Meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Poem #Writing

Meander 1 -- Poem Gift From A Husband Post Divorce

The bus depot was dim and Dark, The gift
You sent had just arrived. The gnomish man
With rasp edged voice pointed and made me lift
And lug it to my car. My hands began
To wrestle with the sealing tape and tear
My fingernails. Soon the tape was overthrown
To reveal a giant set of kitchenware
Enough to feed a regiment. I live alone.
Am I in your fantasy chained to stove and
Sink as I never was before? Do you
See me spoon in hand, flashing wedding band,
Stirring giant pots of bubbling stew?
What amde you choose the gift I wanted least.
In honor of the end of our wedding feast?

Meander 2 - Papers, Papers, Papers. --I've been filling out paper after paper since my husband's death. Amazing the number of places that want papers and information. I will say this Social Security is very efficient and has already returned the letter saying how much I will recieve. The state of New York is very different. A phone interview ended with expect papers to fill out and sign arriving in 6 to 8 weeks. There will be no money set until this is complete. The Keogh plan takes less time than all this but of course there is paper work here. Now mI must start with the health insurance tomorrow. If my hair wasn't already gray it would be nwo.

Meander 3 - Writing __ Writing is going slow. Not only does all this paperwork keep me from writing, my hand aches if I use it too much. I'm managing a page a day, so all is not lost.

Sunday's Book Murder and Herbal Tea #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Mystery #Wedding

Katherine’s wedding day has arrived and she and Lars make their vows. When she notices one of her best friends hasn’t arrived, she begins to worry. Her friend owns a shop where tea and accompaniments are sold. Her friend’s partner is a micromanager. Katherine’s friend has wanted to dissolve the partnership. A call to the New England town brings the dreadful news of a murder. Kate’s protectiveness factor takes hold and she leaves a note for Lars and heads to rescue her friend. Though she has promised to leave murders alone, she feels she has no choice. Lars follows to help her solve another murder.

Susan

5.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Miller reels in another culprit

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Murder and Herbal Tea by Janet Lane Walters
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Books We Love
First Sentence: During the second week of June, Lars arrived in the Hudson River village where I live and where he had a home.
Review: Katherine, aka Kate, Miller is finally marrying Lars Claybourne. They barely tie the knot and Kate’s off to clear her friend, Joyce, of any wrong doing…even though all fingers point at her. (Without giving up any spoilers)
It’s serious charges against Joyce, and Kate’s all into figuring out what the authorities seem to be missing. Following her process of elimination down a twisty path of possibilities kept me on my toes, enjoyably so.

I read Ms. Walters’ book out of sequence, (this is book 5) not that you should read the Mrs. Miller Mysteries books out of order, but I was able to follow along with the story and character relationships flawlessly.

A happy ending always makes me smile, and Ms. Walters delivers. I recommend this book to anyone who’s into cozy mysteries where the story-star sleuth comes packed with personality plus; )
Susan

Helpful

eileen charbonneau

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner!

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Who leaves her groom on their wedding day to solve a murder? Mrs Miller-Claybourne, that's who! And her readers are all the better for it! A tolerant and helpful new husband, a friend in need, cooked books, suspects galore, lots of delicious food, tea, and Victorian homes and shops settings make this a welcome addition to this delightful cozy mystery series. And policemen? When are you going to learn that condescending: "Leave detecting to me" remarks are just NOT WISE in the presence of our super sleuth??

Saturday's Blurbs featuring Books by Diane Bator #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Mysteries #Gilda Wright # Wild Blue #Glitter Bay

New Release!   Dead Without Shame (Book 4, Gilda Wright Mysteries)

Once more, Gilda considers leaving the karate school to work for her friend Happy (no one has ever called him Harvey). When three men rob Happy Harvey’s Hangover Hut killing the woman at the front counter, Gilda is stunned to think that could have been her. Was this a mere robbery, or does someone have a vendetta against Happy, including his good friend Gary del Garda? The evidence keeps piling up while both her mother and another karate instructor come to town bearing secrets that may cost Gilda the life she loves in Sandstone Cove.

The Painted Lady (Book 4, Wild Blue Mysteries)

Leo Blue can't escape Packham nor the life of a private detective no matter how hard he tries. Six months after the murder of artist DJ Gage, the prices of Gage's paintings soar. When a forgery is discovered in the local art gallery and a woman winds up dead, Leo not only has to find a murderer and a forger but deal with a man who came to town seeking the wife he thinks abandoned him.

   The pieces of Christina Davidson's life have built up into place over the past few months, despite the one last secret she's trying hard to hide. When Leo Blue returns to town then Brady Ryan shows up, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble and the only people who can help her now are the men of the Wild Blue Detective Agency.

All That Sparkles (Book 1, Glitter Bay Mysteries)

What do a trunk full of vintage clothes, a handsome land developer, and a fifty year old diamond heist have in common? Laken Miller receives a trunk full of expensive vintage clothing and a stack of newspaper clippings about a fifty-year old diamond heist. Now all she has to do is figure out who murdered Tilly San Vicente before the killer silences her as well.

Buy Links:

BWL Publishing:   https://bookswelove.net/bator-diane/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Diane-Bator/e/B009CGCPRE?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1579654816&sr=8-1

Friday Diane Bator is visiting and talking about Heroes, Heroines and Villains #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Mysteries

 1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms? Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

I seem drawn to writing mysteries for the most part. Whether it is adult or young adult novels, I’m intrigued by puzzles and finding answers just as my protagonists are.

I enjoy reading a variety of genres and find it interesting to discover new-to-me authors, which is why I also started my own blog Escape with a Writer Sundays.

As far as genres are concerned, I try to keep an open mind, but I don’t think I’d be comfortable writing erotica or the like. I prefer to write things I wouldn’t be embarrassed to have my kids, or my mom read.

2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write? Does one of these come easy and why?

I have an easier time writing Heroes and Heroines than Villains. I think that’s because I have this inherent notion that most people are good deep down. Even the Villains. That being said, I have one recurring character in my Gilda Wright series, Gary del Garda, who walks a thin line. He’s a Villain in many ways, but also on the heroic side when need be.

3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

I think my heroes are everyday people who see a wrong and want to fix things. Sometimes they can be inspired by pictures as well as real life. For example, images of a weary firefighter combined with chatting with someone I met helped me create the hero in a book I’m working on.

Generally, my heroes come before the plot, although sometimes they do tend to take over the story. This was the case with Kane Garrick in my Gilda Wright Mysteries. While he didn’t start out as the hero, he rapidly took over the role.

4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

Part of me goes into every Heroine. My fears, my insecurities, my wants. Sometimes the plot will come first. I have to think about what kind of woman would face that kind of situation and what she might do. Most of the time, she evolves from a place of weakness (physical, mental, or spiritual) to overcome her fears and help make the world – or at least her hometown - a better place.

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

This takes me back to Gary del Garda from my Gilda Wright Mysteries. He’s a mobster and all round bad guy with one weak spot. Gilda. He made a promise to her father, a cop shot in the line of duty, that he would look out for her. In among all of his wrongdoings, he spends time keeping an eye on her and protecting her. When her sleuthing gets too close to the things he’d hiding, he tends to send her off on wild goose chases.

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

My latest release is Dead Without Shame, book 4 in my Gilda Wright Mystery series. Once more Gilda Wright is our intrepid heroine with Kane Garrick this time playing Watson to her Sherlock. While Gary is his usual dark self, he is hardly alone with secrets and hidden motives.

7. What are you working on now?

With Dead Without Shame complete, I have one more new release in September 2020, Drop Dead Cowboy. Since that one only needs edits, I’m back to working on a fantasy novel I’m writing with a friend of mine. I’m also working on Book 5 in the Gilda Wright series, Dead Without Remorse.

8. How can people find you?

Website	http://penspaintsandpaper.com
Blog	http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Twitter	https://twitter.com/dibator
Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-Bator-Author/
Goodreads	https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7179945.Diane_Bator

Thursday's Fifth Scene Temple of Fyre #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Fantasy #Romance #Spicy

Ria huddled beside the bushes near the wall of the Temple of Fyre. How long had she lain here? Hours? Days? She had no notion of how much time had passed since the duel with Malera. Ria’s memories were filled with the confrontation, the stoning, and the strident case of the carrion crows. She’d expected the birds to attack. Instead, they had used their beaks to drive her through the hedge where the thorns had torn her caftan and the flesh of her arms. Once beyond the hedge, agonizing pain had driven her into darkness.

     Her body ached from the blows of the rocks and the slashes of Malera’s flail. Tears welled in her eyes. She could no longer be one of the priestesses who called fire from the opaline crystals.

     Hunger gnawed in her gut. Fever from the poison of the thorns flowed through her body. She wrapped her arms around her middle. What would she do? She had succeeded and called fire. She had blended the flames raised by the other women. Malera’s choice of a task had been wrong. So was the punishment the chief priestess had meted.

     Ria had been unable to destroy Gydon for its failure to pay the tithe. Malera was evil. How could women, children, and the elderly, plow the fields and bring in the harvest? Ria shuddered. To sell children to the slavers was wrong. Though she’d been treated with care by those grim, swarthy men, she’d seen how the others had fared.

     The scuff of boots on the stones of the path drew her toward the place where she’d broken through the hedge. A man strode toward the temple. His clothing was dusty and rumpled. A hunger different from her need for food arose. He carried fyrestones in the pouch dangling from his belt. The first of the seekers had arrived, but what he carried could never be hers. Malera would buy all for the temple.

     As he drew closer, her breath caught in her throat. Though unkempt, he was handsome. Tall and lean, with muscles honed by labor and sun darkened by the sun. Like hers, his hair was rich with the colors of the fyrestones.

     Her body tingled with awareness. For him, or for what he carried? He paused beside her hiding place and stooped to examine the stone. She tensed. Would he discover her and drag her to the temple where Malera waited?

Wednesday Murder and Bitter Tea #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Mystery #Undercover nurse #Nursing Home

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com  For some great excerpts. In her latest adventure, Katherine goes undercover in a nursing home to find the killer

Katherine’s newest tenant is estranged from her family and is the granddaughter of one of Katherine’s friends. When her friend falls and fractures her hip, the elderly woman is taken to Hudson House nursing home, an exclusive house.

Katherine’s friend becomes concerned about several recent and unexpected deaths. When she dies Katherine’s curiosity and suspicions send her undercover as a nurse. Soon she’s deeply involved.

Can she learn who is behind the scheme to end the lives of wealthy patients without becoming a victim?





EXCERPT:

After a quick wash-up, I brewed a pot of mint tea.  Robespierre began his greeting dance. Before I had a chance to see who had arrived, the cat slipped through his door. When I saw him on the landing with my young friend Robby, I called a greeting.

     “Mrs. Miller, can I visit?” Robby asked. “I need to ask you something really important.”

     “Over milk and cookies?”

     He nodded. “Mom said I can have three.”

     “How does peanut butter with chocolate chips sound?” His grin provided my answer.

     “Oh, yes.” He bent and scratched Robespierre’s head. The large cat rumbled like the sound of distant thunder.

     Once the ritual greeting ended, three cookies and a glass of milk waited on the table. Robby pulled a stool to the sink and washed his hands. “See. I ‘membered.”

     “So you did.” While he ate the first cookie, I filled a mug and sat across the table from him. “Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

     He propped his elbows on the table. “How can a boy be happy his grandma died? If I had one, I would be sad.”

     I sipped the tea. “That’s a hard question. Want to tell me how you learned the boy was happy about her death?”

     He leaned forward. “He’s in my class. Always saying bad things ‘bout her. Said she was rich and mean ‘cause she wouldn’t buy him all the toys he wanted.”

     “Sounds like he’s greedy.”

     Robby’s head bobbed. “He sure is. Always saying how his things are better than mine ‘cause they cost more.”

    “So why was he happy she died?”

     “’Cause his mom and dad don’t fight with his grandma ‘bout her money. They got it all.”

     I cradled the mug. “Is he happy now?”

     “Guess so. He says so but he’s still mean.” Robby reached for a second cookie. “He got a new bike and lots of video games. He’s gonna live in a big new house. They can ‘ford a new one ‘cause no more money goes to that place.”

     “What place?”

     “You know, the one on the river where old people go. Our class went there once to sing. They liked us.”

     “Hudson House?”

     “Yep.”

     The private nursing home is where the rich of the area go to recover from surgery or to spend their final years. The boy’s grandmother must have had the means to pay for the luxurious service.      I patted Robby’s hand. “I’m not sure I have answers for your questions. I’m not sure there are any.”

     He looked up. “If I had a grandma, she would be just like you.”

   “Thank you.” I patted his hand. “Tell you what. Why don’t I become your adopted grandma?”

Tuesday's Writer's Tip The End #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Writing #Endings

The ending of the book means some work. You just don’t mark the end. There are some things you need to write. This is a general bit here. We will look at the steps you need to cover to make the ending satisfactory.

First comes the building of steps. These steps are found in the character's motivations, goals and secrets. There are also the stumbling blocks. What the character wants and why he or she wants it? This may or may not be the character's initial goals but ones that have changed and developed. The character's secret is important. He may be hiding something from others and even from himself. For that secret to be revealed is often the trigger for the black moment. Stumbling blocks belong to the other characters and they have their own reasons for the character not to reach his goal. These can also trigger the black moment.

The moment of realization is the next point in the black moment. The character must really believe all is lost. Don't resolve this moment in a sentence or two but show the character really suffering from the realization.

Then comes the resolution. Here the character must give up or find a way to fight. Play the scene out fully as this adds to the drama of the scene. Even if he or she gives up this must be made to look like the right decision for the character. If he or she decides to fight, this will lead to other scenes.

The black moment for your character or characters doesn't just pop up. The moment has to be developed so the reader believes this is for real. Remember during the black moment, the character must believe all is lost. The reader must believe this as well. So how does this moment happen?

Just what is the black moment? this is the time when a character realizes all is lost. The hero knows he will never win the girl. The heroine sees her dreams for happiness evaporate. The villain realizes he will be found out.

The key word is believes and this can be hard to make clear. If you're writing a romance, you know there should be a happily ever after or a happy for now moment. In a mystery, you know the villain will be unmasked. In any genre the time needs to come for one of the characters to realize all is lost. In a science fiction story the hero or heroine might believe the plague will never end. In fantasy, the wizard believes he or she ahs lost their powers. A bit of note for the horror genre. The black moment may become the end of the focus character, What could be blacker than that.

Is it possible to have more than one black moment in a story? Skillfully done, this can be achieved. The character may believe all is lost. Then he or she decides to go on from there. Then, during the new path he or she has taken there comes another time when all can be lost.

Here’s a sketch of what my Black Moment will entail. The hero has tried to rescue one of the girls the villain holds prisoner. Instead he is captured and the villain taints his lines. The hero believes he has lost everything and he flees. When the alien finds him, he is unable to fight the man. The heroine arrives. The alien is pleased but the heroine offers the hero a chance to cleanse his lines. He must decide to do something he has fought since he first met the heroine. This leads to the final scene and also gives a little hint about what the third book in the trilogy will be.

So your assignment is to spend time trying to figure which one of your characters will have the really black moment. In my story though the heroine has to make a hard choice it is not a true black moment for her.

Meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Writs #Writing

Meander 1 - Sore wrist - My right wrist is aching and maybe a bit swollen. Wondering why. Doesn't bother me when typing. Hurts some when writing and when using my Kindle and the TV control. What to do about the thing bothers me. I suppose I could go back to using the wrist splint but I really don't enjoy wearing it. This isn't carpal tunnel. Wrong place for that. Will continue to puzzle this out.

Meander 2 - The RWA connection - I do go on and read the things that are happening in RWA concerning diversity. Do I post there, no. Why? I can't see where I could add anything. I've been through this before when electronic publishing was thought of as being not writing real books. I was in there fighting for that and nothing ever came of what happened until suddenly electronic books were considered main stream and no one ever said they were wrong about that. Diversity is something I'm cool with especially since four of my grandchildren are black and three are Chinese so I'd say I was a bit diverse at home. I even have handicapped children and have learned to live with that. I don't make a fuss or do I rub what I am in other people's face.

Meander 3 Writing - Finally back to writing again. Have started n the second draft of the book. That is the plot draft and am filling in things i learned as I got toward the end of the book that need to be up front and removing somethings that came too early in the book. Sometimes these things come in because the writer needs to know them.

Sunday's Book The Temple of Fyre #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Fantasy #Romance #Jewels

Sold by her family to the priestesses of the Temple of Fyre, Ria soon masters using each of the four fyrestones, white, yellow, orange and scarlet. Her curiosity leads her to the archives and there, she learns things that disturb her. There are no men serving as priests but in the past there were. Men are kept in the harras where the priestesses visit. On the day of her testing she is ordered to perform a task she dislikes and refuses to destroy a town. Many of the priestesses fall into unconsciousness. Melera, the chief priestess, beats and banishes Ria for the carrion crows to consume. Ari was abandoned as a child and found by two elderly firestone miners. He has pursued this and is the best of the finders. He goes to the temple to sell the stones he has gleaned. On leaving, Ria attempts to steal the fyrestone he has worn since the day he was found. He thinks she is a boy and a thief and he takes her to his room at the inn. On discovering her identity, he refuses to turn her over to the priestesses and they leave town. They are searching for the fabled blue fyrestones. They also learn to use them they must be bonded physically, emotionally and spiritually. Can they learn to master the blue stones and defeat Malera so they can rule the temple with love and understanding?

Top international reviews

Kryssie Fortune

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous start to a fantasy series. Don't miss this one

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

Ria has power but lacks knowledge. When challenged by the head of the all female Temple of Fyre, she loses and goes into exile. As she learns how to hone her strengths, she also learns the history of the Temple. Along the way 

she learns about love, but the priestesses have taught her that mating with a male costs a priestess her power. And another confrontation with the head priestess looms.

Saturday's Blurbs Featuring Books by Dee S Knight aka Anne Krist #MFRWAuthor #Betrayal #Good Nan #Woman

Burning Bridges (written as Anne Krist)
mybook.to/BurningBridges

Consider the role of strangers in our lives. An unknown postman in Virginia hides a bag of mail one day. His simple action set in motion untold consequences for many others—strangers—all over the country. How many bridges were burned in that forgotten mail pouch?

Sara Richards’s world is rocked when three love letters from 1970 are delivered decades late. The letters were written by Paul Steinert, a young sailor who took her innocence with whispered words of love and promises of forever before leaving for Vietnam. Sara is left behind, broken hearted and secretly pregnant, yearning for letters she never received.

Then Paul died.

Now, years later, she discovers the betrayal wasn’t Paul’s, when her mother confesses to a sin that changed their lives forever. How can Sara reveal to Paul’s parents that they have a granddaughter they’ve missed the chance to know? Even worse, how will she find the words to tell her daughter that she’s lived her life in the shadow of a lie?

Picking her way through the minefields of secrets, distrust, and betrayal, Sara finds that putting her life together again while crossing burning bridges will be the hardest thing she’s ever done.

Only a Good Man Will Do Book 1 of the Good Man series
https://amzn.to/2q7ovi4

Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar's wife. Good luck with that!

Daniel Goodman is a man on a mission. He aims to become headmaster of Westover Academy. For that he needs a particular, special woman to help him set high standards. Into his cut and dried life of moral and upright behavior, comes Eve Star, formerly one of Europe's foremost exotic dancers. Her life is anything but cut and dried, black and white. Daniel is drawn to her like a kid to chocolate. Nothing good can come of this attraction. Or can it? He is after all, a good man.

One Woman Only Book 2 of the Good Man series
mybook.to/OneWomanOnly

As one of a set of triplets, Jonah Goodman has always stood out as the least academic—and the last one to take the world, or commitment, seriously. Thing is, that’s not really who he is. But who can he convince of that? Not his family, who see him as they always have. And maybe not his one love, the sweetheart he left behind in high school but with whom he is now sharing an erotic holiday. Will he get his second chance to prove to Kelly that he is a loving man who wants more than a sensual few days, but a real relationship with the woman he lost once and doesn’t want to lose again? With that chance and Kelly's love, Jonah knows that a "good man" can become a better man.