Living, or rather being ruled by, a dachshund, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

My first historical mystery. 1781 Who murdered Lady Pentreath, her unhappy husband or the apothecary who prepared the last tincture she drank? Will these two disparate people find love or end up at the gallows?

To purchase, click HERE Barnes and Noble, or Amazon

Sadly, there are no dogs in this book

My post is about living with the unpredictable breed known as a dachshund. I hope you find it interesting. This is Lilly-Scout (named by my granddaughters) glaring at the camera. She is my boss, or thinks she is. But she is loving and sweet, when she decides to be.

Dachshund in German means badger hound. Over four hundred years ago, these dogs were bred with a long body and short legs to go down holes after badgers, and other burrowing animals.

As a pet, they are demanding, loving, noisy, and will bark at anything, even a leaf blowing by.

Here is a dachshund in a deceptively loving position, when she's really thinking about attacking the next person who walks by. They are very protective and territorial.

Dachshunds love to play, but will only stop when they're ready, after exhausting you.

They are extremely intelligent and can even spell. When we said 'out' our dog would get all excited. Then we resorted to spelling it. From the first time on, he knew exactly what we meant. You can't fool a dachshund.

They also love to burrow under the covers and will take over your bed if allowed in. For such a small dog they can take up more room then a full-grown German shepherd. And don't even try to move them when they're sleeping; it's like moving a piano.

My first weenie dog, as they are affectionally called, was Fritzie. Picture above. He took over my life and my heart. He taught me well the dachshund disposition. He lived for 16.5 years, and it wasn't long enough.

They are loveable, cuddly, excitable, irascible, and full of barks, and will become your best friend. As long as you mind their rules!

To find out more about me and my books.

                                           

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with one naughty dachshund.

Paying back history by Dean Hovey

Today, September 22, Anne Flagge (co-author of Whistling Librarian) and I will be signing books at "Twice Told Tales" from 10:00-1:00. The bookstore is celebrating it's 20th anniversary and a part of their celebration, Anne and I will be local celebrities signing books. The bookstore is in the tiny Northen Minnesota town of Mahtowa, with a downtown that consists of TJ's General store, a bar, Twice Told Tales, and two churches.The last time I was there, Myra the Manager handed me a family tree and explained how Anne and I are her cousins. My mother was from Mahtowa, and over the course of that day half of the people who introduced themselves, showed me where they were on that family tree. Considering the town was founded by four brothers and their married sister, it's not too surprising there are a lot of people who share branches of that tree. Mom married my father and moved away 80 years ago, but I still know where the family homestead is (about 1/2 mile from downtown), I know the Lutheran Church where they were married, and I know the local golfcourse is built on Uncle Dellie and Aunt Esther's farm. I also know that there's a piece of me there. Signing books there is an honor, not an obligation. If my presence will bring a few more people to town for the anniversary event, I am pleased to spend three hours there. I owe it to Mom, my grandparents and great grandparents, and all of the Peterson, Johnson, Carlson, Swanson, Woletlo, and Aho cousins who live there or populate the local cemetery. They are my Swedish/Danish/Finnish Family, the ones who hacked homesteads out of the pine forest, built log cabins, froze those bone-chilling -30 winters, and tried to eke a living out of the rocky and swampy soil. Yes, I owe them a few hours of my time. Come to Mahtowa today if you get the chance. If not today, stop at the bookstore some other time and say hello to Cousin Myra. Tell her I sent you.

My Three Blessings ... by Sheila Claydon

My three blessings:)

Find my books here

It's been a very busy summer! Not that I'm complaining.

My youngest granddaughter (12) has been visiting from Singapore. She has grown seven inches since her last visit and is now almost as tall as her adult cousins (24 and 19). To see the three of them together is a joy. Despite the geographical and age differences they are close and it is a delight to watch as the older ones spend time with and spoil their now not so little cousin. 

We are lucky that, as well as regular visits, we can all use the Internet to stay in touch and the family chat messages between the three of them are frequently hilarious. 

There are many differences too. The youngest, who has always lived abroad in hot countries, cannot understand why our homes don't have air conditioning. Her six week visit was during the UK's longest hot dry summer since 1976. No rain and excessively high temperatures, so we could well understand her reasoning even as we explained that unlike this year, we hardly ever need it. 

She loved the wide open spaces of our small coastal town too. The fact that she could walk through woodland without seeing a soul or walk along an almost empty beach with our dog running freely beside her was something she will never experience in Singapore. She was also fascinated by the fact that nearly everyone she met either greeted her with a smile or said hello, something that happens in small communities but not in the cities and countries she is used to. 

                                      

She loved the space in the house too. The fact that she could distance herself from everyone when she wanted to by just climbing stairs to her bedroom, something that is impossible in a small apartment where her bedroom is right next to the living room and all the noises and conversations of everyday life.

And more than anything she loved looking after our little dog. Preparing her meals, brushing her, even cleaning her teeth and, of course, taking her for a walk on her own. When she called from Singapore once she arrived home, the first thing she wanted to see was the dog.

She does, however, enjoy a very privileged life in Singapore and has quickly settled back into her everyday routines with friends, school and sports. She just enjoys the differences she experiences when she visits her UK family.

It all got me thinking, well reminiscing really, back to when I wrote my When Paths Meet trilogy. Three sisters, not cousins, but with the same big age gaps and very different lifestyles and experiences. Each of them with a problem to solve, and each of them recognising the importance of family. 

What Love Made Us Do- by Bonny Beswick

 

Coming next month!

While fireworks fill the sky on the last night of The Greatest Show on Earth, also known as The Calgary Stampede, a man with a past is shot on his front doorstep. Detectives Janice Maidstone and Scott Amble are called to the quiet suburban neighbourhood. Love has many forms, but which one led to an innocent man’s death? 

As far as police work goes, Janice can’t imagine working with a better partner than Scott. The problem is, it’s a race against time, as one or both of them may soon follow their hearts and seek new lives outside of the city. 

It will be available: https://www.bookswelove.com/shop, www.bonnybeswick.com, www.amazon.ca/books, and independent bookstores near you!

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Available!

The Aquamarine Necklace: A Janice Maidstone Mystery, by Bonny Beswick — Books We Love Publishing Inc.

The Aquamarine Necklace: Beswick, Bonny: 9780228634737: Books - Amazon.ca 

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Am I Too Old for Tenting?

Back in the day, I enjoyed long-weekend tent camping (likely a large factor in this enjoyment was my boyfriend at the time, Randall). We car-camped, where the only limiting factor in what could be taken was how much room there was in his vehicle (a boxy little Toyota Corolla). Occasionally, I went backcountry camping with other friends, where comfort was sacrificed for a lighter backpack, miles and hours away from roads.

Then, for many reasons, I became one of the fluffy-towel crowd—vacationing in hotels with soft beds, clean towels, flush toilets, and hot and cold running water. Worries about bears and shaking out clothes and shoes before putting them on to check for unwelcome insects (think scorpions and spiders) evaporated with air conditioning, central heating, and beds that didn’t require getting up off the ground.  

After (many) decades, the camping bug has again bitten me. I’ve fallen down the Google hole to research tents, sleeping pads, camp stoves, campgrounds, and gadgets (usually outrageously expensive) to enhance the outdoor experience.

But even before I had my gear, I’d reserved spots in two campgrounds: Beauvais Lake Provincial Park and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, both in southern Alberta. What fun, I thought! Falling asleep to the sounds of night birds and waking up to their morning twitters. Sitting at my little campfire, maybe even pulling a foil-wrapped package of potatoes, carrots, onions, and a chicken breast, roasted in a liberal bath of sage butter, for my dinner. And maybe for dessert, another small package of puff pastry encasing sliced apples with cinnamon and sugar. 

After only a few internet searches looking for reviews on tents, camp stoves, etc., my social media feeds filled with advertisements and videos on everything I don’t need, from portable outdoor toilets (the five-gallon bucket with a toilet seat sounds like an easy, inexpensive, and workable solution, a few steps up from squatting over a hole or the aromatic outhouse) to knot-tying videos, to camp food preparation. A visit to Bridens, www.bridensolutions.ca, located just off Highway #1 at the Calaway Park turnoff is on my schedule. 

Time that I should have spent editing the second book in my Lady Mary series, set in Argentina, was hijacked to making lists and researching suitable campgrounds. 

But as the mountain of gear piled in my living room, and the credit card charges began to appear, I lay awake at night worrying.

What about bears and cougars? At Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, not only are bears ubiquitous, but there’s also a healthy population of mountain-sized kitty cats. I’ve always been a little afraid of the dark, so how am I going to manage trekking to the outhouse in the middle of the night, cursing the after-dinner hot cup of tea I enjoyed around the “romantic” campfire?

I’m attuned to bear safety, but how do I dispose of my dishwater? I plan to store my food and toiletries in my vehicle, but what about the person who camped in the spot before me? Did they drain their bacon grease in the forest behind the tent platform? 

Will the zippers on my tent seal tightly enough so that creepy crawlies can’t crawl in?

My first reservation was for July 8; the second is August 24. 

I haven’t been this excited for a long time. Every night, I count the number of sleeps left before I’ll be in my tent under the stars.

Stay tuned for updates on my camping adventures. Should you wish to make predictions on the longevity of my questionable holiday decision making, let me know. 

WHEN WORDS COLLIDE UPDATE

I’m writing this in mid July, and there are only 18 sleeps until When Words Collide, August 14—17 at the Calgary Hyatt Regency Hotel, kicks off. Responsible for wrangling volunteers, I’m thrilled to have almost everyone in place for the weekend. 

Right up until the festival starts, you can still register at www.whenwordscollide.org. I hope you do—it promises to be an absolutely wonderful weekend. The energy of almost 900 published and working-towards-publication authors fills the panels, workshops, seminars and keynote addresses. It’s not just for writers, of course. For readers, there are behind-the-scenes looks at the world of writing, from how to find your creative muse, doing your research, how to write scintillating prose (and poetry), and how to publish. 

PUBLICATION UPDATE

As you saw at the beginning of this blog, “What Love Made Us Do” will be out on bookshelves in September. I am putting together a schedule of book signings—I’ll post them on Facebook, Instagram, and my webpage as soon as things are finalized. I hope to see you at one of them!

In the meantime, enjoy all the summer activities—relaxing on your patio, getting garden dirt under your fingernails, taking road trips, and experiencing new adventures!

Is it here again? #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Rime #Forgetfulness

 

Is it here again? Something I ask myself every month and then forget. I used to do a blog post every day on my blog list but I stopped doing that when I spent time in the hospital and in rehab. I really need to get into the habit again since I have so many books to promote.

Gemstones was a fun book to research since I not only had to look at Regency England but also on India and meditation.

I have an idea for two sequences, each one telling the story of Nicola's sisters. Elizabeth and Margaret. Am ready to begin Elizabeth's story soon. She is the vain but beautiful sister. Will give her a problem that can or cannot effect her idea of her own beauty and how she must grow and learn.

Margaret is the tomboy sister and will show how she comes into her own. Not sure how yet.

When Nicola Gordon and her younger sisters travel from India to England, she goes to a marriage she doesn’t want.

Drew Barlow has no desire for marriage, but his distant cousin and Nicola’s grandfather, ran the estates into debt. Drew agrees to the marriage for the money and to please the Dowager, Nicola’s grandmother, but he has no trust for women or for love.

When the two meet they clash and come together, igniting a blazing attraction they cannot resist.