Welcome to Winona Kent!
The Stiletto Gang welcomes Winona Kent as our guest blogger today as she celebrates the upcoming release of her musical mystery Bad Boy. Winona Kent is the current Chair of the Crime Writers of Canada, and is also an active member of Sisters in Crime-Canada West. She lives in New Westminster, BC with her husband, and a concerning number of disobedient houseplants, many of which were rescued from her apartment building’s compost bin after being abandoned by previous owners.
CLIMBING PRIMROSE HILL
Most of my Jason Davey stories take place in England. Jason himself is English, it’s where I was born, and it’s the country I’ve always been happiest writing about. So when I flew over to London in 2022, I knew there were a few locations I really had to visit—not just for old time’s sake, but for practical research for my next mystery, Bad Boy, which was then in its earliest planning stages.
Even if you don’t recognize Primrose Hill’s name, I guarantee you’ve seen it in countless films and tv episodes. Every time a character ends up in a place that offers a high-up panoramic east-to-west view of London’s church spires and skyscrapers, 95% guaranteed, they’re standing (or sitting) on Primrose Hill. (The other 5% are probably at Parliament Hill, which is a little bit further to the north, on the edge of Hampstead Heath.)
Not uncoincidentally, I spent the first three years of my life in a flat which is an eight-minute walk from Primrose Hill. My mum used to wheel me there often, in my pram and then in my push-chair. After we moved to Canada, I kept faint pictures of it in my mind (I’m apparently one of those exceptional people who can remember back to when they were aged two, and occasionally, even earlier.) And each time we returned to England to see relatives, there was that obligatory pilgrimage to reinforce those memories.
No Ashes Here
My mum died in 2021 (aged 95). The primary purpose of my visit in March 2022 was to scatter her ashes. I won’t tell you where in London my sister and I left a small part of her, because, while not technically illegal, it is very highly discouraged. I will add that we had a little ceremony that involved a blanket (to sit on, and also a handy cover); some gin (mum’s favourite tipple, good for encouraging absorption into the ground); lots of handfuls of tufted grass; and several startled earthworms.
There is a place in Bad Boy, near the end, where Jason has the opportunity to scatter the ashes of a dearly departed friend. I thought about sending him to the same spot where my sister and I nearly drowned the worms, but thought the better of it, and (spoiler alert) sent him to Level 72 at the top of The Shard, instead.
Kite Flyers, Bike Riders, and Macaws
It’s quite a steep hike up the paved path to the summit of Primrose Hill (64 metres, or 210 feet). On the day we visited, there were people flying kites, a few kids on bikes, and there were two guys exercising three brilliantly coloured red, blue and yellow macaws. I’d never seen macaws up close before—they’re immense!—and apparently these ones are quite famous—if you pop onto YouTube you can see videos which feature them. They’re entirely free-flying, but they don’t ever abandon their owners. They always come back. We asked how this could be, and were told that they knew who was going to be feeding them their dinner.
I thought, how absolutely marvellous. The top of Primrose Hill in London’s probably the last place in the world you’d expect to see huge tropical birds flying around free. And, since I was in the middle of researching Bad Boy, I wondered if I might include them—as well as the bike riders and the kite flyers—in the story.
Of course, I did. And in quite a spectacular way, too. In the novel, Jason finds himself at the summit of Primrose Hill, following clues which will, presumably, lead him to a collection of stolen manuscripts by the well-known British composer, Sir Edward Elgar. There’s a bit of subterfuge and some clever diversions (after all, there’s a nasty Russian who’s also after the collection, as well as a notorious Soho crime lord). And those macaws prove to be highly effective when chaos is called for.
Chalk Farm Murderer?
Oh, and I also managed to work in the block of flats—and, indeed, the individual apartment—where I spent my first three years, just up the road from Chalk Farm tube station. Different chapter and no macaws. Just a beautiful art-deco lobby in a posh building constructed in the 1930s, with a porter guarding the front door, and an inscrutable woman living upstairs who may or may not be a murderer. She’s highly connected to London’s musical past, anyway…a fact which isn’t lost on Jason, who is, himself, a professional guitarist with a permanent gig at a Soho jazz club—and an amateur sleuth, on a bespoke basis only, when his skills are called upon to solve just such a mystery.
Next from Winona Kent…
Bad Boy, Book 5 in The Jason Davey Mysteries, is released on September 26, 2024. You can read the first two chapters on my website: http://www.winonakent.com/badboy.html and you can find it on Amazon (ebook and paperback) here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001KDWQ9E
The Stiletto Gang wishes Winona Kent the best for her new release!
Remember to check out books from the Stiletto Gang as well on the Our Books page: https://www.thestilettogang.com/books/
A Virus Changed Us—T.K. Thorne
/in T.K. Thorne/by TK ThorneCovid-19 changed us.
Our grandchildren, or those who were very young during it, might forget all about it by the time they are grown, as most of my generation has little knowledge of the 1918 flu pandemic and the fact that President Woodrow Wilson tried to suppress news of that devastating because he thought it might lower moral during war time (WWI). Spain, being neutral in the war, reported their cases, hence, the pandemic was misleadingly dubbed the “Spanish” flu.
We, who lived (and are living) through Covid, have memories of the terrible stress of those early months—watching freezer trucks lined up in NYC to hold bodies, disinfecting our groceries, not being able to see or touch a newborn grandchild or elderly loved ones, and dealing with the seclusion of our home santuaries/prisons. Grocery stores had a strict limit on how many people could be in the store at a time. We tried to stay six feet away from other humans. Those who worked from home had to learn new technology and simultaneously deal with children who would normally be at day care or in school. People were dying by the thousands; jobs and housing were often hanging by a thread. It felt like the end of the world.
Screenshot
I dealt with the stress by learning to swing a mattock (a pick/hoe combo tool) and attacking the wisteria invasion in my back yard, then pulling tiny plants from the moss along my brick walkway, rescuing two horses, and creating a small pond in my yard. I learned Tai Chi from Internet videos, started watercolor painting, and growing vegetables with my flowers. Fortunately, I was working on a non-fiction writing project (Behind the Magic Curtain: Secrets, Spies, and Unsung White Allies of Birmingham’s Civil Rights Days) and had a lot of research and editing to do—because my creative writing muse was on ice.
During the hay days of Covid, people relished the opportunity to get outside, to breath the healing air exhaled by forest or gardens. Passing someone on a path or sidewalk (even at a distance), we felt an instant connection, happy to see a person of any sort, perhaps the same way those who lived in isolated villages throughout the world have always eagerly welcomed visitors.
Friends who live on their boat in the Caribbean during non-hurricane months told us that during Covid, they were “stuck” near a small island with five other boaters with whom they developed close relationships. The island was closed, but the owner of a small restaurant on land snuck them groceries and took in laundry.
My cousins in the suburbs north of Atlanta began gathering weekly in someone’s yard with their neighbors for a drink and conversation, a ritual they continue.
Today, tending my garden (and two fish—meet “Blue” and “Golda Meir”) and horses, practicing martial arts, and painting give me joy and peace. I look at the land around us with a different eye, thinking about whether and how we could supplement our food if needed. My writing Muse woke up after throwing water in her face and shaking her, and I finished a new novel.
The changes are internal and external. The downtown of our nearest major city has transmuted. More people live there; less people work there. Working from home has left commercial buildings across the country empty but given millions of people options about where they live and how they work. We are still adjusting. I hope we are also remembering.
Today, despite all the scary stuff going on, I have more faith that people will adjust. What a strange gift from a pandemic. If you think about it, nature regularly reminds us what we are capable of.
I write about what moves me, following a flight path of curiosity, reflection, and imagination.
Check out my (fiction and nonfiction) books at TKThorne.com
What’s on Your Nightstand?
/in Author Life, amateur sleuth mysteries, characters, Cozy Mysteries, crafting cozies, Historical Mystery, History, Lois Winston, Mystery, Settings, Summer Reads, women sleuths/by Lois WinstonI’m an extremely eclectic reader. There are a few genres I don’t read because they turn me off. My apologies to the vampire and werewolf fans out there, but I just don’t get the allure of falling for someone who wants to drain me of my blood or sup on my entire body.
I used to read a wide range of science fiction and fantasy, everything from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy to Arthur C. Clark’s Space Odyssey series to the Harry Potter books. At one point in my life, I devoured books by Leon Uris and James Mitchener, then Michael Crichton.
These days, though, besides reading books by other cozy authors, I find myself drawn to novels featuring historical people, women’s fiction, literary fiction, and books that cross genres. For my post today, I thought I’d tell you about some of my recent reads, all in different genres, and what I enjoyed about them.
The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Colony Club by Shelley Noble
What’s on your nightstand? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free download of any one of the first ten audiobooks in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series.
~*~
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and follow her on various social media sites.
Short Mystery Fiction: Events and Publications
/in Anthologies, Paula Gail Benson, Short Stories/by Paula Bensonby Paula Gail Benson
This past weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed Desert Sleuths’ WriteNow virtual conference. One panel had short mystery fiction experts Barb Goffman (whose short stories have been nominated for 43 awards, winning 3 Agathas, 2 Macavities, 1 Anthony, and 1 Silver Falchion, and who received this year’s Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society), Michael Bracken (author of almost 1,300 stories and editor of 32 anthologies), John Connor (editor and publisher of Murderous Ink Press and Crimeucopia), and moderator Jay Hartman (a 30 year publishing veteran, who previously served as Editor-in-Chief for Untreed Reads and now operates Misti Media). They gave an excellent overview of the craft and business of writing short crime fiction.
Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction
is available for pre-order and will be released November 8, 2024. The anthology is inspired by the Music of Aerosmith, a rock and roll icon for fifty years that has announced it will no longer tour. This anthology is edited by Michael Bracken and features stories by the following sixteen crime fiction authors, Ed Ridgley, Bill Baber, Eve Fisher. Avram Lavinsky, John C. Bruening, Jeffrey Marks, Mary Dutta, Tom Mead, Steve Liskow, Joseph S. Walker, Adam Meyer, John M. Floyd, Leone Ciporin, M.E. Proctor, Tom Milani and Jim Winter. With all these extraordinary writers, this anthology is a must read.
Guest Blogger: Winona Kent
/in Author Life, author promotion, characters, Guest Blogger, Uncategorized/by Stiletto GangThe Stiletto Gang welcomes Winona Kent as our guest blogger today as she celebrates the upcoming release of her musical mystery Bad Boy. Winona Kent is the current Chair of the Crime Writers of Canada, and is also an active member of Sisters in Crime-Canada West. She lives in New Westminster, BC with her husband, and a concerning number of disobedient houseplants, many of which were rescued from her apartment building’s compost bin after being abandoned by previous owners.
CLIMBING PRIMROSE HILL
Most of my Jason Davey stories take place in England. Jason himself is English, it’s where I was born, and it’s the country I’ve always been happiest writing about. So when I flew over to London in 2022, I knew there were a few locations I really had to visit—not just for old time’s sake, but for practical research for my next mystery, Bad Boy, which was then in its earliest planning stages.
Even if you don’t recognize Primrose Hill’s name, I guarantee you’ve seen it in countless films and tv episodes. Every time a character ends up in a place that offers a high-up panoramic east-to-west view of London’s church spires and skyscrapers, 95% guaranteed, they’re standing (or sitting) on Primrose Hill. (The other 5% are probably at Parliament Hill, which is a little bit further to the north, on the edge of Hampstead Heath.)
Not uncoincidentally, I spent the first three years of my life in a flat which is an eight-minute walk from Primrose Hill. My mum used to wheel me there often, in my pram and then in my push-chair. After we moved to Canada, I kept faint pictures of it in my mind (I’m apparently one of those exceptional people who can remember back to when they were aged two, and occasionally, even earlier.) And each time we returned to England to see relatives, there was that obligatory pilgrimage to reinforce those memories.
No Ashes Here
My mum died in 2021 (aged 95). The primary purpose of my visit in March 2022 was to scatter her ashes. I won’t tell you where in London my sister and I left a small part of her, because, while not technically illegal, it is very highly discouraged. I will add that we had a little ceremony that involved a blanket (to sit on, and also a handy cover); some gin (mum’s favourite tipple, good for encouraging absorption into the ground); lots of handfuls of tufted grass; and several startled earthworms.
There is a place in Bad Boy, near the end, where Jason has the opportunity to scatter the ashes of a dearly departed friend. I thought about sending him to the same spot where my sister and I nearly drowned the worms, but thought the better of it, and (spoiler alert) sent him to Level 72 at the top of The Shard, instead.
Kite Flyers, Bike Riders, and Macaws
It’s quite a steep hike up the paved path to the summit of Primrose Hill (64 metres, or 210 feet). On the day we visited, there were people flying kites, a few kids on bikes, and there were two guys exercising three brilliantly coloured red, blue and yellow macaws. I’d never seen macaws up close before—they’re immense!—and apparently these ones are quite famous—if you pop onto YouTube you can see videos which feature them. They’re entirely free-flying, but they don’t ever abandon their owners. They always come back. We asked how this could be, and were told that they knew who was going to be feeding them their dinner.
I thought, how absolutely marvellous. The top of Primrose Hill in London’s probably the last place in the world you’d expect to see huge tropical birds flying around free. And, since I was in the middle of researching Bad Boy, I wondered if I might include them—as well as the bike riders and the kite flyers—in the story.
Of course, I did. And in quite a spectacular way, too. In the novel, Jason finds himself at the summit of Primrose Hill, following clues which will, presumably, lead him to a collection of stolen manuscripts by the well-known British composer, Sir Edward Elgar. There’s a bit of subterfuge and some clever diversions (after all, there’s a nasty Russian who’s also after the collection, as well as a notorious Soho crime lord). And those macaws prove to be highly effective when chaos is called for.
Chalk Farm Murderer?
Oh, and I also managed to work in the block of flats—and, indeed, the individual apartment—where I spent my first three years, just up the road from Chalk Farm tube station. Different chapter and no macaws. Just a beautiful art-deco lobby in a posh building constructed in the 1930s, with a porter guarding the front door, and an inscrutable woman living upstairs who may or may not be a murderer. She’s highly connected to London’s musical past, anyway…a fact which isn’t lost on Jason, who is, himself, a professional guitarist with a permanent gig at a Soho jazz club—and an amateur sleuth, on a bespoke basis only, when his skills are called upon to solve just such a mystery.
Bad Boy, Book 5 in The Jason Davey Mysteries, is released on September 26, 2024. You can read the first two chapters on my website: http://www.winonakent.com/badboy.html and you can find it on Amazon (ebook and paperback) here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001KDWQ9E
The Stiletto Gang wishes Winona Kent the best for her new release!
Remember to check out books from the Stiletto Gang as well on the Our Books page: https://www.thestilettogang.com/books/
FROM HUNG OUT TO DIE
/in Mystery, Uncategorized/by donalee MoultonI’m running to Norm’s office now, tirade at the ready. The only thing that can prevent the outside security system from working, aside from someone hacking into our server, is if the door doesn’t latch firmly behind the entering employee. A loud audible click lets you know the system is armed, and then you can move forward. Employees are trained to wait for the click; if they don’t, an alarm will sound for two minutes, albeit relatively soft as alarms go. But at this time of day, no one is around to hear it.
It must be Norm’s fault, which may mean the system has only been down for minutes if he just arrived. It’s a question I’m tossing at our comptroller even before I’ve stepped inside his office.
Norm doesn’t answer.
He can’t because he’s swinging from a rope tossed over an open beam (the designer’s brilliant idea), a noose tight around his neck. He’s blue, but not as blue as I believe a dead man should look. This poses a dilemma. I need a few moments to assess my options and identify the safest and most effective course of action. However, I am aware I don’t have the luxury of time. I’ve seen enough Law and Order episodes to know if you don’t call the cops immediately, the delay in time will get noticed, and you’re more likely to find yourself on the suspect list.
Dammit. I’m a suspect.
This realization hits at the same time I’m dialing 911. The perky young woman on the other end asks how she can help.
“I’m in the administrative office of the Canadian Cannabis Corp., and my comptroller appears to have hanged himself. He is dangling from a noose and turning blue.”
“Sir, I have radioed for police; they are on their way,” she says, inhaling to continue with her script.
I cut her off. “Look, I know I shouldn’t disturb anything, but Norm may be alive. I’m going to grab his legs, so the noose doesn’t cut into his windpipe.”
Great, now she knows I understand how hanging kills someone.
It doesn’t matter. I’m going to reduce the pressure around Norm’s neck. His feet are tucked into the crease in my left arm, his testicles on par with my bottom lip. I’m not a small man, 6’2”, and I work out regularly, so I can maintain this, albeit a distasteful posture, for quite some time.
I hear sirens, and it hits me. The police won’t gain access to the building without destroying expensive technology. I explain this to the 911 operator. She is not that interested in the cost of our tech.
“I’m going to get someone to open the gate for the police,” I tell her. “That means I’ll have to hang up. I’m on the third floor of the admin building, inside the only office with a light on. My name is Riel Brava. I’m the CEO.”
Book Trailers
By Saralyn Richard
I’m not sure when book trailers became “a thing,” but now the internet is flooded with video teasers that make prospective readers want to buy books in all genres. Some are professionally done; others are created with easy-to-use software, such as Canva, MovieMaker, and VistaCreate.
What I like about successful book trailers is that they crystallize the essence of the book into short, pithy artistic statements. The selected text, graphics, and video make the book description come alive with aesthetics, movement, action, sound, and emotional appeals.
The cover is hot, but the trailer is even hotter.
The advertising potential is vast, and, assuming the trailer is widely viewed, it becomes a valuable marketing tool for the book.
A lesser realized, but no less important outcome is what the trailer does for the author. In writing seven novels and one children’s book, I’ve found it easier to write a hundred-thousand-word work of fiction than to write a book description or blurb. Condensing the book into its essential parts and highlighting its purpose is extremely difficult and frustrating. What to include? What to leave out, because it’s a spoiler? What to emphasize?
Brevity may be the soul of wit, but for a novelist, brevity can suffocate. Figuring out what to put into a book trailer, both in images and words, simplifies the task. While writing is a left-brain activity, movie-making is right-brain.
Even if the trailer is “hired out,” the author must give the artist the basic information: characters, setting, and plot. If the book is a mystery, the trailer needs to capture the elements of suspense, suspects, clues, and mood, all provided by the author
. The trailer requires a script and storyboard, and a great hook at the beginning.
The video for my book, CRYSTAL BLUE MURDER, is an example of a trailer that helps the audience get a feel for the book. It also helps me clarify the important plot points and messages of the book. You can currently view the trailer here:
Crystal Blue Murder Book Trailer v2
Does it make you want to read the book? Do book trailers in general appeal to you when you are deciding what to read next? I love hearing from you!
Saralyn
Benefits of Contributing to an Anthology
/in Anthologies, author promotion, How to Write, Paula Gail Benson, Romance, Short Stories/by Paula Bensonby Paula Gail Benson
Robin Hillyer-Miles and I, two blogging partners here at The Stiletto Gang, also are members of the Lowcountry Romance Writers (LRWA), a chapter of Romance Writers of America based in Charleston, South Carolina. Since 2019, LRWA has organized and published two anthologies, titled Love in the Lowcountry: A Winter Holiday Collection and Love in the Lowcountry, Volume Two: A Winter Holiday Collection Book 2. Both are available through Amazon.
LRWA is now in the process of creating its third anthology, which again requires that stories take place in South Carolina. For this anthology, they also must involve a vacation. Contributors must participate in two rounds of beta reading, work with a professional editor, and develop and circulate promotional materials. Learning and using these skills is invaluable experience for both debut and seasoned authors. We continue to have a lot of fun putting these anthologies together.
Robin and I have both written several messages about how these anthologies benefited us as writers: from Robin, “Musings on a Tuesday” and “No Regrets,” and from me “Love in the Air,” “A New Anthology,” and “The Meet Cute.”
These anthologies also provide some virtual vacations and insightful information for readers who visit in person and/or virtually. Bookstores in Charleston, South Carolina, often have customers seeking fiction about the city. Most of our anthologies’ romances describe historical or cultural backgrounds in a very engaging format, meeting the bookstores’ customers’ requests. Robin Hillyer-Miles, a certified tourism professional, has assisted all the participating writers in confirming the accuracy of the details in their work.
In addition to giving authors a writing credit, contributing to the anthology allows the opportunity for learning new writing skills, trying out new genres, and developing different characters. Not all writers enjoy crafting short stories, but the attempts demonstrate how to be more economical with word usage and narrative. Except for hints at relationships, I had not written romances prior to my stories in the anthologies. They also represent my first efforts at exploring time travel, which allow me to involve modern day characters with historical figures and events, something I find fascinating.
One author in the first anthology used her story as part of a trilogy. She offered the prequel in her newsletter to entice readers to try her work. That gave me the idea to consider how two characters I developed for my story in the first anthology (the two rejected by the main love interests) might appear subsequently. (Note: it continues to be a challenge to find those two less desirable characters’ more likable qualities.)
In the second anthology, my story had three potential romantic couples, one that became predominant. Determining how to resolve the characters’ interacting plotlines became a fascinating puzzle that led me to contemplate writing a more expansive account, featuring each couple independently.
Even if you don’t ordinarily read or write short stories, try dipping into an anthology or two. They offer some great examples of craft and compiling material by theme, not to mention some excellent reading.
A New Beginning that Feels Like Groundhog Day
/in Author Life, How to Write, Ideas/by DebraI’ve started a new work in progress. I’m only nineteen pages into it, but I’ve rewritten those same nineteen pages at least five times. My initial goal was to write 1000 words a day while I was at the beach. For the most part, I think I was close to making that goal. The only problem was that each day, I tended to delete six hundred to seven hundred when I revised what I had written.
A friend, another author, said “Stop it! Simply write the first draft and then go back and fix it.” That sounded like a great idea, but my brain doesn’t work that way. I’ve often said that I only write when the muse strikes me. That’s true for me staying stuck in the chair, but not for the way my mind works on what I’m trying to write. Quite a bit of my writing process is subliminal. The ideas work their way through me until they come to a point where they can’t be contained. That’s the moment of the muse taking control.
But then, I need to revise the paragraph, chapter, or complete manuscript that was created. I’m back to the bogged down aspect of my writing. In the end, what I produce, I hope, is the best work product that I can achieve. But, who knows?
What process do you use?
Creativity
/in Author Life, humor, Ideas, Inspiration/by Bethany MainesIs it Creativity or Goddess?
As someone who works in a creative field professionally, I’m endlessly interested in how creativity functions. Where does anyone get their inspiration? Heck, where do I get my inspiration? The Greek idea of a muse—a goddess who comes by to inspire an artist—makes sense to me because sometimes ideas do feel external to myself.
Well, how did you come up with that?
Well, first I was doing the laundry while listening to Pandora (can’t get away from those Greek myths today, can I?) and the song used the phrase “bad for business” which reminded me of Risky Business, which made me think of Tom Cruise, and then I started to wonder why so many people were confused by the original Mission Impossible plot. Thirty minutes later, I was jotting down an idea about what would happen if a demon burst through the floor of a non-profit fundraiser. Basically, I came up with the idea by having a lived experience and feeding it all into the hopper of my brain and letting everything pinball around like one of those kid’s mower toys with the balls that go pop-pop-pop.
I do! And I like it! I worry about people who can’t connect completely random dots. Don’t they get bored just going from A to B to C? It’s so much better to go A to Q to C to R. But that’s not to say that creativity is just something that happens. There are ways to lure the muse into the house and trap her in a box.
To be clear, I’m referring to a computer where my muse has full reign to create whatever she wants. We are not shoving women in boxes over here. (I never saw Boxing Helena, but I have been troubled by it since I read the back of the box in a Blockbuster in the 90s. Who greenlit that?! Don’t Google it. You’re happier not knowing.)
The trick is to gather both the correct input (Read books! Watch movies! Experience the creativity of others!), and make sure I have the space and time to create. But probably my number one trick is to look for a problem to solve.
What problem?
I love James Bond, but when I wrote my first novel, there weren’t a lot of female spies in the marketplace. So I solved that problem. I wrote Bulletproof Mascara about a girl who starts by selling make-up and ends up saving the world. Want to know what other problems I’ve solved? Check out my website to find out.
Or head over to the Stiletto Gang’s books page to see what the Gang’s creativity has produced: StilettoGang.com/books/
***
Surviving the Storm
/in Book Clubs, Cozy Mysteries, life, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery series, Suspense/by Gay YellenEver heard of a derecho?
I hadn’t, until recently. It’s related to a tornado, and can be just as deadly. Instead of twisting up everything in its path and tossing it around, a derecho’s furious winds wreak devastation in a straight line, like a giant hundred-mile-an-hour freight train.
People died from falling trees. If you want to know what our derecho was like, these videos from the Houston Chronicle pretty much gives you a taste. Yes, it was scary.
In our neighborhood, it was mostly the trees, those majestic century-old oaks in our urban forest that suffered the greatest damage.
And then in July…
Hurricane Beryl hit us with howling winds and high water. Thousands of homes were ravaged. Thousands of businesses lost power—many, for weeks. People lost their lives from the sweltering heat.
After two previous summers of drought, the May derecho, and July’s hurricane, many more stately trees succumbed. Some, still standing, are leaning at ominous angles over homes and streets and sidewalks. Others are stripped down to mere skeletons of their former lushness. So many sad sights where once there was beauty and abundance.
We’re used to summer storms around here. The Body in the News, Book 3 in my Samantha Newman Mystery series, revolves around the aftermath of one of the worst hurricanes to hit these parts in recent history.
Clean-up and repairs from the May derecho weren’t completed when the July hurricane hit. We’re now two months beyond Beryl, yet a walk around the neighborhood still bears sad reminders of the destructive forces of nature. And now…
Here comes another one!
As I write this, the weather service is serving us updates on Francine, the tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico that’s expected to become a hurricane today. It, too, is headed our way, or somewhere between us and New Orleans.
In case it arrives ahead of schedule, and we lose power again, I’ll wrap this up and get it posted. But before I sign off, there’s one more thing…
I’ve come to understand the therapeutic benefit of immersing oneself in a leafy retreat, which is why I mourn losing so much of the neighborhood greenery. However, in the larger scheme of things, life can hit us with more serious hardships at any time, so, it’s important to keep this in mind:
Trees can be replanted. Lives lost are irreplaceable.
Let’s appreciate what we have with with renewed attention and open affection.
And, if the mood strikes, while you’re hugging those dear to you, it might also help to hug a tree. Turns out, they can be as fragile as people.
Have you ever weathered a scary natural disaster?
Please leave your comments below…
Gay Yellen is the award-winning author of the of the Samantha Newman Mystery Series: The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News.