writerSandy
  • home
  • bio
  • events
  • teaser tuesday
  • blog
  • book of shadows
  • potions & herbs
  • contact

Hollow Bones

"In our life there is a time of wonder. Walking with the ancient ones as they share their world. And the dancing voices are carried by the wind. As I walk this sacred ground, I know I'm not alone, and I thank Mother Earth."  ~Alex Davis, Seneca Cayuga

Fan Girl at Left Coast Crime

3/16/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
​I’m heading to Reno this week.

In addition to learning about the Donner Party tragedy, hosting a panel, and speed-dating with readers, I’ve also picked out ten authors I’m not familiar with, to meet and get to know. I’ve looked through their books and picked one from each to order and read.

I thought you might like to take a look also, so here are my choices:

Picture
​19 Souls by J.D. Allen 
Private investigator Jim Bean takes on a new case to find a woman’s missing brother. Instead, he leads a killer right to her prey.
Why I’m reading – Sounds like a tension-filled plot. Also, Allen has a degree in forensic anthropology, which gives extra chops.

Picture
Tainted Mountain by Shannon Baker
​A young ski owner is determined to use man-made snow, an energy tycoon has his own reasons from promoting it, enviros and tribes may use any means to stop it. But the spirits of the mountain just might have the last say.
​Why I’m reading
– This is the first of Baker’s Nora Abbot environmental mystery series, and I always like to start a series with the first book. Plus, I live in AZ and this true-life-based conflict is in my back yard.

Picture
​Endangered by Pamela Beason
When 2-year-old Zack Fischer vanishes from a campground, the TV news instantly convicts the park’s cougars. Reporter Sam Westin is forced to battle a media blitz, the hysterical public, and a flash flood to expose the human kidnapper she believes is hiding in the Utah wilderness.

​Why I’m reading – Beason writes wilderness-based suspense with strong female leads. This is the first book in the Sam Westin series, and they all look interesting.

Picture
​Tahoe Blowup by Todd Borg
When Tahoe detective Owen McKenna’s cabin narrowly escapes burning in an arson-set forest fire, the local fire department hires him to investigate. As more fires follow and people die, Owen can’t tell if the fires are an act of eco-terrorism or a method of murder.

​Why I’m reading – The author and his large series (15 books to date. This one is #2) are based in Tahoe, so he is local to this year’s Left Coast Crime. Several of his plots interest me. Plus, the detective has a Great Dane for a sidekick.

Picture
The Black List by Robin Burcell
The first death was ruled an accident. But when a second accountant from A.D.E.—a popular relief organization that resettles East African refugees—turns up dead, FBI Special Agent and forensic artist Sydney Fitzpatrick is asked in to lend her expertise in the case.
Not only is the charity backed by a powerful U.S. Senator, but the investigation reveals that its funds have been siphoned off to bankroll terrorist cells in black list countries.
Why I’m reading – Burcell is one of Clive Cussler’s cowriters, so she has learned at the side of the best. I’m breaking my rule here, btw, this is book #4 in her FBI Agent series.

Picture
hree Graves Full by Jamie Mason
There is very little peace for a man with a body buried in his backyard. But it could always be worse…

More than a year ago, mild-mannered Jason Getty killed a man he wished he’d never met. Then he planted the problem a little too close to home. But just as he’s learning to live with the undeniable reality of what he’s done, police unearth two bodies on his property—neither of which is the one Jason buried.
Why I’m reading – the book is described as macabre and darkly humorous with a devious twist. 

Picture
Burning Down the House by Trevor Scott 
During Burning Man, the annual event of debauchery and independent self-reliance, a woman is found dead in a high-end RV, suspected to have overdosed on drugs. Former sheriff Keenan Fitzpatrick is hired by the woman's boyfriend to discover the true nature of her death.But there are complicating factors. The actor was wasted the night his girlfriend died, the RV was his, and she was locked inside. But the actor is not the only suspect. The dead woman was a former prostitute who had recently left the business, leaving a lot of potential suspects unhappy with her decision​

Why I’m reading – Because I’m fascinated with Burning Man and plan to go someday. Plus, the author had an interesting career in Air Force, has traveled to 80 countries, and has a Masters in Creative Writing.

Picture
Lost Luggage by Wendall Thomas 
Cyd Redondo, a Brooklyn travel agent who specializes in senior citizens, has never ventured farther than New Jersey. Until her Travel Agents' Convention fling, where Roger Claymore, leaves her weak in the knees-and everywhere else-then sneaks out of her Atlantic City hotel room at three a.m.

Back in Brooklyn, when she reads about smugglers stopped at JFK with skinks in their socks or monkeys down their pants, she never imagines she will join their ranks. But days after the pet store owner next door to Redondo Travel is poisoned, Cyd wins a free safari. Her boss, Uncle Ray, wants to cash it in for computers, but Cyd is determined to go. When Roger turns up at the Redondo clan's door, Cyd invites him along as her "plus one." And just like that she is thrown heels-first into the bizarre and sinister world of international animal smuggling.
​Why I’m reading: This screen-writer turned author’s debut novel sounds like a hoot. Readers have described it as the travel agency business’ equivalent to bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Picture
The One That Got Away   by Simon Wood  
Graduate students Zoë and Holli only mean to blow off some steam on their road trip to Las Vegas. But something goes terribly wrong on their way home, and the last time Zoë sees her, Holli is in the clutches of a sadistic killer. Zoë flees with her life, changed forever.

A year later and still tortured with guilt, Zoë latches on to a police investigation where the crime eerily resembles her abduction. Along with a zealous detective, she retraces the steps of that fateful night in the desert, hoping that her memory will return and help them find justice for Holli. Her abductor—labeled the “Tally Man” by a fascinated media—lies in wait for Zoë. For him, she is not a survivor but simply the one that got away.
Why I’m reading – I’ve been a fan of Simon Wood for a couple of years, after listening to him on panels at previous LCC conferences. I’m embarrassed to say I have yet to read one of his dozens of books. That changes now. I’ve had this book sitting on my “wish list” for too long.

Picture
Stix and Stones by James Ziskin 
"If you were a man, you'd make a good detective."

Ellie is sure that Sgt. McKeever meant that as a compliment, but that identity-a girl wanting to do a man's job-has throttled her for too long. It's 1960, and Ellie doesn't want to blaze any trails for women; she just wants to be a reporter, one who doesn't need to swat hands off her behind at every turn.

Adrift in her career, Ellie is back in New York City after receiving news that her estranged father, a renowned Dante scholar and distinguished professor, is near death after a savage bludgeoning in his home. The police suspect a routine burglary, but Ellie has her doubts. When a second attempt is made on her father's life, in the form of an "accident" in the hospital's ICU, Ellie's suspicions are confirmed.
 
Then another professor turns up dead, and Ellie's investigation turns to her father's university colleagues. She embarks on a thorny journey of discovery and reconciliation, as she pursues an investigation that offers her both a chance at redemption in her father's eyes, and the risk of losing him forever.

Why I’m reading – First, every book of Ziskin’s has an intriguing premise. Second, the man has won almost every suspense award out there.

If you love suspense or crime fiction, try one of the above authors with me. We can compare notes and recommend follow-up reads when we’re done.
 
Happy reading! 
1 Comment

That Old Black Magic at Left Coast Crime

3/10/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
I’m excited to announce that I will be moderating a panel at the Left Coast Crime conference in Reno, NV this month. It’s titled “That Old Black Magic: Paranormal Suspense.

My panelists are:

Picture
Alice Henderson
(Voracious, Shattered Roads)


Alice has an interesting background in science and paleo-climatology, and she has traveled to wild places around the globe, so I’m sure she will have much to say about the accurate portrayal of “place” in fiction.

I’d also like to find out how she landed her sweet gig of writing books for Star Wars, Buffy and Supernatural!


Picture
​Eileen Magill
​(House of Homicide)

Eileen actually lived in a house that was haunted by the serial killer who created the specters, so ghost questions will be directed to her first. 

Interestingly, when the house was put up for sale, it sparked a bidding war and the house sold for $111,000 over the asking price!


Picture
Margaret C. Morse
​(Murder Casts a Spell, Murder Lifts the Spirits)

Margaret was a lawyer in her previous life, so we’ll delve into writing witchcraft as a lawyer. That should be interesting!

She calls her books cozy crime novels.


Picture
​and Danna Wilberg ​
(The Red Chair, the Grey Door and the Black Dress, and more than a dozen short films).

Danna began writing after a car accident left her faced with the challenge of relearning basic skills due to cognitive impairment. That interests me since I have resumed writing after suffering a stroke two years ago. Danna says she began her TV show to improve her speaking skills, and now she has two popular segments airing in Sacramento and has won awards for a dozen short films, as well as publishing a three-novel series.  

Picture
​Since the audience will consist of writers and readers of suspense and crime fiction, I think I’ll begin by asking what distinguishes paranormal suspense writing apart from other suspense genres,?

And what do readers demand from paranormal suspense books?

Please help me prepare for the panel by telling me: what questions would YOU like to ask a paranormal suspense panel?  

The conference is next weekend, so I’ll report back here shortly and let you know how it went.

Thank you in advance for your comments!
Good reading. 
0 Comments

Back Yard Facelift

3/2/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Our once lush back yard is getting a facelift this spring.
We live in Phoenix, so of course anything green needs a supplemental water source, so the whole back yard is on a drip system. 

That was, until it broke. While we were out of town at our cabin for two months. By the time we came home, all but the established trees were dead.

Above: 
Altar area. There was a pretty honeysuckle vine on the arbor previously. I think pink honeysuckle would be pretty. Maybe a bed of strawberries at her feet. Says abundance to me!  It's full sun, so the vine must be hardy, but the fruit will be shaded somewhat by the arbor vines. 

Picture
​
The hubby is in the process of repairing the drip system this winter.

Good luck with that, honey. The existing system has been in the ground for nearly 25 years. So we’ll have to come back to the Valley more often and make sure it survives this summer. BUT—if you’ve ever replaced an in-use, in-ground watering system, you’ll understand why he wants to attempt the “limp-along” approach.

Replacing it basically requires digging up the entire front and back yards. I think he’s hoping we will sell the house and downsize before he has to attempt full replacement.

While he’s repairing, I’ve cleared out the dead flower and herb beds, and now I have the delightful task of deciding what to plant in each area. 
Above: Bed is full shade. I'm going to try a gardenia and a mock orange for focal plants, purple lobelia for ground cover. No idea what to put in the statue heads or what to do with the metal chimes in the ground. Ideas?  
​

Picture
​I’ve included a few photos of the beds, and my scant ideas of what to do. I’d LOVE to hear your suggestions!! Please leave me a message with your ideas. Later this spring, I’ll post “after” photos so you can see how they turned out. 

My lonely old wizard. That's a tangelo tree above him. I may try a pretty ground cover and lay in a fairy garden.

​What would you do?


Picture
This beautiful candelabra needs a home. But I can't keep candles in in during  the summer. They'd melt

Picture
I saw the bare spots on the trunk of this ficus tree on our patio and immediately thought, "Fairy doors!"

1 Comment

    Author

    Writer, witch, mother and wife. Order of importance is a continual shuffle.

    Blog Updates

    Yes, I want to become a member of the Blog Updates Mailing List.
    Enter your e-mail address:

    Please confirm your e-mail address:


    Archives

    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    February 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    March 2014
    September 2013
    April 2013
    July 2012

    Categories

    All
    13 Yule Lads
    Beach Wedding
    Beautiful Bride
    Beltane
    Blood Moon Eclipse
    Bucket List
    Caganer Figurine
    Candy Cane Flavors
    Carlton Hill
    Christmas
    Christmas Cat
    Christmas Pickle
    Climate Change
    Corvid Magic
    Crescent Moon Crossing
    Crow Magic
    David Richo
    Deaths In The Desert
    Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival
    Essential Workers
    Free Book
    Holiday
    Hryla
    Human Smuggling
    Iceland
    Informal Marriage Ceremony
    Jarl Jung
    Love
    Love Potion
    Marriage Blessing
    Maypole
    Mexican Border
    Mindfulness
    Mother's Day
    NaNoWriMo
    Nativity Scenes
    Newlyweds
    Northern Arizona Snow
    No Tomorrow
    Pandemic
    Proposed Import Tax
    Psychology
    Raven Magic
    Scotland
    Shadow Dance
    Shadow Self
    Shadow Work
    Sinoloan Cartel
    Snow Days
    Snow Fun
    Super Moon Eclipse
    Suspense Writing
    Tarot
    Travel
    Trump
    Weird Holiday Traditions
    Wendy Rule
    Yule
    Zen

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.