Yes, I Do Read Reviews!

I'm over at Criminal Minds today giving my opinion on reader reviews, even the bad ones.  Come on over and check it out. 

And I'm still huffing and puffing along on my deadline for GHOST OF A GAMBLE...

Deadline At My Doorstep

I'm currently on a deadline. But what else is new?  Seems like I'm always on deadline for one thing or another, especially books. This time it's for the 4th Granny Apples novel. It has a working title of Ghost of a Gamble and is due to my new publisher, Berkley, in just a few short weeks.  The book is going well, although way behind for my taste and comfort.

After that, I'll be working on finishing up Murder Ball, the 9th Odelia Grey novel (Yes, 9th. Can you believe it!!) which is due later in the year to Midnight Ink. At the same time, I'll be working on Dummy of a Ghost, the 2nd Granny Apples novella for Berkley.

What can I say, it keeps me off the streets...

Today I blogged at Criminal Minds. I blog there every other Friday.  It's a cool blog I share with nine other authors. A different question is put up for discussion every week. Check it out.  I'm talking about Killing with Responsibility today.

Now it's back to Ghost of a Gamble, which will be released April 2014.   The clock is ticking and I can feel the scythe itching for my neck!


BTW, don't forget The Silent Ghost, the 1st Granny Apples novella, is currently for sale for e-readers and Secondhand Stiff, the 8th Odelia Grey mystery, is available for preorder. It will be out December 2013 in both print and e-book.

From the Mail Bag - A Pissed Off Reader

Yesterday in my e-mail I received a note from a reader who told me bluntly that she was never going to read my books again or promote me to other readers as she has done in the past. The reason: she'd gone to her local Barnes and Noble to purchase THE SILENT GHOST, my first Granny Apples novella, and was told by the clerk that it was not in print, that it was for e-readers only. She also assumed that because of this all my future books would also be released only in a digital format.

This is not the first time a reader has been disappointed over this or made that same assumption, but it was the first time a reader told me in so many words that I was on her shit list.

Here's the thing, people:

1) That was my publisher's decision, not mine, so don't drag me behind your pickup truck over a gravel road because of it;

2) THE SILENT GHOST is a novella, only about 100 pages in length, so to produce it in print would not be cost effective (see #1 above);

3) Please do not assume all future books will be digital because of this. My 4th full-length Granny Apples novella will be out in print and in e-book in April 2014.  My next Odelia Grey book will be released in December also in print and in digital.

4) Digital books are here to stay. And I believe print books will always be with us even if they become more difficult to find.  Think records/CDs over digital downloads. I still buy CDs myself.

5) If you don't own an e-reader and want to read an e-book, you can down load a FREE app from either Kindle or Nook to your computer, smart phone, or tablet, so you are not being discriminated against.

6) As for independent authors, many are choosing to go only digital now or to release limited print runs along with their e-books. But these books will also not be found in your local book store. That doesn't mean they are not worth discovering.

7) Generally, authors make more money in digital sales because the quantity sold is much larger. At least I do and I know I'm not alone. My books are now reaching thousands of readers all over the world because of the digital format. So don't beat up an author because she wants to be paid for her hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours of hard work.  To do so is (dare I say it?) selfish.

I love books. I also love my Kindle. I buy and read both digital and print books.

Can't we all just get along on this?

The Silent Ghost Is Silent No More!

It's here! It's finally here!  THE SILENT GHOST, my first Ghost of Granny Apples novella, is in the house! It was released on March 5th to much online fanfare.  This novella was released in e-book format only, so check it out at your favorite e-book retailer.  It's only $2.99.  What a bargain!

Earlier reader reviews have been fantastic!

Next year at this time, we will have two new Granny treats. In March 2014, another e-book novella will be released.  The working title is DUMMY OF A GHOST, and once again it will focus on Kelly Whitecastle, but this time she will pair with her mother, Emma, to solve the riddle of a ghost inhabiting a smart mouthed puppet.

Currently I'm working on the next next full-length Ghost of Granny Apples novel, the 4th in the series. It will be released in April 2014. It's working title is GHOST OF A GAMBLE. It's really coming along great, although I wish it would come along a little faster. Please!  It's due May 1st and I'm pounding the keyboards as fast as I can to get it done on time, but having the flu a few weeks ago and now a cold is really cutting into my writing time.  But I push on!  In GHOST OF A GAMBLE Granny and Emma go on a road trip to Las Vegas to help Milo Ravenscroft, Emma's friend and mentor, with a sensitive ghost problem involving his fortune telling, former showgirl mother, Dolly. It's going to be a wild ride through Sin City!

And let's not forget Odelia!

Odelia Grey, the feisty plus size paralegal, will be back in her 9th adventure, SECONDHAND STIFF, in December 2013!  When Odelia and her visiting mother, Grace Littlejohn, check out a storage auction, they never dream a body will be up for bid.  SECONDHAND STIFF is already available online for preorder.

And just so you don't think I'm sloughing off, I've already begun work on Odelia's 10th book.  The working title is MURDER BALL.

 So, you see, I've been busy.

Later, gator!

I Can Hardly Wait!!!

In 10 days - count 'em - 10 days - THE SILENT GHOST will be released by Granny's new publisher Penguin/Berkley. 

THE SILENT GHOST is not a full novel, but a novella. It will also not be offered in print format, but only digitally.

When I contracted with Berkley to continue the Ghost of Granny Apples series with them, there was concern about the gap in time between the last Granny novel, GEM OF A GHOST, and the release of the first Granny book to be published by Berkley.  The solution was to ask me to write a couple of novellas to tide over Granny's eager fans. This is the first of two novellas under contract with Berkley.  The second, still untitled, will be released next March, with the 4th book in the continuing Granny Apples series to follow in April of 2014.  I'm currently working on that 4th book. It has a working title of GHOST OF A GAMBLE.

THE SILENT GHOST is also a departure from the Granny series in another way. Instead of featuring Emma Whitecastle, it features Kelly, her daughter who is a student at Harvard. In GEM OF A GHOST we learned that Kelly can see and hear Granny Apples. But can she see and hear other spirits as well?  Is she her mother's daughter? That question gets answered when a young reporter by the name of Tanisha Costello approaches her. Tanisha knows full well that Kelly is the daughter of a famous TV personality and a famous medium, but she isn't looking for a story, she's looking for help. At first wary, Granny Apples steps in and convinces Kelly that together they can help Tanisha solve her spirited problem.

BTW, GEM OF A GHOST was nominated for a 2012 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award!

You can pre-order THE SILENT GHOST now from your favorite e-book retailer.  And for those of you who do not have e-readers, don't fret, you can still read THE SILENT GHOST by downloading FREE Nook and Kindle apps to your computer, tablets or smartphones. 

And let's not forget Odelia! 

The 8th book in the Odelia Grey mystery series, SECONDHAND STIFF, will be released by Midnight Ink December 2013.  That's right, December. Just in time for holiday shopping!

In SECONDHAND STIFF we find Odelia facing some very personal trials and tribulations when her cantankerous mother, Grace Littlejohn, comes for a visit during the Thanksgiving holiday. Throw in a body found in a storage locker, and Grace's fascination with murder and mayhem, and we find Odelia on the brink of more than her usual insanity.

An Epiphany of Pain

Okay, I know you've heard me say this before, but I'm going to keep saying it until it sinks in ... not into your heads, but into mine.

Over the past several years I've started and abandoned one diet after another.  When I trained for the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in 2009 (wow! can you believe it has been 4 years?!), I lost about 35 lbs., then quickly gained it and more back when I injured my left leg and stopped working out. Since then I've had a spotty record of fits and starts which resulted in getting on the doctor's scale in December 2012 and finding I had hit my highest weight ever - 278 lbs!   

Yes, I'm putting that number out there, big, bold and brassy. I thought long and hard about it before I did. Did I really want folks to know what I weighed? But it's not about you folks, it's about me and my health.  Over all, I'm pretty healthy, but in December something happened that shook me to my bones, literally. I woke up one morning with such back and legs pains I could barely walk and had to call into the office sick.  I have arthritis in my knees but it has never really bothered me that much, just from time to time.  But the morning I woke and could barely shuffle from the bed to the bathroom set off an alarm in my head like an old-fashioned fire house bell.

What would happen if I got worse?  How would I manage? I live alone and have a pretty busy life. The thought sent me into a panic.

Over Christmas I went on vacation to Santa Fe with one of my BFFs. I struggled to walk, but managed in spite of the altitude and my legs. I was determined not to let the pain ruin our vacation and my 60th birthday celebration, but I was cranky and full of fear.  What happened to the woman who used to walk 3 miles a day pain-free just a couple of years before? Where was she and could I get her back?  In answer, I started watching what I ate and moved around more.

In mid January I participated with my niece and several friends in the Disneyland Neverland 5K. About two weeks before, I went to the doctor with pain in my right leg. He confirmed it wasn't my knee but a strain to the muscles in that leg. He gave me stretching exercises and applauded me for a 4 lbs loss since my last visit.  Yes! In the month since I'd last seen him, I'd lost 4 lbs just by watching what I ate. I did the 5K but had to stop quite often to stretch out my leg. Another friend was nursing bad knees and she and I finished well behind our friends, but we finished!  The next few days I could barely walk.

My body is trying to tell me something and until now I've been ignoring it. It's time to clean the wax out of my ears.

My niece had started Weight Watchers online in January, so I signed up to do it with her. It has been very successful for me in just a couple of weeks.  Coupled with the early few pounds, I've lost 16 lbs since the Holidays. I find WW easy to follow and I'm not only losing weight but eating so healthy I can feel the difference in my body. 

At the Disneyland 5K in January 2013

I still need to get in more exercise.  As a writer always on deadline and a paralegal by day, I spend an extraordinary amount of time sitting on my fat ass in front of a computer. I have to force time to exercise into my schedule with a shoehorn. It also doesn't help that I hate to exercise, but unless I do, my body is not going to heal in spite of the new eating habits.

Last spring I teamed up with Lori Marshall Olsen to start a support group on Facebook called How Bad Do You Want It.  Lori is amazing!  In the past few years, Lori has lost about 150 lbs just by changing her eating habits and exercising.  Her husband and son have also lost a lot of weight. The family was recently featured on The Huffington Post and Dr. Oz. The HBDYWI group consists of people, mostly women, who are tired of yo-yo diets and are ready to make a commitment to be healthy. We don't follow any particular diet or program. Each member is free to do what they wish. Some are on WW, others under doctor's care, some just making changes on their own. In the year since we've started the group many have lost a lot of weight and reclaimed their lives and health.  Although one of the founders, I didn't fare so well the first year, but now I'm on board, armed and ready to be one of the group's success stories.

You folks have followed my writing career, my emotional ups and downs, and my going gray and turning 60. Here's the next step in my journey. I promise not to bore you with details, but will post from time to time on my progress.

This isn't about being fashionable or wanting to be thin, this is about feeling good and being mobile.

P.S.: For those readers who fear my character Odelia Grey will follow in my footsteps, don't worry. Odelia will remain the same plus-size, sassy gal she is today. She is, after all, a fictional character with good knees and legs.

Transparency Isn't Always a Good Thing

Is this the face of a medium?

Over the years I've blogged and posted on Facebook off and on about dreams and experiences I've had in my bathroom.  All of the dreams have involved spirits or ghosts or what-not coming to me then disappearing through the walls.  And let's not forget I've gotten some of my best story and character ideas while showering.  There's just something magical about my bathroom, except for the fact that it doesn't magically clean itself.
Well, it's time to chalk up another phenomenon for my inside outhouse.

In the past few months my male cat, Raffi, has taken to disappearing behind the shower curtain. (Think the Wizard of Oz but with more hair.)  I have no idea what he's doing there, nor do I really care. In the summer, when it gets really hot in my apartment, he likes to hop in there and lay on the cool porcelain. But it's currently winter. I'll be working at my computer and I'll hear him nattering away in there. Sometimes he even gives off a guttural howl. My other cat, B, doesn't do it. She used to cool off in the tub until she got too old and stiff to hop over the edge. It's just Raffi.

A few weeks ago I replaced my cream-colored shower liner with a clear one. The curtain itself is shear so now you can see right into the shower when the curtain is pulled closed, which is most of the time. It's pretty cool because now when I shower I can see out, so if Norman Bates sneaks into my apartment I'll be able to see him coming.  But I digress ...

The thing is, with the new clear liner I can now see what the silly animal is doing, and it's kind of disturbing in a creepy sort of way.  Tonight I heard him mewing and chattering away and slipped into the room to watch through the curtain. Raffi was sitting in the middle of the tub transfixed on the fixtures - the spout and the knobs.  I know he wasn't looking for water to drink. He gets a big fresh bowl every morning and has never been a faucet drinker. Nor did he pay me any mind or even acknowledge my presence on the other side.

Raffi staring at the corner,
while B is unimpressed.

No, he was just sitting there, staring at the fixtures as if they were an oracle about to drop pearls of wisdom at his paws.  As if the meaning of feline life could be found in the worn chrome and ugly '70s tile.  While I watched, he chattered something at the wall, then stepped closer and sat again, almost with reverence, as if waiting to be blessed. Frankly, it gave me the willies, which is odd considering I write about ghosts. You'd think I'd be immune to such creepiness.

This isn't the first time Raffi has been obsessed like this.  He used to stare at the corner by my bed all the time and I was once able to snap a photo of it. He's no longer looking in that spot. Now it seems to be just the shower. Maybe whatever entity he's become buds with has moved from the bedroom to the bath. And maybe it's simply as comedian Brett Butler used to say: That child ain't right.

Raffi is next to me now sound asleep. His commune with the spirits of the bath over for tonight. At least I hope so. Meanwhile, I'm looking over my shoulder every few minutes, not sure if I should be afraid or looking for a new story line.

Or maybe I need to go to Target tomorrow and buy a new shower liner. One I can't see through.  If I don't see it, it won't bother me. Right?

The Big Birthday Bang

Today begins my official big birthday week. I don't usually take more than a day to celebrate my birthday but this is A BIG ONE.  On Friday, December 21st, I turn 60 years old. 

WOW!

I know a lot of people turn 60 without so much as a blink of an eye, but it is very special to me for many reasons.

For one, my mother died when she was only 52 years old.When I turned 52, I went through a lot of anxiety, half sure I would kick the bucket sometime during that year. My mother, however, suffered from heart disease and emphysema and I am, thankfully, very healthy.

Next, during my life I've had a lot of serious emotional ups and downs. To say I've weathered them in style would be a joke, but I did get through them even though there were some days, weeks, months and even years when I was my own worst enemy. Frankly, I never thought I'd see 60.

Lastly, according to the Mayans, December 21, 2012, is also the end of the world. If that happens, I'm going to be super pissed off because on December 22nd I leave for a combo birthday/Christmas vacation with my BFF Susan. We will be spending 5 days in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Seeing Santa Fe is on my bucket list, but there are also lots of other things on that list. Even if the world ends on December 22nd after I arrive in Santa Fe, I'm still going to be pretty upset that I didn't get to do those other items. It will be like spending eternity annoyed because I forgot things on my grocery list and now the store is closed ... forever!

Originally I wanted to spend my 60th birthday at Stonehenge. But time and money muscled in on those plans so it's off to Santa Fe. Losing 60 lbs was also on Must Do Before 60 List, but, well, you can see how well that turned out.

Stonehenge is still on my bucket list. Along with sky diving, seeing Alaska, and visiting England. I also have at least four more books to write for my Odelia Grey series and at least two novels and one novella due in my Granny Apples series.   If the world ends on December 21st, I will be in serious breech of contract.  But who will care? Right?

Signed Books = Great Gifts

Latest Odelia novel - #7

Since it's Black Friday, I feel compelled to enter the fray, not as a shopper but as a pitch-woman.

Even if you did not make it to one of my book signings, you can still obtain and give signed copies of most of my books.  Below is a list of independent book stores that have signed copies.  All are located in Southern California, and all have great customer service and will be happy to ship.

Book Carnival – (714-538-3210)

Mysterious Galaxy – Redondo Beach (310-542-6000)

Mysterious Galaxy – San Diego (858-268-4747)

Mystery Ink – (714-960-4000)

Latest Granny Apples -
Nominee for 2012 RT Reviewers Award

Prefer e-books and want to support an indie store? You can purchase many e-books from Mysterious Galaxy. Check here for details.

Speaking of e-books, It won't be long before THE SILENT GHOST, the first Granny Apples novella, is released by Berkley, but you can pre-order it now for Nook or Kindle for $2.99.



Click HERE for a full listing of my books and short stories.

I am Woman - I Vote!

 

This is the story of our Mothers and Grandmothers who lived only 92 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.



Lucy Burns

Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'

 
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

 

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cell mate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.

 



Dora Lewis

Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.

 

Alice Paul

For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail.

 

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

 

* * * * *

 

In many parts of the world women still do not have the right to vote, or to an education, or are considered nothing but chattel. They can be stoned to death without a trial, sold into slavery, and even beheaded by a male family member.

 

Remember Alice and Dora and Lucy when you're thinking voting is inconvenient, doesn't matter, or interferes with your life.

 

And remember, too, the recent words of Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, a tea party activist who has appeared several times on Fox News, and is founder of an organization for which Sean Hannity serves as an advisory board member.

 

"I think that one of the greatest mistakes America made was to allow women the opportunity to vote. We should've never turned this over to women. And these women are voting in the wrong people. They’re voting in people who are evil who agrees with them who’re gonna take us down this pathway of destruction."

 

Rev. Peterson said this in 2012 and being that he is African-American, he has obviously forgotten his roots and how people fought and died for HIS right to vote.

 

No matter what your political leanings, if you are a woman and you do not vote on Tuesday, SHAME ON YOU!

 

 

 (A big thank you to my friend Amanda who passed along these photos and information on the suffragettes. And an apology for the mis-coloration of the blog background today. For some reason, Blogger wasn't cooperating.)

Researching Books

All this week on Criminal Minds we're discussing how we approach research for our books.

Me, I start with nothing and hope for miracles.

Check it out.

Facing the Rainbow Bridge

One of my favorite features of awards shows is the memorial to stars and celebrities who have died in the past year. Yes, it's sad, but it is also a celebration of their accomplishments and of the memories they gave us during their lifetime.

This past year, a lot of the legends of my youth passed:  Andy Griffith, Ernest Borgnine, Andy Williams, Phyllis Diller, Dick Clark.

Then there were those who died unexpectedly:  Whitney Houston, Michael Clarke Duncan.

And those who made my life better through their work:  Steve Jobs, Ray Bradbury, Mike Wallace, Andy Rooney.

I even lost some personal friends in 2012: Diana James and Jeff Sheratt.

My beloved B and Raffi

The above lists are by no means complete, but this blog isn't about those folks and what they meant or contributed to my life.

Recently it struck me that in 2012 many of my friends lost or are about to lose their beloved pets. I don't know why there seems to be such a rise in pet deaths among my friends and acquaintances, but it's enough to be very noticeable.  Maybe because so many of these sad passings are announced on Facebook, so I'm being made aware of it more. Maybe it's because as I and my friends age, so do our furry companions. Most died because of ailments of age. Some because of cancer or stroke.

Whenever I receive the news of a friend's lost companion, I look at my own two fur babies and wonder when will it be my turn to suffer such a deep loss. Not that I'm in any rush, mind you.  Except for B's arthritis, both B and Raffi are relatively healthy, but they are also getting up in years, just like me. 

According to cat age calculators, B and Raffi are between 70 and 80 in human years. I'm at the cusp of 60 myself, so they are my elders. Seeing their human age is a shot of cold water to my pet owning bliss. One day - it might be soon, it might be years from now - I will be facing their deaths or making decisions about their health care. They will cross The Rainbow Bridge. I can't stop it anymore than I can stop my own journey to the grave.

As with human relationships, loving involves loss. They love me (of course providing the kibble helps), and I slavishly adore them. I put up with their antics in the middle of the night. The bites when they are peeved. The scratches on the furniture. It's a small price to pay for the hours, days, weeks and years of cuddly love and joy they bring to my life.

If you've lost a pet recently or are facing the serious illness of one, my heart goes out to you. Be strong. Remember the years of fuzzy warmth and fun they gave you so unselfishly and smile.  And when it's time for me to face a similar tragedy, you can tell me the same thing. Even if I don't appear to be listening at the time, know I really am and will appreciate your kindness.

Fact vs. Fiction - And The Winner Is?

What happens when fact vs. fiction while writing a manuscript? Does the author change the story to fit the facts? Or change the facts to fit the story?  That's the topic all this week on Criminal Minds.

I'm up today talking about whole buildings that disappear between the initial draft and final edits.

Hell, No, I Won't Go!

This week on Criminal Minds we're discussing what it would be like to be transported into one of our favorite books. I'm up today and am more than just a little hesitant to leave the comfort of my armchair, and for good reason.  Check out why at Criminal Minds.

On an important side note, I have extended the cut off date for the Odelia Back to School contest.  The new deadline is this coming Sunday, September 23rd.  For contest details go here.