Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Question about dialect

Read the  first in a hot new series.

by Kathryn J. Bain

A “no man” policy doesn’t count when someone’s trying to kill you. A name can mean a lot. You expect Jasper to be a CEO of a company. Name your kid Phineas, well, he’ll get beat up a lot. Name your daughter Trubleh (true blay), and you’ll get nothing but trouble. Trubleh Lawrence makes a habit out of discovering dead bodies. When the police look to her as a suspect, she has no choice but to search for the killer. If being a suspect isn’t bad enough, she has to deal with a grandmother who has visions, a grandfather who wants to buy a speedboat, a co-worker who makes the Wicked Witch of the West look like Shirley Temple, and a guy who constantly reminds her that celibacy is hard when a hot male is around.

Question from the e-mail:  Isn't it okay to write conversation the way people really talk instead of how they're supposed to talk? I asked a friend (who teaches English in our local school system) to read my ms and make suggestions and she corrected every sentence anyone one said. One of my characters is an old codger and "don't talk so good." But she want him not to say "ain't" or "we was" and so on. Isn't one of us missing the boat? If so, is it me? I know I am sometimes confused on homonyms and verb tenses and hoped to find help with THAT. What do I say to her?

Answer:  Dialect (the phonetic presentation of incorrectly phrased English) is often ppresented on the page in incorrect form. So you were not wrong.  But smile and say Thanks to your friend.

If you want her to stay a friend, appreciate her for all her hard work and the time she put in.

Do not ask if she has ever read a book with dialogue. Do not wonder out loud if she has ever seen a single episode of Gunsmoke that featured Festus Hagen. Just keep a straight face, thank her for all she has done, and remember never to give her anything else to mark up.

Obviously, she is in "correction Mode" and will zealously mark everything she can in the interests of "being thorough." Not what you need in this case, but she did try to help.  She is probably not an habitual reader of fiction. 

Ask someone else next time. This same issue came up about the time Huckleberry Finn was first published. As you may recall, it is written in Huck's voice and educators everywhere put it on their NO list, as a bad example for young people to read and experience because of Huck's poorly constructed English.

On the other hand, be careful not to overdo Dialect. Less is more. Lots of dialect and strangely spelled accents used to be popular in fiction, but with the reading ability steadily dropping since the advent of TV, that is passing.

Face it. We are a nation of poor readers. I grew up reading Frances Hodgeson Burnett’s thick dialect in The Secret Garden, but most readers today don’t have patience to decode all those missing letters and apostrophes in strange places. They go rent the movie, which also has very little dialect. I’ve met people from Northumberland. I wasn’t sure they were speaking English.

Dialect can be very difficult to write well. This is a lesson I learned, reluctantly I’ll admit, in a workshop with Diana Gabaldon. She wrote a series of books about a group of 17th century Scots, and  English Outlander. Yes, the same one that the Starz network is advertising for next summer.

No dialect is a thick as that of Scotland. Diana said she listened to old Scots ballads sung in English and in Gaelic to absorb the rhythm of the speech. There’s a great deal of difference between the speech of the Scots and the Englishwoman, and among the Scots, depending upon their station in life and educational level.  But nobody said, “Hoot mon!”

Diana changed didn’t to didna, and wouldn’t to wouldna, and added some dated terms like “foxed” for drunk. The dialect is there, but most of it is in the rhythm of the language. Because of the sentence construction, English sounded different when the Scots spoke, but their meaning was never obscured by strange-looking or hard to read passages. 


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Mystery Cake





Almost all criminals believe they are capable of executing the perfect crime while escaping detection and capture. A group of individuals believe they have devised the perfect plan to make a large profit of impending stock price movements.

But due to an unforeseeable event, the plan is thrown into disarray and during an attempt to cover up their mistakes a police officer is gunned down and a witness killed.



MYSTERY FRUIT CAKE 
1 box Betty Crocker honey spice cake mix
1 fluffy white frosting mix
4 c. candied mixed fruit
1/2 c. whole red cherries
1/2 c. whole green cherries
1 1/2 c. seedless raisins
1 c. dates, cut up
4 1/4 c. pecans
Make cake as directed on cake mix package; cool and crumble into large bowl. Add fruit mix, cherries, raisins, dates and pecans. Prepare fluffy frosting mix as directed on package. Mix with cake. Pack tightly into foil lined pan or bowl. Store in cool place in refrigerator.


Monday, April 28, 2014

Agent Night's Chilli


by K.S. Brooks

Ever wonder what a female James Bond would be like? Well you have found her in Kathrin Night.

Follow Kathrin in her day to day life where nothing ever is normal from picking up some milk in a convenience store where she breaks up a robbery and murder attempt to her job as a "spy."

Mystery, Action-Adventure, Espionage

AGENT NIGHT’S QUICK & EASY CHILI
(also Gluten-Free)
This recipe is a delicate balance of sweet and spicy.  If you want spicier flavor, add chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin and red pepper.  This chili is great for freezing in individual serving containers and then heating in the microwave for a nice hot lunch!
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1.5 pounds of 93% lean Ground Beef (sometimes I substitute 50% with ground turkey)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely or nearly pureed in the food processor
16 oz Cream of Tomato Soup (please see below for gluten-free options)**
28 oz Delmonte Chunky Diced Zesty Chili Style tomatoes or equivalent
1 large can of kidney beans (2.5 pounds)
Chopped fresh parsley as desired
1+ tbsp Worcestershire sauce to taste (Lea & Perrins is gluten-free)
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese for garnish (optional)
NOTE:  There are two ways to prepare this – standard stove top or crock pot.  I prefer crock pot because it is maintenance-free.  Instructions for both are provided.

STOVE TOP COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Brown beef in large pot, drain.  Add remaining ingredients, cook on medium low until it starts to steam and bubble, then simmer for one hour.  I usually let it cool, then put it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors mingle.  The next day I heat it up and serve.

CROCK POT COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Brown beef in large skillet, drain.  Add beef and remaining ingredients to crock pot, cook on low for up to 10 hours. 
Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and serve!
Serves 6-8 people.
Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  Stove Top – 1-2 hours; Crock Pot – 8 hours.

**I can recommend the following gluten-free soups: 
Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato (available in stores)
Heinz UK Cream of Tomato Soup (can be purchased online in the U.S. through the Gluten-Free Trading Company)
© K. S. Brooks 2009



Friday, April 25, 2014

Catching UP!

 NO Books went to press, or back to press this week:


Galleys that went out or went out again, this Week:

THE PROMISE, by Karen Rossi
   A romantic new title by an author who appeals to "New Adult" readers.  
MOONLIT BAY, by Elena Bowman
  
What is in an abandoned building on an uninhabited Island across Moonlit Bay that has been surreptitiously invaded by armed, unidentified entities who are helmeted, dressed in black survival suits and armed with laser guns? 
HIS SON, HER DAUGHTER, by Ludima Gus Burton.
Destitute, single mother Nora Ames believes taking a job as nanny to a wealthy lawyer’s baby could be the answer to her financial problems. Her own daughter is hospitalized, but Nora can take the job temporarily. If her daughter’s health improves, then he can find someone else...

I HAVE A FRIEND ON JUPITER, Celine Rose Mariotti
   Paperback edition of the popular e-book.


THE MORGENSTERN MURDERS: The Jonas McCleary Series, Vol. 2 by C. M. Albrecht
 
   In this sequel to The Sand Bluff Murders, former police chief Jonas McCleary has gone into business as a private investigator. 
 


THE STORYBOOK, by Elena D. Bowman
     
   Who hasn’t marveled at the sight of a child nestled in his or her grandparents arms as the reader takes that child into the kingdom of tigers, and dragons and bears, oh my! Watching as their grandchild’s eyes light up, drifting off into the domain of far away places, to distant parts of an exotic world, to the bottom of the sea,  and even to the far reaches of space.

 
THE ALBEMARLE AFFAIR, by C. M. Albrecht


   When Corky Middleton thinks she may have found her birth mother, she hires Foster & Hall to investigate. Wow, does she open a can of worms! Instead of finding Corky's mother, the shamuses trip over a corpse, and that's just the humble beginning of an escalating case that climbs to the top of society in this twisted tale.


 
Work began, or continued, on the following titles: 

THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht

THE KIDNAPING OF SEN. ANDY THOMPSON, Adventures on Capital Hill, by Celine Rose Mariotti

   A political mystery, suspense, with a touch of humor. 



 MATTEO'S TREASURE, Morretti Men Series, Vol. 3, by Anna Dynowski
   Jet-setter Santino Moretti died and left the Triple-M property, worth nearly $25 million, to his three neglected sons, Micah, Marek, and Matteo, each born of a different marriage, and each unknown by the others. Before any one of them can inherit, he must take turns living on the farm for three months, then they must return and all three live together for a final three months. Half-brothers, city boys, and complete strangers, they face the biggest challenge of their lives: to put aside their distrust and bitterness and live together like a kind and caring family.
DOING DEAD MAN'S TIME, by Matthew L. Schoonover

 
    From the author who brought you the supernatural thrillers of The Arbiter series and the impossible mysteries of The Tornado Man series comes a new tale of supernatural suspense. Phil Talbot is in the here-after, awaiting judgment. He is given the opportunity to come back to the mortal plane and fix the one mistake that changed his supernatural fate.

THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht

 

MINISTER'S SHOES, VOL. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.

REWIND FORWARD, by Michael E. Field
  Another great mystery by popular author Michael E. Field.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendal Mystery Series, Vol. 1

   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!


REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

 

TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, BY Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis 





 

Jack's News!

  by your bookstore cat and gossip columnist and feline friend. 
 
   Author Lynn Slaughter will be making personal appearances in the Louisville area. She also will have a review in a nationally distributed Ballet magazine.
   Thornton Parsons has a spring  personal appearances booked  in Georgia and her new baby cats have their eyes open.
 

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Shrimp with Pasta - recipe

ANNALS OF A DANGEROUS HANDYMAN portrays the tale of Henri Chabron, Canadian, American, commercial mercenary for hire, in the business of personal salvage. The fast-moving story story tells how a child, becoming a man in a world of lies, deceit and betrayal, is still able to preserve his soul.

Shrimp with Pasta

A quick and easy Dinner Recipe.
  • 1/2 lb. angel hair pasta, uncooked
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 pkg. (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves
  • 1 lb. frozen cooked cleaned (with tails left on) medium shrimp, thawed
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Sprinkles
  • 3 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • COOK pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Be careful not to overcook.
  • MEANWHILE, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 min. or just until fragrant and tender. Stir in tomatoes; simmer 4 min., stirring occasionally. Add spinach; cook and stir 1 min. or just until wilted. Add shrimp and cream; cook 4 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
  • DRAIN pasta. Add to skillet; toss to coat. Top with cheeses; cover. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. or until shredded cheese is melted.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Character Planning

Fort Lauderdale shows its sunshine sparkle and its darker underbelly in this I-95-speed novel about two over-the-hill cops, pushing sixty, back on the job, and out on the streets pulling the midnight shift.

Question from the e-mail: Do you still have that questionaire you handed out in your workshopt for character planning?

 Answer:  Sure. See below.

            CHARACTER PLANNING SHEET

Plot should come out of character, evolving naturally from each character's beliefs and desires. To understand your characters' feelings, take a look at the events that shaped their lives. Look first at the character's emotional life, then at world events.
    Use the following interview sheet to get closer to your characters. It was Alice Orr who taught me that good characters do things for good reasons, and bad characters do things for bad reasons, but all characters should have an understandable reason to do whatever they do. Fill out a sheet below for each major character in your story.

Questions with a (*) must be answered.

Name, date of birth and place of residence? (*)



What does he or she want? (*)



What stands in his or her way? (*)




How will the character change by the end of the story? (*)



What is the character’s reason for taking action?


What are his or her strengths and weaknesses? (*)


What secrets does the character have?


What childhood or personal events shaped the character’s life?


What world events shaped the character?


Physical description: (*) (Hint: Sometimes it helps to pick an actor to play the role, as they are easy to visualize and describe, but never, under any circumstances, tell anyone who that actor is or say a character looked like the actor. Each reader will create the character in his or her imagination, and could get a rude shock. )

© 2012 Arline Chase

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Canadian Spice Cake with Beer

According to the statistics, only 34 percent of murderers are prosecuted and about half of them are convicted. In Volume 2 of the Eva Wyatt mystery series, she is faced with not one but two exceptionally well-organized, clever criminals. As always, Detective-Sergeant Eva Wyatt is trying to beat the odds.

 Canadian Spice Cake with Beer

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 1 - 9x5 inch loaf pan Change Servings
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup beer
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with beer and mix well to combine. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
  4. Pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Write a blog? How?

Nancy Krommer with her best friend Cindy goes to the fortune teller Ruth to see what the future holds for them. The "witch" tells the girls some disturbing things that she sees in their tea leaves and leaves Nancy's mind reeling. Could this "witch" with the cat eyes really see the future? Or was it all just a hoax?

Question from the e-mail? You said I could write a column for your blog. HOW do I do that?

Answer:  You write a blog column, as you would any other opinion piece.  Pick a subject. Make a statement about it. And you're off!

As with most personal opinion pieces, you want it no longer than two double-spaced pages, or about 500 words.

Here’s the outline:

The lead: Make a statement about something
    The price of baloney is $4.50 a pound (and write a couple of paragraphs about what it is now and how it used to be 10 cents a pound during the Great Depression, and was still expensive in a time when the average man’s salary was $1 a day.

The body: Give examples and tell anecdotes
    People used to say they were spreading baloney when people were exaggerating and giving out with less than the truth. (And give some examples of people who have told lies, some amusing, some serious. Girls who’ve lied, or to whom guys lie, politicians and how many lies they tell, the way government cuts medicare, and SSI, but buys $800 toilet seats.

Make your point:
    Lots of people will hand you baloney.

The conclusion: Use the lead to confirm your point and make the piece come full circle
    Think about the baloney people slice for you every day. Even when people give it away for nothing, baloney can be very expensive.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Catching UP!

NO Books went to press, or back to press this week:



Galleys that went out or went out again, this Week:

HIS SON, HER DAUGHTER, by Ludima Gus Burton.
Destitute, single mother Nora Ames believes taking a job as nanny to a wealthy lawyer’s baby could be the answer to her financial problems. Her own daughter is hospitalized, but Nora can take the job temporarily. If her daughter’s health improves, then he can find someone else...

MOONLIT BAY, by Elena Bowman
   What is in an abandoned building on an uninhabited Island across Moonlit Bay that has been surreptitiously invaded by armed, unidentified entities who are helmeted, dressed in black survival suits and armed with laser guns?


I HAVE A FRIEND ON JUPITER, Celine Rose Mariotti
   Paperback edition of the popular e-book.



THE MORGENSTERN MURDERS: The Jonas McCleary Series, Vol. 2 by C. M. Albrecht
 
   In this sequel to The Sand Bluff Murders, former police chief Jonas McCleary has gone into business as a private investigator. 


THE STORYBOOK, by Elena D. Bowman

Who hasn’t marveled at the sight of a child nestled in his or her grandparents arms as the reader takes that child into the kingdom of tigers, and dragons and bears, oh my! Watching as their grandchild’s eyes light up, drifting off into the domain of far away places, to distant parts of an exotic world, to the bottom of the sea,  and even to the far reaches of space.
 

 
Work began, or continued, on the following titles: 

THE KIDNAPING OF SEN. ANDY THOMPSON, Adventures on Capital Hill, by Celine Rose Mariotti

   A political mystery, suspense, with a touch of humor. 


THE PROMISE, by Karen Rossi
   A romantic new title by an author who appeals to "New Adult" readers. 

 MATTEO'S TREASURE, Morretti Men Series, Vol. 3, by Anna Dynowski
   Jet-setter Santino Moretti died and left the Triple-M property, worth nearly $25 million, to his three neglected sons, Micah, Marek, and Matteo, each born of a different marriage, and each unknown by the others. Before any one of them can inherit, he must take turns living on the farm for three months, then they must return and all three live together for a final three months. Half-brothers, city boys, and complete strangers, they face the biggest challenge of their lives: to put aside their distrust and bitterness and live together like a kind and caring family.

THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht


DOING DEAD MAN'S TIME, by Matthew L. Schoonover

     From the author who brought you the supernatural thrillers of The Arbiter series and the impossible mysteries of The Tornado Man series comes a new tale of supernatural suspense. Phil Talbot is in the here-after, awaiting judgment. He is given the opportunity to come back to the mortal plane and fix the one mistake that changed his supernatural fate. 

MINISTER'S SHOES, VOL. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.

REWIND FORWARD, by Michael E. Field
  Another great mystery by popular author Michael E. Field.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendal Mystery Series, Vol. 1

   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!
  

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

 

TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, BY Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis 




 

Jack's News!

  by your bookstore cat and gossip columnist. 
 

  HAPPY EASTER!!
From Your Bookstore Cat and all of us at 
Write Words, Inc.

Someone is sending spam from Arline's e-mail address again. It's a link! DON'T CLICK ON IT!!!
WE DIDN'T SEND IT!!! It's most likely an attempt to pfish your e-mail address book.

But Please Don't put arline@mail.com on your spam list, or you won't be getting regular e-mail from us anymore. And we do need to contact you now and then.

By the way, we don't have working e-mail addresses for the following authors.  If your name's on the following list, please contact us with a current e-mail:

Milton Brown
Brian Doe
J. David Core
Dolly LaMar
Bonnie Hendershot

News from out authors!  Author Anna Dynowski was enjoying spring, then it snowed again!

Author Tom Ward sent his corrections list -- more than 500 pages. So far, the longest on  record! She's working on it, Tom!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

OreoCookieEasterEggs_Recipe

Full Circle Series, Vol. 1 by Anna Dynowski

Allegra returns to her home town following her mother's death, a town she had fled because of her broken romance with Nick. Even though Nick had betrayed her in the past, Allie has forgiven him--of course she has--after all it's the Christian thing to do. But it would be silly to consider resuming their romance. She had been hurt too badly the last time. Still Allie finds Nick and his young daughter irresistable.


Oreo Cookie Easter Eggs

What You Need

6oz.  (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4tsp.  orange extract
36  OREO Cookies, finely crushed
3pkg.  (4 oz. each) BAKER'S White Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted, divided
2drops  each red, yellow and blue food coloring

Make It


MIX cream cheese, extract and cookie crumbs until blended. Shape into 40 (1-inch) egg-shaped balls. Freeze 10 min. Meanwhile, spoon 1 Tbsp. melted chocolate into each of 3 small bowls. Tint each with a different color food coloring. 
 
DIP balls in remaining (untinted) melted white chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered rimmed baking sheet. Decorate with melted colored chocolate. 
 
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. 


TIPS:
 
How to Easily Dip Cookie Balls
 
To easily coat cookie balls with the melted chocolate, add balls, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll balls in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove balls with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place balls on prepared baking sheet; let stand until chocolate coating is firm.
 
How to Store
 
Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Do I have to send a message?





by Milton Brown

Grab your compass and come along with the crew of the motor ketch the Lady Dance. Be with them as they unravel the mystery of the lost continent of MU for a great adventure.

Question from the E-mail: Lately all they've talked about in my writer's group is the "message" in your writing.  As you know, I write romance. My stories are not "Deep."  What message do I tell them I send?  Fran.

Answer: Good to hear from you Fran. Been awhile since you were my student. Every piece of writing sends a message and the most common one for romance is that "A loving relationship is a blessing in your life." 

In fact, Judith French, an excellent romance writer who lives near me, regularly buys up all her "returned" copies, and donates them to the library in the  Maryland State Prison for Women. She once gave a talk there and discovered most of the women present had no idea how a man was supposed to treat a woman. She asked them, what they would describe as a "good man." Half the room said, "A man who doesn't beat you."

Since all Judy's heroes treat their women with loving care, will risk anything to protect them, and always act respectfully to them, she thought those women should be exposed to men who would do that and gives them her books as good examples. 

As for the "message." What a story says is often as important as the way it says it. Take a look, for instance, at To Kill a Mockingbird, that I know is one of your favorite reads, Fran. We all know that the theme of that novel is that "racial prejudice is unfair." Harper Lee told a good story in her novel; a story that was loosely based on her own childhood experiences, as Atticus Finch was based on her father, Jem on her brother, and Dill on her childhood playmate, Truman Capote.

Lee created characters the reader cared about. She deserved the recognition she received. But she also created something good in the world that will touch many peoples minds and hearts and that will continue to shape her readers' thinking for generations.

Today, To Kill a Mockingbird is on every high school reading list in the country, because of the message. Every teenager is asked to read this book as an example of fine literature, which it is. But in reading it, they also benefit from Ms. Lee's message and walk away with the thought that racial prejudice is unfair, buried somewhere deep in their subconscious.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Stormy Weather.

by Tom Glaviano

When a hurricane rages on the coast, wreaking havoc on the lives of the people who live there, the most dangerous threat in the winds and crashing waves may not come from nature. Clayton Ackerman has made a life chasing the hurricanes, storms and blizzards that at times ravage virtually every part of the nation. While covering a tropical storm that was battering the Gulf Coast, Ackerman has an altercation with a young woman that turns deadly and opens his eyes to the potential he’d overlooked for years.

Rainy Day Yellow Cake

Cooking with the Kids on a Rainy Day can be fun when April Showers are on hand.

4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk frosting

Directions:

1 Heat the oven to 350°F Prepare a 9- by 13-inch pan by greasing it and dusting it with flour.
2 In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff but not dry.
3 Set aside.
4 KIDS' COOKING SKILLS: Use this recipe to teach your kids how to cream butter and sugar and decorate a cake using a pastry bag.
5 In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter for 1 to 2 minutes; add the sugar and cream for another 2 minutes.
6 Add the egg yolks all at once and beat for another minute or until the mixture appears light and fluffy.
7 Beat in the vanilla extract.
8 Measure the flour using a dry measuring cup and pour it into another mixing bowl.
9 Ask your child to measure the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, carefully leveling each with a knife, and then stir them into the flour.
10 Measure the buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup.
11 Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and mix well.
12 Then, mixing (but not overbeating) after each new addition, add half of the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk, and finally the last of the flour.
13 Fold the stiff egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
14 Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
15 Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
16 Set on a rack to cool.
17 Ice the cooled cake with Cool Whip. Drizzle with Chocolate, or Maple Syrup.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Subtext?


by Kathryn Flatt

Jack Watson Series, Vol. 1

Tabitha Solo thought nothing of dropping the name of Scot Cunningham, the object of her high school crush who recently died in a car crash, as the inspiration for her first hit song, “Dreamer,” during a TV interview. But now, the FBI is asking about him, people are following her, and Carren Bixby--Tabitha’s manager and Scot’s one-time girlfriend--is behaving suspiciously. When Tabitha finds a listening device in her bedroom, she runs away and hires private detective Jack Watson.

Question from the e-mail: What is subtext? People in my reader's group talk about it a lot and I'm not sure what they are saying. I tried the dictionary, but it didn't make much sense. Can you help?

Answer: Subtext is when something says one thing on the surface, but implies something else underneath.

In dialogue and narrative both,  there is always both text and subtext. First there is what is said, and second what is implied by what is left unsaid. Often, subtext, which the reader picks up on, is as important as what is actually said. Look at the following:

    “Oh, is that slide show at the library with the nature photographer tonight?” John grimaced. “I’ll go if you want, but I’m really tired. After all, I was out to the Bible Study at church last night and you stayed home and read. This makes two nights in a row, for me. Of course, I can stay home alone. I don’t want to mess up your plans....” 

Of COURSE he wants to mess up her plans! If he didn’t, he’d say,

You go ahead, hon, I’m just too tired tonight."

What this really says is, “You couldn’t be bothered to go with me last night, so I’m going to pour on the GUILT about what you want to do tonight!”


Friday, April 11, 2014

Catching UP!





Books that went to press, or back to press this week:
EXIT PLANS, by Terry L. White
   What happens when a group of senior citizens decide to manage the way they are treated at the end of their long and useful lives? Will they go along with the state of the art status quo – or find new reasons to get up on Thursday mornings to discuss their possible fates?



Galleys that went out or went out again, this Week:


THE MORGENSTERN MURDERS: The Jonas McCleary Series, Vol. 2 by C. M. Albrecht
 
   In this sequel to The Sand Bluff Murders, former police chief Jonas McCleary has gone into business as a private investigator.



I HAVE A FRIEND ON JUPITER, Celine Rose Mariotti
   Paperback edition of the popular e-book.


MOONLIT BAY, by Elena Bowman
   What is in an abandoned building on an uninhabited Island across Moonlit Bay that has been surreptitiously invaded by armed, unidentified entities who are helmeted, dressed in black survival suits and armed with laser guns?


 
Work began, or continued, on the following titles: 

 MATTEO'S TREASURE, Morretti Men Series, Vol. 3, by Anna Dynowski
   Jet-setter Santino Moretti died and left the Triple-M property, worth nearly $25 million, to his three neglected sons, Micah, Marek, and Matteo, each born of a different marriage, and each unknown by the others. Before any one of them can inherit, he must take turns living on the farm for three months, then they must return and all three live together for a final three months. Half-brothers, city boys, and complete strangers, they face the biggest challenge of their lives: to put aside their distrust and bitterness and live together like a kind and caring family.

THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht
 
THE KIDNAPING OF SEN. ANDY THOMPSON, Adventures on Capital Hill, by Celine Rose Mariotti
   A political mystery, suspense, with a touch of humor.  


DOING DEAD MAN'S TIME, by Matthew L. Schoonover

     From the author who brought you the supernatural thrillers of The Arbiter series and the impossible mysteries of The Tornado Man series comes a new tale of supernatural suspense. Phil Talbot is in the here-after, awaiting judgment. He is given the opportunity to come back to the mortal plane and fix the one mistake that changed his supernatural fate. 


MINISTER'S SHOES, VOL. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.

THE PROMISE, by Karen Rossi
   A romantic new title by an author who appeals to "New Adult" readers.

REWIND FORWARD, by Michael E. Field
  Another great mystery by popular author Michael E. Field.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendal Mystery Series, Vol. 1

   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!
  

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.


TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, BY Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis 





 
Jack's News!
  by your bookstore cat and gossip columnist. 
 
One new e-mail scam this week. A message purporting to be about to send us a tax refund from Liverpool in the UK. While we do sell books in the UK, but we alsoo know that taxes, if any, are collected and paid at the store end of things, not by us. So what these guys were after were information so they could steal identities! Even I knew that was a scam right away. 

Ya'll be careful though.  If you get an e-mail message like that, don't fall for it!

Not a whole lot of gossip this week.  Arline is still writing checks, but should have the last of them in the mail by Saturday. She finished the Paypal people yesterday, so some of your kitties have been  fed.  Sales were up for some, down for many, soooooo...