A mystery writer's mind is like a __________ (fill in the blank)

 

Please allow me to back up for a moment and explain the genesis of the blog's title. I was walking through the kitchen and saw a partially covered newspaper headline: "Woman eats Roommate". While most normal people would be horrified and quickly uncover, or cover, the article, my mind wandered. "Hmm, how would I handle that in a mystery? Would it work best in the Pine County or the Doug Fletcher series?"

My second child, Heather, who hasn't read any of my books, says the inside of my head is a scary place she doesn't want to explore.

What can I say? My mind runs to mystery plots when I see something intriguing. To address the "Woman eats Roommate" headline, the entire title was "Woman eats Roommate's Groceries." It was a Dear Abby headline, and totally uninteresting when compared to the plots that were raging through my head.

To be frank, yes, mundane events and stories send me off on mystery tangents. A retired Lutheran minister asked how many books I had in print. When I replied 25, he asked how many full-time writers I employ to do the writing for me, and what part I played in crafting the books. Laughing, I explained that my staff was tiny and part-time, paid only in signed copies of the latest book. The writing, outlines, plots, characters, and the typos, were all my own. He was amazed that I was consistently writing four books a year.

Writing is a solitary endeavor. I spend a few hours a day behind my laptop, with the characters speaking to me, and little other interaction with the outside world...unless a curious headline, conversation, email, or newspaper story captures my attention.

The latest Pine County mystery, Fatal Business, is an example of my wandering mind. My cop and horse consultant may have suggested the premise of a deer hunter failing to return to his camp at sunset. After that idea "pinballed" around my brain for a few days. I studied maps, researched gunshot wounds, tapped into my biology and medical education and experience, then crafted an outline involving a small-town businessman who disappears, later to be found, dead. Was he a murder victim? Or did he die in a tragic hunting accident?

Read Fatal Business to find out.

Hovey, Dean - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

www.amazon.com/Fatal-Business-Pine-County-Book-ebook/dp/B0B365MLXQ

Fatal Business | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

Revising and Rounding Out my New Brunswick Brides Book, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

To purchase, On a Stormy Primeval Shore: Click

Four years after the first publication, my Canadian Brides book is undergoing revision, and now released in Audio. I need to purchase this format and listen to how my story is expressed.

When a professional reviewer mentioned the bad guys were one dimensional, after praising the rest of the novel, I knew what needed to be done.

I'd go through it and add dimension to all the side characters, especially the villains.

It was actually an enjoyable process. What drove this or that person to behave the way they did? What makes a person turn to crime instead of traveling the straight and narrow? A cruel childhood, an abusive parent, nothing but failure or loss in their later life?

Of course, a character can experience all of this and still turn out fine. But others turn bitter.

My main villain needed several life changing experiences, and a turn to alcohol, which intensifies his feelings of persecution and need for revenge.

I gave other characters a boost to show their hopes, wishes, and a glimpse of their backgrounds and motivations.

Woven into this is the history of the province of New Brunswick. A wild land my heroine, Amelia, travels to in the late eighteenth century to marry a man picked out by her father; but she finds love with someone else. A most inappropriate man.

Gilbert is French Acadian, scorned by the 'entitled' British. The Acadians were slaughtered and burned out when England took over the colony. Or deported elsewhere.

The Deportation of the Acadians by Henri Beau

Will Gilbert remain bitter, or assimilate with the changes? His love for Amelia will cause problems all around.

The Canadian Historical Brides is a wonderful series, showing the history, the romance, the struggles, of all the provinces at different times. The divergent people who settled in Canada. 

All great reads. Find them HERE.

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

To find out more about her and her books:  DianeScottLewis

Vegetable Gardening: Fresh Vegetables from Our Garden to Our Dinner Table: Zucchini Cake Recipe #vegetablegardening #zucchini #gardening

Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by JQ Rose

Rescuing a naked woman lying in a geranium bed? Investigating mysterious murders? These are not the usual calls in a Florida retirement community for volunteer first responder Jim Hart.

Click here to discover more books by JQ Rose 

on her BWL Publishing author page.  

You just need a garden and a library!

 What a special time of year for people who love fresh veggies. July and August are the prime months for harvesting vegetables from our garden. This is the time of the year when we get paid back for all that hard labor in planting and nurturing those lovely plants. 

We are reaping the rewards now.

Not only does gardening provide rewards of fresh, healthy food, but the labor also is more satisfying than going to a stinky dark gym to exercise. Planting, digging and weeding the plot is one of the best ways to keep a happy, strong heart.

Warning!! It's zucchini time. Zucchini is a prolific plant. Once it gets growing, the harvesting goes on and on and on. You'll need several recipes to have some diversity in your diet.
I'll share a zucchini cake recipe at the end of the article.

Green tomatoes. Fingers crossed we'll have a long enough season for the tomatoes to ripen.
We had a late spring. The weather was so cold and rainy, Gardener Ted thought he would never get any crops from our garden. Unfortunately, many seeds rotted in the cold ground and had to be replanted. The good news is the sun finally came out and warmed up the ground so the beans are flowering and looking healthy today! We may pick a handful by the end of the week.

I picked my first green pepper this week. I love, love, love green peppers. You too?

The potato plants are blooming. They show promise of producing tasty spuds.

Lettuce on the left. Romaine and Magenta. We have had to give lots of lettuce away to friends and family and to the local food pantry. What a rewarding experience when people smile when we hand them the fresh lettuce. Nothing like it.
I've made two batches of slaw from crisp heads of cabbage. Nothing like the sound of the crack of a head of cabbage when you split it with a sharp knife. I cut the head in halves or quarters, cut out the core, then soak it in salt water for about 15 minutes.
The salt kills any insects hiding within the layers of leaves.

I know, the black-eyed Susans are not veggies, but oh so pretty.

In my scary story, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard, the main characters are Gloria and Jim Hart from Michigan. They spend winters in a retirement community in Florida. Jim is a year-round gardener with a garden Up North and one in Florida. He grows waaaaay too many vegetables so they give them away to friends and family. Gloria is always searching for delicious ways to cook vegetables so she has a choice of dishes for their dinner table. 

Hmmm...these characters are suspiciously similar to the author and her husband. LOL...Yes, I based them on my life, but Jim and Gloria are a bit more fun and quirkier than we are!

Zucchini
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay 

Since I can't pass a zucchini through the Internet to you, I will share a great recipe with you for Zucchini cake. 

ZUCCHINI CAKE

3 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Sift together these dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside. (I don't use a sifter.)

3 c. sugar 

11/2 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

3 c. shredded zucchini

1 c. chopped nuts

Beat together sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs and zucchini

Mix all ingredients together. Fold in nuts.

Spray 9 x 13-inch pan with oil--do you flour your pans?

Bake at 350 degrees C  for 1 hour

Cool in pan, then sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with cream cheese icing

Mmmmm. Good.

TIP: Use 3/4 c. applesauce and 3/4 c. oil instead of 1 1/2 c. oil to reduce fat

So I leave you with this delicious recipe. 

I hope you and your family and friends enjoy the cake.

Our Michigan garden

****

Thank you for your support of my novels and memoir over the years and for your support of BWL Publishing.

Click the links below to stay connected with JQ Rose. Thank you.

Author JQ Rose and Gardener Ted

JQ Rose's Focused on Story Blog

JQ Rose, Author Facebook Page 

Dig Deeper by Helen Henderson

Windmaster Legacy by Helen Henderson
Click the cover for purchase information

A question I have been wrestling with lately is how to make a character real. Reference books on characterization offer various tips, then it is in the author's hands. I remember reading the western novels by one of my father's favorite authors. After a while I realized the author had fallen into a rut. Each lead male character had the identical physical description down to hair color.

A novel notebook or series bible helps me keep the characters straight from book to book and within a series. Although cover images are not always selected until the work is completed, a practical reason to reuse the same hair color is the availability of cover models. You don't want to write a character with an unusual hair color, then find out that there is no suitable cover shot. Editing an entire novel to just change hair color wastes time and increases the possibilities of error. And that doesn't even include the possibility of a character getting mad at me as their creator and refusing to cooperate in telling the story.

My favorite part of a character is their backstory. The character's past and how their experiences, culture, and family all blend together to not only form the individual's personality, but also how they will react to a given circumstance. What can be a challenge is not putting everything I know about a character into a story. To create mystery while allowing the reader to use their imagination in a blending of the writer's and the reader's vision, details need to be sprinkled like a fine spice rather than giving the reader an encyclopedia.

A child who grew up during the Great Depression might handle money differently than one who knew only an abundance of opportunity. One might reuse items until they are no longer functional and put money away for lean times. The other who never knew hard times or went without, might never have two cents in their pocket because they spend everything they have and trust there will always be more.

A lot of considerations went into creating the archmage, Lord Dal. A chieftain's son, magic cost him the possibility of leading his clan. Yet he retained knowledge obtained during his formative years. A talented horseman and skilled swordsman helped him obtain a position in a mercenary unit, but a natural ability to lead helped him rise through the ranks. These same skills aided him after his powers asserted themselves and he eventually became archmage, head of the School of Mages, and responsible for all those with powers. In response to the totality of his experiences and background, duty, honor and loyalty were ingrained into his personality.

       Part of a character is his friends. In the case of Lord Dal,
a long-time friend is the head stallion of the falaire herd, Tairneach.

While not all characters receive a detailed physical description, follows is Lord Dal's. In Windmaster Legacy, he is in his early thirties. Even though men from the M’twan Mountains run to long in the leg, Dal is a full head taller than many of his kin. The scars on his forearms from practice blades and actual battles tell of his experiences as a mercenary.

Dal's black hair is short on sides and falls to just below shoulder in back. Besides his muscular frame which hints at his true strength, one of the first things many people notice about him are his light brown eyes that tend to sparkle with an internal amusement.

I hope you've enjoyed this deeper dig into Lord Dal.

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

~Until next month, stay safe and read.  

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination.
Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter. 

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one the pack.

Kayla's Cowboy, another Longview Romance by Nancy M Bell

 

To find out more about Nancy's books click on the cover above.

For any of you familiar with my Longview Romance series, you'll recall that Rob Chetwynd and Michelle Wilson were engaged. Or at least that's the impression Michelle had, not to mention all of Longview. So it was a shock when Rob came back from the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas married to someone else.  And that someone else was a dressage rider, not someone familiar with rodeo. Kayla Dunbarton had no idea of the hornet's nest she was going to encounter when she accompanied her new husband home to Longview, Alberta. 

Kayla's Cowboy tells the tale of how this wedding came to be and the events leading up to the nuptials. Not to mention the fall out afterwards.

Here's a short excerpt to tempt you. Kayla's first meeting with Rob which doesn't go so well:

She’d just finished taking the bridle apart and was dropping the bridoon bit and the curb into a pail of warm water when the curtained stall door opened a bit.

“Anybody here?” A male voice asked.

“Get out of there, Chetwynd,” another voice cautioned.

What the hell? Kayla pulled the door all the way open and fisted her hands on her hips. “What do you want?” she demanded. “Who the hell are you?”

“Aw, c’mon now, pretty lady. I was just wantin’ to say hello and admire your horse.” The tall cowboy pushed his hat back on his head and grinned down at her. His gaze swept her up and down, lingering on the swell of her breast below the gapping neck of her old sweatshirt.

“I asked what your name was,” she repeated. “And I don’t appreciate you just inviting yourself into my tack room. There was something interesting about the man, his jeans snugged against his lean hips, broad shoulders filling out his western shirt. There was some kind of advertising emblazoned all over the red shirt but she couldn’t make it all out. The cowboy just continued to grin at her in appreciation.

“I’m sorry, m’am. I’m Cody, Cody Butters and I apologize for my partner here, he’s a little short on manners.” The second man elbowed in front of his friend.

“Hell fire, man. She should know who I am,” the first man said belligerently.

Kayla’s temper flared and she glared over Cody’s shoulder at the cowboy. “I haven’t a clue who you are, and I could care less. Why don’t you go back under the rock you crawled out of?”

“He don’t mean no harm, m’am. He’s just a mite uncivilized, is all,” Cody intervened. This idiot, is Rob Chetwynd, the reigning Bull Riding Champion.”

“At your service,” Rob swept his hat off and made a deep bow.

Kayla sighed in exasperation. “What do you want? I have things to do.”

“Just wanted to say hello and say how much we enjoyed your riding,” Cody said with a meaningful glance at his friend.

“Actually, I wanted to see if your little behind was as cute out of the arena as in it,” Rob said, lifting one eyebrow.

“That’s enough.” Kayla grabbed a stable broom from the corner of the stall and smacked him with it. “Get out! Get out now, before I call security.”

“Now, now, there ain’t no call to do that.” Cody grabbed his friend by the back of his belt and started to drag him out of the stall.

“What’s going on here?” Anna demanded, coming to a halt with Wellington in tow.

“These two yahoos invited themselves into our tack room and made themselves very unwelcome,” Kayla told her, still brandishing the broom.

Cody turned and let go of Rob’s belt as Anna came up. “Man, that’s a nice piece of horse flesh,” he said, eyes running over the 17.3 hand gelding in appreciation.

“Yes, he is, and I’d thank you to not touch him and take your…companion…and leave.” Kayla glared at the two men. “Now.”

“Sorry, yeah. I gotta apologize for my friend here. He’s maybe had a bit too much celebratin’, if you catch my drift,” Cody said.

“That’s not excuse for being an ass,” Kayla shot back.

“Yes, m’am.” Cody ran his eyes over Wellington again, stopping when Anna stepped out from behind the big horse into his line of vision. Interest flashed across his face before he dragged Rob away.

“What was all that about?” Anna asked, her gaze on the red headed cowboy. “What did he say his name was?”

“Which one?” Kayla stripped the cooler off Wellington and picked up a brush from the tack box just inside the tack room door.

“The red headed one, not the other one,” Anna said folding the cooler up.

“I don’t know…Cam, Cale, Cody…maybe…why?” She glanced up from her work. “You can’t seriously be interested, can you?”

“Maybe,” Anna dragged the word out. “He seemed nice, I mean, nicer than his friend. And he sure filled out those jeans…” She winked at Kayla.

“Oh, you,” Kayla snorted. “You’d date the devil himself if he had a nice ass.”

Anna grinned. “Probably,” she agreed, chuckling.   

Free Books and other thoughts by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Mysteries #romances #fantasy

Another year has passed and it's been an interesting one. Today I've reached my 86th year of life. Seems a long time ago and yet a short time but I'm doing what I live to do, making up stories. Writing fiction gives one the chance to explore the lives of others. Sure they are stories but as they are written, the characters become real and turn into friends.

Katherine Miller has become a great friend and there are elements of myself in the chracter, and I believe of the characters of my other books. Originally published in 1998, she's still going strong.

The characters in this book are fully imaginatary, sort of. I was a nurse and so I am able to capture the hospital and it;s querks. I also am a student of Astrology so this book has elements of that interest in the pages.

The Affinities series was written for my grandchildren and they're in the pages of this series only because my first four hit every one of the four elements of astrology, fire, earth, water and air. I enjoyed writing these books and the adventures the children have.

Another completely imagination created characters and stories. I believe this came because i enjoy the Food Channel and watching the chefs create dishes. Especially since I'm an ordinary cook.

I'm getting ready to let my publisher know to put another book, the first in a long series up for free. Hopefully this will trigger another set of stories and bring them into view. There are several more long series. Right now I'm working on book five of the Moon Rising series and next project will be book 7 of the Moon Child series.

So these are my free books at present. when there's another, I'll let you know. i do wish all the tohers would collect the number of ratings as Murder and Mint Tea. As to date 476.

My Places

   https://twitter.com/JanetL717

 https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f

bid=113639528680724

 http://bookswelove.net/

 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/

 

Buy Mark

https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/

 

People of the Three Fires, by J.C. Kavanagh

 

The Twisted Climb-Darkness Descends 

Book 2 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series

In Book 3 of my Twisted Climb series, to be published later this year, the main characters (Jayden, Connor and Max) are once again called to 'cross over' to the dreaded dream world - a terrifying place where the sun never rises and the moon never falls. But this time, they are dropped into a deeper, darker place: the Un-World. It is here that the characters take on a new villain and it is here they discover the history of the other-worldly forces.

When I began writing this final book of the series, my initial theme was loosely based on a combination of Roman and Greek mythology, combined with a smattering of Mayan influences. However, my research kept circling back to the great Native Indian tribes of Canada, particularly those in the Great Lakes area. I came to realize that my type of storytelling is better aligned with the beliefs and traditions of the original peoples in my home country, Canada.

If you read my May blog, you would have learned about Manitoulin Island (Odawa/Ojibwe name (Manidoowaaling) meaning "cave of the spirit.") This island is the largest fresh-water island in the world and is located near the top of Lake Huron. Thousands of years ago, this area of the Great Lakes was home to several Indian tribes, though it is believed that all originated from one band, the Anishinaabe. This tribe travelled from the shores of the 'Great Salt Water,' presumed to be the Atlantic Ocean, and migrated to three places: the shores of Manidoowaaling (Manitoulin Island); Baawitigong (Sault Ste. Marie), and Michilimackinac (in the area on and around Mackinac Island). After several centuries, during which time the separate villages developed their own customs and traditions, a new tribal alliance was forged: the People of the Three Fires. 

Sometimes referred to as the Council of Three Fires (Niswi-mishkodewinan), the Anishinaabe alliance consisted of Ojibwe (also called Chippewa), Odawa (also called Ottawa) and Potawatomi. When in council, the Ojibwe were referred to as 'Older Brother' and designated 'Keepers of the Faith;' the Odawa as 'Middle Brother' and designated 'Keepers of Trade,' and Potawatomi as 'Younger Brother' and designated 'Keepers/maintainers of/for the Fire.' 

Map of North America, pinpointing
Strait of Mackinac, the city of Sault Ste. Marie, and Manitoulin Island

As the fur trade progressed and various countries began carving out the Americas, the People of the Three Fires developed a relationship with the French (Wemitigoozhi), the English (Zhaaganaashi) and the Americans (Gichi-mookomaanag). 

For the Anishinaabe people, storytelling was sacred. It was their way of connecting young and old, of teaching messages and fairness. Most stories incorporated character growth that acknowledged human imperfection. In other words, storytelling elaborated on human error to prove that mistakes were an important part of character growth. Tribal elders were called "Knowledge Keepers" and were greatly respected for their wisdom, storytelling and awareness of tribal history.  

In addition to oral storytelling, a secretive, religious society of the Anishinaabe were tasked with
recording historical, medicinal and traditional rituals.
This male/female group was called the Midewiwin, 
which is often translated as 'medicine man.'
Above is a birchbark Midewiwin scroll, circa 1900, auctioned in 2009 for $1,500. 

The relationship between humans, animals and the environment was also considered sacred. The Anishinaabe traditions held that everything in the universe was connected and each had a place of importance and therefore respect. The Seven Grandfather Teachings was a traditional story, told for generation after generation about the sacred standards of life. These teachings centred around: Wisdom, Respect, Love, Honesty, Humility, Bravery and Truth. These teachings, in my opinion, need more reverence in our lives today.

Until next time, stay safe everyone!

J.C. Kavanagh, author of 
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada 
AND 
The Twisted Climb, 
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart 
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com 
www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh
www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh
Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)
Instagram @authorjckavanagh

Introducing Paul Doucette, a historical mystery author from Nova Scotia Canada

 

Visit Paul Doucette's BWL Author Page for Details on all his books and Retailer Purchase links

Hello,

            Allow me to introduce myself to this community.

             My name is Paul Doucette. I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in February of 1948. It was a time when the city was still pretty much as it was during the war years of the 1940s, in other words, a rough and tumble port city.

            I left home in 1964 to enlist in the Army at age 16. After serving for just over a year, I was honorably discharged and returned home. It was then that I embarked on a career as a Merchant Seaman that spanned 12 years. This gave me my first experiences with the world and its many diverse cultures. When I retired from the sea, I joined a German company with offices throughout North America as a Freight Forwarder but soon advanced to become one of a specialized group of experts handling industrial logistics worldwide (simple put I was responsible for the logistics of moving such projects as nuclear reactors/oil refineries from one country to another).

            Over the course of these careers I have worked and lived in many countries including, China, Russia, the Caribbean, most of North America, Mexico and parts of Central America. During this time, I also managed to acquire three years of university at Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie Universities in Halifax as a mature student. I majored in Philosophy and Anthropology.

            In the early 1990s I returned home and that was when I met my future wife. Unfortunately, she passed in 1997 and shortly after that I took permanent retirement. It was at that time that I decided to explore and develop my artistic side which I had suppressed in deference to work.

Briefly stated, I pursued a new career as a photographer, specializing in large format black and white landscape and architectural images. During this time I acquired a certification from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Photography. Unfortunately, about the time my work was beginning to be recognized my eyes began to present issues resulting in my no longer practising the craft.

            I continued on this path of discovery by diving into another artistic field that I long wanted to explore: Creative Writing. I have always been an avid reader of fantasy and mystery novels, so following the advice of an English Professor I had to write ‘what you know’ I opted for mystery fiction since I could develop stories set in familiar places where I travelled or lived and apply my knowledge of people, languages and histories. You see, it was my intent to write with an ear to dialects of ordinary peoples in their settings and to present those settings with a sense of both place and time.

            I believe I have succeeded in that goal with my Detective John Robichaud series, which is set in Halifax during WWII. I also have two other series written under the same method: Matt Murphy PI set in 1960s Greenwich Village (where I have visited many times) and Paul Jarvis set in the Pacific during WWII.

            I am the author of the Detective John Robichaud Mysteries. I currently live in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

 

Writing for Young Readers

 

Find my books here

Remember the books you loved as a teen?  How they stayed with you like friends all your life? What were they? A beloved series?  A great classic? 

The first book I ever finished in one day was a Nancy Drew Mystery...The Secret at Shadow Ranch. Wow, too many cliff-hanging chapters to put down, even though it had cost me a month of weekly shopping trips for my Aunt Cece in order to buy!

Only a couple of things bothered me about intrepid Nancy and her sleuthing... one: there were never any characters who looked like me featured prominently in the stories and two: Nancy never aged! I was expecting her to get older, but there she was still fresh-faced and sixteen many many adventures later.  Now, I would add three: that she got conked on the head too many times (poor Nancy...amazing that her brain still worked so well!).

Inspired by my love of books like the Nancy Drew series, I have now written my own ... the Linda Tassel Mysteries, featuring a bridge person like myself and inspired by a friend from my Georgia days, Linda is a member of the Snowbird Cherokee people on her mother's side.  She teams up with Buffalo New York transplant Tad Gist to solve mysteries. They meet as high school students. They grow older together as their friendship deepens and turns to love.

It's a great privilege to write for young people... I love thinking that I may be contributing toward decisions to become lifelong readers. 

I hope you'll enjoy my series. The first, Death at Little Mound, just received a first place in the Murder and Mayhem Mystery Awards! The second, Missing at Harmony Festival was published last month. 

Orangeman's Day in Northern Ireland by Susan Calder

Please click this link for book and author information

Happy Orangeman's Day -- or not. 

July 12th is a holiday in Northern Ireland, commemorating the victory of Protestant William of Orange over Britain's Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Ulster Protestants celebrate the day with marching band parades; Catholics escape the noise and traffic snarls to beaches in the southern Republic of Ireland. 

A month ago, my husband Will and I took a bus tour through Belfast, Northern Ireland. Union Jack Flags, red, white and blue banners, and posters of Queen Elizabeth II decorated homes and businesses in Protestant neighbourhoods in celebration of her majesty's recent Jubilee weekend. Our tour guide said people would leave the decorations up another month for Orangeman's Day. The splashy displays ceased abruptly when we crossed into Catholic neighbourhoods.

Will in front of a Belfast mural

During The Troubles in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to late 1990s, Orangeman's Day was often marked by riots and violence. Protestants would provoke conflict by marching into Catholic neighbourhoods. During that thirty year 'irregular war' that killed more than 3,500 people, I wouldn't have considered a holiday in Belfast, but I didn't give it a thought this year. We stayed in the Europa Hotel, which experienced 36 bomb attacks during The Troubles and was called the most bombed hotel in the world. Since then, the renovated hotel has gone high tech with 'smart' elevators and window blinds. 

                                 View of at least three pubs from our room at the Europa Hotel 

Our tour bus stopped at the peace wall that divides the predominantly republican, nationalist, Catholic Falls Road area from the loyalist, unionist, Protestant Shankhill Road area of West Belfast. These peace lines are supposed to be removed by 2023, but they've become popular tourist attractions. Former IRA members conduct black taxi tours of the walls, complete with their versions of The Troubles and the current political situation. I found this image an unsettling reminder that the conflict isn't over.  

   

This was brought home to me even more in Londonderry or Derry, depending on your political view. Ireland's second largest city is located close to the Irish border and is about 75% Catholic (Belfast is roughly 49% Catholic). A local guide gave us a tour of the Derry walls, built in the 1600s as a defense against Catholic attacks. He said that during The Troubles Catholics, who lived largely across the river, weren't allowed into the city gates. It's hard to believe this is recent history. 

Aimed at the Catholic side of the river

Since the Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods rise up from the river banks the city's political divide is visible. Recently there has been some merging. Our guide said he grew up on the boggy Catholic side, but now lives in Protestant (London)Derry. During The Troubles, he knew people who had never ventured to the opposite side of the river. Since 2011, a pedestrian Peace Bridge has connected the two divides. Some suggest the bridge' s 'falling-over' design reflects the shaky peace. Our guide noted that Brexit has refueled the push for a unified Ireland. He pointed out a section of sidewalk damaged by a car bomb, the first since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended The Troubles.      

                                                           Peace Bridge, Londonderry/Derry 
   

I Always Judge a Book By Its Cover by Karla Stover

 

I buy more books, now, than I used to but when I do go to the library or look at the best-sellers lists I get every week, I always consider the cover, first. To this day I don't like the Harry Potter covers and wouldn't have read the books if a so many diverse people hadn't recommended them. I have no idea how publishers choose cover designs. I checked a couple search engines with various combinations of words but couldn't find anything except designs to buy, and one person's blog on the best covers of 2020. Here's the site; you can check it our for yourself but I thought the covers were terrible. https://blog.reedsy.com/best-book-covers.

According to a psychic friend of mine who reads charts at various location, since I am a Capricorn I want perfection in what I read and I am critical if there are mistakes. I also have a Leo rising so I love drama in my reading. Somewhere along the line Saturn, aka The Cosmic Cop, comes into play with Gemini and it all combines to mean I want a well-written, believable mystery. Probably why I avoid cozies. 

I can spot the cover of a cozy from half way across the room (only a light exaggeration). Their book jackets are generally made up of bright tertiary colors and can be almost cartoony-looking. They often have animal pictures on them---mostly cats, or food or drinks. The women don't look real. That being said, I saw an Amish cozy today with a real person on the book jacket.

I get books suggestions almost daily via email. Book Adrenaline ( BA )is a regular. They send me pictures and synopsizes of  mystery books that I might want to read and that are available to download for practically nothing. Sometimes I try to find one at the library because I don't have an e-reader. Today I looked at three emails received on three different days, and BA's suggestions. This time, the dust jackets, again for the most part, were made up of primary colors with a few secondary colors thrown in. If there was a figure, it tended to be realistic. What I looked at had the titles in bold writing such as round-hand calligraphy or modern brush calligraphy. A cozy will likely include something such as Samantha font or Old English calligraphy somewhere on the cover, i.e. in the title or author's name.

Obviously, the purpose of a book jacket is get a buyer / reader to pick up the book, but that wasn't always the case. "Before the 1820s, most books were published unbound and were generally sold to customers either in this form, or in simple bindings executed for the bookseller, or in bespoke bindings commissioned by the customer." At this date, publishers didn't have their books bound in uniform "house" bindings, so there was no reason for them to issue dusts." Customers would often make their own dust jackets out of wall paper, fur or leather. But throughout the 19th century, if a book did have a removable cover,  it was often tossed away, either in the book store or by the purchaser. Some historians say this custom lasted until World War I. Unbelievable.

In the post-war years, however, the dust jackets, often decorated in art deco styles, became collector's items. Imagine a dust jacket being worth more---a lot more---  than the books they covered. One famous example is the jacket of a first edition copy of The Great Gatsby.  Without the jacket, the book runs to $1,000 but with the jacket and depending on its condition, the value runs from $20,000 to $30,000 or even more. The importance of the book, i.e. To Kill a Mockingbird, The Maltese Falcon or Catcher in the Rye, for example and overall condition is key to the value. For some lucky book buyers inflation has affected even reprinted books in a good dust jacket. I looked at a list (only one) of best book jackets ( one person's opinion, )and they weren't cute, in fact, they were a bit grim.

Now, in addition to looking for reading material at the library, I have been considering any old dust jackets I have. Nancy Drew, anyone?

Road Trip by Barbara Baker

Going to Lethbridge, Alberta. Those familiar with Alberta geography might say ‘why’. Others might suggest putting rocks in my pocket. Both are valid statements.

First stop, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump - a UNESCO World Heritage site west of Fort MacLeod. The site preserves and interprets over 6,000 years of Blackfoot culture. According to the legend, a young boy wanted to see what it looked like when buffalo fell over the cliff. After the carcasses were removed, they found the boy’s body. The buffalo piled so high they smashed his head into the face of the cliff.

As I read the plaques along the trail, I try to imagine what the first buffaloes felt when they realized going over the cliff was inevitable. Or would a buffalo realize their demise was imminent?

The views across the plains are endless to the east and west. The lemon-yellow buffalo bean leans in the breeze and mixes with the wild rose scent as the landscape runs into the snow-covered Rockies.

After a quick lunch stop, we head for our destination. Lucky for me, there is road construction outside Lethbridge and it’s at the best vantage point for a picture of the train trestle referred to as the High Level Bridge. I jump out of the car, dash to the edge of the ridge, snap a few pictures and am back in my seat before the flag person waves us on.

I came here to learn about fossils. As a newbie rockhound with a ‘still shiny’ rock hammer, I’m keen to have fossil names roll off my tongue. If they didn’t have so many syllables it would be a lot easier – Brachiopoda, Articulata, Pachyrhinosaurus. I can remember red rock is pomegranates, but it took me a few times to realize ‘never take me for granite’ is rockhound humour. Also…faults, plates and shifts sound impressive if I could just remember the right sequence which creates the seam I stand on.

The specific type of rock I want to find is called Ammonite. To be honest, unless it’s stamped on the rock ‘I’M AN AMMONITE’, I’m not sure I’d recognize a fossil. But I love being outside and like shiny things so I’m game to see what I can find.

            Spring run off hasn’t started which makes it easy to walk along the wide banks of the Oldman River. With safety glasses on, I smash rock in the bank and watch it crumble. Nothing. I crack boulders as a pair of adult geese and 18 goslings float by. They make me thankful I only have three kids.

Bald eagles scout out their next meal as I roll stones over.

Trails run up the banks and into the river valley. A couple mountain bikes zip by. A fisherman with the biggest smile waves a large whitefish at us. More rock smashing and then around the corner, I see a cliff. Even in my newbie rockhound status, I can tell the layers in the face are different. Too bad it’s across the river. Apparently, people have found shark teeth in the sediment.

I did not find any Ammonites but am pleased with the lava rock (almost light as a feather) and worm fossils I uncovered. A fun and educational road trip with great food along the way and, of course, red wine.

Where are you going? If you could go anywhere, where would you end up?

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