JUST ONE MORE THING…by Victoria Chatham

Is she a wife or already a widow? Until she knows, ship-wrecked Lady Juliana will not surrender to the captain who steals her heart.

AVAILABLE HERE

I recently had one of those mornings when I woke up really early. One of those instantly awake occasions instead of the usual dragging myself into consciousness mornings. Because I needed to leave home no later than 9.00 AM that day for my round of appointments and activities, I decided there were things I had time to do without waiting for the alarm clock to go off.

I showered but didn’t get dressed yet. Went to the kitchen, put the kettle. While it boiled for my morning cup of tea, I dusted and vacuumed the living room. Once that was done and the tea made, I checked the time. Oh good, only 7.15 AM. Still time to get some other stuff done. I sorted laundry, put that in the washer, poured tea, turned on my laptop. I guess y’all can see what comes next. Yes, folks, I went down the rabbit hole of ‘just one more thing’.

Peter Falk

Emails led to links, which led to more links. It wasn’t idle procrastination either, I was researching information for my Work in Progress. Who knew lamb bones could be used to buff marble? With a mug of tea in hand and one eye on the clock, I continued on my merry way. When the washer warbled that the cycle was finished, I checked the clock which told me it was 8.00 AM. Yes! I had time to put the washing in the dryer and have another cup of tea before getting dressed. 

What I should have done, of course, was to have got dressed and applied my makeup then. Unlike Peter Falk’s Lieutenant Columbo, who’s last minute line of ‘just one more thing, sir’, being the question that usually tripped up and caught the murderer and tied up the case, because of my ‘one more thing’, my day slowly unraveled.

But it’s not that day that concerns me now. No, it’s how that line has inserted itself into more recent detective series. I enjoy watching a good series on TV or Netflix and have heard that line repeated in Hawaii Five-O, the BBC’s Inspector Frost and Death in Paradise, especially the series with Kris Marshall playing the hapless Humphrey Goodman. In fact, the role of Humphrey, with his crumpled clothes and air of distraction could have been modeled on Columbo. In my case ‘one more thing’ was one thing too many which caused me to rush through my day. There’s also the old adage of less haste, more speed. From now on I think I’d better pay attention to both!

  

You can find Victoria’s books at Books We Love on her 

Books We Love Author Page 

or at 

 www.victoriachatham.com

Vancouver’s Spirits

 RELEASE DATE SEPTEMBER FIRST

 Stillwaters Run Deep 
Book Two

Vancouver’s Spirits

Available From Amazon

Frank Talaber, The Writer:

The Mad Muse inside keeps my pencil writing. Yes, I still actually use a pencil to write down story ideas first before using the laptop. Currently living in Chilliwack, BC. I usually write urban fantasy, crime, mystery, science fiction and romance (the really hot stuff, read my novel Shuttered Seduction available through BWL and Amazon, see links below). But enough of me, on to the novel.

Vancouver’s Spirits, The Novel:

Vancouver’s mayor is found brutally slain in Stanley Park against Pauline Johnson’s memorial. His family and wife are missing with no clues to go on Carol Ainsworth’s first big detective case begins.

Toss in a hot male reporter, who goes on a hot date to a bar in Stanley Park and ends up in a strange part of town, with no memory of getting there. A vengeful Biker, who will stop at nothing to wreck justice on those who killed him. A sexually starved succubus, who will also stop at nothing to return to our realm. A boatload of out of sync demi-gods who have returned and have never seen concrete and electric lights. Finally toss in a disappearing, slightly deranged shaman who just happens to hold all the clues. Only Carol has to prove he actually exists and find him before a gang war threatens to explode on the streets of Vancouver.

Yes, it’s going to be a fun night in the park.

My BWL Author Page and Links to where to buy my novels 

 http://www.bookswelove.com/authors/talaber-frank-suspense-urban-fantasy-canada/



Smashwords Site

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/553807

Kobo Site

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/raven-s-lament-3

Amazon Site

https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Talaber/e/B00UC407R0

My Facebook Author's Page

https://www.facebook.com/FrankTalaber/

My Twitter page

https://twitter.com/FrankTalaber

Taking Time to Be Mindful by J.Q. Rose

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose
Romantic suspense available in eBook or Paperback

Taking Time to Be Mindful by J.Q. Rose

Grandsons on the shores of Lake Huron--a moment captured with my camera

Time is flying by too quickly. When the sand in an hour glass slips through to the bottom, we can just turn it over and start again. But time doesn't stop for us. We ride it like a rocket ship through the ages and stages of life. At times we need to slam on the brakes of that rocket ship (if they have them?) and take time to be present in the moments of our lives.

I'm slamming my foot down on those brakes this week to be mindful of the moments in my life. I came to this realization because school begins next week for one set of grandkids and the week after Labor Day for our other kids. The summer flew by. Each child is growing up too quickly. This summer I have two grandsons who have their drivers licenses! How did that happen?

Can you see these children all grown up? As they grow, their time with us shrinks. Friends, sports, activities in school will fill up their lives.  Time spent with the grandparents is squeezed into little moments when they are free, instead of the entire long, luxurious days of summer.
 

Appreciate every moment

I decided this week I'll take the time to appreciate the present. I will be mindful of every moment and imprint it on my mind to keep in my heart forever. I want the experiences and to capture each one so one day I can pull them from my memory box and I will savor the memories.

How many of these summer days and evenings do we take for granted? What gorgeous sunsets have we missed this year?  And what delicious food have we just scarfed down and not even tasted?

I hope you have the opportunity to take time to be in the present and appreciate those moments by immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of each one. 

Click here to connect online with JQ at the J.Q. Rose Blog