Kate Collins's Blog
December 1, 2020
November 30, 2020
GOOD FRIENDS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Caridad Pineiro, New York Times best-selling author, says, “While family is the most important foundation in my life, having friends with common interests, like my writing buddies, allows me to deal with issues unique to that interest. Having people to whom you can unload and who will understand because they are in a similar situation can be very helpful in restoring balance and perspective to a problem.” If you feel your social circle is too limited, here are a few tips on enhancing your current friendships and opening the door to new relationships. 1) Cell phones, texting and social media are not a substitute for face to face communication. Distance creates distance. In order to nurture the friendships you treasure, set aside time for face to face visits with your friends. Their support will be invaluable to you in times of stress and emotional upheaval. The relationships you build now will serve you well in the future. 2) Be open to new friendships, expand your social horizons. Make it a point to interact with a new group of people this year. You can take a class, join a group, or volunteer your services. You’ll find that bonding over common interests is one of the best ways to form a new relationship. 3) If any of your current friends are “toxic,” you may have to disengage yourself from them. It’s not worth risking your physical health or your emotional well being to maintain a damaging relationship. Sometimes friendships that served us well in the past no longer provide the nurturance and support we need right now. If that’s the case, it’s best to quietly separate from these individuals who no longer make you feel valued and uplifted. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic split, just quietly engage in new friendships and focus on creating ties with warm, supportive people. 4) Find a friend who shares your fitness goals and your interest in healthy living. This is a win-win situation. Beginning a diet. starting an exercise program or giving up smoking can be a lonely endeavor; having a buddy by your side makes it easier. Investing time and energy in close friendships is bound to reap health benefits for you down the road. Studies show that people with strong friendships are less likely to be depressed or anxious and more likely to sleep well, eat nourishing meals and go for regular medical check-ups. 5) What’s the true test of a good friend? Someone who shares your successes as well as your failures, is not judgmental and answers your calls most of the time. No relationship is perfect, butfinding and cherishing a close friend is one of life’s joys.
Mary Kennedy is a licensed psychologist in Delaware and the author of almost fifty novels. You can visit her at www.marykennedy.net
September 1, 2020
Lockdown Stress
by Maggie Sefton
I'll be choosing a July Book Giveaway winner this week and will notify them via email. So check your email, everyone. And My earlier book giveaway if still scheduled. This awful Lockdown has slowed everything. Grrrrrrrrr........ 
I hope all of our Cozy Chicks Blog readers are surviving this stressful "Lockdown" situation we're all experiencing. I'm here in Northern Colorado with sunshine and great weather but bored beyond belief. Like most of you, I'm not used to being told I can't go here or there and having to avoid shopping areas and all of that.
I promise I will not use this space to whine or complain (too much). Instead, I thought I'd use today as a "Catch Up Day."
First, I'll start with the sad news that my sweet 17-year-old Black Lab mix Katy passed across that bridge where all our loved pets go at the end of their lives. I'm convinced Katy picked her time to leave. She was living her life enjoying my comfortable fenced back yard with many trees and greenery. Many thick bushes lined one fence where I'm sure Katy pretended to be in a "jungle." She would explore it as if it was new every morning. Then, three weeks ago, after her usual morning routine, Katy came inside and settled down on her favorite thick doggie cushioned bed. I noticed, of course, and my Instinct directed me to sit beside her, which I did. Katy rarely settled down so early in a day.
Katy lay on her comfy cushioned bed the rest of the day. She didn't sleep, she simply lay there and would respond when I stroked her or patted her. I stayed until the night came and I fell asleep. Katy was still awake. And she was awake at 5:00am the next morning when I woke up and checked on her. I had to abandon the hard floor and sleep on a nearby sofa. Katy stayed awake for a few more hours then closed her eyes. She slowly drifted off after that.
I'm so glad my daughter Melissa was here to join me and be with Katy later in the evening after she finished work. It was Melissa who took Katy to our Vet's office after Katy drew her last breath. I'm so grateful for her help. I don't think I could have managed that last appointment very well. There's a photo of Katy on my lap taken many years ago in the vet's offce. Katy was fortunate to enjoy a happy life living in a home and yard that she loved. I am grateful for that as well.
When we all think back over the years and all our beloved doggies and kitties that have been a part of our lives, I believe that most of us are grateful that we've had these wonderful pets to share our lives. I knpe I am. Thank you Carl I, Carl 2, Sampson, Jasmine, Max, and Beloved Katy. Goodbye to all of you.
Well. . .I think that does it for me today. I don't beleive I have anything left to say. Let's all keep sending out our wishes and hopes for a Coronavirus vaccine. Hope is on our horizon.
August 3, 2020
The end of an era
Our month of giveaways has come to an end. We hope you've had fun. But all things come to an end, and so has The Cozy Chicks blog.Other forms of social media seem to have surpassed blogs and we've had fewer and fewer readers following us as the years passed, so the Chicks made the decision to turn our attention to our Facebook Author Page and our Facebook Group Page. Click on either of those links to find us.
We'll still be posting on our regular days (Mary Kennedy on Monday, Maggie Sefton on Tuesdays, Duffy Brown on Wednesday, Gayle Leeson on Thursday, and Lorraine Bartlett on Friday.)
It's been our pleasure to entertain you! See you on Facebook!
July 31, 2020
The End of an Era
by Lorraine Bartlett
Our month of giveaways has come to an end. We hope you've had fun. But all things come to an end, and so has The Cozy Chicks blog.
Other forms of social media seem to have surpassed blogs and we've had fewer and fewer readers following us as the years passed, so the Chicks made the decision to turn our attention to our Facebook Author Page and our Facebook Group Page. Click on either of those links to find us.
We'll still be posting on our regular days (you'll find me on the group page on Fridays), so we'll still be in touch.
As our parting gift, we're giving away four of our Cozy Chicks Tote Bags. Leave a comment below telling us how you came to follow us and we'll announce the winners this week on the Facebook Group Page.
It's been our pleasure to entertain you!
Our month of giveaways has come to an end. We hope you've had fun. But all things come to an end, and so has The Cozy Chicks blog.Other forms of social media seem to have surpassed blogs and we've had fewer and fewer readers following us as the years passed, so the Chicks made the decision to turn our attention to our Facebook Author Page and our Facebook Group Page. Click on either of those links to find us.
We'll still be posting on our regular days (you'll find me on the group page on Fridays), so we'll still be in touch.
As our parting gift, we're giving away four of our Cozy Chicks Tote Bags. Leave a comment below telling us how you came to follow us and we'll announce the winners this week on the Facebook Group Page.
It's been our pleasure to entertain you!
July 29, 2020
Counting Down July
by Gayle Leeson
Can you believe this month is drawing to an end already? I hope you've enjoyed the giveaways as much as we have.
To enter today's giveaway for a $10 Amazon e-gift card, please comment below and tell me something fun you've done lately. Please don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. Tomorrow at or around noon, I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner. Good luck!
Can you believe this month is drawing to an end already? I hope you've enjoyed the giveaways as much as we have.
To enter today's giveaway for a $10 Amazon e-gift card, please comment below and tell me something fun you've done lately. Please don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. Tomorrow at or around noon, I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner. Good luck!
Swirl or Scoop+Great Pillow Giveaway
Hi, Everyone, Duffy Brown here talking ice cream! I’m vegan and one of the things I miss most is ice cream. Oh they have that fake stuff but cream means milk and IMHO if you don’t use milk you shouldn’t be allowed to call it ice cream.So, when I sin on my vegan diet it’s for ice cream and my question to you today is Got a fave?For me it’s home made but if I’m too lazy for that its chocolate and vanilla swill soft-serve! Pure heaven.
Do you like the swirls or are you a dip person. Is pure ice cream heaven to you is when you get out the ice cream scoop and get a not round chunk of your fave ice cream?Here in Cincy we have Graeters’s ice cream and it is amazing stuff. The pumpkin is to die for and the chocolate chip has huge chunks of chocolate.So tell me your fave. Swirl or Scoop? Fave flavor? Is there a to die for ice cream shop in your neck of the woods? I’ll give away a pillow from the answers.Happy licking.
Hugs, Duffy
July 26, 2020
JULY GIVEAWAY, MEET LOLA WALSH
by Mary Kennedy
Pugsley wants you to know that Dr. Maggie isn't the only star of The Talk Radio Mysteries. Lola Walsh, Dr.Maggie's mom, is right up there, too! She's very popular with readers and several people have asked me if Lola could have her own series. I'm seriously considering it.
Dr. Maggie wants to tell you about Lola herself.
From Dr. Maggie, If you met my mom, you would know she's a force of nature. Late fifties, (her acting resume says she's 38) and still chasing the dream of being a Hollywood star. Yes, she's had some bit parts in movies, but nothing life-changing and nothing that counts as a career. but she never gives up., She found a geriatric agent in Miami, Edgar Dumont, and he's always sending her out on auditions. She did manage to snag a speaking part in a south Florida flick (you can read about it in REEL MURDER) but that's because she's known the director forever.
Sometimes I wonder if she will ever give up her dream. She's actually very talented, but as you probably know, 98% of SAG (Screen Actors Guild) actors are unemployed at any given time, so it doesn't look promising. If you like books that take place on a movie set, be sure to read REEL MURDER. You can just check this link and order it. REEL MURDER
Do you think people should hold on to their dreams, even when they seem hopelessly out of reach? Be sure to leave a comment below and you are entered in today's contest. Prize is a $15.00 gift certificate from Amazon. Be sure to leave your e-mail addy so I can contact you if you win.
Good luck and happy reading!
Mary Kennedy
Pugsley wants you to know that Dr. Maggie isn't the only star of The Talk Radio Mysteries. Lola Walsh, Dr.Maggie's mom, is right up there, too! She's very popular with readers and several people have asked me if Lola could have her own series. I'm seriously considering it.
Dr. Maggie wants to tell you about Lola herself.
From Dr. Maggie, If you met my mom, you would know she's a force of nature. Late fifties, (her acting resume says she's 38) and still chasing the dream of being a Hollywood star. Yes, she's had some bit parts in movies, but nothing life-changing and nothing that counts as a career. but she never gives up., She found a geriatric agent in Miami, Edgar Dumont, and he's always sending her out on auditions. She did manage to snag a speaking part in a south Florida flick (you can read about it in REEL MURDER) but that's because she's known the director forever.
Sometimes I wonder if she will ever give up her dream. She's actually very talented, but as you probably know, 98% of SAG (Screen Actors Guild) actors are unemployed at any given time, so it doesn't look promising. If you like books that take place on a movie set, be sure to read REEL MURDER. You can just check this link and order it. REEL MURDER
Do you think people should hold on to their dreams, even when they seem hopelessly out of reach? Be sure to leave a comment below and you are entered in today's contest. Prize is a $15.00 gift certificate from Amazon. Be sure to leave your e-mail addy so I can contact you if you win.
Good luck and happy reading!
Mary Kennedy
Walker Boone’s story + tote Giveaway
Hi, it’s Duffy Brown
talking to one of my fave characters...
Walker Boone here from the lovely city of Savannah, Georgia. The azaleas are in bloom, the magnolias are big as dinner plates and I’m on the run.In Dead Man Walker I’ve got my very own story to tell. It’s from my point of view and that’s the good news. The bad news is that I’ve kind of gotten myself into one big huge mess and it looks like Reagan Summerside and Auntie KiKi are the only ones trying to get me out of it.
You see there was this dead guy in a bathtub. Not my bathtub but his own and my housekeeper happened to stumble across the body. If I remember right it went something like...“See, there he is, Mr. Boone,” Mercedes said to me. “Just like I told you on the phone, Conway Adkins dead as a fence post in his very own claw-foot bathtub and naked as the day he was born.” “I take you added the washcloth?” I said to Mercedes, both of us standing in the doorway and staring at the corpse.“Couldn’t be having the man laying there with his shrivelness all exposed to the world now could I. Not proper for a man his age.” “Or for the rest of us,” I added.
get Dead Man Walker here
At first Mercedes was the number one suspect. That was bad enough because she’s a friend and she can’t be beat as a housekeeper. On both accounts--and with my dust-bunnies threatening to mutiny—I went after the real killer.I didn’t have a lot of luck, and then...somehow...wound up the number one suspect.
“This is circumstantial evidence,” I said to Reagan as we stood on the sidewalk outside my house. “The police have to see that someone’s setting me up to cover their own butt.” “It’s your butt that needs covering, Walker Boone,” Reagan offered. “The police found your .38 and it matches the bullet that killed Conway. The cops are on their way. You got to get out of here right now.” I looked at my red ‘57 Chevy convertible parked at the curb. “Might as well put a target on my back driving this thing.” Reagan shoved her helmet at me. “Take Princess.” “A scooter? You want me to ride a pink scooter named Princess?” “Better than that being your nickname in the big house.”
So there you have it...
Dead Man Walker
and that’s just what I feel like, a dead man. How in the world am I ever going to get out of this one?
Let me know now you like having a story told from anther character’s Point Of View and I’ll pick three winners for Wedding Day and Foul Play totes.
Happy Summer
talking to one of my fave characters...
Walker Boone here from the lovely city of Savannah, Georgia. The azaleas are in bloom, the magnolias are big as dinner plates and I’m on the run.In Dead Man Walker I’ve got my very own story to tell. It’s from my point of view and that’s the good news. The bad news is that I’ve kind of gotten myself into one big huge mess and it looks like Reagan Summerside and Auntie KiKi are the only ones trying to get me out of it.
You see there was this dead guy in a bathtub. Not my bathtub but his own and my housekeeper happened to stumble across the body. If I remember right it went something like...“See, there he is, Mr. Boone,” Mercedes said to me. “Just like I told you on the phone, Conway Adkins dead as a fence post in his very own claw-foot bathtub and naked as the day he was born.” “I take you added the washcloth?” I said to Mercedes, both of us standing in the doorway and staring at the corpse.“Couldn’t be having the man laying there with his shrivelness all exposed to the world now could I. Not proper for a man his age.” “Or for the rest of us,” I added.
get Dead Man Walker here
At first Mercedes was the number one suspect. That was bad enough because she’s a friend and she can’t be beat as a housekeeper. On both accounts--and with my dust-bunnies threatening to mutiny—I went after the real killer.I didn’t have a lot of luck, and then...somehow...wound up the number one suspect.
“This is circumstantial evidence,” I said to Reagan as we stood on the sidewalk outside my house. “The police have to see that someone’s setting me up to cover their own butt.” “It’s your butt that needs covering, Walker Boone,” Reagan offered. “The police found your .38 and it matches the bullet that killed Conway. The cops are on their way. You got to get out of here right now.” I looked at my red ‘57 Chevy convertible parked at the curb. “Might as well put a target on my back driving this thing.” Reagan shoved her helmet at me. “Take Princess.” “A scooter? You want me to ride a pink scooter named Princess?” “Better than that being your nickname in the big house.”
So there you have it...
Dead Man Walker
and that’s just what I feel like, a dead man. How in the world am I ever going to get out of this one? Let me know now you like having a story told from anther character’s Point Of View and I’ll pick three winners for Wedding Day and Foul Play totes.
Happy Summer
July 24, 2020
JULY GIVEAWAY: MEET Dr. MAGGIE
By Mary Kennedy
If you've been following the Talk Radio Mysteries, you know that Pugsley is an intrepid dog who helps Dr. Maggie solve crimes in Cypress Grove, Florida. Of course, Dr. Maggie has a lot of help with her sleuthing; her roommate, Lark, her mom, Lola and the whole wacky crew at WYME-Radio.
Here's a bit of backstory. Dr. Maggie, a psychologist, used to have a classy Manhattan practice treating "the worried well." It seemed like a cushy lifestyle. But something was missing. Florida sunshine! One day she decided she was tired of the cold, tired of Manhattan real estate prices and (dare I say it?) tired of listening to people's problems all day long.
So she moved to sunny south Florida to accept a job as a radio talk show host (think Frasier) in a sleep town called Cypress Grove. A complete change of pace.
And then she discovered she had a knack for solving murders! She solves one (or two!) in every book.
For my giveaway this week, I'm offering the first three books in the series for your e-reader.
DEAD AIR, book one, revolves around a smarmy guru who is a guest on Dr. Maggie's show, and is killed the same day.
REEL MURDER takes place mostly on a film set. A film company comes to south Florida to shoot a flick and Maggie is hired as a consultant on forensic issues. Her star-struck Mom, Lola, is cast in a bit part and is over the moon.
STAY TUNED for MURDER follows more Dr. Maggie adventures. A fake psychic comes to town and tries to steal Dr. Maggie's job at WYME.
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment, telling me if you saw any great movies this summer. (or even the name of a movie you plan to see!). It's easy and think how much fun it would be to win this boxed set for your e-reader.
Have fun and stay safe,Mary Kennedy
If you've been following the Talk Radio Mysteries, you know that Pugsley is an intrepid dog who helps Dr. Maggie solve crimes in Cypress Grove, Florida. Of course, Dr. Maggie has a lot of help with her sleuthing; her roommate, Lark, her mom, Lola and the whole wacky crew at WYME-Radio.
Here's a bit of backstory. Dr. Maggie, a psychologist, used to have a classy Manhattan practice treating "the worried well." It seemed like a cushy lifestyle. But something was missing. Florida sunshine! One day she decided she was tired of the cold, tired of Manhattan real estate prices and (dare I say it?) tired of listening to people's problems all day long.
So she moved to sunny south Florida to accept a job as a radio talk show host (think Frasier) in a sleep town called Cypress Grove. A complete change of pace.
And then she discovered she had a knack for solving murders! She solves one (or two!) in every book.
For my giveaway this week, I'm offering the first three books in the series for your e-reader.
DEAD AIR, book one, revolves around a smarmy guru who is a guest on Dr. Maggie's show, and is killed the same day.
REEL MURDER takes place mostly on a film set. A film company comes to south Florida to shoot a flick and Maggie is hired as a consultant on forensic issues. Her star-struck Mom, Lola, is cast in a bit part and is over the moon.
STAY TUNED for MURDER follows more Dr. Maggie adventures. A fake psychic comes to town and tries to steal Dr. Maggie's job at WYME.
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment, telling me if you saw any great movies this summer. (or even the name of a movie you plan to see!). It's easy and think how much fun it would be to win this boxed set for your e-reader.Have fun and stay safe,Mary Kennedy
