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Showing posts from July, 2020

Gone Hiking

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The Ninja Librarian is out hiking and camping. I have prepared a few posts during this 2-week period, but won’t be around much as wi-fi is hard to come by. Meanwhile, check out the IWSG Anthology blog for some nice resources for writers. Part 1 Part 2 And a picture:

Mystery Monday: Love and Death Among the Cheetahs

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Title: Author: Publication Info: Source:   Publisher's Blurb (per Amazon): Georgie and Darcy are finally on their honeymoon in Kenya's Happy Valley, but murder crashes the party in this all-new installment in the New York Times bestselling series. I was so excited when Darcy announced out of the blue that we were flying to Kenya for our extended honeymoon. Now that we are here, I suspect he has actually been sent to fulfill another secret mission. I am trying very hard not to pick a fight about it, because after all, we are in paradise! Darcy finally confides that there have been robberies in London and Paris. It seems the thief was a member of the aristocracy and may have fled to Kenya. Since we are staying in the Happy Valley—the center of upper-class English life—we are well positioned to hunt for clues and ferret out possible suspects.   Now that I am a sophisticated married woman, I am doing my best to sound like one. But crikey! These aristocrats are a thoro

Photo Friday: Mt. Lassen National Park

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Before I let you look a the pretty pictures, I have a request. It's come to my attention that my main characters are women who are pretty good at hiding their feelings. In fact, they seem to have some issues with admitting they have them at all. When I started thinking about writing a character who is more open, I realized how pervasive this attitude is in our American culture (and British too, I think). So here's what I'm looking for: books with main characters who are unafraid to have and express their feelings. Whatever the heck that looks like. Okay, leave your suggestions in the comments, and enjoy the photos. Oh, and to see what I mean about my books, head over to the Smashwords sale and nab my books before the prices go up more! Last weekend the "Land of Way Too Hot" (as I called Chico last week) was too much, and I headed up to Lassen with one of my sons for an overnight backpack trip. The scenic highlight was the comet, though we weren't able to get

Book Blast: Keep Writing With Fey

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On this "Writer's Wednesday," I'm pleased to announce Chrys Fey's new writing book, Keep Writing With Fey: Sparks to Defeat Writer's Block, Depression, and Burnout. The copy I bought has just landed in my Kindle, and I look forward to reading it. I've followed Chry's blog for some time, and gotten good tips from her about working through burnout, depression, and more. So take a look... Catch the sparks you need to conquer writer’s block, depression, and burnout!   When Chrys Fey shared her story about depression and burnout, it struck a chord with other writers. That put into perspective for her how desperate writers are to hear they aren’t alone. Many creative types experience these challenges, battling to recover. Let Keep Writing with Fey: Sparks to Defeat Writer's Block, Depression, and Burnout guide you through:   ·          Writer's block ·          Depression ·          Writer's burnout ·          What a writer doesn’t need t

Photo Friday: Washington Dayhikes and Sunsets

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My boys and I traveled to Seattle to spend a little time with family, especially my mom and my brother and his family. It was a good time to relax and get taken care of a bit, and we also fit in a couple of dayhikes with Dave's brother and his wife. Seattle was delightfully cool and while we never did see Mt. Rainier (never in the right place at the right time), we enjoyed some good views of other things. Our first and best hike was a 9 1/2 or 10 mile hike to Melakwa Lake. Like most of the hikes near Seattle, I'd been there before--30 years ago. Funny, but I didn't remember much about it. The hike starts out climbing up beneath the westbound lanes of I90. It felt a bit like the Ewok world in Star Wars--all forest and primitive, then up above there's this space-age transportation thing. Fantastic waterfall 1/3 of the way up. We enjoyed our lunch at the lake, but weren't inspired to swim, as temps were in the high 50s and there was still snow down to the water in plac

Non-fiction Review: The Winter Army

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Title: The Winter Army: The World War II Odyssey of the 10th Mountain Division, America's Elite Alpine Warriors Author: Maurie Isserman. Narrated by Brian Troxell Publication Info: Audible Audio, 2019. Hardcover 2019 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 336 pages Source: Library digital resoures   Publisher's Blurb/Goodreads: The epic story of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, whose elite soldiers broke the last line of German defenses in Italy’s mountains in 1945, spearheading the Allied advance to the Alps and final victory. At the start of World War II, the US Army had two cavalry divisions—and no mountain troops. The German Wehrmacht, in contrast, had many well-trained and battle-hardened mountain divisions, some of whom by 1943 blocked the Allied advance in the Italian campaign. Starting from scratch, the US Army developed a unique military fighting force, the 10th Mountain Division, drawn from the ranks of civilian skiers, mountaineers, and others with outdoor ex

Photo Friday and Smashwords Sale!

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So, before I get into sharing more photos from Antarctica, you have to hear about the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale. All my books are on sale, and for this first week of July, they are 75% off, which means the ones usually 99 cents are free--a great chance to get in at the start of each series! Jump on the chance, because I'm going to reduce the percentage off each week, unless I forget (yeah, I'm not really expecting great things of myself). Find my books at my Author Page and stock up! Just missing the latest, Death By Library and The Christmas Question--but you'll find them all on sale at Smashwords! Okay, now for Antarctica #6,  Cierva Harbor Zodiac Cruise As with my last photo post, I'm offering minimal commentary. This was the next-to-last day of landings and adventures, and as you will see, weather was damp and dreary, but even under those conditions the light in Antarctica could be beautiful. Coming into the harbor in the morning. First view, an Argentine base.

IWSG: The Future of (indy) Publishing?

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  The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group posting day, where writers can express their doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It's a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Check it out  here  and join if you want support with your writing.  Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.  Remember, the question is optional!  July 1 question - There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?     The awesome co-host