time we've lived in this house, we've lost power--for days at a time--twice.  We've lost power for hours at a time five or six times.  In the summer . . . it's not so bad.  Although after a tremendous thunderstorm (microburst) we were without power for five days.  It was heartbreaking to see the streetlights on, but the every house in the neighborhood shrouded in darkness.  (And wouldn't you know we had just stocked our freezer a couple of days before the storm.)  At that time, I had a day job, so I could go to work and cool off and surf the net.  My self-employed husband could not.  And with no power, he couldn't work, either.  It was a long five days for him.  And we (and the neighbors) were furious to find that it was the turn of a wrench that powered up our neighborhood once again.  They just didn't have a crew available to come do it ... FOR FIVE DAYS.

When we lost power after an ice storm and the house went down to 44 degrees, it was a nightmare.  We couldn't get a hotel room because we had cats.  We weren't going to leave the cats, so we stayed at the house.  And FROZE.  That's when Mr. L channeled Scarlett O'Hara and said, "As God is my witness, I will never be cold again!"

We bought a gasoline-powered generator.  What a great piece of insurance.  After we bought it, we didn't lose power for several years.  But last winter we did--for more than three hours.  That was the first time we had to use the generator.  First, Mr. L had to crawl around in the snow and plug the generator into the circuit.  Not so easy when you have had two knee replacements.  Next, we had to endure not only the roar of the generator, but the fumes.  (And yes, it was stationed outside and well away from the house, but you could still smell it.)  I was convinced we'd die of asphyxiation. But the furnace did run.  We could use the microwave and toaster oven to make supper.  (But we couldn't run the computers.  Mr. Generator was good, but not that good.)

Today (well, if we don't have a downpour), we're having a natural gas-powered generator installed.  Oddly enough, we'd made the decision before Hurricane Irene struck and left millions in the dark for days.  We've got a lot of problems in this country, and one of them is an aging infrastructure.  Why did so many people lose power during Hurricane Irene?  Because the power lines are above ground--running through trees, that break and fall during bad weather.  (Think about it, this is 19th Century technology we're talking about.)

The next time the power goes out, I want my lights, heat (or AC) and I want my Internet.  Hopefully, new Mr. Generator will deliver it for me.  (Think of it this way:  a Thomas Kincade painting vs. Bob Cratchit trying to warm himself over a candle?)  And yeah, this is taking a BIG bit our of our savings, but it's also bringing us something equally important:  peace of mind.  You can't put a price on that.

Taking a Day Off

Tuesday I took the day off.  Believe me, after the summer I've had, I needed a day off.

Mr. L and I drove across the border to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a lovely little town on the Niagara River.  While my fictional village of Stoneham, NH doesn't look much like NOTL, I wish it did. (And I'm coaxing it, I'm coaxing it.)  By the way, if you click on the pictures, you should see bigger versions of them.


Our first stop, the Prince of Wales Hotel for afternoon tea.


The tea room was gorgeous.  We could have sat at the outer edge to watch the people on the sidewalk go past, but chose instead to sit "inside" and enjoy the lovely tea room itself.



The tea came out first.  Isn't this lovely china?



And next came the most delicious and fattening food . . .


After lunch, we walked around the town and just took in the lovely homes and other sights.


I think Mr. Horsey would have preferred to be standing in a meadow in the shade instead of pulling tourists on a hot day.


All in all, it was the perfect day.

Have you had a perfect day lately?
 .