Tag Archive for: Evelyn David

Buried But Not Dead in Lottawatah

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To celebrate our new e-book series we’ve providing an excerpt from one of the two stories in the first volume of our Brianna Sullivan Mysteries e-book series. The following is from I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries – the second story, Buried But Not Dead in Lottawatah

Chapter 1
If you’ve ever wondered why souls don’t stay buried,
Just try it for yourself sometime.

The soil of Rosie Kilpatrick’s flowerbed smelled like cedar mulch and weathered cow manure. The cow manure must have been put in by the last gardener. The mulch was from a pile, next to the flowerbed. The shooter wasn’t doing it right. The mulch was supposed to go on top. The lily bulbs, then the soil, and the mulch on top. Odd, I couldn’t smell the bulbs. I guess they don’t have an odor. Or at least the ones lying near my nose didn’t. They were probably the reason I was still alive, that and the bullet-dented garden trowel stuck in my back pocket.

I had lost some time. Five minutes, ten, I’m not sure. I hit my head on the edge of Miss Rosie’s stone angel when the bullet knocked me face first into the lily bed. A cut over my eye was starting to swell and I had the worst headache I’ve ever had in my 35 years of life. Last week I’d been hired to renovate the flowerbeds on the Kilpatrick estate, although I’m not really a gardener and it’s not really an estate. More like four acres of overgrown weeds surrounding an ancient house with flowerbeds.

My name is Brianna Sullivan and I’m psychic.

I grant you I must not be a good psychic or I would have seen this coming.

***

Matilda, my 30-foot motor home, has a hearty appetite for gasoline. This wasn’t the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last time, that economics, and a crush on a totally unsuitable man, had forced a pause in my cross-country odyssey. Ten days ago I’d landed in Lottawatah, Oklahoma, population 1452 living souls and a couple of dozen in spirit-world transit. Detective Cooper Jackson, the unsuitable man mentioned above, introduced me to the elderly owner of the flowerbed and the stone angel that had knocked me senseless. Okay, maybe some people wouldn’t give the angel all the credit.

After I got sick a few years ago, I quit my job with an airline (I was in charge of finding lost luggage), and with the help of a small inheritance, bought a motor home. I was in hot pursuit of romance and adventure on the open road. Of course, every couple of months I had to pull over, park my dreams, and earn a little cash.

The gardening project was running late into the fall season. Miss Rosie had been through a trio of gardeners in the last few years. One had died of old age, one had been more interested in growing something he could smoke, and the other had just up and disappeared. Not that anybody missed him much—especially Miss Rosie who only put up with any hired help because Cooper and a local social worker insisted.

“Damn fool Cooper. Won’t leave a body alone.” The old lady had made it abundantly clear that I was to sleep in Matilda, stay out of her house, and damn well plant exactly what she wanted, where she wanted. She warned me not to get attached—the job was short-lived. It appears she was correct.

Did I mention my head hurts? That damn angel! Miss Rosie wanted it moved, but couldn’t settle on the perfect spot. She wanted a place where the birds would leave it alone. Personally, I thought the birds enjoyed using the old concrete statue for target practice and moving it wasn’t going to make any difference. Even if I moved the angel, which I was supposed to be doing today instead of planting lilies, I fully expected to be hosing it down until the birds flew south again. In any other part of the country, that would have happened a month ago. But here in Oklahoma, sometimes the heat of summer and black birds hung around like unwelcome guests, well into November.

Birds, angels, cow manure, and lilies—why these things were important to me at a time like this, I couldn’t say. I’m sure you’re thinking I should be praying or fighting.

And it’s not that I’m against a good prayer or a knock-down drag-out fight when need be, but the lily bed I’d been working in was less than a foot deep. And even with the dirt that the shooter was currently piling on top of me, if I kept playing dead, I should be able to rise from my grave when it was safe. All I had to do was keep calm and resist the urge to sneeze.

————-

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series by Evelyn David
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

Festival of Lights

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“Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead might well have been talking about the Maccabees, the Jewish insurgents who led a revolt against King of Syria Antiochus IV, in the second century BC. It is this triumph of a small group of Jews against the Seleucid Empire that is celebrated at Chanukah, the Jewish festival which begins this week at sundown on Wednesday.

Thanks to Wikipedia, let me recount quickly why Jews light a menorah, play dreidl, and eat latkes.

Chanukah (and it’s spelled a multitude of ways Hanukah, Hanukkah, and my preferred way of starts with a “c” and only has one “k”), marks the time when Jews regained control of Jerusalem and then rededicated the Temple after its desecration by Antiochus’s forces. It was the equivalent of David slaying Goliath. But that wasn’t the only miracle that Chanukah celebrates. When the Jews regained the Temple, there was just one vial of consecrated oil left to light the eternal flame in the Temple – and it takes eight days to make fresh holy oil. But the small amount which should have lasted one day, lasted eight. Therefore we light a candelabra known as a menorah that has room for eight candles and, one more a Shamash, an additional candle that is used to light the others. We light one additional candle each night so that by the eighth night the menorah is fully ablaze. We place the candles in the menorah from right to left because Hebrew is read that way (the opposite of how English is read).

Dreidl, a four-sided top with a hebrew letter on each side, is played to commemorate how Jews, forbidden to study Torah, used to meet secretly to learn. But if soldiers approached, the Jews would begin playing with tops, so that it looked like they were gambling, not studying. Each side of the dreidl has a Hebrew letter that together represents the statement, Nes Gadol Haya Sham, “A great miracle happened there”.

During the holiday, we eat latkes and other fried foods (like donuts) to remember the miracle of the oil.

Gift giving is a tradition, not a religious dictate. Like many families, my husband and I have always tried to walk that tightrope of giving gifts to our kids without forgetting the real purpose of the holiday. It’s an inspirational story that carries a message far beyond what happened all those many years ago. It’s a reminder that each of us can make a difference.

As we light the first candle on Wednesday night, we’ll draw strength from those who went before us who remained firm in their convictions, despite the overwhelming odds against them. We’ll sing about the miracle of the oil and we’ll rejoice in being together.

Below is my recipe for latkes – Enjoy!

Latkes
4-6 large potatoes, peeled and shredded (a food processor makes this much simpler, but you can use a hand grater)
1 small onion, grated
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of baking powder
Oil for frying

Grate potatoes and then squeeze out all liquid.
Add grated onion, egg, flour, salt, and baking powder.
Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot oil. Fry on both sides then drain on paper towel.
Serve with applesauce. I also serve with sour cream.

Marian, the Northern Half of Evelyn David

Note to our readers:
Today is cyber Monday. Gift shopping has never been easier. You can order online The Sullivan Investigation Series or the Brianna Sullivan Mysteries. A good mystery is always a welcome present. Enjoy!

The Sullivan Investigation Series
Murder Drops the Ball (Spring 2011)
Murder Takes the Cake – Paperback – Kindle
Murder Off the Books – Paperback – Kindle
Riley Come Home – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah
– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah
– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries
– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Blessings of the Season

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I’m not sure how it can be Thanksgiving already. I haven’t even changed my closet from summer to winter, so how can it be time to roast a turkey?

Time flies when you’re having fun and actually the last few months have indeed been fun. I like what the collective Evelyn David is writing…actually I like that we’re writing at all. It seemed like we hit the pause button over the summer, but then took off at lightspeed with the dawn of Labor Day. Writing the Brianna Sullivan e-books has been, quite simply, a hoot. The Southern half of this writing duo asked me the other day if it was bad form to be laughing uproariously at your own jokes. She had just re-read I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries, originally penned four years ago, and said she laughed long and loud. I know it’s good when you like what you are writing – or for that matter, enjoy whatever your job may be. So I’m truly thankful for this partnership that is also a wonderful friendship.

Oh, what the heck, let me keep on this thankful post, and talk about how lucky I am, blessed indeed, that The Stiletto Gang are my “peeps.” We are a disparate group of women of all ages, sizes, geographic locations, and points in our lives – and yet there is a sense of solidarity and support that is incredibly empowering. I have met in person only one of the Gang, and oddly enough it’s not the woman with whom I write books. Maggie Barbieri lives about a half hour away. But I often get just the email I need from someone in the group who might literally live across the country, but knows I need a pick-me-up. Sometimes, it’s to reassure me that “yes, you will write again,” when I am convinced that my writing career is over (if it should ever have begun). Sometimes, it’s when there’s a personal crisis, and someone has “been there, done that” and knows just will make the difference to get me out of the funk. These women I’ve never met are more than colleagues, they’re friends.

Writing, even with a partner, can be a lonely profession. I’m not sure how Hemingway and Fitzgerald managed to make it through the day without the reassurance I get from knowing that there is a group of writers out there who are no more than a click of a computer screen away. Of course, Ernest and Scott drank a lot so maybe that’s how they managed.

I don’t need turkey and stuffing to know that I have been blessed, in my personal life and professional one too. Before we eat our Thanksgiving feast, we always recite a Shehecheyanu prayer. It’s a Jewish blessing of thanksgiving. I offer it for you.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David

Note to Readers: To celebrate the publication of the Wolfmont edition of Murder Takes the Cake, we’re having a drawing each Friday for an autographed copy of Murder Off the Books or Murder Takes the Cake (winner’s choice). To enter the drawing, leave a comment on our website – http://www.evelyndavid.com/

The Sullivan Investigation Series
Murder Drops the Ball (Spring 2011)
Murder Takes the Cake – Paperback – Kindle
Murder Off the Books – Paperback – Kindle
Riley Come Home – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

It’s All About the Writing?

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For the past several days I’ve been thinking about this blog. I wanted to write about why I love Tom Selleck’s Jesse Stone movies, but don’t have the same feelings about his Blue Bloods television series.

Is it the same thing when the books are great and the television series is much less so? I love Kathy Reichs’ Bones novels, but am disappointed with the Bones television series. Why? The TV show is fine, better than most of the dramas that are currently airing. Okay actually I don’t have to wonder long about the Bones issue. The characters from the books are unrecognizable in the television series. So back to Tom Selleck –

(A friend suggested I just put up a couple dozen photographs of him and be done with this post. But as great as Tom Selleck looks, it’s not the major draw for me. For instance, I never paid much attention to him when he was doing the Magnum P.I. television series or some of his earlier movies. So, no, Cathy, mere photographs won’t suffice.)

Possibilities.

1. Tom Selleck is just phoning it in for his Blue Bloods role? Probably not.

2. The Jesse Stone movies are twice as long as the television episodes. There’s more time to set up the plot and tell the story. As a result they are better than the TV episodes? Maybe.

3. Familiarity breeds contempt? Ice cream three times a year tastes better than ice cream you get once a week for 22 weeks? It’s possible. When I see the next Jesse Stone movie, I’ll let you know if the weekly dose of Tom Selleck has made me immune to the movies.

4. More screen time for Selleck in the Jesse Stone movies? Both are ensemble pieces but clearly Tom Selleck is the star and the protagonist in the Jesse Stone movies. In Blue Bloods he’s just the headlining star. His two TV sons are the major protagonists. So, I only like Tom Selleck when he’s in a lead role? That’s a possibility, but I don’t think that’s it.

5. Or maybe it’s not Selleck at all. Maybe it’s the writing: the plots, the characters, the solving of the mystery. We’ll find out soon enough. The Jesse Stone movies were based on novels written by the late Robert B. Parker. The acclaimed writer died in January of 2010 and any future Jesse Stone movies won’t have his books to rely on or his input. But if I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on the better writing of the Jesse Stone movies because, for me, it’s always about the writing.

What do you think? Do you like the Jesse Stone movies? What do you think about Blue Bloods? Why?

And does anyone know when the next Jesse Stone movie is set to air?

Evelyn David

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Note to Santa: The complete set of the Jesse Stone movies are available on DVD. I saw them at Amazon while I was drooling over the Kindle e-readers.

Note to Readers: To celebrate the publication of the Wolfmont edition of Murder Takes the Cake, we’re having a drawing each Friday for an autographed copy of Murder Off the Books or Murder Takes the Cake (winner’s choice). To enter drawing, leave a comment on our website – http://www.evelyndavid.com/

The Sullivan Investigation Series
Murder Drops the Ball (Spring 2011)
Murder Takes the Cake – Paperback – Kindle
Murder Off the Books – Paperback – Kindle
Riley Come Home – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

Resolved: We Can Disagree without being Disagreeable

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The election is over. Thank Goodness.

I think what bothered me the most about this election, and in truth, election cycles over the last ten years, is what it does to me and my own behavior towards those with whom I disagree politically.

I don’t think there is much dispute, from either side, that there is a genuine lack of civility in politics today. Who’s to blame for this conduct is undoubtedly in the eye of the beholder. But it’s become the norm to vilify opponents rather than simply oppose their views. Gandhi implored us to “hate the sin, love the sinner.” But that concept has no place, apparently, in today’s political sphere.

All of which wouldn’t bother me nearly as much except for how it makes me behave. I find myself cheering when a self-righteous, holier-than-thou candidate is tripped up by his own newly-discovered failings. Take for example, Gary Condit. He was a Congressman, at the center of the tragic Chandra Levy case. He was eventually exonerated of any complicity in her death, but it was hard to feel much sympathy for the man. While serving in office, he never missed an opportunity to excoriate Bill Clinton, yet conducted an affair with an intern young enough to be his daughter. Aha, I thought. Karma has bitten him in his self-righteous ass. Should I be that happy at someone’s else’s moral failings?

But politics today has become a zero-sum game. The only way I win is if you lose – and lose spectacularly. And maybe I even get to rub your nose in it. Nyah, Nyah, Nyah. There is no room for the moderate, no place at the table for men like Henry Clay, “the great compromiser.” Nancy Reagan’s slogan of “Just Say No,” has been co-opted to “Just Vote No,” by the opposition, regardless of the merits of any particular bill. And like sheep following Bo-Peep, too many of our elected officials follow their chosen leaders right over the cliff.

The 112th Congress will take office on January 3, 2011. It can be a fresh start. Civility can — must — return to those hallowed halls, even while spirited debate is encouraged. And I need to practice what I preach — so would any Tea Party members like to come to tea?

Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David

The Sullivan Investigation Series

Murder Drops the Ball (Spring 2011)

Murder Takes the Cake – Paperback – Kindle

Murder Off the Books – Paperback – Kindle

Riley Come Home – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series

The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah
– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah
– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries
– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

Just Do It! Vote!

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Some great points were made by comedian/commentator Jon Stewart on Saturday. No matter what your political party, I hope we can all agree that everyone needs to work together to make things better. Honest debate is good. Hate speech isn’t. You can make a difference, it starts by voting. The results from tomorrow’s elections will change lives and futures! Be a part of the process. Vote!

A Note from an Old Neighbor

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I loved the old house the moment I saw it. There was an elegance to it. It had, as the realtor reminded me, “good bones,” despite the old-fashioned kitchen and bathrooms that we had no money to update. But it had seven bedrooms, a Palladium window on the landing of a staircase that would have enchanted Scarlet O’Hara, and a back stairway from the attic down to the kitchen (for the maids who undoubtedly lived in the attic when the house was first built). It was way too big for our family of three, soon to be four, but I loved it.

It wasn’t until we had moved in, however, that I learned what I really loved about this old house – the neighbors that came with it. Right next door was a sweet retired couple, Jean and Raymond. He had been the librarian of the Divinity School, and in a cruel twist of fate, had developed macular degeneration. By the time we knew them, he could no longer read. But his wife, a kind, gentle lady who did beautiful cross-stitchery, could. I can still hear her reading to him as they sat on their enclosed screen porch, throughout the spring and summer months. When I had the baby I was carrying when we first moved in, she made totally impractical, but absolutely gorgeous cross-stitched bibs. I still have them. And for the “big brother,” she made a tin of chocolate chip cookies on which she had written, “Charlie’s Cookies.” I still have that too.

Next to them lived another lovely couple, Kathleen and Achille. He was the assistant superintendent of schools, while she taught hospitalized children. They had five kids of their own, but all were grown except the youngest son, who was a senior in high school. They were devout Catholics. She attended Mass every morning, but never failed to send me a Rosh Hashonah card, even after we moved out of state. Christmas in their own home was a wonderful mix of faith, traditions, and just plain fun. They collected crèches and every surface in the house, during the season, was covered with manger scenes, large and small. My favorite, and I think theirs too, was the one their son had made when he was a preschooler: the three kings were Fisher Price little people and the animals around the baby Jesus were from the Fisher Price barn set. Achille was a master baker and spent one afternoon teaching me the rudimentary basics of cake decorating. On the dining room table at Christmas would be a gingerbread sleigh that he had made, filled with home-made gingerbread men, women, and children. It was a family comfortable in and comforted by their faith.

We moved oh too soon, but kept in touch with annual cards that would bring each of us up-to-date on the families. Kathleen was the one who told me in her annual Rosh Hashonah card about the passing of Jean and Raymond. I learned of Kathleen’s death when Achille sent me the annual card, saying he wanted to honor Kathleen’s tradition of staying in touch. His card was late arriving last year, but when it did, I learned that he had cancer, had had seven operations that year, but still wanted to wish me and mine the very best. When the card didn’t arrive this year, I feared that the tradition had ended. Today I learned that Achille had passed away in the spring.

I only knew these four remarkable individuals for a few years, but they left a lasting impression on me. They taught me about grace in the face of adversity; of generous spirits and genuine kindness. And I know that my life has been richer because I was blessed to have known them all. Rest in peace – and thank you.

Marian

_________________

Evelyn David’s new e-book series is debuting another volume of the Brianna Sullivan Mysteries today. The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah is a novella featuring “Brianna” the psychic who planned to travel the U.S. in her motor home. Instead she’s gotten stuck in Lottawatah, Oklahoma dealing with ghosts, murder, and a local detective who may or may not be the one to keep her tied down. Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Read more about the series and our other books at http://www.evelyndavid.com/.

Grandma at Four Months

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By Evelyn David

She’s rolling over now. She burst into tears the first time – shocked at the turn of events that had her on her back reaching for a stuffed animal, and all of a sudden, she was on her belly facing the wrong way and no stuffie in sight. Plus, how to get back to where she started?

But now, Riley, age four months, is rolling like the proverbial river.

And I’m growing more confident as Grandma. From the first second I knew my daughter-in-law was pregnant, I was in love with this little baby. But when Riley was born, I’d forgotten how tiny, fragile, even scary these little people can be. Despite raising four children of my own, I found myself worried that I couldn’t meet her needs. A set of baby tears was enough to prompt me to shed a few myself.

But then came the smiles – and wow, I’m willing to do cartwheels to get a grin from this little one.

So here’s how I knew I had passed the Grandma test.

I was to babysit for one hour starting at 7 pm. As an experienced parent, I know that is nobody’s finest hour. Riley normally goes to bed at 8 pm, so she would be getting tired in any case, but her Mom told me upon arrival that the baby hadn’t slept a wink the entire day. I believe the correct response is: OY!

Now the rule of the house is that the television is off when Riley is in the room. She’s absolutely mesmerized by the colors of the huge TV hanging on the wall in the family room. I respect that. Heck I limited TV viewing when raising my own kids.

But as the hour progressed, Ms. Riley began to fret. I walked, swayed, sang – you get the drift. Nothing, and I mean nothing, would comfort her for more than 15 seconds. I changed her diaper; then offered her a bottle of breastmilk, which she promptly spit out, clearly the wrong vintage, or at least the wrong nipple. She refused all pacifiers. And of course, most of all, she refused the one thing that would have helped – she wouldn’t so much as close her eyes lest she actually fall asleep.

And then I whispered what I’m pretty sure my mother and mother-in-law both did when watching my kids (including Riley’s daddy). I said, “Riley, this is Grandma talking. How would you like to watch “Wheel of Fortune?”

I clicked on the TV and silence descended. She sat transfixed in my arms.

I had hoped to turn it off before her mother returned, but alas I was busted.

The little one gave a huge smile when her Momma reached for her. Upstairs, a brief nursing session, and Ms. Riley was asleep for the night.

Personally, I think Riley was relieved that the contestant figured out the final puzzle. I’m pretty sure that she had. It said:

GRANDMA ROCKS

Please share your favorite Grandma stories (whether as a grandparent or grandchild).

Grandma Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David

I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries — short stories available for Kindle and Nook
Murder Off the Books
Murder Takes the Cake
Murder Drops the Ball — Spring 2011

How Not to Win Fans

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Last week I told about my time at the Valley Authors Event and mentioned that afterwards, several writer friends and I went to dinner together.

One of the conversations was about authors each of us would never buy another book from because of their actions. Everyone had a story.

One told about hearing an author at a conference, enjoying hearing, buying the book and taking it to her to sign. The woman was in the book room at a signing table talking to the author next to her. She took the book, signed it and handed it back without interrupting her conversation or even acknowledging the person who’d bought the book.

Another told about a rather well-known author who won’t even talk to people even those she’s met before.

And yet another, bad-mouthed authors from small presses and blamed them for a smaller turnout than anticipated at a large mystery conference. Hello, small press authors buy books too.

And then there are those who can’t stop talking about their own books and greatness when on a panel, never giving anyone else an opportunity. This is really bad when that person is the moderator.

I’m sure we’ve all had those experiences.

On the other side of the coin, some of the most famous and well-known authors are friendly to everyone.

Years ago I met Mary Higgins Clark at a small mystery conference. Nearly twenty years later I saw her at a cocktail party in New York during Edgar week. I spoke to her and told her where we’d met, she insisted she remembered me and introduced me to her at the time new husband. She also asked how my writing was coming.

Any time I run into Jan Burke she’s as friendly as can be. We once spent a long afternoon in an airport together with our husbands waiting for weather to clear and had a great discussion.

William Kent Krueger is another author who always remembers everyone he’s met, or at least acts like it, and if he really does know you, you’ll probably get a big hug.

Our own Susan McBride is another one who is always friendly–a joy to see at any time.

I’ve also met 1/2 of Evelyn David who is sweet as can be.

I’m heading to San Francisco for Bouchercon tomorrow, I hope I mostly run into friendly authors.

I could name lots more authors who are always charming whenever you have the opportunity to meet them.

Of course I’m not a famous author, but I do hope people perceive me as a friendly one. I honestly love to meet new people and I’m thrilled when they buy one of my books and even more so when they let me know they enjoyed reading it.

Have you got any stories about authors whose books you won’t buy any more because of how they acted? Or how about the other side, authors who make you feel like they are your friend.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

The Brave New “E-Book” World

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Electronic Books? E-books. Have they arrived? I think so.

It wasn’t that long ago that electronic mail was new and strange – a novelty instead of a daily communication tool. Not anymore. I don’t remember the last time I wrote a personal letter. A note maybe to go along with a package. But a letter? Like it or not e-mail is the way of the world now. Just as I think e-books will be in less than five years. The number of e-books on the market is exploding. The number of e-readers (the devices and the people) is increasing every day. Publishing contracts today include electronic rights along with foreign and domestic print rights. Yep, e-books are here to stay…in one form or another. (Hey, I’m old enough to have lived through 8-tracks, cassette tapes, cds, and digital downloads for i-Pods – so I know nothing is forever!)

But not to be left behind on the e-book super highway, my co-author and I have recently published a short story collection – I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries and a single short story – Riley Come Home at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It was quite a learning experience. And we are still trying to figure out some of the formatting tweaks. My co-author says that learning how to do a clickable “Table of Contents” has become a point of pride with me – not something that we absolutely have to include in our e-books. She’s right (she’s right a lot of the time but let’s keep that fact just between us). I admit that I have developed an obsession with figuring it out. (Yes, I know there are people out there making a living whom I could pay to do it for me – but what’s the fun in that?) I will conqueror the problem as I do most things – through time, trial, whining, and error. Lot’s of whining and error.

On the bright side, did you know that on-line bookstores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders have their own software applications that can be downloaded free to your e-reader and/or your PC (desktop or laptop)? You visit their site, search for e-book software applications (if you don’t see an ad for one staring right at you when you arrive on site) and click on the download button. It loads itself and all you need to do is set up an account (if you don’t already have one there for all those print books you’ve been buying for years) and start buying e-books. You can be reading in seconds on your computer without actually purchasing a Kindle (although the current price of $139 is becoming very tempting) or a Nook (Barnes & Noble’s popular e-reader). You can also buy e-books for the Apple i-Pad from the on-line Apple store. Tony Burton, publisher extraordinare, has an on-line store, The Digital Bookshop. You can find lots of great e-books and print books there (including Evelyn David’s Sullivan Investigations mystery series).

And here’s another surprise – there are free e-books to be had. Free! Amazon and Barnes & Noble have free e-books offerings. All you have to do is download them.

Now be warned, my co-author and I aren’t giving away our books. (Are you kidding after all that blood, sweat, and whining?) But if you’re counting your pennies, buying e-books can save you money. Our short story collection, I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries is priced at $2.99. Riley Come Home is a mere 99 cents. The Kindle versions of Murder Off the Books and Murder Takes the Cake are $5 each at Amazon versus the very reasonable just over $9 price tag for the trade paperback editions.

So here’s my question? Have you tried an e-book yet? If not, why not?

Rhonda

(Oh, and if anyone wants to give me some tips about that clickable “Table of Contents” thing, I’d appreciate it.)