Dollhouse Miniatures and Writing in New Hobbies Issue of Mystery Readers Journal

Ooh! The issue I know I've been waiting for the Hobbies, Crafts and Special Interests volume (Issue 26:4) of Mystery Readers Journal. (Click link for full table of contents and to get print or pdf issue.)

Besides some great topics on all kinds of crafts and collectibles by a wide array of mystery writers, I also contributed my take on Writing About and Collecting Dollhouse Miniatures by Christine Verstraete.

The essay relates to my kid's mystery, Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, which involves the search for a missing miniature replica of Van Gogh's "Starry Night."

Who says hobbies are just, well hobbies? ha!

Miniatures Wednesday: Patty Benedict's Miniature Monsters

If you've never seen the work of amazing doll artist Patty Benedict of Woopitydooart, you're in for a treat (not a trick!)

So what if Halloween is months away? Patty loves indulging her love of the holiday and her creativity with her one-of-a-kind sculpted figures any day of the year.

Known for her witches and amusing witch brooms, Patty hand-sculpts her figures of polymer clay usually in the standard 1/12th - one-inch scale (1" equals 1 foot) dollhouse scale. (See Patty's other figures and read more about her here.)

Well... she's outdone herself this time! Her latest adorably gruesome pair are 1/4th (quarter-inch) scale. Holy cow! The monster is under 1 3/4" and the little Igor is under 1" tall. Check out the detail!!!

I admit, I'm a fan of Patty's work and have written about her before, but even if you don't like Halloween characters, looking at these is sure to make you smile.

* Patty is selling the pair on eBay here.

* Patty's blog link to her little monsters (Take that Lady GaGa! - she calls her fans "little monsters" in case you didn't know.)

Headlines that Make you Look Twice

Being a journalist, I know how hard writing a headline can be, given font size, space restrictions etc.

And while maybe these are not true, if they are, then those editors need to read what they write a little more carefully. But they're good for a laugh anyway. Enjoy!


Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Really? Ya think?

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Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!

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Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!

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Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!

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Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!

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War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!

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If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!

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Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!

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Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!

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Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?

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Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!

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New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Weren't they fat enough?!

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Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!

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Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken?

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Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!

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Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Wow, how tall?

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And the winner is....
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Huh?
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Upcoming Blog Guests

Upcoming Guest Authors:

Stop back to learn more about their books and a chance to win some great prizes!

1/27: Evelyn David - Murder Takes the Cake

1/31: Lois Winston - Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun

2/2: Peg Herring, The Dead Detective Agency

2/11: Geraldine Evans, Death Dance, A Rafferty & Llewellyn Mystery

2/18: Mary Cunningham, Cynthia's Attic/The Magician's Castle

3/9: JQ Rose, Sunshine Boulevard
MuseItUp Publishing

The color for 2011 is ....

Well for once I'm right on the mark! Call me trendy for picking this new blog background ahead of time.

Why? Well it seems those in the know have chosen the color "Honeysuckle" as the tone for 2011.

Oh, and to most of us it looks like a pretty, good old-fashioned pink, doesn't it?

Actually I like pink - it looks good on most people, bringing out the roses in your cheeks; it's good with other colors, and is a fun "happy" color.

So, yay for pink!

End of an Era: Last member of Ozzie and Harriet TV Family Dies

David Nelson, the son of the famous TV family, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, died, reported Yahoo News. The show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, aired from 1952 to 1966.

The show, and others of the time - Leave it to Beaver, Dennis the Menace, The Donna Reed Show - were symbols of an era, even if they were idealized.

But wow, compare TV fare now and it's unbelievable how much has changed... not exactly for the better?

* The Bachelor - women throwing themselves at one guy.

* Housewives of ---- - catty women backbiting each other.

* Jersey Shore - excesses of everything.

* "Reality" TV in general - the worst of everyone.

That's entertainment?

** Your thoughts?

New Review for Steampunk'd, featuring Edison story by C. A. Verstraete

Found a new review for Steampunk'd, which also mentions my story, "Edison Kinetic Light and Steam Power" by C.A. Verstraete, and some other "standout" stories.

** See review.

2011 Writing Goals: What are yours?

I had hoped to get my current project done last week, but I knew I wouldn't. Luckily, it didn't get me too off track as it usually would. Maybe because I'm soooo close to the end that I have to finish!

It's YA so I'm aiming for around 42,000 words. I'm over 35,000 now. So about three, four chapters maybe? I really had wondered if I'd ever get to this point, but I love the story and want to finish it. It's different as it's about zombies but with a twist, first person, funny, horror, and fun to write!

What helped was really getting serious and writing some every day last week; even 500 words done put me closer, I figured.

Next comes the dreaded synopsis and query letter.

Any published YA/mystery/horror authors interested in being a beta reader? Could use a few extra eyes to catch things I might have missed. I'd like to get the first three chapters and synopsis sent out in the next few weeks.

** What are your goals or what are you working on?

Banned words for 2011

Heard enough of these already?

A small Michigan college issued its annual banned words list which would go "viral" if it was on video - viral incidentally being one of those vastly overused words, according to Yahoo news.


The recent banned list includes:

1 Viral - agreed

2 Epic fail

3 A-ha moment (?)

4 back story - well important to writers if no one else.

5 BFF (Guilty as charged, I used it describing Sam's friend, Lita, in my children's book, Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery.)

6 Facebook and Google as verbs

7 Mama Grizzly - yes please ban it.

8 Man Up - yeah enough.

** What have you heard enough of or hope you never hear again?

Happy New Year 1-1-11. Wishing you and I:

Wow, talk about lucky! All those one's. Go play the lottery. ha!

Wishing everyone in 2011:

* Much happiness

* Fun with your hobby

* Great friendships and happy relationships

* Writing and other job success

* Good finances

* Great health

* Love, joy, faith and peace!