In Celebration of the Small Towns at Christmas

Marion Post Wolcott is one of the unsung heroes among the professional photographers. She had an amazing eye for capturing the right moment on film. I came across her work years ago, and this public domain photo she took in 1940 has to be one of my favorites. It evokes just the right holiday nostalgia of a Vermont small town. If you look closely, you can spot a Christmas tree framed by the second-story window. 1940 was a dark time in our nation's history, but this single time and place looks serene and peaceful to me. The sidewalks are shoveled off, and the street is clear enough to drive through if you had some place to be. It looks like a movie scene out of It's A Wonderful Life. I grew up in a small town, and the setting intrigues me. Right now, I'm working on a new cozy mystery series I'll be bringing out in 2016. The small town is Sweet Springs, Virginia. If you're familiar with and enjoy my Isabel & Alma Trumbo cozies ([book:Quiet Anchorage|10530870] begins the series), then my Sweet Springs cozies should also appeal to you. Happy reading!

Cyber Monday Sale on the First Book in My Private Eye Series

The first book in my P.I. Frank Johnson Mystery Series Pelham Fell Here is on sale as a Kindle ebook at $1.99 for Cyber Monday.

Pelham Fell Here "rings true," James Crumley said.

Book description:

Ex-military cop and part-time gunsmith Frank Johnson finds his cousin Cody Chapman killed by a twelve-gauge shotgun. Enraged, Frank wants some answers, and fast. Was Cody involved in an arms smuggling scheme? The mystery deepens and grows dangerous when a pair of murderous deputy sheriffs ambush Frank. After killing them in self-defense, Frank must take it on the lam while he continues his murder investigation. Eventually, he discovers a group of neo-Nazis holed up at a remote castle who may be the ones behind his cousin's murder. Luckily, his bounty hunter pals Chet and Gerald Peyton throw in with Frank to even up the odds.

Excerpts from the Amazon readers's reviews:

"The story transformed itself into a rich, colourful, suspenseful narrative with many layers. The new found captivating pace held my attention to the very last page."
--Toni Osborne

"The action is constant with plenty of surprises along the way."
--Thomas Duff

"A very tight knit mystery read and one that I am proud to recommend."
--Shirley Johnson

"Three-dimensional characters with good dialog make this book a very good read."
--Joe Walsh

"A good way to begin a new series for anyone who likes down to earth tales."
--J.D. Anderson

"I love crime fiction that holds my interest and draws me to the characters. This book fits in that category perfectly."
--mysteryfan

My Sister Sleuth Alma Has A Few Things To Say

Alma Trumbo here. Isabel and I are featured in the new cozy mystery novel Sweet Betsy: Book #5 in the series. You may've read about our previous sleuthing adventures in the other cozy mystery books. This time out, I get things rolling when I dig up a bone while Isabel and I are out in the front yard planting marigolds that she bought at the hardware store. Nobody else living in Quiet Anchorage has ever found something so interesting. I don't know why it happened to us except to say there wouldn't be a story if I hadn't found it. Being the sharper-eyed sister, I knew right away it was a human bone. Of course, Isabel took the contrary view, as sisters often do even in their seventies as we are. She swore up and down my discovery was a fossilized dinosaur bone. Can you believe that? I mean why would there be a dinosaur bone buried in our flower bed? Luckily, I stuck to my guns. Older sisters aren't always the wisest as they like to proclaim. Sometimes I don't know how we manage to stand each other and continue living together under the same roof with our lovable beagle Petey Samson. Anyway, the only possible way to settle our dispute over my found bone was to put away our gardening tools and take it straight down to Sheriff Fox. He was none too pleased to see us since we interrupted him taking his nap at his office desk. But murder was in the air, and somebody had to make it right. Besides, I got a lot of satisfaction from winning our argument over where the found bone came from.

A Dog Is A Slueth's Best Friend In My New Cozy Mystery SWEET BETSY

I like including pets in my mysteries, be it a cat or dog. We've had a cat(s) in our household since we got married. When I was a kid, I grew up with dogs for the family pet. At any rate, Isabel and Alma Trumbo, the ace sister sleuths in my first cozy mystery series, have taken in a beagle Isabel named Petey Samson (yes, she chose the two names, a long story). Petey Samson has played a larger role in the more recent books, including my new title Sweet Betsy. He's a lovable and mischievous pet, but his keen nose has come in handy on their various cases. Isabel absolutely adores him while Alma is a little suspect of his motives since he always expects a doggie treat as a reward for his assistance. Their interactions provide a source of humor throughout the stories. If you're a fellow dog lover, then you'd probably enjoy reading about their different antics.

Welcome To The Small Town In My New Cozy Mystery Sweet Betsy

The town I set my first cozy mystery series in is a small one located in the rolling, green hills of the Virginia Piedmont. I call it [book:Quiet Anchorage|10530870] which is also the first title in the coy mystery series. I keep a picture of its streets and shops alive in my imagination to draw upon when I'm writing the next title in the series. I don't know if you've grown up in or lived in a small town for any length of time. but it's different than life is in the suburbs and city. I've lived in both places, so I can make the comparisons fairly easily. Quiet Anchorage is a quiet and pleasant town, a nice place to visit and live, if you like. I emphasize the nice things about it, and don't even mention the not-so-nice things. My new title (#5) is [book: Sweet Betsy|26542593], and I had as much fun writing it as I did the early books. The characters grow on me just as much as the town where they all live does. The town drugstore with its marble soda fountain is probably my favorite hangout. So, welcome to the small town in my new cozy mystery. I hope you'll drop by and enjoy your stay.

Enjoy the Fun and Humor in My New Cozy Mystery SWEET BETSY

I've always tried to write funny scenes and dialogue in my commercial novels. It wasn't until I took up writing cozy mysteries that I could write more humor in my long fiction. One of my favorite comedy bits is the one with Tim Conway as the dentist taking care of a patient with a sore tooth played by Harvey Korman. It ran on one of the Carol Burnett TV shows, and I believe you can find it posted on YouTube by using the search function. At any rate, I bet a lot of it is Tim Conway ad-libbing in the bit just to make Harvey Korman laugh. Another comedy inspiration I've found is the old Marx Brother movies, especially with the scenes involving Harpo. Some of their work is over-the-top and silly, but I get a laugh out watching them. In [book: Sweet Betsy|26542593], Alma digs up a bone in their flowerbed, and she believes it's human. Meantime, Isabel swears up and down it's a dinosaur bone. An earnest but lighthearted debate follows. I don't know if the humor works, but it's the silly situation I use to kick off their new murder mystery. You can read the scene through the Goodreads Preview button located just beneath the front cover on the [book: Sweet Betsy|26542593] Goodreads page.

Introducing My New Cozy Mystery SWEET BETSY

I've published my latest cozy mystery Sweet Betsy as an ebook. It marks the fifth title in my Isabel & Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series. Isabel and Alma are feisty and funny senior sisters living and sleuthing in the small town of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia, which doesn't appear on Google Maps and only in their stories. They are loosely based on a real Isabel and Alma who are my late aunts. My Isabel and Alma own a beagle named Petey Samson who they both dote on with no shame. Their first title Quiet Anchorage appeared in 2011, and the series has attracted its avid readers, God bless them, as seen by its 86 reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. I use a fair amount of humor, and all my cozies are clean reads and "fair-play" traditional mysteries. All of my cozies are also stand alone reads, so you don't have to read the earlier titles in the series. You can read the first 5-star review on Amazon (Verified Purchase): http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Isabel-Tr...

Amazon link: http://amazon.com/dp/B015AOY7J0
Barnes & Noble link:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sweet-betsy-ed-lynskey/1122646684?ean=2940150892040 
Kobo link: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sweet-betsy
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26542593-sweet-betsy

Two Heads Are Better Than One To Solve A Cozy Mystery

When I wrote my P.I. Frank Johnson Mystery Series (the latest and seventh title is After the Big Noise), I used one protagonist to do all the work of solving the mystery, usually a murder. Then I wrote the Isabel and Alma Trumbo Sister Cozy Mystery Series. Suddenly, I had to share the spotlight, so to speak, between the two protagonists. I aimed to give each lady sleuth an equal billing without one overshadowing the other. It was a balancing act, in fact. Isabel is the quiet and reserved sister while Alma is younger and also more outspoken. Their different personalities have assisted me in giving them the same amount of dialogue. They usually appear in the same scenes together although each has also had their own moments alone. I like each of the sisters, so it's easy to switch between them when I'm writing their books. Their latest cozy mystery title (#3) is The Amber Top Hat. I've written each cozy title as a stand alone, so the readers can pick up any title without having to know what all has happened before it in order to enjoy the story. I hope you'll join Isabel and Alma on their sleuthing adventures.

Serving Up A Slice of Blackberry Pie A La Mode

Earlier this morning as I was doing the final round of edits on my next mystery title, I happened to think of a slice of blackberry pie, always good eating even before breakfast. It's late in the summer for blackberries, which are usually in season back in July. When I was a kid, we used to pick wild blackberries by the bucketful. My mother froze them for wintertime eating and used the others to bake pies. The juicy fruit part of the berries is sweet, but the berries also contain lots of pits (seeds). Anyway, the wild blackberries grew everywhere (we lived in the country). Nowadays, I see pint cartons of domestic blackberries out for sale at the Farmers' Market. They're bigger and plumper than the wild ones are. The vendors ask for a steep price, but then the blackberries are probably handpicked, and I know that's hard work.

Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons.

Pour Another Iced Tea And Turn The Page

Summertime has reached the dog days of August, and I can't think of a much better hot weather beverage than a tall glass of iced tea. I like mine served sweetened with a lemon or lime wedge hooked over the top rim. I used to drink iced tea for my dinner, but the caffeine in it now keeps me awake at nights, so I have to take mine for lunch, which is just as seems just as good.

I checked around on the internet to see which celebrities, dead and alive, who also enjoy their spot of tea, iced or hot. Taylor Swift surprised me, for one. I like her catchy songs. Sean Connery didn't surprise, and the same goes for Mick Jagger. But Jimi Hendrix gave me pause. When in Britain, do as the British, I suppose.

When I was a kid, I remember reading books during the summer months while drinking iced tea. Maybe it makes reading books more enjoyable. I'll have to try it someday when I get a free summer afternoon to sit out on the patio with a favorite book to read without any interruptions.                 
Photo credit: Publicdomainpictures.com

The Perils of the Daily Pedestrian

Earlier this summer, the local cops installed one of those portable radar units that flashes your oncoming speed as you drive up on it. An email went out to all the residents in our neighborhood that the purpose was to encourage the motorists on the street to slow down. Residents on the street had complained about the speeders.

The street, you see, is a cut-through motorists use to avoid having to wait at the traffic light down at the nearby intersection. The street sort of shaves off the corner, so it is a timesaver for morning commuters trying to get to work on time. The residents have children. I know because I see them every day when I go that way on my walk.

I don't know if the radar unit was a success or not. It's gone down now. I guess it appeased the residents for the time being. The cars passing me on the street seem to go the same speed as before the radar unit went up. I would've put it up after the vacation season ends following Labor Day when more commuters are using the street. I don't think the commuters are speeding so much as they're inattentive while on their smart phones texting, or whatever. Maybe the cops wanted commuters to slow down before school opens.

"Hey, let's be careful out there," as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus used to say on Hill Street Blues.

Check Out the New Front Cover Made for My Private Eye Novel

Earlier this summer, I posted a blog to reveal the new front cover to my private eye novel After the Big Noise. My private eye Frank Johnson is one of the original characters I created when I started writing commercial fiction two decades ago. We sort of grew up together in print you might say. Frank's life has been much more dangerous and exciting than mine. He's the kind of guy you might sit down and have a steak dinner with in a small restaurant. He's not a tough guy, a lady's man, or a weapon's expert. He's just hardboiled Frank Johnson who gets the job done. He's sleuthed his way through six books, and After the Big Noise is latest title in his series I've published.

AFTER THE BIG NOISE can be bought at Amazon Books or Barnes & Noble Books.

Meet the Three Musketeers in My Cozy Mystery Series

This week I've been working on the next title, SWEET BETSY, in my Isabel and Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series. Three of the recurring minor characters in the series are known as "The Three Musketeers." Ossie, Blue, and Willie are spry octogenarians who like to spend their days sitting on the wooden bench situated in front of the flower shop down on Main Street. Willie's niece Corina runs the flower shop, so they won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

The three gentlemen made their first appearance in the debut series title Quiet Anchorage. Since then, their involvement in the different plots has been growing. They are Isabel and Alma's "eyes and ears" on Main Street. They are also the Trumbo sisters's good friends who enjoy their company.

While Isabel and Alma are based on real people (my aunts who are now deceased), the Three Musketeers are colorful characters I just made up. Readers have said they like the interactions between the Three Musketeers and the Trumbo sisters because they add a lot of good humor to my cozy mystery series.

A Crepe Myrtle Summer

This summer, for some reason, the crepe myrtle has been unusually striking and vivid. I've noticed it while out doing my roadwork (i.e., walking) around our neighborhood. You might know it better as summer lilac. There might be other names for the flowering bush, too. We had a crepe myrtle bush at our previous house, and I remember the Japanese beetles loved eating it. Actually, it can grow to more than just a bush, as I've seen the crepe myrtle as large as a small tree. Our present yard is much smaller, and I don't have enough real estate to plant anything new in it. The crepe myrtle flower seems to bloom in different shades of red and purple. I don't remember it as being a high maintenance bush, so maybe that is part of its appeal and popularity. Many of our neighbors have it growing in their yards. I suppose you may be able to buy it at your local plant nursery. If we get our lot cleared off any, I may look into buying a plant or two of it to enjoy next summer. And the summers after that.
   
Photo credit: Public Domain.

The Funny Puns Used For Cozy Mystery Titles

One of the interesting trends seen in mysteries has been the increasing use of colorful, humorous puns for the titles of cozies. I'm writing two such series at the moment, and, so far, I've resisted adopting a pun for any of my titles.

Puns are fun, however, I'm not really good at coming up with clever puns. The good ones make you chuckle at first reading them. Well, that will change with an upcoming Isabel & Alma Trumbo cozy mystery title. But more about that in my later blog posts.

I often find puns coming up while I'm writing my books's drafts. The puns just sort of arise in the flow of the prose I'm writing. Sometimes I don't see the puns until later on while I'm revising my work. I usually strike out the puns unless I can use it in a refreshingly humorous way.

The other problem I've encountered with using puns for titles is the number of characters in the title grows longer. When you're looking at thumbnail-sized ebook covers, a long title becomes a more difficult problem in making it all fit in the small space along with the author's name. My name (ED LYNSKEY) uses ten characters. Anyway, those are my thoughts today on puns.

My Lady Sleuths Are Also Big Mystery Readers

My sister sleuths Isabel and Alma Trumbo who live in the small town of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia, are also big mystery fans and readers. They have a personal library containing all the mysteries they've ever read on its bookshelves. They keep the mysteries in case they ever want to reread one. I don't know how their library is large enough to hold the mysteries they've read since it must run in the thousands, but we're talking about fiction, so I can take a few author liberties for the sake of telling a story.

I include throughout my cozy titles the parts where Isabel and Alma enthusiastically talk about the mysteries they're currently reading. Readers like to discuss their favorite books. Isabel and Alma have pretty wide tastes in their favorite genre, but they tend to stick with female authors from the past and are now deceased. One such author is Dorothy Uhnak. You can click on her name which is a link to the interview I conducted with her a couple of years before her passing away in 2006. Margaret Millar (1915-94) and Dolores Hitchens (1907-73) are two mystery authors Isabel and Alma discuss. I won't mention the other authors here.

I don't include too many book discussions to interfere with Isabel and Alma's sleuthing adventures. After all, they're solving crimes more than they're reading about them. But their book discussions are an extra bit of fun. Isabel and Alma's sleuthing and reading adventures begin with Book #1 in the cozy series, Quiet Anchorage.

Photo credit: Martha Rosler Library. Public domain.

Makeover Cover Reveal to My Latest Cozy Mystery Series Title

This week I spiffed up my front cover to my latest ebook, The Amber Top Hat: Book 4 of the Isabel & Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series, and released its new front cover. It depicts the murder victim's crayon drawing as a kid of a taxicab's roof sign, also known as the top hat in the cabbies's trade lingo. Ralph Blue dreams of driving his own taxicab, and when he grows up, he buys one to serve the good folks of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia, the small town where he lives. When he's found murdered inside of his taxicab, it's time for Isabel and Alma, our feisty and funny sister sleuths who live in the brick rambler on Church Street, to get busy with their proven detective skills. Of course, they also have to deal with their bumbling and often contrary Sheriff Fox. I included more small town humor in The Amber Top Hat because Isabel and Alma never take themselves too seriously while they snoop for the right clues and leads to unmask Ralph's killer. All of my cozy mysteries are fair play and clean reads. Here's a sample taken from Chapter 1 of The Amber Top Hat:

Alma was quick on the nod, thrilled the chase was on again. “Righter than rain, Isabel,” she said.

“Don’t forget three Trumbos sleuth on your behalf.”

“That’s right.” Blue smiled for the first time. “I get three for the price of one.”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Alma said. “We’ll also call on Sammi Jo and Phyllis Garner as well as Petey Samson. He’s getting his beauty rest but don’t let that mislead you. He’s a ball of fire bloodhound when he’s called upon.”

“Is Petey Samson a bloodhound for real?” Blue asked. “I could’ve sworn he’s a mixed breed, what my folks used to call a pound mutt.”

“Oh, brother,” Alma said. “I wished you hadn’t said that.”

“I’ll have you know Petey Samson is no pound mutt,” Isabel said, shaking her finger at Blue. “His best breeding lies in his bloodhound line,” she said.

“I didn’t know that,” Blue said.

“Pay no mind to Isabel,” Alma said. “She’s just overprotective of her fur baby.”

I hope you enjoyed reading my sample. Please consider reading The Amber Top Hat with your other summer books. Thanks for your interest in my cozy mystery series.

Ed Lynskey
Author of the Isabel & Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series

The Firefly Days of Summer Are Here Again

The other evening, I went downstairs and noticed a bunch of tiny sparks of light floating in air just outside our patio glass door. I knew the fireflies were back and flying around with their strange but fascinating ability to make their bodies glow in the dark. I've heard them also called lightning bugs and tinsel bugs. You might have your own name for them. Anyway, it wasn't quite dark yet with the long days of June here, maybe around eight-thirty or so. They remind me of E.T.'s glowing fingertip. When I was a kid, the fireflies were lots of fun to watch and try to catch in a Mason jar. I guess they intrigue all kids, even those who aren't bug fans. I live in the suburbs now, so I'm glad and grateful the fireflies are still around to watch and remind me of my misspent youth. Nowadays, I just let the fireflies be and enjoy watching their glimmering ritual for a couple of weeks, if that, each summer about this time. Are you a firefly fan? Or are they found in your corner of the world?

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: Cry Danger Starring Dick Powell

This fairly suspenseful, well-made 1951 crime drama stars Dick Powell as Rocky Mulloy, an ex-con who is sprung from prison when a former Marine (Richard Erdman) steps up and offers him an alibi for an old stickup that went south. Rocky's partner Danny is still in the slammer, so Rocky wants to do some checking around since he was framed for the stickup where a guard was shot and killed. Danny's wife played by the gorgeous and talented Rhonda Fleming is also Rocky's old flame, so he's still stuck on her. Fleming deserves mention here again as one of the most underutilized actresses of her era. William Conrad plays the big shot crime chief who sent Rocky up the river. I always think of Conrad as the TV private eye Cannon, not as a villain. Powell is low-keyed, smooth, and tough, as he always is in these crime movies. He gets to say lots of snappy hardboiled dialogue that isn't too corny. Regis Toomey plays the tenacious cop who wants to recover the stolen 100 grand. Lots of great photography is shown of 1950s Los Angeles locales, including a trailer park. It was fun to watch a great cast deliver a solid movie that while not flashy or violent was still entertaining.

Bear Claws And My Cozy Mystery Series

I've been revising the latest book (Number 6!) in my Isabel & Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series, and I came across a scene where Alma decides to order bear claws, one of her guilty pleasures. What are bear claws? They're a type of Danish pastry shaped like, well, a bear claw. I've seen them out for sale in the pastry section at our local Panera. Bear claws might be also offered in the local bakeries as well as the doughnut shops.  Wikipedia mentions bear claws have almond paste and raisins in them. I'm a big coffee drinker, so they look as if they'd go nicely with a hot cup of joe. Wikipedia also says the term "bear claw" is a regional dialect, maybe from the American South. I wouldn't be surprised if it's used more widely. Have you either eaten or heard of bear claws? My sister sleuth Alma begins eating bear claws in Book #1, [book:Quiet Anchorage|10530870], of the Trumbo sister cozy mystery series. Bon appétit!

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: The House On 92nd Street

This 1946 well-done espionage film was made with the assistance of the FBI and even includes an opening shot of J. Edgar Hoover seated at his desk running the operations. Lloyd Nolan, who I enjoyed in his playing Mike Shayne, is an FBI Inspector in charge of pursuing the Nazi spies at work in the USA. They are trying to steal the atomic bomb secrets, and it's up to the FBI to infiltrate and bust up their spy ring. There is a lot of state-of-the-art CSI science shown, all of which looks pretty archaic by today's standards. The actress playing the Gestapo officer is pretty menacing, and the Nazi thugs do a good job of showing how far they'd go to get the bomb-making secrets. Signe Hasso is the attractive, smart Nazi ringleader. I've seen a number of these wartime semi-documentary style movies, and this one is better than most are. Of course, there's a lot of patriotism, and the good guys win. Nonetheless, I found it an entertaining movie.

Introducing Petey Samson, My First Cozy Mystery Series's Star Beagle

Petey Samson is the pet beagle found in my Isabel & Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series. He is spoiled, lovable, and playful. Isabel is especially fond of him, and he can do no wrong in her eyes. He pretty much has the run of their brick rambler found on Church Street in the small town of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia. How can she not love the rascal? Petey Samson also has a keen nose able to pick up scents. So, Isabel puts him to work. He plays a key role in helping them to solve the murder mystery in The Ladybug Song. If you are a dog lover, and you enjoy reading books with a pooch playing a role in them, Isabel and Alma's mysteries should be the right ones for adding to your summer reading list.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Born to Kill (1947)

This gritty, well-acted film noir from 1947 is directed by the reliable Robert Wise. The main stars are Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor, and Walter Slezak. But the weasel-faced great character actor Elisha Cook, Jr. steals the show for me. Tierney had a long acting career including a fine role in a 1990 Seinfeld episode. In this film he does a lot of shifty eye mannerisms and speaks in clipped dialogue. The never colder Claire Trevor is the femme fatale of femme fatales. Walter Slezak plays the bible-quoting, seedy private eye. Esther Howard plays the perfect floozy who is determined to solve the murder. The film, considered by many as a classic, is a lot of fun to watch.

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: Ministry of Fear Directed by Fritz Lang

I've been a big fan of Director Fritz Lang's movies for some time, and I never pass up the chance to watch a new one (for me, at least) like Ministry of Fear based on Graham Greene's novel. Throw in the talented Dan Duryea playing a bit role, and I've simply got to watch it. I wasn't disappointed in this atmospheric espionage drama involving Nazi spies, desired objects smuggled in baked cakes, and a most odd first editions bookstore. Ray Milland plays a likeable protagonist, and the lovely Marjorie Reynolds is his romantic interest. Lang does some artful things with the camerawork, and the pace moves right along. I haven't read Greene's book, so I don't know how faithfully the movies follows his work of fiction. While Ministry of Fear doesn't rate as high as the classic The Third Man (Greene wrote the screenplay, then the novel) does, I enjoyed watching it just the same. You might, too.

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: The Prowler Starring Van Heflin

I'm a bit late with this post, but better late than never, as they say. This gritty, well-acted 1951 film noir stars Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes playing in meaty roles as the romantic interests. Both competent actors are very fine. I've seen them in other movies but always as support players and never as the dramatic leads. When Susan Gilvray (Keyes) reports a prowler she thinks she has spotted outside her house, the police officer Webb Garwood (Heflin) arrives and investigates. Susan is a lonely, rich housewife, and Webb is a greedy ex-jock. When they meet, the love/lust bug bites them. Of course, Susan is married, and Webb strings Susan along until he can figure out how to do away with hubbie and get away with it. Everything goes smoothly until new complications develop, and the lovers have flee to a deserted old mining town where things really come unraveled. Their roughing it while staying at the primitive mining camp is somewhat puzzling, since their clothes never get dirty, and they eat rather well. John Maxwell also stars, and the uncredited Dalton Trumbo wrote the snappy script. He also is the voice behind Susan's hubbie who has a popular radio show. IMDb.com gives The Prowler an impressive 7.3/10 rating, and I'd concur with it.

Introducing My New Cozy Mystery Title: THE AMBER TOP HAT

They're back...Isabel & Alma are sleuthing again. Quiet Anchorage, Virginia, is just like any other small town but with one notable difference: the dead bodies keep turning up. Fortunately, Sheriff Roscoe Fox, who never met a sugar-glazed doughnut served with coffee he didn’t like, can depend on the sisters sleuths Isabel and Alma Trumbo. This time tragedy strikes Blue Trent, one of the codgers affectionately known as the Three Musketeers who warm the wooden bench just outside the flower shop on Main Street. One summer morning, Blue’s nephew Ralph is discovered murdered while seated inside his taxicab, leaving Blue devastated. Alarmed about their old friend’s emotional state, Isabel and Alma put away their Scrabble board, grab their pocketbooks, and get busy doing what they do best: snooping. The clues have never been any scarcer, and they have their detective work cut out for them. Their spunky young assistant Sammi Jo also pitches in. The amber “top hat” sign mounted to the roof of Ralph’s taxicab just might hold the key to unlock the mystery of his murder. The fourth series title, The Amber Top Hat is a clean read and a traditional whodunit set in a charming small town. Join Isabel and Alma when they set off on solving their latest mystery as amateur sleuths that is as fun and challenging for them as it is for the reader.

A Cozy Place Where The Sun Always Shines

One of the things I've discovered is casting my story on a sunny, clear day sets a cheerier mood and creates more likeable characters than a story that happens on a rainy, dreary day. It only makes sense. So, I decided to just use bright sunny days in my two cozy mystery series. Furthermore, I also decided I'd set my cozies in the good, old summertime of the year. This idea is especially appealing when I sit and write the cozy title during the cold wintertime. My latest cozy title is The Corpse Wore Gingham, the first book in my Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. The sun is always shining down on Piper and Bill.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: The Killers Starring Burt Lancaster

This 1946 film noir classic is hardly a forgotten movie, but I saw it for the first time, and liked it fine. It stars Burt Lancaster in his movie debut, the drop-dead gorgeous Ava Gardner, and Edmond O'Brien. William Conrad plays one of the killers sent to blow away Ole "The Swede" Andreson (Lancaster). I've seen Conrad in quite a few films noir, and he's always reliable. From what I remember of the famous Ernest Hemingway short story, the movie provides the back story of what may have transpired before the execution takes place. Life insurance investigator Jim Reardon (O'Brien) draws the assignment to investigate the murder since Ole took out a $2,500 insurance policy. Reardon gets an able assist from an old neighborhood pal of Ole's, Police Lieutenant Sam Lubinsky played by the droll Sam Levene. Ava Gardner plays the femme fatale Kitty Collins who Ole has the misfortune to fall deeply in love with enough to take a three-year prison rap for her. Lancaster played his role rather understated while O'Brien did a solid job playing the persistent, tough-nosed insurance detective. The narration is told through an interesting series of flashbacks, and the plot is complicated by crosses and double crosses. For the most part, I could follow the bouncing ball of the plot. Where did the stolen dough end up is the question I kept asking myself. By the final scene, I found out the answer. The Killers is a quite enjoyable movie and worth seeing for a second time.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: The Lineup Starring Eli Wallach

This rather late entry in the film noir genre was directed by the stalwart Don Siegel in 1958 and stars a manic Eli Wallach and a suave Robert Keith as partners and hit men. I've enjoyed Don Siegel's other crime pictures, and this one didn't leave me disappointed either. The cops-and-robbers chase scene finale on the unfinished Embarcadero Freeway is alone worth the time spent watching The Lineup. Wallach and the older Keith (playing Wallach's mentor) show up in San Francisco where the film is shot on location as a pair of psychopathic hit men. Their task is to make a pick up of heroin smuggled into the country by unsuspecting tourists who just disembarked from a cruise ship back from the Orient. What makes the hit men so fascinating (remember this picture is from 1958) is how their casual violence is portrayed. For some screwy and creepy reason, Keith always wants to know the dying words of their victims. One thing I noticed was the cops having to use the police call boxes on the streets to reach the station house except for the motorcycle cop who uses the radio on his bike. Also, I saw a dirigible (or is it a UFO?) floating above the Golden Gate Bridge in one of the scenes. The thing hovering in the sky really bugged me. didn't the film editors catch it before releasing the movie to the public? Stirling Silliphant (he once won an Edgar Award from MWA) wrote the sturdy script. Anyway, I enjoyed watching The Lineup, and you might, too.

Welcome To The Small Town I Call Quiet Anchorage

As far as I know, no small town exists that is named Quiet Anchorage. I googled it, too. There is just plain Anchorage up in Alaska, but I can find no Quiet Anchorage. But it's my literary small town. I don't remember how I derived the small town's name. Maybe I spotted the nautical term—quiet anchorage—used somewhere in my reading and adopted it. I know the small town’s creation came from my recollections of having grown up in a similar rural town found in northern Virginia.

Main Street is where much of the action takes place in the Quiet Anchorage of my Isabel & Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series. The sun is always shining there. Really. It never rains. A wooden bench is situated in front of the flower shop where the three well-liked codgers--Willie, Blue, and Ossie--like to sit and watch everything going on. Nothing much gets by them.

A softball pitch down the street is the town pharmacy where prescription medicine is sold at the pharmacy counter and banana splits at the soda fountain counter. Naturally, a railroad track runs through one end of Quiet Anchorage. Following the scheduled trains's whistles plays a large part in the townies's (i.e., the residents) daily routines.

There is a men's barbershop and a lady's hair salon, though you won't find many scenes taking place there. I think the settings have been overused. Instead, the laundromat is where the always busy but friendly pair of lady gossips--Lotus and Rosie--hang out, catching up on the latest news. If you need groceries, the IGA should suit your shopping needs. The proprietor--Jumpy--is a burly man with a quick smile and a sales pitch for his lamb chop specials.

Several blocks over from Main Street is Church Street with a brick rambler and a powder blue sedan parked in the driveway. My sister sleuths Isabel and Alma Trumbo reside there with their lovable beagle named Petey Samson (yes, he uses two names as I tell why in my book). Isabel is older and wiser while Alma sometimes goes off half-cocked.

They spend a lot of their time doing stuff on Main Street. You can read about their start as a pair of sleuths in the first book Quiet Anchorage, which is named after their small town. Now you know all about Quiet Anchorage. I hope you'll stop by for a read.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Chicago Syndicate Starring Dennis O'Keefe

This uninspired 1955 mob film stars Dennis O'Keefe, Xavier Cugat, Allison Hayes, and Abbe Lane. O'Keefe, a veteran actor I've enjoyed watching in other crime films, plays a tough guy CPA who infiltrates the Chicago mob to get the right damning ledgers from a mob boss played by Paul Stewart. Allison Hayes plays the daughter of the previous accountant who was exposed while working undercover and gunned down. I won't reveal more about the plot so as not to be a spoiler. Xavier's flashy band does a couple of snappy numbers, and his then-wife Abbe Lane sings a song. Lane is the gangster's girlfriend who knows more about the shady operations than she lets on. Carl Sandburg's famous poem "Chicago" is quoted at the beginning narration to help to set up the movie in the city of the same name. IMDb.com rates Chicago Syndicate at 6.5/10 which sounds like a fair mark to me. Enjoyable but nothing really special.

Married Couples Who Like To Read Books

While I was developing the personality profiles for my married couple who are the mature sleuths featured in my second cozy mystery series, I debated over whether to make the husband and wife as fellow book lovers. In the end, I decided to do it, but I let the husband Bill Robins read his favorite types of books (military, hardboiled, etc.) while his wife Piper Robins read her preferred fiction genres (chick lit, cozy mysteries, etc.). I thought it was an effective way to show their common interests besides just their being sleuths in the series. Their first cozy mystery title is The Corpse Wore Gingham.

I wonder how often do the married couples in real life share a mutual passion for reading books. Is "the he/she must be a reader" on the list of desired traits for finding a mate? :-) My wife and I, for instance, both enjoy reading books, and we recommend titles to each other we think the other might also enjoy reading. Our reading tastes are similar, though I lean more toward nonfiction such as sports and history. We go to the library and to the bookstores together. I just read my first "fun book" this year, an Anne George mystery Murder Boogies With Elvis, which I enjoyed and recommend to other mystery lovers.

Does your significant other also enjoy reading books? Do you read the same types of books?

Tuesday's Forgotten Films: The Good Die Young Starring Gloria Grahame

This gritty 1954 crime drama stars Laurence Harvey, Gloria Grahame, John Ireland, Joan Collins, Stanley Baker and Richard Basehart. Robert Morley and Margaret Leighton also are featured. What a good cast. Lewis Gilbert who went on to helm movies like Alfie and James Bonds was the director. Maybe the American actors (Grahame, Ireland, Basehart) were included to make the British production appealing more to the U.S. viewers. The straightforward story involves four men who are strangers hooking up to rob the post office with Harvey as their ringleader. Three men are basically good but need the money for various important reasons. Harvey is a good-for-nothing playboy who was decorated in the war for dubious valor. Each of the men have wives who are also good and bad. Grahame and Collins do a nice job in their roles. Everything climaxes at Heathrow Airport. I got a big kick out of watching The Good Die Young.

What's Playing at the Drive-In Movie Theater?

Asking that question is something from the distant past. I haven't gone to a drive-in movie theater since the early 1980s. The last picture show I can remember seeing at one was a Peter Fonda (who?) movie. I always thought he deserved a lot more credit than he got for an actor. But then that can also be said for many entertainers.

Sadly, the drive-in movie theaters have gone the way of the dinosaur and dodo bird. I can remember passing by one outdoor theater down near Lexington, Virginia, a few years ago. Folks there must still find watching a movie from inside the comfort of their cars to be a relaxing form of entertainment.

When I was a kid, my parents took us to watch such pictures at the drive-in theater as the Jerry Lewis screwball comedies. I remember seeing Western films with The Duke (who else?) and Robert Mitchum. I'm sure there were other movies, but I can't remember any of them by title at the moment. Drive-in movie theaters evoke the nostalgic past in those of us old enough to remember using them. A big box store (one of the chains) now stands where our drive-in movie theater screen once did. The big box store sells the large screen TVs, but it just isn't the same as the drive-in movie theater.

The Used Bookstores Found In My Cozy Mysteries

I made the main characters in my first cozy mystery series into avid readers of fiction, particularly mysteries. Isabel and Alma Trumbo, my sister sleuths in the Virginia small town of Quiet Anchorage, make it a practice to visit used (secondhand)bookstores in search of their future reads. It's something alluring about the smells of a used bookstore. You never know what obscure reading treasure you might find in one. Isabel and Alma's habit is to hang on to every book they read because they might want to re-read it. They also discuss what will happen to their trove of mystery books once they are gone. Alma believes the town will use their books to establish the first public library, or perhaps to stock the first used bookstore. Isabel favors both ideas. You can begin reading about Isabel and Alma's love of reading mysteries as well as their sleuthing adventures with the first book in their series, Quiet Anchorage.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: The Boogie Man Will Get You Starring Boris Karoloff & Peter Lorre

This undemanding, fun 1942 horror spoof stars Hollywood giants Boris Karloff paired with Peter Lorre, two excellent reasons why it may be worthwhile to watch. Karloff plays the "mad scientist" at a New England inn, and Lorre is the town sheriff/coroner/physician/or whatever you need. There are lots of moveable corpses and snappy one liners, and I chuckled a few times. The horror element isn't too creepy, so I wasn't looking for much frightening stuff. The film run time is a bit over an hour, so the foolishness isn't carried on for too long. Lorre appears as if he's having a blast, and Karloff's eyeglasses never move from their perch on his forehead. The Boogie Man Will Get You was good stuff, making for a nice change of pace for my old movies viewing.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: "Framed" Starring Glenn Ford and Uncle Joe

Every now and then, I'll run across a film noir that is a fun surprise. Such an entry is the 1947 crime melodrama Framed starring Glenn Ford, Janis Carter, Barry Sullivan, and Edgar Buchanan (later to be Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction). It's obviously a low-budget "B" picture, but that only adds to its gritty appeal. Glenn Ford plays an out-of-work mining engineer who drives a truck without brakes down into a small mountain town (located probably in northern California). Of course, he runs into bad luck with the local law, and the bar waitress Janis Carter with the seemingly heart of gold pays his court fine. She's too good to be true, and she is just that. Ford teams up with Buchanan playing a silver miner who can't get a loan from Barry Sullivan, the sleazy local bank vice-president. We quickly see Carter and Sullivan are up to no good, and Ford had better watch out. Carter makes for a great icy blonde femme fatale. What a pity she didn't star in more films like this good one. Glenn Ford is always reliable in these films with his low-keyed, earnest performance as seen in this one. Framed was entertaining from start to finish.

Where the Sidewalks Begin and End in My Cozy Mysteries

Something as ordinary as sidewalks has always intrigued me. I grew up in a small rural town with few sidewalks, and I thought of them as a luxury to walk on where I didn't get the mud caked on my shoes. Our Main Street even featured dual sidewalks. Maybe a few of the side streets did, as well. The other small towns I passed through either did or didn't offer its residents sidewalks.

The larger the town was, the more likely it featured sidewalks. Some of the hamlets were no more than a sign staked in the ground at a crossroads or at a railroad crossing. I guess there was no budget to build the sidewalks. Who would use them anyway? So, my small town with its sidewalk had arrived, so to speak.      

Flash forward many years later when we moved to our suburban neighborhood. Sidewalks were one of the criteria we used to pick the neighborhood we wanted to live in. I encounter the sidewalks on every street. Since I'm a big walker, I'm in walking heaven. I make it a point to take a walk daily (doc's orders) and take advantage of the sidewalks found just outside my front door.

When I started writing my Piper & Bill Cozy Mystery Series, they became a married couple who also like to take daily walks in their neighborhood. Bill's doc has told him to walk for health reasons, and Piper sees to it he does.[book:The Corpse Wore Gingham|24404034] is a fun, light-hearted cozy mystery suitable for bedtime reading or anywhere else the reader wants to relax and escape into the entertaining story.

Tuesday's Forgotten Films: "Teresa" Starring Pier Angeli

This 1951 war drama directed by Fred Zinnemann stars Pier Angeli, John Ericson, Ralph Meeker, and Rod Steiger. Ericson plays an American G.I. based in Italy where he meets and falls in love with the Italian girl played by Angeli. She is truly a war bride as the marriage takes place in her native village. Once the war ends, Ericson returns to his family in New York City. His mother is an overbearing, smothering type who takes over running his life again. Of course, after Angeli finally gets her official clearance to join him, the real trouble begins since Mother doesn't like her son's new bride. I enjoyed the movie though it's not my usual fare. I would have liked to see more of Meeker and Steiger (his debut), but they're roles are fairly minor. James Coburn has an uncredited role, but I missed seeing him. Wikipedia indicates Ericson is still living.

My Riding On March's Rollercoaster Weather

Yesterday I walked for the first time this year in my shirt sleeves, and the temperature hit 70 degrees, and even higher before the sun went down. This morning I went out to fetch the newspaper, and a cold rain pelted down on me. The thermometer reading was 42 degrees, and I wouldn't get in my walk unless it's late one. Sometimes I go in the late afternoon if I get all of my work finished for the day. I watched the weather forecast, and the meteorologist predicted more cold temperatures over the weekend. I just went ENOUGH ALREADY! Right now, I'm doing the final edits on my second book in the Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. I feel more like writing my cozies when it's warm outdoors since they are set in the good old summertime. I like Piper and Bill because they're an older married couple who love each other and pull together despite their good-natured fussing. You can catch up on the light-hearted, funny series by reading book one:, The Corpse Wore Gingham: A Piper & Bill Robins Mystery. It has gotten several favorable reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Thanks for trying it out.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: The Bigamist Directed By Ida Lupino

This very fine 1953 melodrama may feel dated, but I found it intriguing to watch. Wikipedia says it is the first film directed by a woman and also star the same woman who is the super talented and versatile Ida Lupino. I've enjoyed her other directed films noir like The Hitch-Hiker, also starring Edmond O'Brien. This time he stars as playing the husband of Ida Lupino and also Joan Fontaine. He turns in a complex and conflicted portrayal of a bigamist. I felt sympathy for his situation, but he was his own worse enemy. Interestingly, old Edmund "Kris Kringle" Gwenn plays the state adoption investigator who exposes O'Brien's double life. Several references are made about Santa Claus, a humorous touch. I liked O'Brien in this world weary traveling salesman role. His loneliness while on the road is what brings him into Lupino's orbit. The ending is pretty numbing and ambivalent. Lupino doesn't sensationalize or exploit the bigamist topic. Worthwhile viewing for fans of the film noir genre.

My First Crocus Sighting Is Now In The Books

It's now official! Today I made my first crocus sighting of the year. A neighbor down the block had a bunch of them in bloom in his yard. Last week at this time we had six inches of snow on the ground, and it seemed as if winter had no end. But it's looking up now. We'll still have some cool nights. And they'll be pollen in the air for the allergies. But I believe the snow removal is done until next November rolls around. My Facebook friends have left messages telling me their spring flowers are out already. I guess spring just took longer to reach us living in D.C. this year. At any rate, I'm working on the second title in my cozy mystery series I aim to publish later this year before the next snows fall. The cozy series is set in a fictional D.C. suburb, like the one where I live, and begins with [book:The Corpse Wore Gingham|24404034]. Check it out for one of your warm weather reads.

Welcome To The Farmers' Market In My Cozy Mystery

I set one chapter from my Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series Book #1 The Corpse Wore Gingham at the Farmers' Market. There's a good reason for it, too. The Farmers' Market begins the first Saturday in May. We like to get to ours early in the morning. I always enjoy going for the first time after a long, cold winter. The vivid colors of the fruits and vegetables out on display catch my eye. I like seeing our favorite vendors again and chatting with them. The ace barbecuers at one end of the Farmers' Market fill the air with their delicious smoky odors. Everybody is in a friendly, upbeat mood. Of course, the fresh fruit and vegetables are so tasty, especially in making our garden salads. We eat salads around the year, but the Farmers' Market provides us with more variety of the salad ingredients. We're big fans of the tomatoes and cucumbers. It's interesting to see which fruits and vegetables are in season as the summer progresses into autumn. If you're a cozy mystery fan, check out what Piper & Bill discover by going to their Farmers' Market, and how it helps them to solve the murder mystery they investigate in The Corpse Wore Gingham.

Recreating Main Street In My Small Town Cozy Mysteries

Sometimes I wonder how it would be if I revisited the small town where I grew up if just to see what it is like today. No doubt it would look wet and cold. So, let's make it a clear, sunny day in June. While I made my way down the sidewalk along Main Street, I wonder if the memories would come back to me. I wonder if I would see the details I've forgotten, or I haven't thought about in many years. So far, I've resisted the temptation to return, and I probably won't do it. I suppose there really is something to the old saying you can't go home again. 

Seeing Main Street through an adult's eyes is a lot different than through seeing it through a kid's eyes. As a kid I believe I was more aware of my five senses. You know, the smells, sounds, and sights I encountered on Main Street. For instance, I can still recall the unique pungent scent of the fermenting corn I smelled around the grain elevators and metal silos at the Famers' Co-op.

It was located next to the railroad tracks at the far end of Main Street. The railroad tracks that I remember so well have helped me to anchor the mental map I've drawn to create my fictional small town of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia. I like for my two sister sleuths Isabel & Alma Trumbo to visit Main Street early in the book. In fact, many of the scenes take place on Main Street, either on the sidewalks or inside the different shops. Main Street becomes an important place for Isabel & Alma to go to mingle with and meet their friends.

Tuesday's Overlooked Movies: The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery Starring Steve McQueen

This 1959 bank heist drama stars Steve McQueen in an early movie role. I enjoyed watching his other films over the years, so I decided I'd give this one a try. For some puzzling reason, IMDb.com only rates it 6.0/10.0. I quibble with that low mark. Granted, the movie's pace is slow and deliberate, but I find that to be a good quality as it allowed me to see each of the four gangster characters evolve. McQueen plays a college dropout who is hired to play the wheelman in a planned bank heist. Of course, McQueen doesn't have any experience, but one of the gang members vouches for him. The same gang member also has a younger sister who McQueen is sweet on. Despite their casing the target bank and meticulous planning, tensions run high and testy within the gang. Since this is a film noir, we know things aren't going to go well for the robbers. Crahan Denton as the boss has a few hang ups that get in his way. David Clarke who vouches for McQueen gives an especially edgy performance. Clarke died in 2004 at age 95. All told, I give this film a solid thumbs up. McQueen went on to make better pictures, but he does a good job in this one which proves again crime doesn't pay.

My New Cozy Mystery Is Set In The Cozy 'Burbs

Earlier this year, I published my first title in a new cozy mystery series: The Corpse Wore Gingham. This series is different than my first cozy series featuring the elderly sisters Isabel & Alma Trumbo. They reside in the fictitious small town of Quiet Anchorage located in Virginia. Just like in Cabot Cove, the murders keep turning up in Quiet Anchorage, and they keep Isabel & Alma hopping with their sleuthing adventures.

However, Piper & Bill Robins reside in the fictitious suburb of Beverly Park located in the Northern Virginia area just south of Washington, D.C. Piper & Bill, like Isabel & Alma, are retired, but the Robinses are a married couple who have taken up the role of amateur sleuth. Their unusual decision wasn't made as a fanciful whim but as a practical course as the murder plot in The Corpse Wore Gingham shows. After solving their first case, they find themselves tackling a second one. That's the book I'm working on right at the moment.

Beverly Park is a tidy and quiet neighborhood with its residents like the Robinses who have lived there for decades. Families are raised there. The kids grow up and move away, but their parents stay because they consider Beverly Park to be their home. It has a sense of civic pride, and the neighbors living there like as well as look out for one another. In some ways, my suburb of Beverly Park is like my small town of Quiet Anchorage.

Just as a side note, Isabel & Alma Trumbo will be back, so don't forget about them. I'm planning on their return for late this spring or early summer, so thanks for adding them to your summer reading lists.

My First Draft to Book 2 Is Finished Today

I believe the time was 2:10 p.m. this afternoon when I wrote the last word to Book 2 of my Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. I may have whooped out loud as I typed the final period to the final sentence. I know it's just a first draft--I've done enough of them to understand that--but I was happy at least for the moment. My other fiction projects this year have been editing and revising, so Book 2 is my first new fiction book I've written in 2015. I'll begin the first round of revising it over the next week, licking it into shape. Then I'll set the Book 2 draft aside for a few weeks before I begin the final edits. Meantime, Book 1 is The Corpse Wore Gingham where Piper & Bill Robins get started in their sleuthing adventures.

Why I Set My Cozy Mysteries In The Good Old Summertime

At the crack of dawn this morning, I was awakened by a disheartening KABOOM! noise going off behind our neighborhood. I instantly knew what it meant: the transformer had blown out, and our electric power was gone. I heard the wind kicking up in gusts outside the house, and I knew that was the guilty culprit. We've heard the blown transformer noise a lot this winter.

I went into the kitchen and checked the thermometer gauge: 8 degrees. I tapped it and still got the same cold reading. It was going to be a long day. But I'm not complaining. My dad worked for the power company for decades, so I know what their intrepid and determined crews go through to get the lights back on for us. Our power is back now, so hats off to them. Plus, we didn't get much snow, and I know what the brave, hardy folks up in Boston and New England have gotten with their snowfall totals this winter.

So, I sat down after a cold breakfast, and began my daily writing session. I keep a stack of yellow legal pads I like to write on along with my favorite Papermate ink pens. It had been quite some time since I last wrote anything lengthy in my longhand. But I went at it anyway. Right now, I'm working on the first draft of the next book in my cozy mystery series.

I always set my cozy mysteries in the good old summertime. I like the books's setting to be a pleasant one when the outdoors temperature is a moderate and not a frigid one. This morning while I wrote out my next scene in my cold room, I could enjoy the story's sunny warmth vicariously. So, it provided a nice distraction from my present woes. Really, when you think about it, that is one of the nice aspects about reading popular fiction: escapism. Now I have to go keystroke in my handwritten pages to the Word file of my first draft, which I also aim to finish very soon. Rap on wood. I hope you have a good week, as well. Stay warm!

Working On The Second Book In My Cozy Mystery Series

Earlier this year, I published book one titled The Corpse Wore Gingham in my new Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. The reader comments and the reviews have been positive. I've been writing the second book, and today I'm happy to report, I reached the halfway mark in the first draft. By way of introduction, Piper and Bill are a retired couple who do their sleuthing in a Virginia suburb outside of Washington, D.C. Etta the gregarious birdwatcher and the opinionated but affable feline Snoozy Q will also be back. So, I'll post my future blogs as things move along on their next book. Meantime, I hope you'll check out their first adventuresome mystery The Corpse Wore Gingham and see how they got started. There are some surprises that come up.

I Marked My Calendar: Spring Training Begins February 19th

Every winter right about this time in blah February, my thoughts turn to the commencement of spring training. You don't have to be a fan of major league baseball (MLB) to be on the lookout for it. Spring training is one of the true signs of spring. While I'm shoveling the next load of fallen snow off my driveway and sidewalks (we live on a corner lot with more than one), I think of those guys down in sunny, balmy Florida (the Citrus League) or Arizona (the Cactus League). Of course, they're working and not playing around or loafing like I'd be doing. Still, it's nice to imagine being in a place without any cold, ice, and snow. This year the Washington Nationals have their pitchers and catchers reporting for duty on February 19th, which falls on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday. I circled the day on my calendar a couple of months ago as if I would forget it. I don't even think much ahead to the summer season when they play the sport. Right now, just basking vicariously in the Florida or Arizona sun is good enough for me. "Let's play two," the great Ernie Banks who sadly just passed away used to say. I like keeping around that positive attitude.

Is The Handwritten Letter A Relic Of The Past?

I'm afraid so, yes. It has gone the way of the dodo bird and passenger pigeon. I'm sitting here, and I cannot remember the last time I sat down and wrote a handwritten letter, or when I last received such a letter from a sender. Can you? Do the personal notes scribbled on the insides of Christmas cards under the greeting message qualify as handwritten letters? I know I must have packets of handwritten letters I got and saved. They are packed away in a pasteboard box somewhere from our different moves. Back in the early days of the internet, I used to print out my email letters so I would have a permanent record of them. I no longer do that, or else I'd have reams of paper containing the printed out emails. When did you last spot a functional public mailbox? I guess they are still around in the shopping centers and such well-trafficked places. Going down to our mailbox used to be a treat, but now we just receive third class junk mail. But I must say I very much like the ease and convenience of the digital age. I'd hate to return to the days of having only use snail mail. I bet you feel the same way, too.

The Strange Case of the Shrinking Packages

For my wife and me, it started out with the Chobani Greek Yogurt we bought in the 6-ounce plastic cups. Remember those? Then one day I happened to notice how the yogurt cups appeared to be a wee bit smaller as I was putting them into the shopping cart.

So, I read the label's fine print (luckily, I was wearing my bifocals) and discovered it was now 5.3(!) ounces of yogurt packaged in the plastic cup. The price hadn't changed, but the proportion size had decreased. Instead of raising the price, we got 0.7 ounce less of yogurt.

Our young checker paused while he was swiping the yogurt cups over the price scanner. He scratched his head and wondered out loud when the yogurt cup size had shrunk, and we filled him in.

So, I checked around. Peter McGuinness, Chobani’s chief marketing and brand officer, said: “It is the established category norm; everyone is at 5.3 ounces. Many of our consumers were confused at the shelf when comparing nutritional information. Many have sent messages clearly to us saying, ‘Why do you have more sugar and calories?’ We wanted to level the playing field so they were comparing apples to apples, yogurt to yogurt.” (Source: Boston Globe, 2/14/14)

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: Blonde Ice

Oh, those poor guys who fall for the gorgeous but dangerous femme fatales. Will the guys ever learn? Apparently not, given all the films noir where they get burned and often burned badly. This 1948 crime film takes the femme fatale character to the extreme by calling her "blonde ice." For the most part, the film succeeds, but the last fifteen minutes are a bit confusing to me. The ending was a bit of a head-scratcher, but that's all I'll say about it. Anyway, Leslie Brooks stars as Claire Cummings Hanneman who has just gotten married when she steps out on the terrace to reassure her old lover he remains the object of her enduring love. Robert Paige is the poor sap who believes her, but to his credit, he's enough of skeptic to not totally fall for her glib line. She goes on her honeymoon and murders her new filthy rich husband, making it appear as a suicide. Brooks plays the "blonde ice" femme fatale with a frightening ease, and she only made a handful of movies before she retired from the motion picture business. The scheming airplane pilot (Russ Vincent) who blackmails her is her future real-life husband. All in all, I enjoyed watching the familiar dynamics play out Blonde Ice. You might, too, if you're a film noir fan.

How I'll Spend My Own Groundhog Day

Today is the celebration of that peculiar day known as Groundhog Day. If Punxsutawney Phil, our favorite groundhog residing in Pennsylvania, doesn't see his shadow when he comes out of his burrow, then we're suppose to get an early spring. But if Phil, no dummy, sees his shadow, he returns to hole back up in his burrow since spring will come late. However, Groundhog Day is also a 1993 fantasy movie where comedian Bill Murray plays a Pittsburgh TV weatherman who repeats the same day over and over. It's a cute and humorous film if you haven't seen it. The lovely Andie MacDowell is Murray's co-star.

It struck me as ironic this morning when I put out my first tweet of the day and mentioned that today is Groundhog Day. Coincidentally or not, I'm also repeating the process of starting my new novel. This book is the second title in my new Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. The first title The Corpse Wore Gingham came out in January. My plan is to bring out the second book in 2016. My sleuths are a retired married couple who decide to take up playing detective. I'm having a lot fun with the Robinses, and the books capture it.

So, we'll have a good Groundhog Day, and the best to Punxsutawney Phil when he makes his grand appearance.

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: DEAD RECKONING Starring Humphrey Bogart

This fine 1947 film noir stars Humphrey Bogart as a grizzled World War Two paratrooper veteran and Lizabeth Scott as the blonde bombshell femme fatale. The last scene is fabulous, which is all I'll say about it. The plot left me scratching my head in a few places, but I thought the movie was well-acted, and it satisfies all of the things you expect from a film noir. There is lots of cigarette smoking, and a safecracker pal even smokes a pipe. Scott sings a torch song at a club that captures Bogie's heart, well, sort of, anyway. The setting is a small Southern city called Gulf City where it's hot. New Orleans is mentioned once, and I saw lots of Spanish moss on the trees. I read where Rita Hayworth was supposed to play the femme, but she was in the top brass's doghouse. Bogie is always watchable, and he has some great lines (pulp author Steve Fisher wrote the screenplay). All in all, Dead Reckoning is a worthwhile crime drama.

Current Movie Review: SELMA

We got up early and caught the matinee show of the new American historical drama film, SELMA. It recounts the actual events surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights protest march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in 1965, and, later, his march to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery to end the third march from Selma. There's been controversy raised about the film's historical accuracy, which I haven't been really following. I wanted to watch a good movie, and that's what I got for my ticket money. I haven't seen American Sniper playing in the next theater, so I don't have a basis of comparison, but I have to wonder about David Oyelowo getting passed over for the Academy Award nominations. Though SELMA carries a PG-13 rating, some of the protest scenes are a little brutal and bloody. I remember the events taking place, though I was a kid, at the time. The movie grabbed my attention from the start, and I was never unengaged during its 2 hours, 7 minutes runtime.

Book One Release To My New Cozy Mystery Series: THE CORPSE WORE GINGHAM

As I mentioned on my blog, this year I worked on developing and establishing a second and new cozy mystery series. This one is set in the Northern Virginia suburbs outside of Washington, D.C., where a retired couple decide to take up amateur sleuthing. They help a neighbor friend to solve a murder. I've had a lot of fun writing the first book, and the early sales and reader comments have been encouraging. 

NOTE: If you'd like to get a copy of my books newsletter for my next release late this spring, send me your email, and I'll gladly add you to my mailing list. I offer subscribers discounts before my general book release.          

The Corpse Wore Gingham. Piper and Bill Robins, a retired married couple, are enjoying their leisure years spent in the tranquil, leafy Washington, D.C. suburb of Beverly Park, Virginia. One sunny June afternoon, Emily Davenport, who lives in California, telephones Bill and asks if he’ll check on her elderly mother Anna living next door to the Robinses. She hasn’t answered Emily’s repeated attempts to call. After Bill and Piper go over, they discover Anna is murdered. The only found clue is her bloodstained gingham bathrobe. Appalled and even more outraged, Piper persuades Bill to become wife-and-husband amateur sleuths, and they set out to identify Anna’s killer. Meantime, Bill’s younger sister Noreen, a retired CPA, joins the Robinses. She taps her retired cop boyfriend Rick Novak and her mysterious, very opinionated tuxedo tomcat Snoozy Q for help. Besides a clean read and fair play modern “whodunit” mystery, The Corpse Wore Gingham offers readers likeable protagonists, good-natured humor, and a lively pace. Fans of my Isabel and Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series should also like reading about Piper & Bill's adventures. 

Kindle: http://bookShow.me/B00S1QRSKU

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-corpse-wore-gingham-ed-lynskey/1121021684?ean=2940150178540  

American Soldiers And Their War Brides

 Recently, I watched the 1951 war romance film titled "Teresa" directed by Fred Zinnemann (High Noon) and starring Pier Angeli and John Ericson. Ralph Meeker, Rod Steiger (debut), and James Coburn (uncredited) also starred in it. The premise was straightforward enough. Ericson played an American G.I. stationed in World War Two-Italy where he falls in love with the village young lady Angeli. Of course, they want to get married, and that's where I was surprised. The village priest marries them, and Ericson marches off to fight the war with his unit while Angeli waits for him. At the war's end, he ships home with the other American G.I.s, and she arrives later, after the official paperwork clears, with a bunch of other war brides. They are reunited. I knew the America G.I.s married the foreign women they met while in uniform and fighting, but I didn't realize it happened while the war still went going on. I'll have to do a little more reading on the point when I get a chance. Anyway, the movie "Teresa" was entertaining enough. Review to follow.

Who Gets An Exercise Bike For Christmas?

Apparently, several of my neighbors did this year from what I've observed. During my daily walks over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed the different packing boxes left with the other recycled material out at the curbstones. One of the things I've seen at least three times has been exercise bikes or other such workout equipment. I guess it has taken this long since Christmas for the folks to figure out how to build the equipment from the parts that come in the boxes. That by itself was probably a good workout for them. It would be for me since I'm not mechanically inclined. At any rate, I'm imagining the folks making their New Year's Resolutions probably included keeping some type of an exercise regimen. Good intentions and all that are good stuff. I'm not a big fan of using exercise bikes or treadmills or whatever. I like getting out of the house, even on the cold, snowy days. On the other hand, I also do a lot of silent cursing and doubting my sanity on the worst days I walk outdoors. I only hope I don't see all the exercise bikes and such given as gifts this Christmas put out at the curbstone next year for junk pickup.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: They Made Me A Killer

This 1946 film noir/crime drama is one of the B-movies produced by Paramount Studios at their Pine-Thomas unit. The best thing going for the movie is Daniel Mainwaring (Build My Gallows High/Out of the Past) was one of the script writers. Robert Lowery plays a tough-talking mechanic who blows Chicago after his brother dies and head for California to find his fortunes. He drives a big car with a powerful engine which he wants to sell to raise some money. He manages to get himself involved in a bank robbery and is forced at gunpoint to be the wheelman. After the cops grab him up, he escapes and goes on the run to prove his innocence and clear his good name. The attractive Barbara Britton plays the love interest who assists Lowery. Things step right along over the hour-long movie. One of the interesting minor characters is the Ma Barker-type older lady who hides out the bank robbers in the cellar of her restaurant. The copy I watched streamed to my laptop was bad quality. Not a terrific crime noir but enjoyable enough.

Tuesday's Forgotten Films: Foxcatcher (Current Movie)

This 2014 sports thriller movie is a long (134 minutes) and rather flat film, at least to this disappointed viewer. Super rich John du Pont (Steve Carell) invites Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) to live on his big country manor estate and form a wrestling team to compete in the 1988 Olympics. Mark's older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), despite some misgivings, supports his kid brother's move. Dave, also an Olympic wrestler, is also Mark's coach and mentor. The problem is John wants to take over that role in Mark's life and career. Carell does a good job with the du Pont character (based on a true story), but du Pont is too wooden, humorless, and restrained. (Plus, Carell has a ridiculously huge nose as part of his makeup.) He interacts with his mother Jean played by Vanessa Redgrave, but maybe their distant and loveless relationship should've been further explored. We see that she likes the thoroughbred horses, and he doesn't. But something else sure needed to happen to generate tension and suspense. Anyway, the talented Ruffalo was fine as he always is in any picture I've watched him act in. Foxcatcher isn't a terrible movie, by any stretch, but maybe I'll enjoy the next movie I see more. I hope so.