October 26, 2012

2012 Halloween in Miniature Day 2 - Let's Party!

Thanks for stopping by for the 2012 Halloween in Miniature party. Got a ticket? If not, sorry, you have to go back to Day 1 and check in.

Welcome to the party! Cook has been slaving over a hot stove all day to bring you...

Uh-oh. What's that scream? One second, I better check the kitchen.


Oh, dear. Cook's having, er, a bit of a problem, it seems. One of the pet rats has escaped! (Doll by Julie Campbell Doll Artist.)

Sorry, about that. Now, as I was saying Cook has plenty to eat, so grab a snack and let's mingle!

The Menu

Cook has outdone herself, and I hear, has brought in some special "celebrity" chefs to make this year's party even better. So be sure to bring your appetite!!!

We have plenty of sweets and goodies, but I'd suggest starting with something a bit more, um, substantial. Kiva Atkinson made a divine Eyeball Stew - fresh. Heh-heh.  Don't forget the bread, too, though that bread man doesn't look like he can be trusted? (Bread man - "Dibbler," Julie Campbell Doll Artist)




Wow! Chef Kathy Obrenski (Wee Little West) has outdone herself with her sweets table. Mmm, cupcakes and pumpkins and cider, oh my!


Or how about a slice of Kathy's Halloween pumpkin pie and cake?


Oh, shhh! It's time to get the kids to bed before we continue. They so want to stay up but, well, it is getting late. (Woopitydooart)



Now don't fill up as there is much more food to sample!

About the artisans:

** UK doll artist Julie Campbell has been making miniatures for 13 years and doll making for 10 of those. Her original, one-inch (1/12th) scale dolls are hand-sculpted from polymer clay without molds.

What keeps her inspired? She says, "I have had a head full of fairy tales all of my life and so am never short of inspiration!"

* Patty Benedict (Woopitydooart)admittedly is one of my favorite artists. Her works never fail to amaze. See more pix and more about her at a previous post.

** Not only is Kathy Obrenski's miniature food inspiring, but she herself is an inspiration to those facing adversity, health issues and other problems. In 2007, Kathy suffered a debilitating stroke which robbed her of most her functional and artistic skills. It took her ability to read, write, comprehend or communicate.

Miniatures, her husband Tim shares, became her occupational therapy. "She spent endless weeks re-learning how to make miniatures," he wrote. "It was like occupational therapy. She taught herself from scratch how to make miniatures all over again. To do that, she would make the same item dozens of times until it was perfect (that was a lot of clay in the garbage!) Then she would start making another item, making dozens over and over."

He continues to handle her communications by computer, but to the delight of her fans, her miniatures are again all her own!
-----------
** TODAY'S SPOOKY READ:
 A HAUNTING IN LOTTAWATAH - Evelyn David

The fifth book in the Brianna Sullivan Mysteries ebook series, the novella continues the spooky, yet funny saga of psychic Brianna Sullivan. She planned to travel the country in her motor home looking for adventure, but unexpectedly ended up in a small town in Oklahoma. In A Haunting in Lottawatah, Brianna is hired to exorcise ghosts from a mansion. But these spirits defy all the rules - a murder confuses the plan; Leon the bulldog continues to run interference as long as he has his beef jerky, and Deputy Cooper Jackson has competition for Brianna's affections. A Haunting in Lottawatah is a "must read" for mystery lovers and aspiring ghost hunters!




 ***   Let's continue the party! Go to Day 3 **

 (- Christine Verstraete - http://candidcanine.blogspot.com)


October 25, 2012

Welcome to the 2012 Halloween in Miniature!



It's that Time of Year! Yes, it's the start to the 2012 Halloween in Miniature. Spooks, ghouls, witches, oh my! All in delightful dollhouse miniature size, of course. (Unless noted, all miniatures are in 1-inch, 1/12th scale, 1" equals 1 foot.)

While the tour is a little bit shorter this year since the author has quite a few writing projects to keep her busy this time around, the quality is still top-notch.

So strap on your witchy shoes, get your broom or other transportation and come along for a fun Halloween Celebration!

And we have some fun bonuses this year!!! 1. Each day will include a spooky read for your Halloween reading list. 2. This year we also have several prizes! Simply follow the entry rules at the end of this post to participate. Have fun!

Let's go in, shall we? It looks like they've really done a great job of decorating this year! (Haunted house by Linda Wooten, Wooten Miniatures.)


Oh, honestly! Now Matilda, we've told you again and again, no butting in front of the line - and please use the door the right way!


So, let's go in.... Please everyone - stop fighting in the back. No pushing! Got your tickets?  Okay then, first stop, let's have some refreshments.

Yeah, yeah, we still have the house wine.


No, it's not stale. It's been brewed to last for a gazillion years, and still have quite the kick. heh-heh.

Well, since it's really not wise to drink on an empty stomach, the delightful and talented Kiva Atkinson has provided some delectables to nibble on. How about some Chocolate cookies.... What? No, don't worry about them looking at you.

Here's looking at you, kid!


Okay-okay, how about some cupcakes instead? The food here sometimes is a bit "different" but it's still to-die-for! Get it? haa! (Sorry, but my blog, so you have to put up with my bad puns. :>)


The Artisans: 

* Kiva Atkinson, one of my fave food artists, has been making miniatures for approximately seven to eight years. No surprise what her favorite is, she says: "That's a tough one. Fish is definitely up there, but funny you should ask, because Halloween is when the juices really get flowing. The imagination goes into overdrive! I'm always inspired by the many cooking shows I watch, and just being out and about and observing (and eating!)."

* Patty Benedict, WoopityDooArt, another of my favorite mini artists, is known for her fantastic ghost figures and her fun, creepy mini brooms. You'll see more of her work in the coming days.

* Linda Wooten (Wooten Miniatures) has been creating minis since 2006 but says it's been a life-long love.  "I've loved miniatures my whole life since I was a little girl and my dad made me my first dollhouse out of scrap wood laying around the garage."

Halloween is a favorite and Linda says she "really gets into the spirit every year." (Groan!) The haunted house came about when she and her twin boys were watching Disney's Haunted House and they wanted her to make one. Halloween was four weeks ago so she made a smaller house than she would've liked but everyone was happy with the results - with one exception. "The only thing that really freaked them out was the ghoul coming out of the door," she says. "Since I had the dollhouse sitting on the dining room table, they made me cover up the ghoul while they were eating. And believe it or not, the ghoul was their idea!"

(Photos: clock, Patty Benedict, WoopityDooArt; wine, C. Verstraete; - all items and photos (c) 2012 by their creators)

** Today's Spooky Read:  On each day, visitors can pick up a few new books to read, which I'm linking at the end of each post... So I am pleased to share that they are clamoring, biting, clawing and slobbering all over to get the upcoming GIRL Z: MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ZOMBIE by C.A. Verstraete. It's a YA zombie tale with a little romance, humor, a bit of zombie gore and a few twists. Coming in 2013! Click link for details! Watch the website and Facebook for updates and the cover!

** Come back each day for the rest of the party! Now on to Day 2... **


(Christine Verstraete - http://candidcanine.blogspot.com)


THE PRIZES



a Rafflecopter giveaway

October 24, 2012

Welcome to the Coffin Hop for Halloween - ghouls, witches, zombies, oh my!


Welcome to The Coffin Hop! Follow the links for some great Halloween reads, prizes, giveaways, and more, including a free preview copy of COFFIN HOP: DEATH BY DRIVE-IN.

And... don't forget to come back here Weds. 10/25 for the start of my giveaway and my annual event, the 2012 Halloween in Miniature Party!

 What's coming!! More zombies - with a twist! Coming in 2013: my YA novel, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie  (Be sure to follow the blog and check my website for news and the cover reveal in the months ahead... -  Follow the GIRL Z page on Facebook.) - Keep reading for the synopsis, today's post and details on my "zombie lite" short story.

 Life can suck when you're sixteen. It can suck even worse when you're not- quite- dead.

Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Herrera Hayes faces every teenager's biggest nightmares: bad skin, bad hair, and worse . . . turning into one of the living dead.


Becca's life changes forever when her cousin Spence comes back to their small Wisconsin town carrying a deadly secret—he's becoming a zombie, a fate he shares with her through an accidental scratch.

The Z infection, however, has mutated, affecting younger persons like her, or those treated early enough, differently. Now she must cope with weird physical changes and habits no girl wants to be noticed for. Then she meets Gabe, a good-looking part-Z like her and fears falling for him. After all, how can he, who shows hardly any Z symptoms, be interested in someone like her?

But time is running out... Becca needs his help as she and her cousin Carm search for their missing mothers and fight off hungry Zs.
Most of all, she needs to find something, anything, to stop this deadly transformation before it is forever too late...

Why do we love getting scared? 

 I love Halloween! It's a great time to let your hair down and let your "inner ghoul" out. haa!

Ever since I can remember I've loved the scare that comes from a spooky book or movie. I still haven't forgotten the creepiness of Edgar Allen Poe's Telltale Heart (book and movie), or the way I jumped when the dog moved and scared me while I was at the end of Stephen King's book, Pet Sematary. 

 Non-horror fans often say that real life is scary enough. True. But most fictional horror presents a probably-can't-or won't-happen scare - the zombies coming after you - the witch turning you into a horrid monster - the thing that grabs at you from under the bed, or out of the closet. 

 It's letting your imagination take you places you never expected  - or would ever, ever want - to go. Unlike the real life horrors out there, this is a "healthy" scare, if you will. It's like walking into a haunted house and the heart-building apprehension building of what's around the corner. In fact, it's probably a great tension reliever. Real life scares are usually never funny. At least with fiction or a good movie, you can get scared, and then laugh about it.




  * I call my short story THE KILLER VALENTINE BALL "horror lite," it's zombies with a twist and a dash of humor....Every girl dreams of going to a "Killer Valentine Ball"... For Jess, it becomes a night she'll never forget...  



October 19, 2012

2012 Virtual Zombie Walk - The fascination with zombies

Thanks for stopping by as part of the 2012 Virtual Zombie Walk


    My first YA horror fiction title, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie by C.A. Verstraete, will be published next year from Intrigue Publishing.  (Image: Night of the Living Dead)

Here's the short synopsis:

 Life can suck when you're sixteen. It can suck even worse when you're not- quite- dead.

Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Herrera Hayes faces every teenager's biggest nightmares: bad skin, bad hair, and worse . . . turning into one of the living dead.

Becca's life changes forever when her cousin Spence comes back to their small Wisconsin town carrying a deadly secret—he's becoming a zombie, a fate he shares with her through an accidental scratch.

 The Z infection, however, has mutated, affecting younger persons like her, or those treated early enough, differently. Now she must cope with weird physical changes and habits no girl wants to be noticed for. Then she meets a good-looking part-Z like her and fears falling for him. After all, how can he, who shows hardly any Z symptoms, be interested in someone like her?

But time is running out... Becca needs his help as she and her cousin Carm search for their missing mothers and fight off hungry Zs.

 Most of all, she needs to find something, anything, to stop this deadly transformation before it is forever too late...

** Follow the ZOMBIE WALK links at the end of this post **

Some thoughts on the current societal fascination with zombies:

Go back as far as you can in history, and monsters have been there not only to scare us, but to provide a message or serve as an outlet for people's societal opinions or fears.

Grimms' Fairy Tales, first published in 1812,  was a kind of mirror, reflecting the cruelties of real life, according to National Geographic. (Read the unvarnished 1914 tales.) People were monsters, or did the unthinkable.


But as frightening as real life could be, even more scary was death itself.  Perhaps the age-old fears of being buried alive were conquered in the "thing" that continued to live on, although these monsters were horrors unto themselves. Yet, they offered their own form of zombieism, like Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) who brought an unholy immortality to his followers; or Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, (1818), an unholy existence formed from resurrecting the dead. (Image: Frankenstein 1931 film)

You can blame (or applaud) George Romero's film classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, as the inspiration for the modern zombie. Having expanded beyond the typical victim of voodoo, today's zombie continues to live/unlive in film and countless books. In recent years, the phenomenon has continued to grow and thrive, maybe being fed by our own societal woes - fears of life as it is, governmental corruption, societal breakdown - the near death, if you will, of life as we know it.

Some say they don't like zombies or monsters since life is scary enough, but in a way, how better to cope with reality than give it a fictional monster form? You at least can kill the monster and end the madness - providing you aren't bitten in the process. - Christine Verstraete - Candid Canine
2012 VIRTUAL ZOMBIE WALK STOPS

































































October 15, 2012

A surprise character came to visit in The Colors of Death



When I started writing my mystery novel, The Colors of Death, I got two surprises. The first was all the humor and romance in the piece and the second was the dog. Oh, I knew there’d be a dog. I put a dog, or two, or more, in every book I write. I was just surprised by this dog.
The basic plot of The Colors of Death is: a recently divorced young woman living in Minnesota receives a call from her uncle who lives in San Diego. He’s had a heart attack and needs her to help run his printing business until he’s well. For Callie, it’s an easy decision to make. It’s winter so she leaves the snow and cold behind and flies out to help her beloved uncle. Little does she know, there’s trouble brewing in the print shop, and her uncle neglected to tell her he had a dog, and not just any dog. He has a huge blind black Labrador retriever named, Ray Charles.
                                         
Here’s the first Chapter of The Colors of Death
                                                                           Chapter One

          Rain drizzled down the side of the cement building like tears from an aging elephant, the windows in front of me were dark, empty and lifeless. Tension sizzled though my body like lightning in a summer storm and the shop keys almost slid out of my sweaty fingers. It took me three tries before I managed to get the lock to turn. I pushed open the heavy door and immediately regretted it.
         The smell oozing out reminded me of the time I’d gone on vacation and forgotten to refrigerate some eggs. Before I could turn and escape back outside, a phone rang somewhere in the dark recesses of the shop. I followed the sound into a small office off the lobby.
         The jingling rotary phone squatted on the battered desk like a fat, black toad. I’ve always been intrigued by a ringing telephone. Who will be on the other end? Friend or foe? Good news or bad? Life…or death? There was only one way to find out, so I answered it.
          “Good morning, the Print Shack. May I help you?”
          “Let me talk to Oly,” a male voice demanded.
         “I’m sorry. Mr. Torgelson isn’t here. He’s indisposed.”
          Silence, then, “What’s that mean?”
         “He’s sick.”
         “Oh. Listen, when he gets his ass back to work, tell him to call Joe. Tell him I done tole him and I done tole him. Only white paper in the bins. Can’t have nothing but white paper to recycle.” A deep, phlegmy cough rumbled through the receiver temporarily deafening me. “Can’t have no more weird stuff in the barrel. You got that?”
          “Yes, Joe. Only white paper, no weird stuff.” With the phone captured between my ear and shoulder, I pawed around attempting to locate a pencil stub under a pile of newspapers. The only blank space I could find was the edge of the desk calendar, so I scribbled a note there. In the middle of a print shop full of paper, there should be at least one notepad. I tried hard to keep the amusement out of my voice, but I had to ask.
          “Exactly what type of funny stuff did you find in the bin, Joe?”
         “An arm, dammit. I found some poor fella’s arm in the bottom of the barrel and it ain’t a bit funny. Now I got a big drum full of white paper soaked in blood. What the hell am I gonna do with it? You tell Oly, next time I find body parts in one of the bins, I stop picking up.”

            As you can image, things just keep getting worse and worse for poor Callie Sue. Fortunately, she’s from good hearty Norwegian Minnesota stock and she not only survives, she thrives. The Colors of Death is available at: www.writewordsinc.com and  www.amazon.com.

I’ve lived with and loved dogs for over forty years and there are a few things I’ve learned along the way. I’ll share some tips with you all whenever I add to this blog. Ready? Here goes.
What’s the one indispensible thing that you should always have in your refrigerator?
Liverwurst! If you’ve ever had to give your dog a pill, this one is a no brainer. I know I used to try to put the pill in a piece of cheese. Dogs love cheese, right? Well, somehow they always managed to eat the cheese and spit out the pill. A little ball of hamburger? Same result. Maybe you tried peanut butter. Now you have a really soggy disintegrating pill, dog slobber on all your fingers, pants, shirt and floor and the silly dog is sitting there grinning at you. Well the answer is liverwurst. Shove the pill in the middle of a glob of liverwurst, put it in the palm of your hand (we don’t want to lose any fingers) offer it to the dog and watch the medicine go down.
            Even if your dogs are healthy and don’t need pills, it never hurts to keep some liverwurst on hand – just in case. You can always make a tasty sandwich with it for lunch.
            Took the dogs to the sand dunes for a run last Wednesday and Dennis, my husband, shot this video. Are they having fun, or what? Duke and Ebony playing – Tara barking.
                                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXOeBSeiIaU&feature=youtu.be
            Till next time. Don’t forget to check out my latest book, How to Write a Mystery, now available at www.amazon.com
Carlene
www.carlenedater.com
www.themysterystartshere.com
www.Facebook.com/CarleneraeDater
www.Twitter.com/CarleneRaeDater
www.Manicreaders.com/CarleneRaeDater


October 10, 2012

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop Week 15 - what's with the zombie?

I shared some new details about my upcoming book, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie, as part of The Next Big Thing Blog Hop - Week 15.  See post at my website blog.


October 05, 2012

Meet Carlene, author of Mind Echoes... and Ebony


     First of all, I want to thank Christine for allowing me to share her blog. Two of my very favorite things in life are dogs and writing, so I’ll be able to combine the two and hopefully entertain you all a couple times a month. Do post comments or email to me – I love feedback.
     Since I published my paranormal romantic suspense novel, Mind Echoes, people often ask me where I got the idea.

At the time I wrote the book, my husband and I were living in San Diego with three HUGE Labs. A friend recommended a house call veterinarian to me, to take care of our dog’s routine health and so much easier than hauling all three to the vets. I called Dr. Alice and made an appointment. She arrived with her tray of drugs and vaccines, proceeded to grab everything with four legs and check their heart, ears, and toes – you know, all that vet stuff. Over time, Alice and I became friends and I learned a lot from her. We were having a cup of coffee one day after she’d finished with the dogs and she mentioned a women she knew who could communicate with animals. Talk about a spark!
     The thought of an animal communicator kept buzzing around in my head until the title Mind Echoes rose to the surface. I knew I had to write a novel about the subject. Yup, I wrote an entire 75,000 word novel around the title only. I’d already had a lot of vet/pet experiences and started jotting them down. At that time, we had a holistic veterinarian who came to the house and gave Clarkie acupuncture treatments. He would put needles in Clarkie and I’d sit on the floor with my dog, petting him until his 15 minute treatment was finish. During that time, Doug the vet and I had many wonderful and enlightening conversations. When he finally asked me why I needed to know all the veterinarian treatments, I broke down and told him I was writing a novel about a pet communicator. He thought it was a great idea and gave me some things to think about. Then I pumped him for information!
     I can’t honestly tell you how long it took me to write the book, because I generally work on more than one project at a time. When I finished the first draft, I gave it to Alice to read. She found some inaccuracies and other bits of information she thought I needed to put in the book. I followed some of her suggestions, edited, read and edited the manuscript some more, then sent it to my beta reader for a final go.
Finally I sent the manuscript off to a publisher and sat down to wait! I was delighted when Whiskey Creek Press bought the book and I think they did a wonderful job with the cover. I’m happy to say, the book has done well and why not? Most people love dogs and animals in general and Mind Echoes has plenty of both. I wrote the book so it could have a sequel but….never got around to writing one! If you read the book, let me know if you’d like to read more adventures from Brody, J.T. and Boomer. I might just have to write a sequel.
     When Christine introduced me, she mentioned that my husband and I share our lives with two big Labs and we were looking for another, smaller dog. Well, we found one – or she found us! We volunteer as dog walkers at the local animal shelter and like to keep tabs on the dogs that come in. Now, keep in mind, I wanted a male yellow Lab, three or four years old. Well, you know that old saying, “Life is what happens while you’re making plans” ? I saw a photo of a small black part (very small part!) Lab that the shelter folks had named Angel. She’d been found wandering loose, starving, shivering and scared to death. She’d already had one litter of pups and God only knows what happened to them! Poor little Angel was grossly underweight, had a bladder infection, ear infection and shook with fear. She was taken to the veterinarian for spaying, given medication for all her other maladies and put in foster care to help socialize her.
When I saw her photo, I fell in love! My husband and I took our other two dogs and met Angel and her foster dad away from our house. We wanted to see how our two would interact with Angel. Neither of them was thrilled, but my husband and I decided to take her for a couple of days – just to see. Of course you know what happed! She has been romping with Duke, and snuggling with Tara and now she’s our dog! Yes, we gave her a forever home and re-named her Ebony. The first night she was with us, she decided that my side of the bed was preferable to her dog bed in the bedroom so….I now have a 30 lbs. bed warmer! Yes, yes, I know – she needs to sleep on her own bed and she will…..soon.
     I’ve uploaded a photo of  Ebony – what do you think?
     Hope to hear from you all. Tell next time, give your dog a big hug and tell him you love him. 

October 02, 2012

Welcome to Duffy Brown, author of ICED CHIFFON, A Consignment Shop Mystery

Today I welcome Duffy Brown, author of the new mystery, Iced Chiffon (A Consignment Shop Mystery) which releases TODAY!

About the book:
There’s always something to gossip about in Savannah, Georgia, and Reagan Summerside always seems to be in the middle of it. She’s busy enough running her consignment shop, The Prissy Fox, with her vivacious Auntie KiKi, but now the gossip—and the sales—are about to pick up after a gruesome discovery…

Reagan’s messy divorce has left her with nothing but a run-down Victorian and a bunch of designer clothes. Strapped for cash, Reagan makes use of the two things she has left, turning the first floor of her home into a consignment shop and filling it with the remnants of her rich-wife wardrobe.

Thanks to his cunning lawyer Walker Boone, her ex got everything else, including the Lexus—not to mention a young blond cupcake. When Reagan finds the cupcake dead in the Lexus, she’s determined to beat Boone to finding the murderer. As it turns out, the gossip fiends flooding Reagan’s shop will give her a lot more than just their unwanted clothes—they have information more precious than a vintage Louis Vuitton…

(From the hostess again: I love mysteries with a touch of humor and this is a good one. And who doesn't just love digging out treasures at consignment shops?? So, I guess I'll forgive her daring to let a "cat" sneak in here! Oh, I mean, I ADORE felines... (can always use another tote bag...ha-ha)   -- Good news is - the book does feature a rescue dog! Much better. ha! * Read on for her contest and an excerpt!)



Here's Duffy's two cents:

The Dr. Watson Chronicles...

I’m a cat, all best pets are and today something terrible happened, The Servant told me…me!...to start earning my keep, that I’d better be useful as well as ornamental around this house or it was no more Fancy Feast and she’d start buying that cheap three-for-a-buck tuna crap!

Cheap tuna??? Me!! Where’s my crystal? My china? Didn’t I train her better than this? That bitch! And I’m hungry!

So here I am paws poised at the keyboard instead of snuggled on my memory foam mattress with blue silk pillow while The Servant pours over her latest WIP, Killer in Crinolines. That’s me right now, least the killer part is. Do you know what she wrote in that book and in the one before it?? A dog!! Bruce Willis! Where’s the loyalty, the love the good sense. Everyone knows the best pet is a cat in and out of book!

I figured I had The Servant pretty well trained. Open the door, shut the door, scoop the litter, new toys every week, bits of steak and brie and salmon...you get the picture. But suddenly I’m second fiddle to a dog!

I’m not taking this lying down! I’m not taking this at all. I’m getting even!! I’ll shed!

We all know the best pet of all is spelled c-a-t and not d-o-g. Dogs drool, and CATS rule and don’t you forget it.

*** So, what’ pet do you like best in your books? I know it’s a cat but if you say so maybe The Servant pounding away on her keyboard will believe me.  And if you agree with me I’ll put you in a drawing for an Iced Chiffon tote.

Keep on purring,
Dr. Watson 

* Excerpt from ICED CHIFFON:

Auntie KiKi scurried out the front door waving her hands in the air. “Where in the world have you been?” she panted, leaning in through the open car window. “When I got home, there were three people waiting on your porch ready to shop! They said they got one of those tweets.” She tsked, the universal sound of exasperated Southern women everywhere. “Whatever happened to the days when you got a nice phone call from a friend telling you what was what?” she lamented. “You have customers in your dining room looking for bargains, and I have a waltz lesson with Bernard in ten minutes.” She heaved a weary sigh.

Bernard Thayer was seventy, had no rhythm, less coordination, been Mr. Weather on Savannah TV for thirty years and he was determined to wind up on Dancing with the Stars.
KiKi thrust a wad of bills at me. “I went and got stuff from my own closet to sell to spruce up your inventory and what in the world are you doing with the Lexus?”

“I sold that fountain in the back yard to Raylene Carter for a small fortune. Now I have to deliver it as well as get the car back before Hollis knows I took it. I sort of didn’t tell him.”

“Oh, honey, Grand Theft Auto, your mamma will be so proud.”

I ignored the possibility that my scum-bucket ex would call the cops and I popped the trunk. “Take a look-see at how much room we have. Hollis stores his real estate junk in there.”

“We?”

I grabbed my purse and rummaged for keys to the shed as I headed for the back yard. “I’ve got a cart. We can haul the fountain and--”

“Sweet Jesus in heaven! Uh, Reagan, honey,” KiKi called, her finger crooked at me in a come-here gesture. “We have junk, a great big pile of it.”

“Dump it on the lawn,” I said hurrying back to the car to help unload. “If I have to hire movers I won’t make any money and I have an electric bill due and-- Holy mother of God!” My gaze landed on Cupcake, eyes wide open, and dead as Lincoln right there in Hollis’s trunk.

KiKi and I stared, neither of us breathing. KiKi finally whispered, “She doesn’t look nearly as good in the pink chiffon as you do.”

“Maybe because she has blood in her hair and is rolled up in plastic like a hot dog in a bun.” I made the sign of the cross for disrespecting the dead.

September 27, 2012

Welcome to Carlene Rae Dater, author of Mind Echoes


Today I extend a special welcome to dog lover and multi-published author Carlene Rae Dater, who will be guest posting here twice a month! Yay!


Carlene has authored a number of books including MIND ECHOES, a murder mystery featuring a veterinarian who shares a special psychic gift with her canine patients, to romantic suspense, and a writing guide, How to Write a Mystery.

Carlene could be my writing twin, though she's ahead on the book count! She also comes from a journalism background and then got into writing fiction. She began writing hard news, feature articles and humorous essays. She has sold short stories to magazines in the horror, confession, religious and humor markets, and nonfiction articles to a variety of national and local magazines.

Carlene has published nine novels, three novellas and two non-fiction books. She has two novels due out early in 2013. She teaches writing classes through Community Education at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. She writes full-time from her home in Coos Bay, Oregon where she lives with her husband and two huge Labrador retrievers.

Learn more at her blogs: www.carlenedater.com, www.themysterystartshere.com, and www.manicreaders.com/CarleneRaeDater, and on www.Facebook.com/CarleneraeDater.

Meet Carlene and her dogs, Tara and Duke:


Carlene says, "I have lived with dogs for 40 years. I currently share my life with two yellow Labs. We got Tara as a puppy 10 years ago. She’s pure bred – with all the problems! Hip dysplasia, blew out her ACL and had surgery to repair when she was only four. Had horrid allergies for years. Now she’s getting cataracts so I’m not sure how much she can see but….I love her to pieces.

"We got Duke a little over three years ago as a rescue. He’s about six now and just delightful. He LOVES people! Especially children. When we walk them in the park and he sees kids, he pulls at his leash and yodels! Too funny. They are both very large dogs – 110 lbs each. We’re kind of looking for another dog for Duke to play with as Tara is slowing down. I’m sure we’ll find one someday. Right now my husband and I volunteer at the animal shelter and walk dogs."

Love the dogs! Carlene will share more about her dogs, rescue work and her books in upcoming posts. For today, check out her dog-related mystery with a psychic flair, MIND ECHOES, which definitely sounds good. See the excerpt below.


About MIND ECHOES:
From the scene of a brutal murder, to the rescue of kidnapped child, the action in MIND ECHOES will keep you turning pages until the exciting, climatic end. Veterinarian Brody McAlister has communicated with animals all her life, but tells no one about her gift. San Diego Detective J.T. Flynn knows there is something unusual about the vet but he needs her help. Together they follow clues and piece together evidence until they solve both crimes . . . with a little help and a few MIND ECHOES from dogs. Genre: Mystery/Romance/Suspense Thriller



Excerpt from MIND ECHOES:

Man sick.

The telepathic words shot through Veterinarian Brody McAlister’s mind so strong they rocked her back in her seat. Pain sliced into her head, searing and hot. She took a deep calming breath, slid out of her Explorer, and slammed the door. The noise reverberated through the quiet neighborhood like a pistol shot. With shaking hands, Brody hoisted her medical case, rotated her head to ease the tension in her neck, and started toward the house. Her stomach roiled and she clenched her chattering teeth.

Ordinarily she’d be home by now, sipping a glass of wine, thinking about which frozen TV dinner to nuke, but her client, Mr. Wiser, had called and asked to stop by on her way home. He was a nice old guy, always paid in cash, and treated her like a long-lost granddaughter, so here she was.

Brody had only gone a few steps when she tripped over a garden hose snaking across her path. She stumbled to a stop and froze. Dim shadows washed over the uneven concrete walk. A hot blast of desert air shot through the trees, bringing with it the scent of night blooming jasmine and something else, a strong chemical odor from near by. Brody stood still, waiting. She nibbled at her lower lip, while her eyes probed the gloom, debating the wisdom of going on instead of returning to the safety of her Explorer. She squared her shoulders, kicked the hose out of her way, and kept going. Her tongue slipped out to moisten her dry lips.

Darkness wrapped around the front of the residence, which was unusual. Mr. Wiser’s fading eyesight must have made walking around the house a chore even in daylight. The minute the sun sank below Mission Bay, he switched on every light in the house. Now, even the porch was inky and filled with silhouettes. Brody started up the first step when she heard a snuffling noise in front of her and stopped abruptly.

Man sick. Fix?

A chill rippled down her spine. It sounded like the same animal she’d heard in her SUV. Nausea burbled in her gut. She set her medical case on the wooden step and fumbled in the pocket of her smock for the tiny flashlight she always carried. The metal tube was cold in her sweaty palm. She clicked it on. When she pointed the pale shaft of light toward the house, a dog shambled out of the shadows.

Relief washed over her body at the sight of the familiar animal. “Hey, Boomer, what’s the problem, Buddy?” The pudgy Beagle ducked his head and moved forward a few steps. Once again his mind echo pierced her senses: Man broken—help? He waddled closer to her, hesitated, then turned and disappeared into the gloom. The dog’s agitation was coming across loud and clear, and it scared the hell out of her.

Aware the front porch needed repairs, Brody focused the light in front of her. The cone of illumination slithered along the wooden floor until the beam bathed the dog. He cowered near the wall of the house, his head turned away.

“Come to Brody, Boomer. I won’t hurt you,” Brody said in a quiet, even tone of voice.

He refused to come toward her; instead he pointed his muzzle at the sky and howled. Hair stood out all over Brody’s icy trembling body. Alarm bells clanked in her mind. This wasn’t at all like the dog. The ten-year-old had always been friendly and eager to please when she’d treated him in the past.

Brody moved forward, crouched down, fumbled for a dog cookie in her pocket, and held it out to coax the animal to her. “Come here, Boomer. Where’s your daddy? Is he okay? Are you?”

Boomer shuffled a few steps in her direction, the lure of the treat too tempting to resist.

When Boomer slithered near enough he grabbed the cookie, chomped twice, and swallowed. His mournful eyes never left her face. Smelly boy hurt. Fix! The mind echo screamed into her brain. This time when he disappeared into the gloom, Brody followed.

Boomer sat next to his master’s body, one paw on the man’s still chest. Blood drenched the front of Mr. Wiser’s shirt, spilled out on the porch, and formed a halo around his head. A knife still protruded from his belly.

Fix? Boomer’s mind echo splashed into her brain.



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