It’s spring and that means storms. Here are a few suggestions to survive a power outage.
Charge all of your electronics ahead of time – phone, laptops, and whatever you need so you will be able to reach people if you need help.
Know how to turn off your main circuit breaker in order to help protect your appliances and electrical devices from power surges.
Unplug appliances, electronics, and lighting – and turn up the temperature setting on the AC.
Purchase a backup generator because it can help keep your fridge and other important appliances running during a power outage. Don’t forget to ventilate.
Turn down the temperature on your freezer and fridge to get them as cold as possible to preserve your food. Also, fill your freezer and fridge with ice and water bottles to prolong the cold temperature.
Jessica Lutz of Cascading Joy Designs LLC is going to share some floral design ideas for the upcoming wedding of Andi Grace Scott and Marc Williams.
Welcome, Jessica.
Hi, Jackie. When I think about wedding planning, there are so many details to go over and every couple has their own ideas make their wedding unique to them. I have been involved with weddings for several years but over the last 5, my involvement has been focused on florals. For me, it brings so much joy to bring a brides vision to life through her florals. I love weddings! I always have so this job has brought me so much joy as well!
Over the last year I have been in the thick of helping my younger sister plan her wedding. She is a super easy bride and very laid back which makes things easy for me! She has certain things that she really wants and likes but outside of that, she’s given me a lot of freedom to just “make it look good”. When I think about Andi Grace planning her wedding with Marc, I imagine her being a similar bride. She strikes me as having a few things that she really wants but won’t be too picky overall. If I were sitting down with Andi Grace to talk about her wedding I think I would suggest something very romantic with some fun flowers added in because she has a fun personality and that deserves to show in her bouquet. I would suggest some burgundy ranunculus as the romantic flower but add in some sunflowers since it’s a fall wedding, with Queen Anne’s lace, amaranths and some seeded eucalyptus to give it some fun flair.
Another thing that I would suggest for Andy Grace would be a memorial table. I’ve seen these at many weddings and it is such a sweet and simple way to remember those you’ve lost in your life. As we’ve planned my sisters wedding, this is a piece that she has been very passionate about. Each family member that we’ve lost has flower chosen specifically for them that will go next to a picture of them at the wedding. Andi Grace has lost a lot and not had any easy life. I think I would suggest something sweet like hydrangeas and tulips at her memorial table with pictures of those she has had to say goodbye to. It’s little touches like these that make weddings so special. These little touches that bring joy to not only the bride and groom but to family members and guests that come to celebrate with then.
Jessica, thanks so much for sharing your ideas for Andi Grace’s wedding! I love the idea of a memorial table.
Teresa Trent joins us today to share about her new book, If I Had a Hammer. I love the catchy title. Here’s a little more about the book:
A new job, a brutal murder, and Camelot has ended.
In 1963, Dot Morgan’s life was changed forever. She witnessed the assassination of John F Kennedy through the lens of her boxy Kodak Instamatic camera, bringing traumatic aftereffects of the brutality that happened as they stood on the parade route in Dallas.
She starts her first real secretarial job with a boss who has no sympathy for her trauma. When Dot’s only work friend has a mysterious accident at a demolition site, she digs around on her own only to find very little love between two brothers and no one hammering out justice to find a murderer.
The suspects are all around Dot and as she tries to sift through their motives, her cousin Ellie is going through PTSD on her own, losing interest in work, and her fiancé all the while quoting some of JFK’s finest speeches.
With so much change in her world, can Dot still tell the difference between good and evil?
Intrigued? Here’s an excerpt:
Ellie screamed, making the driver jump. “Right here! Stop here,” Ellie said as she passed bills from the back seat to the front.
I looked up over a light brown building with straight white letters reading Texas School Book Depository. Above it was an ad for Hertz Rent-a-Car with a clock attached to it. It was straight up noon. The crowd was thickening as people found places to stand in a grassy area next to the street. It was almost as if the original landscaper had known this historic day would take place and designed the gradual slope along the road. According to the newspaper, Kennedy’s motorcade would arrive soon, and I felt the excitement building as we prepared to join the crowd. I pulled my arms through my sweater.
Ellie extended a hand to help me out of the yellow Checker cab. “Are you ready?”
“Oh yes. Let’s go over there.” I pointed to one of the few open spots next to the curb. “Hurry, before someone else gets it. I just hope we can hold the spot. There are some pretty big guys who might want to stand in front of us.”
Ellie smirked. “You know what I always say. ‘Knee them in the crotch and they sing a new song.’”
“Seriously, Ellie. I’m not attacking some poor man just so I can stand in front.”
“You’re right. I was trying to sound sophisticated Maybe not here but remember that. It may come in handy someday.”
I had decided to wear a new pair of black heels and felt them wobbling. We crossed the street and grabbed our spot just in time, causing another viewer to crowd in next to us. The smell of cigarette smoke circled us as people fiddled with cameras and readjusted black-rimmed glasses.
“Jack Kennedy is so handsome.” Ellie placed her hand over her heart, popping it on her chest like a heartbeat. “Too bad he’s already taken.”
“Stop.” I laughed. “I believe you’re already taken as well. Didn’t I hear something about you and Al getting married next June?”
Ellie gave a sweet smile as her eyes drifted upward. “I can’t believe that either. June. That’s just a little more than six months away.”
“Well, you deserve the happiness coming your way.” I patted my cousin’s shoulder. Ellie was in her thirties, practically spinsterhood in 1963. Finding Al, the electrician, had been the best thing for her. Love and marriage. It filled me with warmth. We were all living the American dream just like the characters in our favorite movies at the Rialto theater. The lyrics of “Young at Heart” drifted through my mind.
I sang a few lines from the song.
Ellie linked her arm with mine as she watched the street. A few cars drove by, but none that looked like a presidential motorcade. The breeze drifted across my exposed knees. A longer skirt would have shielded my knees, but I would endure the shivers for the sake of fashion.
“Ellie, did you see that picture of Jackie in the paper? She’s gorgeous. I saw her tour of the White House on TV. She’s so classy and looks beautiful in everything she wears.”
“Except she talks funny,” Ellie said, her Texas drawl turning “talks” into “tawks.”
“That’s because she’s from the East. She can’t help it. I’ll bet she thinks Texans talk funny. I’m sure they hear a lot of Texas twang coming from LBJ and Ladybird.”
“But that’s just music to anyone’s ears,” Ellie said. “Be serious.”
I glanced up and down the parade route. “Ben said he was going to be here. Maybe he’s farther down the street.” I pulled out my new Kodak Instamatic and hooked the leather strap around my neck. I raised the camera up to my eyes. “I hope I can get a clear picture of Jackie and John.”
“Listen to you. You talk like you know them,” Ellie laughed. “Jackie and John.”
“Well, in a way, I feel like I do. They’re America’s perfect family. I love them all. Jackie, John, Caroline, John-John.”
Ellie sighed and then drew in an excited breath with her hands clenched in front of her. “This is so exciting.” People continued to crowd up to the curb. A tall man in a brown plaid sport coat, holding binoculars up to his black boxy glasses, elbowed me to move over. I could feel tension in the air that comes when people anticipate witnessing something spectacular.
Just then, a line of shiny black cars came into view, ambling down the street in our direction. The breeze turned into a slight wind. I leaned forward and squinted, trying to identify who was in each vehicle. I felt my heart race as I recognized John and Jackie Kennedy sitting in the back seat as the car was surrounded by men on motorcycles. She was stunning in a pink wool suit and matching hat. I felt special knowing Jackie and I had worn the same color on this memorable day. She, of course, looked so much better. John had a healthy tan and a wide smile on his face.
I raised my camera and willed the man in the brown plaid coat not to step in front of me. This was a moment I was sure we would always remember. I hoped I could wind the film cartridge fast enough to take several pictures. Maybe they would want to use them in the Camden Courier? I wanted a good one of John, and another of Jackie. Just like real people, I thought but really, they looked like royalty, sitting in the open top limousine with policemen on motorcycles riding silently alongside—sort of a mobile palace guard. When the hood of the limousine was directly in front of me, I brought the Instamatic up and clicked to take a picture. I rolled the film to the next frame, took another, and repeated the process. Suddenly, I heard a popping sound somewhere behind me. I rolled the film lever with my thumb, now an automatic action, then turned toward the sound, only to see people scrambling and running to higher ground. The sound I heard wasn’t a pop. It was a gunshot. I looked back toward the motorcade and stood in horror as a man crawled over the back of the open convertible and the thing that caught my attention was the splotches of red invading Jackie’s beautiful pink suit. John Kennedy no longer sat smiling in front of me but was down in the seat on Jackie’s lap.
Teresa Trent is the author of over 15 books. She started writing cozy mysteries with the Pecan Bayou and Piney Woods Mystery Series. She sets her stories in different geographical areas of Texas and The Swinging Sixties historical series is set just north of Dallas, starting in 1962. You might think with so many books set in the Lone Star state, she was born there, but no. She has lived all over the world, thanks to her father’s career in the army. After living in Texas for twenty-five years, she’s finally put down roots.
Teresa is a hybrid author, self-publishing early in her career, which led her to traditional publishing with Level Best Books and Camel Press. She is the author of several short stories that have appeared in a host of anthologies. Teresa publishes the blog and podcast, Books to the Ceiling at https://teresatrent.blog where she loves to read the book excerpts of other writers and share in the writing community.
Teresa is a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son.
Just for fun today, I want to share the legend of The Gray Man in Pawleys Island, South Carolina.
The story goes, the gray man died around 1822. He was on his way to the island to meet his sweetheart and died, maybe of a broken neck from hurrying to see her. Maybe he sunk in the pluff mud or drown. Whatever the cause of his death, the grieving lady spotted him on the beach. It appeared to her that he was warning her to leave.
The young lady’s family thought she’d lost her mind from grief, and they took her away from the beach. Within hours, the great storm of 1822 destroyed the area of the house where she and her family had been staying.
For years, The Gray Man has been spotted on or around the beach before a storm. He always wears gray. The people who actually see him say their property isn’t harmed in the storm even the home all around them are destroyed.
One child even asked her family who the man in gray was. She explained that he helped her not to be scared in the storm.
Many of the locals believe The Gray Man is a kind, wandering spirit who warns of impending storms.
When weather forecasters predict a hurricane, many locals ask each other if they’ve seen The Gray Man.
I personally have never seen The Gray Man, but if a man wearing gray appears before a big storm and tells me to leave, you better believe I’m heading inland.
Some of you may know Tracy Condie from Cooking With My Cozys on Instagram. She reads cozy mysteries then creates food from the story.
I asked Tracy to share an idea for Andi Grace. Here’s Tracy…
Reading Jackie’s latest book, A Killer Unleashed, brings back memories of my own wedding planning. Thank goodness my planning did not have to include stumbling upon a murder, dognapping, and sleuthing. I still don’t know how Andie Grace and Marc are able to find the time to see to the details. So many details to be seen to and so many choices to be made and there are only so many hours in a day after working a full time job and taking care of all the little things that come up on a daily basis.
These days the venue can be a big deal.
For some people the floral arrangements must be amazing. Still there is the cake and what size, shape, and flavor it should be.
My groom wanted a miniature fountain to be underneath out traditional three tier cake. Last but most definitely not least, in my opinion, is the biggie, the food. Being a foodie I feel that the menu should be themed just as much as the occasion.
Our wedding took place on the banks of the Alabama River in Montgomery, Alabama next to a historic train depot where a paddleboat style river boat usually docked (the boat was unavailable due to unscheduled repair work). We were not a fancy couple so a sit down formal meal was not our style and one thing that the South is known for is BBQ, really good and really diverse BBQ. So we had Alabama style BBQ and all the fixings which means a red sauce. Eastern North Carolina has a red pepper and vinegar based sauce while South Carolina goes for a Mustard based sauce. My wedding took place in 1996, before people began elevating foods, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. If I was to do it all over again I would go with a menu similar to what Andi Grace and Marc have decided on for their big day. Be sure to pick up a copy of A Killer Unleashed so you too can see how the happy couple solve a crime, pick a cake flavor, rehome another pup, and plan the menu fit for a Southern wedding.
Tracy, thanks so much for joining us today. Thanks also for sharing about your wedding. Your wedding sounds beautiful and fun!
I hope you’re having a lovely Valentine’s Day. My publisher, Beyond the Page, showed me some love with a book release on this special day.
What’s Book Five about?
When a client’s dog turns up missing and her husband turns up dead, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott will have to rely on dogged determination to track down a killer . . .
When a frantic client calls, worried about her dog, Andi Grace is happy to drop by the woman’s home and check in on her beloved pet. She’s initially concerned when she discovers the dog’s not in the house, but she’s out-and-out shocked to discover that the woman’s husband is—strangled to death in his office chair. On top of that, she soon finds a ransom note demanding a hefty sum for the dog’s safe return. Andi Grace knows better than to meddle in a murder investigation, but there’s no way she’s going to let a dognapper get away with it.
Unsure of whether the killer took the dog or if they were unrelated crimes, Andi Grace finds herself confounded from the start. More puzzling still is that the dog’s owner seems more upset about her missing pooch than her dead husband. Could the whole thing have been a setup? Did the woman murder her own husband and send Andi Grace to the house under false pretenses to discover the body? As sinister as that possibility may be, the trail of clues leads Andi Grace to uncover an even more nefarious scheme, and she knows she’ll have to tie up all the loose ends fast before the whole case goes to the dogs . . .
Here are some links where you can purchase A Killer Unleashed.
We’re days away from the release of A Killer Unleashed the fifth book of A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series.
Curious about what’s going to happnen? Here’s the blurb:
When a client’s dog turns up missing and her husband turns up dead, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott will have to rely on dogged determination to track down a killer . . .
When a frantic client calls, worried about her dog, Andi Grace is happy to drop by the woman’s home and check in on her beloved pet. She’s initially concerned when she discovers the dog’s not in the house, but she’s out-and-out shocked to discover that the woman’s husband is—strangled to death in his office chair. On top of that, she soon finds a ransom note demanding a hefty sum for the dog’s safe return. Andi Grace knows better than to meddle in a murder investigation, but there’s no way she’s going to let a dognapper get away with it.
Unsure of whether the killer took the dog or if they were unrelated crimes, Andi Grace finds herself confounded from the start. More puzzling still is that the dog’s owner seems more upset about her missing pooch than her dead husband. Could the whole thing have been a setup? Did the woman murder her own husband and send Andi Grace to the house under false pretenses to discover the body? As sinister as that possibility may be, the trail of clues leads Andi Grace to uncover an even more nefarious scheme, and she knows she’ll have to tie up all the loose ends fast before the whole case goes to the dogs . . .
The ebook is $3.99 before the release on February 14, 2023.
I’m excited to have Heather back, and she’s going to share about her new book, STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES. Isn’t that a catchy title?
Heather took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions.
Why did you decide to write a new series?
I have always loved cozy mysteries, and I have so many ideas for sleuths and adventures (and murder and mayhem). I have two series with Level Best Books, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. My sleuths have fun jobs that I think about sometimes. Jules owns a camping resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She has restored vintage trailers for the ultimate glamping experience for her guests. She and her boyfriend, the hunky Jake Evans, added a village of tiny houses, themed for famous writers, to the resort for additional glamorous camping experiences.
Jade Hicks owns a Christmas store in the quaint beach community of Mermaid Bay. I grew up in Virginia Beach, and I always loved the Christmas stores that catered to the tourists. Christmas is my favorite holiday, and shopping for ornaments is always a must when we’re on vacation.
Tell us about your new sleuth. What is her career? Why did she decide to solve a murder? My latest mystery is STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES. Jade works really hard to keep her Christmas shop that she inherited from her grandmother solvent in the tiny beach town of Mermaid Bay. She had no intention of sleuthing. She’s too busy with the shop and its online business. But one morning, she and her rollie pollie French bulldog Chloe bump into what washed up on shore, a suitcase full of bones. And it happened on the day that the town’s Christmas in July festival is set to kickoff. The town’s grapevine goes into overdrive, and everyone is concerned about the ominous message. Then local business owners start to get targeted messages and creepy warning posters pop up in front of all the businesses. Panic sets in when the town’s prickly bookstore owner ends up dead behind the hot dog stand. She’s been strangled with a string of Christmas lights. All eyes turn toward Jade and her store, and she becomes determined to solve the mystery before it kills her business.
Jade will appear next in TWINKLE, TWINKLE AU REVOIR and A TISKET A TASKET, NOT ANOTHER CASKET.
How long have you been writing? How many books do you release every year? How long does it take you to write a book?
I’ve been writing since the seventh grade. (I wrote the Adventures of Share-a-lot Bones for my 7th grade English class.) I have loved mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. (Plus, my dad was a police officer, and I thought everyone talked about murder and mayhem at the dinner table.)
I usually have 2-3 publications a year. One novel from each series comes out, and then I’ve been fortunate enough to have some articles and short stories published in anthologies.
Right now, I can write 2 to 3 cozy novels a year. When I started, it took me 5 years to write the first book, and another 2 to get it published. I worked on my writing and found that if I write every day with word count goals, I can finish a first draft in 5-6 weeks. (Now there’s lots of editing and revising after that.)
When the pandemic took over all of our lives, my company let us work from home full-time. I promised that I would use my commute time (about 2 hours a day with traffic) and my lunch hour to write and edit. I was amazed that I was able to write 3 novels during each of those years just by committing to a 3-hour a day schedule.
Thank you so much for letting me share my cozy mysteries with your readers. Both series have pet sidekicks like your fabulous series. The glamping series, features Bijou, the Jack Russell Terrier, and Chloe the French bulldog teases her arch-nemesis, Neville the Devil Cat, at ‘Tis the Season, the Christmas Shoppe.
Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
Walking around downtown Charleston, you’ll find yourself on cobblestone streets and surrounded by history. You’ll probably see horse-drawn carriages as you walk around the French Quarter and the Battery.
We started out early on a January morning. It was a quiet morning, but as the temperature warmed up, more people showed up.
There are museums, shops, restaurants, and historic homes you can tour. But on this particular Saturday, we decided to explore on our own.
Homes have beautiful doors, and there are a wide variety of walls and fences. Many porches run along the side of the house to catch the best breeze. Yards are hidden behind pretty gates. There was a hush in the air the morning we walked. Many homes have window flower boxes. Everywhere you look, there’s something beautiful to see.
I hope you are able to enjoy the beauty of the area where you live, or come visit Charleston! It’s never disappointed me.
In anticipation of the fifth book of A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series, I plan to share some fun things about Charleston, South Carolina.
This week, I’d like to introduce you to Polish Pottery Gallery. From the moment I walked inside, the beauty took my breath away. There were so many appealing patterns, but there were also unique pieces too.
For instance, Polish pottery soup bowls. These bowls were first made in World War II at a pottery factory in Boleslawiec. Back then there was little food available. Men and women tied these soup bowls to their clothes, and if soup became available they could scoop it up in their soup bowl then drink right out of the bowl. Today the bowls are pretty and functional.
There was also an odd shaped cup with two holes in the bottom. I asked the lady working about it. You place the cup over a small bowl or large mug. Line the top cup with a filter and add coffee and pour hot water over it.
There were plates, bowls, mugs, and serving dishes. It was such a unique find on King Street. If you can’t make it to Charleston, but you’re interested in seeing more, they have a website. https://www.polishpotterygalleryofcharleston.com/
I hope you enjoyed stepping into one of many amazing shops you’ll find if you visit the Low Country!
A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery 