Kate Collins's Blog, page 4

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Back in the day (long before I was born), Monday was laundry day. Ha! These days, laundry day doesn't happen on a regular day basis. I made it my business to buy enough clothes for us so that laundry day might not happen for two to three weeks--and sometimes longer.

I have three weeks worth of underwear. Four weeks worth of socks. And enough towels to outfit a high school swim team. I also separate my clothes by color. I have a lot of reds, greens, blues, and pastels. I might not wash a certain color of clothes for a month or more.

Last week, I did a load of reds. (Red isn't really my color--hence the length of time it took to wash them.) Mind you, we were snowbirds for almost three months, so I only accumulated enough reds to do that load last week. Among the shirts were three Christmas sweatshirts and a pair of holiday socks. Towels have a faster turnaround.

And then there are the "cleaning cloths." As a (hopefully) responsible keeper of our fragile Earth, I try to use old washcloths (and boy do I have a LOT of them. My mother bought about six dozen at yard sales, which I now own) instead of paper towel. I figure one load of these washcloths replaces a roll or two of paper towels

Where did I get the idea from?  Martha Stewart. Since I'm rather anal, I fold them in half and then roll them so that they look like spring rolls, and then put them into vintage cardboard veggie boxes. I can get more than 30 washcloths in each box. I only have to wash them every other month or so. Win-win!

Now, a 12-pack of paper towel lasts us about six months or longer. Mother Earth is very pleased.

We can't keep abusing our planet. What I do are very small things, but if all of us did small things, it could be very big. Like wearing masks when we go out and about. They protect you from me and me from you.

Let's all stay safe--and home--and read. Boy have we got a lot of things we can read. (Check out the Cozy Chicks back list of titles). And as an author, I hope you'll read my books, too. They range from 99 cent to $19.99 (for my 6-book Jeff Resnick box set).) Check out my websites (Lorraine Bartlett, Lorna Barrett, L.L. Bartlett) for more information.

So, what are you doing to help save the planet?
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If you'd like to add to your laundry pile, for my first July giveaway, I'm offering a VICTORIA SQUARE MYSTERIES T-shirt. To enter the giveaway, just comment below. I'll be choosing a winner on Saturday at noon, so make sure you come back to see if you're the winner! You can find the list at the upper left sidebar. The winner can contact me at bartlett.lorraine2 @ gmail.com (close up the spaces) and we'll figure out the size and the color.

Good luck!

by Gayle Leeson

Yesterday Duffy gave away an adorable pillow! And I wanted to try to win it, but I felt it wouldn't be fair to our readers to enter. But it made me wonder, how do I follow that up? It's like going onstage after Beyonce and singing I'm a Little Teapot.

I tapped my forehead and pushed up my sleeves (pajama sleeves, so they fell right back down), and I thought, what can I offer our fantastic readers? Obviously, not a pillow...because, as you've already guessed, if I had that pillow, I'd keep it. Selfish old me.

So, how about this? Since I'm the newest "chick" on the block, I'll offer everyone the opportunity to read the first three chapters of PERILS AND LACE, book two in the Ghostly Fashionista Mystery series. Don't worry--I won't be asking for your email address or anything. Merely click the link and get the extended preview. This offer is available to both U.S. and international readers.


https://dl.bookfunnel.com/rlsrq74j5y

A murderer outwitting a quirky flapper ghost? Seams unlikely!Budding retro fashion designer and entrepreneur Amanda Tucker is thrilled about making costumes for Winter Garden High School’s production of Beauty and the Beast. But when the play’s director Sandra Kelly is poisoned, Amanda realizes there’s a murderer in their midst. She’s determined to keep herself and the students safe, so when her ghostly fashionista friend Max suggests they investigate, Amanda rolls up her sleeves and prepares to follow the deadly pattern…
Since PERILS AND LACE revolves around a high-school production of Beauty and the Beast, I'm giving away a Ghostly Fashionista prize pack: a PERILS AND LACE magnet, a Beauty and the Beast pin, a "lovely" notebook, and sewing-themed Hot Sox. Unfortunately, this offer is available only to U.S. readers.


To enter the giveaway, please visit https://www.ghostlyfashionista.com/current-release, scroll down to the brief, unedited excerpt, and tell me the name of the detective who comes to speak with Amanda and her friend Connie. Please include your email address, so I can contact you if you win. Entries will be collected until noon Friday. At that time, the winner will be determined by a random number generator. The winner's name will be posted at the side of the Cozy Chicks page, and I'll contact the winner to get her/his mailing address.

Thank you for having fun with us this month! Good luck!

Howdy All!! Duffy Brown here to kick off a month of prizes from the Cozy Chicks. It’s July and a summer like we’ve never seen before but summer it is so let’s get on with it.Most things are different but not everything. In fact food has taken on a whole new importance and now that we are home more it’s time to try something new.


I love grilling! I swear you could grill a stick and I’d probably eat it...and its vegan so that would really work. But there are better things to grill even if I am vegan. I just bought this veggie grill hamper thing where you put in the veggies and add a Beyond Meat Burger and bingo... I have grilled yumminess. And it’s trapped between the grate so nothing spills out. I’ve lost more than my share of burgers/hot dogs/ corn to the charcoal gods.And then there’s another fave...veggie kabobs: Skewer Chunks of: sweet potato, Cob corn, red/yellow peppers, red onion, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. S&P and grill. I like mine a little blackened.Serve with Auntie KiKi’s magic sauce of smashed avocado, cilantro, S&P, lime juice and a dash of maple syrup. It’s soooo good and freshHave you tried something new on the grill this summer? Got a fave? A new recipe?Let me know how your hunkered-down summer is going and I’ll choose a pillow winner. Winners will be listed on the left side of the blog. Have a good summer!!! If you feel down, write me and we can whine (or wine) together.Hugs and Hugs, Duffy

by Mary Kennedy                                                   

Seven Things You Really Want To Know About Dreams
As a practicing psychologist, I find that my clients are fascinated by dreams. Most of them have read a little Freud, who called dreams “the royal road to the unconscious.” Freud believed dreams can help us access our innermost thoughts; our fears, wishes and desires. When I came up with the premise of the Dream Club Mysteries, I envisioned a group of Savannah women who would meet once a week to eat some fabulous Southern desserts and talk about their dreams. And of course, they would solve a murder or two in every book.  When I’m asked to speak on dreams, I find that people have strong beliefs—and sometimes misconceptions—about dreams. Here are a few questions I’ve come across.*You can only dream about things you’ve experienced in real life. Is this true?No, of course not. Anything can happen in a dream. You can take on a new persona, explore lands both real and imaginary and have adventures worthy of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. *Our bodies don’t respond to our dreams. We continue to slumber, unaware that our minds are playing out a little fantasy in our sleep.This is false. Think about the last time you did something physical in your dream. Were you climbing a mountain or swinging from a zip line like Angelina Jolie? Your blood pressure may soar, your heartbeat may rachet up a notch and your chest probably felt tight. If you awake in the middle of an “action” dream, just take a few deep breaths and everything will return to normal in a few minutes. *What does it mean if a dead relative appears to me in a dream? Does it mean I’m going to die?No, not at all. When people dream of a loved one who has passed, they usually experience a sense of joy and peace. It reassures them to know that their friends, relatives and spouses really do exist on another plane. Invariably, the loved one appears to be in perfect health, happy and relaxed, with no sorrow or cares.*Why do I keep dreaming about a beautiful house?The “House Dream” is very common and well documented. The house is supposed to represent all the untapped potential in your life. All the rooms are bright and airy, and dreamers report that they seem to stretch on forever.                                                                          
*Sometimes when I’m dreaming, I’m suddenly aware that I’m dreaming. I can choose to end the dream if I want to. Is this common?”This is called “lucid dreaming” and most people aren’t capable of doing it, but it’s an interesting phenomenon. With practice, you can become proficient at it.
*I have vivid, violent nightmares. How can I make them stop?Some medications increase the likelihood of “disturbing dreams.” Also, many people experience nightmares at times of great stress in their lives.*Sometimes I find myself dreaming about being stranded in a strange city at night. I have no car, no money and no way to get home.This is a classic anxiety dream. The dreamer feels alone and vulnerable and this usually occurs when things seem to be “spinning out of control” in real life.Whether or not you’re a “believer,” it’s fun to explore our dreams and try to decipher what they really mean, as the women in the Dream Club do. But do clues from their dreams really solve crimes? Is it luck, or coincidence or a combination of the two?  I leave it to the reader to decide. 
Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear about your dreams!  Mary Kennedy

Hi all, Duffy Brown here and this is an excerpt from Braking for Bodies, book two of my Cycle Path Mystery series set on Mackinac Island. I love Mackinac Island with no cars and only horses and bikes for transport. Evie Bloomfield is a transplant from Chicago and now owns a bike shop on the island. Nate Sutter is a once upon a time undercover cop hiding from bad guys. Nate has no place for Evie in solving murders and Evie has a true knack for stumbling across dead bodies. buy Braking for Bodies here

“What’s going on?” A guy called down from the porch right above us. “Is somebody there? Did somebody fall?” Nate Sutter and I exchanged uh oh looks and a woman on the porch squealed. “Ohmygoodness! It’s a body! This is fantastic! I know what this is. It’s one of those murder mystery weekends right here at the Grand Hotel. The victim’s right there, I can see him all sprawled out on the ground. Oh this is so much fun.”“Look, lady,” Sutter shot back. “This is no mystery weekend party this is a real crime scene here.”“Of course it is,” she squealed again. “You all are great actors, this is amazing. What a fantastic surprise right here on Mackinac Island.” 

By Mary Kennedy                                                 
                                                                                   


Many of you know me as a mystery writer but you may not know that I spent years (37 novels!) writing for teens and young teens. It's such an exciting time in life and it's great fun to tap into the drama, the angst (and yes, the earth-shattering love) of a teen.
Happy to say that my Crazy Love Diaries is now available as a boxed set. These were originally published by Scholastic and sold all over the world. And now you can buy all three for one low price.
                                                                        
Crazy Love COLLECTIONKindle US: https://is.gd/uKfFkx
Kindle Worldwide: http://authl.it/B088FYBKP4
Apple Books: https://is.gd/fz5YxD
Kobo: https://is.gd/C3sNxe
Nook: https://is.gd/pgX0yf
Smashwords: https://is.gd/fx5PBDHappy reading!! mary kennedy

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Today is National Beautician Day. Like a lot of you, I haven't had my hair done in months.  Because of Covid-19, hair salons and barber shops were closed in my state for three months.

We played snowbirds this past winter and stayed at an Airbnb in Greenville, SC. I got a cut and color a week before we left. Because I had to find a place to get my haircut during our southern stay, I stretched it out to six weeks (I usually go at 4 weeks.)

I chose a franchise place and had sticker shock. It was nearly three times what I paid my (indie) hairdresser at home. Being a cheapskate (and as someone who isn't thrilled about navigating a strange city), I decided not to get my hair cut in March. (Bad decision on my part.) Instead, I headed to the store and bought a box of hair dye. It had been years since I dyed my hair myself, but it was doable and though I was a little shaggy, I figured I could live with it. After all, I would be home in a month and could get my hair cut by my regular hairdresser.

And then Covid-19 hit hard. We cut short our southern stay by two weeks when New York shut down. It was an eerie trip back north, with the roads jammed with RVs hurrying back to Canada and lots of big trucks and virtually no passenger vehicles--long lines at fast food joints and nowhere to stop for bathroom breaks. But we made it home and except for curbside pickup, we've pretty much stayed home.

My hair looks like H-E-double hockey sticks. It's now long enough that I've taken to wearing it in a ponytail. If I go out of the house (twice this month) I wear a hat. Of course, no one can tell who I am when I'm wearing a mask, but that's beside the point.

 Although they've reopened salons in my state, my indie hairdresser hasn't reopened. She has a setup in her home and has an elderly mother. There's no way she's going to expose her mother to Covid-19. And although the risk isn't as great where I live, I'm not willing to expose myself to it by going to a strange hair salon, either.

Mr. L is another matter. He let me cut his hair, and while it's still rather shaggy, it looks a lot better than mine. Of course, Mr. L sees me through the eyes of love, so he's oblivious to my many bad hair days. (At least he hasn't mentioned it.)

Thanks to online shopping, I now have three boxes of hair dye and it's long past time to attack my roots. By tomorrow, I'll be young again!

Have you avoided the hairdresser and any other services since this whole pandemic arrived?

by Gayle Leeson

Starting next week on the Cozy Chicks blog, we're having giveaways each weekday of July. Since I'm new to the Cozy Chicks blog, I wanted to answer some questions readers might have for me as an introduction to those of you who might not know me yet.

Kelly H.: Do you write your books from the first chapter to the last? Or start at the end or middle?

Gayle: I'm a linear writer, Kelly. I have to start at page one and go through to the end. It's almost as if I'm watching a movie in my mind. I've heard other writers talk about writing scenes and then putting them all together, but that simply doesn't make sense to me. It would be like watching the middle or end of a movie and then going back and watching the beginning. Often, I learn things about my characters when my readers do. In fact, a friend read a copy of my first novel and told me, "I didn't suspect HE was the bad guy!" I told her, "Neither did I!" LOL We also spoke about a character that I killed off in that same book but was depressed about it for two days and couldn't work on the book again until I had him survive the shooting. He went to the hospital rather than the morgue, and the entire trajectory of the book changed. I simply couldn't kill the guy.

Sandy G.: How did you get started writing mysteries?

Gayle: I think all authors write what they're drawn to. My love of mysteries began with Encyclopedia Brown, The Secret Seven, and Nancy Drew. I just felt so smart when I could solve those mysteries before the big reveal. And I grew up watching strong women--The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Batgirl on Batman--on TV, so I wanted to create smart, strong, capable women who could run their own businesses while outsmarting bad guys. 

Betty T.: How are you doing with the virus? How is your dog? What are you writing right now?

Gayle: I'm doing all right with the virus. I find it scary sometimes. I've got about half a dozen cloth masks now, so I feel ready to go out into the world again. My family and I ate out at a restaurant for the first time since the quarantine to celebrate my husband's birthday in late May. It was wonderful. We'd had some takeout, but we'd kind of forgotten how nice it is to have people bring the food to your table so you can eat it while it's still hot! My husband works in healthcare. That was worrisome at first, but the hospitals are taking strong safety precautions. 

Ah, Betty, you had to ask... Kidding. You're too thoughtful not to ask.

by Maggie Sefton


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Most of us here on the Cozy Chicks Blog are multi-published authors, so all of you readers and friends have noticed that we regularly mention some of the other books we have written and are published.  Most of them are not strictly Amateur Sleuth mysteries.  But you wonderful Cozy Chicks readers and friends have embraced those books as well.  Bless you.  :)

Today I'm making a brief mention of the my political suspense trilogy.  You can find a more detailed description on Amazon.  The books take place in my old home town of Washington, D.C.  I hope you check it out for yourself.

  

By Mary Kennedy                                           

This is a fantastic quote from Stephen Covey, one of my favorites. It's said that Ronald Reagan kept this on a plaque on his desk.
Like many great ideas, it's simple, powerful and easily relatable. How many times have you let things slide because "life got in the way." We're all guilty of that mindset. Sometimes, life really *does* get in the way (death, sickness, family responsibilities) and sometimes it's just a lack of focus and we ignore the goals we've set for ourselves.
One thing I've found helpful is an Absolute Yes list.  I keep mine by the phone and a copy next to the computer.                                                                            
This is an amazingly easy rule and I urge you to try it. Right now, (while you're thinking of it!) get an index card and write down THREE priorities for this week or this month. It doesn't matter what they are. It could be something as simple as taking a 2 mile walk every day or as complex as organizing all the files in your home office.
The only caveat is that these three things are important to you. Well, actually there's another caveat.  These three things have to take priority in your life at least for now. No matter what you're tempted to do (or others are tempting you to do), your answer has to be NO, unless it's on your Absolute Yes list.
Why do I have two copies of it? Because it's very easy to get distracted (on phone or computer) when someone asks me to do something. It might be something that takes an evening (filling in for a guest speaker at the local library) or takes a week-end (offering two workshops and appearing on a panel on a week-end long writers' conference.)
Certainly both requests are worthwhile endeavors and I'd probably enjoy them. But how do they fit into the scheme of things? I'm halfway through a Talk Radio mystery and the heat is on. I don't have a week-end to give away. I don't even have an evening, come to think of it. Because it's never "just an evening." It takes time to prepare a talk, get together handouts for the audience, get there, etc. Even a 45 minute talk can be a time sink.
So try this strategy and I bet you'll accomplish more and your goals will be attainable. Good luck!
Mary Kennedy