Happy New Year 2016

to one and All...

May all your lives be filled with joy, prosperity, and  good health. 

To our Authors we send this wish:

   "May your inspiration never fail. May our association continue in warm regard, mutual happiness, admirable accomplishment...

And Many Book Sales!"

Last Chance for The Ghostly Angel!

Author Elizabeth Eagan-Cox is giving away 

the third in her Shannon Delaney Paranormal

Mystery Series.

   "From everything I hear from readers, this is their favorite," Elizabeth said.  "I wanted to give some enjoyment back during the holiday season, so here's your chance for a free read.
   "Please feel free to share the news with your friends...
   "All you have to do is go to the web site at writewordsinc.com and click on the book's cover at the top of the page. Then order as usual...
   "Your e-book will be delivered electronically and you will not be charged."

May you all have the merriest of

 Christmases, the happiest of

of New Years!

Jack's News!

  by your bookstore cat, 
and gossip columnist!

I'm doing this early this week, to give Santa plenty of time to come and see me and my baby sister Spunky.  He never forgets us. Last year he brought us catnip and new mousies, though they don't taste OR skate across the floor like our favorite old mousie does...  No wonder we steal it from one another. Terry made him for us and he's lost one eye, but he's still cute.

This is the time I like the best. All the shopping is done. All the gifts are wrapped.  Roger is off to buy the turkey and Arline is trying to finish up a few last minute things.  While we keep wondering WHAT she will do wrong next. 

Oh she acts like nothing is wrong, but everything she sets her hand to is as mixed up as a soup sandwich...  This should  be time to enjoy some pets and treats, not scurry frantically around the house, muttering, "What ELSE have I forgotten?"      

Shelley will be by tomorrow, but not on Christmas Morning this year. We'll sure miss her, as well as Dave. He gave the best ear scratches, but she gives the best hugs. Hope I get one tomorrow. 

Me and Spunky did get  some treats for Friday. People Crackers for dogs! People crackers, not animal crackers. Get it?  Shh! Don't tell Shelley.  I sure hope she likes them. There's a newsboy and a postman, a teacher and a cop.  She can chew up a storm.

Please don't forget to let me know 

what you are all up to, so I'll have Gossip for my column next week! 

Just send arline@mail.com a message with 

 "News for Jack" 

in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up right here. 

Winter Solstice 2015

Today is the Winter Solstice, 2015 and also the wedding anniversary of Roger and Arline Chase. The last three lines of the poem of celebration below, refer to this event.

A Change in the Wind...

Winter snows left us weak,
   Then cold spring rain pelted the house
   bringing yet more loss, illness, change
Clear-eyed Davy is swept away,
   Almost before we can take it in,
   he left us standing on a windy beach,
Scattering dust and yellow roses
   while a sunset hid behind black clouds and
   drops of rain fell like tears...

Sid recovers from a dangerous illness, as,
   Combines munch ripened wheat,
   And new crops are sown and
Though injured herself, Kathy works with others
   To prepare a musical memorial, offering games,
   bluegrass music, and shared memories...
We dance, share peanut butter fudge
   And celebrate Dave’s kind heart
   Join  together, to make a love offering

The year turns; bright leaves fall, pets
   grow a new winter’s coat as
   Sid puts up a new roof
Little Angel smiles brighten Roger’s heart as
   The last of the beans come in as
    a shining spirit sheds a beautiful light
Snow falls softly upon a Winter Solstice
   Love remains a blessing within our hearts
   For we know the Creator’s purpose is eternally met...

— Arline Chase,  Winter Solstice, 2015



 

Catching UP!

Catching UP!

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

Galleys that went out or went out again, this week.

 WENDELL & TYLER: ON THE ROAD!, Open Road Series, Vol. 2.  by James R. Kincaid

    Starting in California, Wendell & Tyler, two new adults on the road in a luxury RV continue their adventure. They make a short stop in Mexico, Check out Rosswell, and explore the Colorado  Mountains.

 Work began or continued on the following:

   Love does not end with death or at the gravesite. It lingers in this world, as powerful after death as before. Ashley Dunlap and David Paine discover this first hand, as a benevolent spirit guides their lives toward its desires. Will the two follow this spirit’s pathway or rebel against its power to follow their own free will?

   This spirit of a murdered family member hovers over the young couple, providing timely nudges and direct pushes toward chance meetings and shared experiences. Her influence twists and turns their earthbound lives into a series of meetings and departures until the helix of their family history finally completes its cycle.

THE SINS OF THE FATHERS, by A.A. MANN.  A Dora the D.R.E. Mystery, Vol. 1

   As a Director of Religious Education at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in the border town of San Pequeno, Texas,  Dora meets many interesting and unusual people.  This time 

she meets Death.

IRIS FATE: Iris Series, Vol. 2 by Daniel Carr

   The second in the popular Sci-Fi series.

THE MURDER OF SECRETARY JUDD CANE: Adventures on Capitol Hill Series, Vol. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti.

   If you liked The Kidnapping of Senator Andy Thompson, you’ll be excited to read The Murder of Secretary Judd Cane. This time Murder stalks the House of Representatives as Congressman Michael Rhodes is accused of
murdering Secretary Cane.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 1

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

MINISTER'S ESCAPADES, Vol. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti

  
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.  

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!

I got the following notice from the Writer's Bloc! 

"The Writers Bloc meets TOMORROW! Saturday, December 19, from 1 to 3 in Room 3, Salisbury library. Tom's famous punch will be featured, along with anything else that happens along.

Hope you can make it."

Arline finally finished her Winter Solstice poem this year. She'll put it up for you on the 21st.  She writes one poem a year.  If she lives long enough she'll have a collection.

She and Roger will sure be celebrating on the 21st -- it's their wedding anniversary, yunno. Humans are so sentimental about stuff like that. 

I'm glad she's done, though we did have a lot of fun playing with all the discarded drafts she balled up and threw in the floor for us. Spunky is left-pawed and she gets a mean curve on them when she serves.

The stockings are getting fat, but the door is too high to reach, no matter how hard I try, so I  have no idea what they are.  Maybe I should take my diet more seriously.

Please don't forget to let me know 

what you are all up to, so I'll have Gossip for my column next week! 

Just send arline@mail.com a message with 

 "News for Jack" 

in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up right here. 

A FREE Read and a Recipe

FREE!

This Classic tale of a dog who lost his way was the favorite of my late partner, Elizabeth Sandra List. In her honor, we are giving away copies this month. Why Not Download one and give it you your favorite child for Christmas. 

Just go to the writewordsinc.com web site 

and order the book as usual!

You will not be charged.

by Eleanor Atkinson

When the time-gun boomed from Edinburgh Castle, Bobby gave a startled yelp. He was only a little country dog—the very youngest and smallest and shaggiest of Skye terriers---bred on a heathery slope of the Pentland hills, where the loudest sound was the bark of a collie or the tinkle of a sheep-bell. That morning he had come to the weekly market with Auld Jock, a farm laborer, and the Grassmarket of the Scottish capital lay in the narrow valley at the southern base of Castle Crag.

ISBN 1-59431-402-0 Children/Animal Stories / Dog / Stories / Bonus

Cover Art by Shelley Rodgerson.

Also Available in RTF and HTML formats.

Scottish Shortbread Squares

Ingredients

• Food Lion
• 6 Washington St
• CAMBRIDGE, MD 21613

• Rite Aid
• 798 Sunburst Hwy
• CAMBRIDGE, MD 21613

• Giant Food
• 11740 Rousby Hall Rd
• LUSBY, MD 20657

• 2 cups butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. Salt 

Directions

Print  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Cream butter, salt and brown sugar. Add 3 to 3 3/4 cups flour. Mix well.
3. Sprinkle board with the remaining flour. Knead for 5 minutes, adding enough flour to make a soft dough. With your hands, press the dough evenly into a square shape on an ungreased Cookie sheet. Score into 3x2 inch squares. Prick with a fork.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Free from the Author

Author Elizabeth Eagan-Cox is giving away 

the third in her Shannon Delaney Paranormal

Mystery Series.

   "From everything I hear from readers, this is their favorite," Elizabeth said.  "I wanted to give some enjoyment back during the holiday season, so here's your chance for a free read.
   "Please feel free to share the news with your friends...
   "All you have to do is go to the web site at writewordsinc.com and click on the book's cover at the top of the page. Then order as usual...
   "Your e-book will be delivered electronically and you will not be charged."

Below is Jack's idea for a treat that you can set out for visitors, without attacting a cat's attention...

Roasted Almonds

Ingredients

• Walgreens
• 640 Sunburst Hwy
• CAMBRIDGE, MD 21613

• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon cold water
• 4 cups whole almonds

• 1/2 cup white sugar
  Domino Sugar Premium Pure Cane, Granulated 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

Print 

• Prep
  15 m
• Cook
  1 h
• Ready In
  1 h 15 m

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
2. Lightly beat the egg white; add water, and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the nuts, and stir until well coated. Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss to coat, and spread evenly on the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until golden. Allow to cool, then store nuts in airtight containers.

Catching UP!

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

Galleys that went out or went out again, this week.

THE SINS OF THE FATHERS, by A.A. MANN.  A Dora the D.R.E. Mystery, Vol. 1

   As a Director of Religious Education at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in the border town of San Pequeno, Texas,  Dora meets many interesting and unusual people.  This time 

she meets Death.

 Work began or continued on the following:

   Love does not end with death or at the gravesite. It lingers in this world, as powerful after death as before. Ashley Dunlap and David Paine discover this first hand, as a benevolent spirit guides their lives toward its desires. Will the two follow this spirit’s pathway or rebel against its power to follow their own free will?

   This spirit of a murdered family member hovers over the young couple, providing timely nudges and direct pushes toward chance meetings and shared experiences. Her influence twists and turns their earthbound lives into a series of meetings and departures until the helix of their family history finally completes its cycle.

IRIS FATE: Iris Series, Vol. 2 by Daniel Carr

   The second in the popular Sci-Fi series.

 WENDELL & TYLER: ON THE ROAD!, Open Road Series, Vol. 2.  by James R. Kincaid

    Starting in California, Wendell & Tyler, two new adults on the road in a luxury RV continue their adventure. They make a short stop in Mexico, Check out Rosswell, and explore the Colorado  Mountains.

THE MURDER OF SECRETARY JUDD CANE: Adventures on Capitol Hill Series, Vol. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti.

   If you liked The Kidnapping of Senator Andy Thompson, you’ll be excited to read The Murder of Secretary Judd Cane. This time Murder stalks the House of Representatives as Congressman Michael Rhodes is accused of
murdering Secretary Cane.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 1

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

MINISTER'S ESCAPADES, Vol. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti

  
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.  

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!

Tomorrow! December 12 Lexi Pomeroy and the Friends of Dorchester County libraries invite all to their Local Author Signing in Cambridge, held in conjunction with the Holly Jolly Christmas Craft Sale. Music, light refreshments, and a super sale of used books. No fee. Set up time is 9 a.m.

Thanks to Barbara Grengs, author of the Toby Martin Series, who sent all six of the Toby Martin Titles to the San Diego Riverside School at Jemez Pueblo. The books are being printed and sent as we speak.  

I'm sure the kids at the school will really like them, even though they mostly have dogs instead of the more intelligent species.

Things have been really crazy around here this week.  Arline had a slight fall so she isn't moving too well. Then Roger went to the vet and had to stay go to the Hospital for a procedure.  I just don't get it with humans and vets. Now it turns out he has ulcers. I have told and told him to stick to the crunch food, but he keeps eating that stuff She cooks!  Personally, I would Never Touch It!

Things were really tied up for awhile, because Arline no longer drives. Sid had to come to the rescue again, taking them back and forth to medical places... I don't know WHEN they'll ever get the Christmas Tree up so I can play with it! 

Spunky and me already hung our Stockings, though.  Right on the back door where Santa will come in.  They told him NO Prancing and Dancing on that New Roof this year!

Please don't forget to let me know 

what you are all up to, so I'll have Gossip for my column next week! 

Just send arline@mail.com a message with 

 "News for Jack" 

in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up right here.