I'm over at a few other blogs today. If you get a chance, come on over to see the Christmas Decorations at
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/ At
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/ the topic is Spoiled Milk. Ever sit down to read a good book and been disappointed?
If you haven't yet, check out the post below about the Paper War.
Thanks,
Morgan Mandel
I've been waging a war on paper the last few days. So far, paper is winning. The more I clean up, the more of it I find. The problem is, for much of it, I feel an obligation to do a thorough examination and decide whether or not it's worth keeping.
The mailperson is my enemy. He, sometimes she, keeps leaving more paper in my mail box. I'm not talking about my Christmas cards, which I cherish, but all the other stuff dropped off for me to sort out. At times it's torture to come home and see the new pile the DH has set on the kitchen table.
I've discovered tons of magazines over a year old. They were trying to hide in a magazine holder on the side of the couch, but not doing a good job of it, since they were spilling over. Of course, I decided to check the headings on the covers to see if some of the information inside might prove valuable. Wouldn't you know it, I was right. Many articles seemed to good to give up.
I've already mentioned here before about how I also have a compulsion to print out emails that seem important to me. The result is I have lots of important pieces of paper. When there's an abundance, which is the most important? And, where's the one I really need? It is a quandary.
What about you? Is paper your enemy? Are you also waging a war against it? Who is winning?
Have you tried a library display? If you want to see mine, come on over to
Make Mine Mystery on Monday.
Thanks,
Morgan
Hi Gang,
I've written a short Christmas story which is being featured at
Un:Bound today.
You may be able to relate to some of it.
I'd appreciate your going over to look and leave a comment.
Thanks,
Morgan
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My Husband's Woman - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, RepeatWhen I read a book for review, I do no research on the book. I don't read other reviews, I don't go to the Author's site, I want to judge the book on it's own with no outside influence. When I read the first paragraph of My Husband's Woman I thought, 'this may be a book that will have a hard time holding my interest.' Boy was I wrong!
There are three main characters with a fourth being added near the end. Byron is the husband of Alexandra. He loves his wife and has provided a picture perfect life for her through his law practice. That is until he met Meshia. Byron met Meshia on a professional level when she needed an attorney to sue the city after an accident that killed her mother. This 20 year old beauty was just the thing Byron needed to add a little spice to his life.
Byron kept Meshia in line by telling him the usual lines told by men who cheat on their wives. He promised her a life, family and love if she would give him time to straighten a few things out at home. And of course, Meshia believed him because she loved him.
But what happened after the affair had been going on for a couple of years and Alexandra finds out? The events that take place as Alexandra bestows her revenge on both Byron and Meshia were a total surprise to me. The imagination of Author Dee Dee M. Scott is unbelievable as she steers Alexandra through the payback that she inflicts on both her husband and his girlfriend. And the ending... I've already put in my request for the sequel. This is truly an entertaining, enjoyable book that will keep you guessing and on the edge from beginning to end.
And http://www.freado.com/book/5120/THE-RHYME-MAN

CEOs Don't Cry - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat'"Could this day get any worse?" Leslie Knotts muttered to herself, eyeing the watermark-circled hole in the ceiling tiles above her head. Thudding and muffled expletive rumbled from the hole. She yanked her cashmere scarf from her neck and stomped the slush off of her Prada heels. She took one look around her new office in the Carterville branch of Hanston and Boyd Accounting and gasped. This place was a mere phone call away from being condemned.'
How can a city girl from Chicago be expected to take an office that is in such a rambling mess and be expected to turn it into a profitable branch? This is only one problem Leslie faces after being passed over for a junior partnership with Hanston and Boyd. Her dreams of becoming a CEO are pushed into almost non-existence after being transferred to a small town called Cartersville which exists out in the middle of nowhere. She had spent her whole life climbing the corporate ladder just to have one of her co-workers, Chuck, went behind her back and had her moved to this destitute town. Things couldn't get any worse.
CEOs Don't Cry will keep you smiling and laughing throughout the book. Leslie's method of overcoming the obstacles bestowed on her are quite ingenious. Once I started reading CEOs Don't Cry, I didn't want to put it down. So what will Leslie do when the chance comes for her to have her life long dreams come true? You'll have to read CEOs Don't Cry to find the answer to that question.

One of my favorite recipes from this book1 bath of brine (recipe in book)
One 3 lb. pork loin
vegetable oil
2 Tbl. Cheater Basic Dry Rub (recipe in book)
Brine the loin for 4 - 6 hours in the refrigerator.
Heat oven to 500 degrees
Drain loin, discarding the brine. Rinse and pat dry. Place the loin in a large roasting pan and brush with a light coating of vegetable oil. Sprinkle all sides of the loin with the dry rub. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Cook for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reaches 155 degrees. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Cheater BBQ - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
This has to be one of the best indoor BBQ cookbooks I've ever read and used. In the recipe above I used the Apple Cider Brine, which I choose from a total of 4 simple recipes. Out of the twelve rubs and sauces to choose from I decided to use the Cheater Basic Dry Rub. The combination of the brine and rub gave my pork loin a wonder taste and a tender, juicy texture. I've served this to 4 of my "food testers" so far and they have given this dish a 10+. So this is a real winner.
As I've read through the other recipes in Cheater BBQ and have marked at least 10 more dishes to make. I miss grilling during the winter months and with the use of the bottled smoke that is applied to each dish, I can now enjoy the same taste year round. This is a must have cookbook for winter grilling as well as those summer days when it's simply too hot to fire up the grill.
It's in the Eyes - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
'"Please get him." Lars looked down at her and flashbacked three years, as if he was seeing his own daughter at the morgue. Candance Hawthorne, the fourth rape and murdered coed, was almost an identical twin of Lars' daughter, Lisa.
Lars Neilsen is a West Pointer who served three tours in Vietnam as a ranger/paratrooper, Special Operations. He was awarded the DSC, three Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts and many other awards while serving his country. He knows the streets, is clever and has good instincts. He also believes in justice for the victims and has no problem in carrying out whatever needs to be done to acquire that justice. But most important, Lars heads a team he created called the Alpha Team. The Alpha Team takes their position seriously and won't stop until their job is complete.
Now you know the Alpha Teams. When Candance Hawthorne was raped and murdered the Alpha Team was hired by the family to find her killer. This case turns out to be the toughest case the team has encountered.
I've enjoyed following Lars and his team as they search for the 'Coed Killer', only to find out that there is not one killer but two, bringing even more excitement to the story. Charles Toftoy created 4 characters, dedicated them to justice, but still give the reader the feel that these 4 characters are normal everyday people. He does this through the jokes and humor of 'Tiger', the compassion of Brenda, the confused lifestyle and childhood memories of Doris and the pain felt by Lars due to the death of his wife and daughter. I couldn't help but enjoy It's in the Eyes and look forward to reading it's sequel Eyes of Cold Case Killers.
Moments of Mine - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
The Trouble with Trouble
The trouble with trouble
Is it takes so long
To make things right
That once were not wrong
To forget and move forward
To put out of our mind
The mischief that hounds us
We can't leave behind
The trouble with trouble
Is that it's so hard to see
It happens to others
But certainly not me
I have friends who love me
That truly love me and care
But they cannot help
If my troubles aren't bare
Please God give us strength
To ask for our needs
That those who love us
May be blessed by their deeds
Your love surrounds us
Through our friends we are sure
They fill our lives daily
With a love that is pure
I now know that you care
Your love for us all
Is shown through tough times
If we would only call
We know that sometimes
Life is certainly not fair
That You will settle our troubles
When we Truly Believe You are there
As I read the poems written by Jerry White, and the stories behind each poem, I couldn't help but feel the love and devotion flow from each word. Mr. White has a way of taking any circumstance, both happy and sad, and turning it into something beautiful. The poem above was one of my favorites and I think you too will be able to feel his love for God, family and friends as you read this piece of word art.

Pretty Poison - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, RepeatPeggy Lee is the owner of the Potting Shed and when she walks into her shop to find a man face down in one of her arrangements she's beyond words. Part of her wanted to turn around and run, screaming for help. But after being a cop's wife for years as well as a researcher, she pushes her emotions aside and does the right thing. She calls the police.
To Peggy's relief, the Detective that took the call was her deceased husband's partner, Al McDonald. He had been her husband's partner for twenty years and there wasn't a man alive she trusted more.
One question was answered as soon as the body was turned over. It was Mark Warner, one of the wealthiest men in Charlotte. Peggy had seen him around the shop lately with a woman and the woman wasn't his wife. Could she have killed him in a rage of jealousy? Maybe he decided to break up with his new girlfriend and she struck out in rage. Some speculated that it might be the homeless man who hung around the shop. There were as many reasons for his murder as there were suspects and Peggy was determined to find the killer.
I became hooked with the Peggy Lee series after reading A Corpus for Yew. There are a total of five books in this series and I intend to read them all, starting next with Fruit of the Poisoned Tree. The Peggy Lee series has to be one of the most light hearted murder mysteries I've ever read. The situations Peggy finds herself in will make you laugh as well as keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to solve the mystery. Joyce and Jim Lavene, I really hope you will continue the Peggy series. And please don't forget to write in Shakespeare the Great Dane rescued by Peggy.

The Whittaker Family Reunion - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat'The boy stared straight ahead aware of the other's interest. His young mind was reeling. Can I trust this doctor? Will those men find me and possibly kill us both? Can I tell him that the men are after me an why? He watched the doctor through his peripheral vision; the doctor was handsome and older than he was. The clothes were of good quality, but appeared to be several years old; he was a puzzle.'
The Whittakers are having a family reunion for Martha Whittaker's 40th birthday. Martha and her husband Jeremy can't wait for the arrival of their sons.
Isaac, the oldest, lives nearby with his wife and family. When his father Jebediah married Martha he hated her and stood his distance inflicting as much pain through his evil deeds as possible to make her sorry she married his father. But after the death of his father he realized what a blessing Martha actually was. They were now close and he was proud to call her his mother.
Ezekiel lived in England. He took quite well to Martha as she taught him to read. Reading and learning were his passion and he later grown up to become a teacher. He couldn't wait to see his mother.
Abraham was the doctor in the family. His respect for his mother grew when his father beat him and Martha stepped in hoping to stop the brutal beating. Instead, she too was given a beating by his father. After being locked in the barn for hours, their closeness grew and he became the first one to call her mom.
Jeremy was the brother of Jebediah. He had been sent by Martha's father from England to America to rescue Martha from his evil brother. After the death of his brother, Jeremy found himself loving Martha and the boys enough to stay in America just to be with them and eventually marrying Martha. Jeremy and Martha's marriage made the family complete. And with the birth of their daughter Anna, who could ask for more.
After the abuse and beatings Jebediah inflicted on herself and her sons led her to treat her daughter Anna with a soft hand. Most agreed a too soft hand. Anna was spoiled, selfish, self-centered and held no respect for anyone other than herself. She became a constant burden to her parents. After sending her away to boarding school only to have her return unexpectedly, they agreed to give her hand in marriage to Martha's bookkeeper. For Anna, this was exactly what she needed to free her from her mother. She happily agreed to the marriage but had her own plans in mind as to how she would treat the marriage.
And then there is Red who is determined to destroy the Whittaker family. How will he do this? He will start with the women in the family which will bring the men to their knees. Then he will destroy them.
I read Of Dreams and Nightmares and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the characters, following them through their travels from England to Wyoming with death and destruction along the way and their final escape from the evil Jebediah Whittaker. I've also enjoyed The Whittaker Family Reunion which takes their lives and stories into adulthood. Now I'm looking forward to reading Back to Whittakerville in hopes that Anna will realize the hurt she has created for those that love her and straighten out her life. The story, as well as the history written into these books, make them unforgettable.
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