T Is for Thanksgiving – and Tea

~ Margaret Lucke

By Margaret Lucke

’Tis the season for gratitude, and I hope that as you sit down later this month at your Thanksgiving table, you’ll have plenty of things to be grateful for. For me, one of the main entries on this year’s things-I’m-glad-to-have-in-my-life list is tea.

In fact that’s on my list every year, in fact every day. Each morning as I sit down at my desk to write, I give thanks to Shen Nung, who gave humanity one of its greatest gifts.

Shen Nung was an emperor of ancient China, revered for teaching his people the art of cultivating grain and for researching the medicinal value of herbs. He believed drinking water should be boiled to make it clean and healthy.

Legend says that one day in 2737 BC, while traveling through a remote region, he rested in the shade of a wild bush while his servants boiled a pot of water for him. A gust of breeze blew some leaves and twigs into the water, but the thirsty emperor drank it anyway. To his delight, the brew had a wonderful aroma and flavor.

The bush was Camellia sinensis, and the drink he discovered was tea. Shen Nung proclaimed it to be a beverage of many virtues. He claimed the person who consumed it would gain “vigor of body, contentment of mind, and determination of purpose.”

Who can argue with an emperor?

I would add one more benefit to the list—tea stimulates creativity. My creativity, anyway.

A mug of tea is my constant companion through the workday. In the morning I like to be fueled by one of the breakfast teas, like English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast, or by Newman’s Own Organic Black, which I favor because it tastes good and the company gives its profits to charity. I’ll take mine black, thank you—no milk, sugar, or lemon.

Later on I often invite the distinguished Earl Grey to join me at my desk. His namesake tea is the perfect pick-me-up in the late afternoon. For my birthday one year a friend gave me a fun present, an Earl Grey tasting: six packages of Earl Grey tea, each a different brand. I was surprised to discover how dissimilar they were—six very different flavors, even though they were all made to the same basic formula: black tea permeated with oil of bergamot.

Sometimes I vary my routine by indulging in something more exotic. Oolong, Darjeeling, Kilgiri, Keemun, Assam, Russian Caravan—the names alone are enough to spark the imagination.

I stop drinking tea around 6 p.m., in deference to my desire for a good night’s sleep. Tea does contain caffeine. Pound for pound it has more caffeine than coffee. However, tea gives you many more cups from a pound than coffee does, so cup for cup there’s less caffeine in tea. I’ve never noticed that drinking black tea in the evening really inhibits my sleep. But I prefer to err on the safe side, so my bedtime libation isn’t real tea but something herbal, like ginger or mint.

My kitchen cupboard holds several delicate porcelain teacups with matching saucers, and the cupboard is where they stay. You have to fill one of them three times to get enough tea to taste. I prefer a mug that has a generous capacity and a wide curve to the handle so it’s easy to hold.

I consider tea to be one of the most important tools of the writer’s trade, right up there with my writing software program and my solitaire game. A tool is something that helps you accomplish a task. Without tea, I’d never get any writing done. Uh-oh, my mug is empty. Excuse me while I go and refill it. Thanks again, Shen Nung!

~

Here’s something else to be thankful for this season—the Ladies of Mystery Cavalcade of Books! This catalog goes live from November 15 through December 31, 2024 and features books by all of the Ladies, some at special prices just for you! A great opportunity to get wonderful gifts for your favorite readers or yourself (you deserve some gifts too). You can find our Cavalcade of Books by clicking here.

When The Time Has Come and Gone by Heather Haven

~ Heather Haven ~ 7 Comments

There was a song from 1960 called “Good Timin’” by Jimmy Jones. If you’re my age, you might remember it. Hit the link in either the title of the song or the album cover and sing along with Jimmy and me:

Oh, you need timin’
A-ticka, ticka, ticka, good timin’
A-tocka, tocka, tocka, tocka
Timin’ is the thing, It’s true
Good timin’ brought me to you
(Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)

Ah! They don’t write them like that anymore. I think this rock and roll song speaketh the truth about one of Life’s important things. Timing is everything. Would I have poo-pooed the love of my life, a man I’ve been with for 44 years, at an earlier time because I wasn’t ready to meet him yet? Would he have poo-pooed me if he hadn’t met me at the right time? Oh stop, Heather. You’re being ridiculous. He would have adored you no matter when he met you. That’s what Mom said, and she was always right, even when she wasn’t.

Moving on, would I have stayed in the acting business and never written a word, if I’d gotten that last audition, the one I didn’t want in the first place, but at the time, it seemed an easier career path? Would I have had that nose job if I hadn’t decided to spend the money on a French Poodle that came my way instead? Fleur was a great dog, so right decision made that day.

When I started writing the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, I couldn’t find any other series about a successful, upper-crust Mexican American family of detectives. That was in 2005. People have often asked what inspired me to write the Alvarez Family Mysteries. The answer is I’m intrigued by the dynamics of familial relationships and America’s history of immigrants rising to heights often unattainable in their native countries.

That lofty statement made – and pahdon me while I play the grand piano – the truth is there’s something about a family who does their darnedest to be supportive and positive no matter what, that can be heartwarming and often hilarious. So, enter the Alvarez Family, owners of Discretionary Inquiries Inc., a Silicon Valley based detective agency.

The lineup includes Liana (Lee), protagonist and in-house detective; Lila, CEO, aristocrat, and never-had-a bad-hair-day mother; Richard, head of the IT department, a brilliant but goofy computer-nerd kid brother; Tío, uncle and retired executive chef who gives unconditional love while frying up the best tortillas in town; and, of course, Tugger, the foundling kitten. The family drifted apart after the unexpected death of Roberto Alvarez, much-loved patriarch two years previous. But never underestimate a cat. Tugger helps reunite the family in his passive yet feline way.

Regarding Lee Alvarez, I wanted the protagonist of the series to be an intelligent, quirky, and flawed woman, but not so much she can’t learn and grow. Mainly, Lee’s happy to be in the world. She loves life. She strives to be a B&BP (bigger and better person), even while she’s spilling coffee all over herself. I adore her and hope it shows. Also, and this is important to me, she’s of blended heritage, half Mexican immigrant (her father’s side) and half Palo Alto Blueblood (her mother’s side).

The Italian half of my family came to the States at the turn of the 20th century, when it was difficult to be an Italian in the new world. Traditionally, the newest ones in are always the ones most challenged. But most immigrants work hard to integrate, to become useful and respected members of our society. No pity, just hard work, with love and good times thrown in. Olé! The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries show a family managing to capture the American dream today while stumbling over dead bodies and solving crimes in one of the most technically savvy places in the nation, Silicon Valley. All with a few laughs.

The series has been under option at two large subscription-based streaming services for about eight years, first one then the other and back at the first one again. The option money has been lovely, the idea of the stories being turned into a television series has been lovely, but in my humble opinion, the time has come and gone for it to be offered to the television viewer.

I don’t think my assessment is based on the years gone by. After all, Fences, a 2016 film directed and co-produced by Denzel Washington, was based on August Wilson’s 1985 play. That’s thirty-one years! But that was a movie. Television tends to be more faddish, today.  Statistically, only one out of a thousand are going to make the transition from the written page to TV. I suspect I am one of the 999. Because timing is everything. A ticka, ticka.

But God bless the reader. The book reader, fortunately, is another kind of person, not so faddish and more loyal. I think this is due to the fact that reading a book is a highly personal thing. I hope if I continue to write a decent story with a laugh or two about a family that doesn’t always “get” one another but the love is always there, the readers will still be there.

But I do have a copy of the first option check on my bulletin board. It gives me a warm glow. Sort of like rum.

~

On another note, the holiday season is being celebrated starting November 15th by the Ladies of Mystery with our Ladies of Mystery Cavalcade of Books. Each of us is offering three books, some at special prices just for you! Please click on the image below to see what’s what, once again starting November 15th!

The Intersection of History and Fiction

~ Janet Dawson ~ 8 Comments

I’ll tell you a story, a once-upon-a-time story, full of passion and loyalty, skullduggery and tragedy. It’s about a prince and princess who travel to a faraway land where they encounter all sorts of dangers. The prince dies and the princess spends the rest of her life shut up in a castle. Sounds like a fairy tale, right? But it’s all true.

The players are Maximilian, younger brother of the Austrian emperor and his wife Charlotte, a Belgian princess. Together they leave Europe and travel all the way to Mexico, where they are proclaimed emperor and empress by conservative monarchists who are trying to dislodge the republican government headed by President Benito Juarez. These European royals and their empire are propped up by French troops sent by Napoleon III, who wants to expand the influence of the French empire.

All this happens in the 1860s when the United States and its Monroe Doctrine are occupied by that contretemps known as the Civil War. To refresh your memory, the Monroe Doctrine asserts US pre-eminence in the hemisphere and excludes foreign intervention. Despite being focused on dealing with the Confederacy, the US government is not having any truck with the imperial interlopers and continues to recognize Juarez as the legitimate president of Mexico.

When the Civil War ends, the US provides money to the Juarez government. American volunteers, done with one war and ready for the next, pour across the border to join Juarez’s forces. Maximilian has never been popular with the Mexican people, and his tenure as emperor hangs by an increasingly fragile thread.

In January 1866, Napoleon III, facing a restive French public that wants no part of this expensive boondoggle, cuts his losses and gets out, withdrawing French troops. Maximilian keeps fighting, eventually losing the battle of Queretero. Captured in May 1867, he is executed by firing squad the following month, his remains eventually returned to Austria.

And what of Princess Charlotte, now the Empress Carlota? Well, that’s the part of the story that really fascinates me. In 1866, Carlota sets sail for Europe, hoping to dissuade Napoleon III from withdrawing his support. Her entreaties go nowhere. Her mental health, suspect even during her time in Mexico, deteriorates. She’s sure that people are out to get her, and maybe they are. She leaves Paris for Rome, seeking the Pope’s help. There she has a breakdown. Carlota spends the rest of her life in Belgium, shut up in a couple of castles. She dies in 1927 at the age of 86, having survived World War I and outlived the players in this bizarre episode.

What a yarn. It’s irresistible. To me, anyway. I’d never heard of Maximilian and Carlota until my first visit to Mexico, over 50 years ago. Looking for something to read, I prowled the paperback rack in a gift shop at a Mazatlan hotel and spied a book on the subject. I bought it, read it, and have since added a number of history books and biographies to my collection, for many writers have been fascinated by Maximilian, Carlota and their Mexican adventure.

The novel I bought in that hotel gift shop is called The Cactus and the Crown, by Catherine Gavin. It uses the emperor and empress as a backdrop for the main plot, which involves a young southern woman, Sally, who leaves the United States with her brother, heading for Mexico with a group of ex-Confederates who plan a new life in a place they call Carlota Colony. And yes, this colony of southern expatriates really did exist, for a short time. Sally and her brother, a doctor, take up residence in Mexico City, where he starts a medical practice and Sally falls in love with a French soldier. And both siblings are drawn into the imperial circle. Just as I was drawn into this improbably but true story.

Stories lie at the intersection of fiction and history. I’m fascinated by what happened to Carlota. Someday, maybe, I’ll write a novel about it. A once-upon-a-time story, about a princess in a castle, shut up with her memories and madness. Because that’s what writers do.

It’s coming soon! The Ladies of Mystery Cavalcade of Books will go live from November 15 through December 31, 2024, featuring books by all of the Ladies. Be sure to check it out! There will be links on the Ladies of Mystery blog site, as well as on my website, at http://www.janetdawson.com.

Guest Blogger ~ Helen Hynson Vettori

~ patyjag ~ 4 Comments

  Helen Hynson Vettori wrote the sci-fi political thriller, Black Swan Impact, because of her utter dismay regarding the U.S. Federal Government’s response to SARS COVID-19. When COVID-19 emerged, she had already retired from the Department of Homeland Security workforce. During her years of service, she helped plan and prepare for biological threats, to include pandemics. She rose to a position as an emergency management fellow and even won an award for outstanding emergency management achievements related to her efforts for planning and preparing for biothreats. As the COVID outbreak gripped the world, she became increasingly appalled by official actions or lack thereof compounded by confusing messaging.
     During lockdown family phone calls or Zoom meetings, Vettori would ask questions like, “How can this be?” or “Why aren’t they using the pandemic plan with the strategies and messaging that have been in place for years?” In response, her sister turned those questions toward an idea. She challenged Vettori by saying it sounded like she had a story bottled up inside. That observant sister was right. Vettori wrote the first draft of Black Swan Impact, first titled Black Swan Catastrophe, in two weeks. Then both her brother and her sister helped the author to focus on certain aspects of the plot and characters, expanding and enhancing them until Vettori ultimately brought the sci-fi political novel to fruition.
     One can argue that Black Swan Impact is fiction and improbable. Yet there are truths woven throughout the novel, including the fact that some people will or won’t follow orders and strategies, particularly when they are politically motivated and garbled in messaging. The truths embedded in Vettori’s novel stem from her vocational subject matter expertise and life experiences. Helen Vettori NEMAA, NSFP-EM appeared in her signature block when she was a member of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) workforce. The professional acronyms signified her subject matter expertise in emergency management. She earned noted knowledge and skills over the course of years through education, valuable mentoring from those immersed in the field, applied applications, and leadership initiatives. She even received affirmation of her contributions by being awarded employee of the year award in 2013. However, her career in DHS as an emergency manager did not solely influence her as she wrote Black Swan Impact. Indeed, there were other elements that enabled her to create a plausible world facing an unimaginable threat from a novel, virulent pathogen. Her eclectic background afforded her unique, first-hand knowledge that she wove into the plot. Those other career paths were serving the National Capital Region as an EMT paramedic by joining the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, acting as a senior medical intelligence analyst at the Protective Medicine Branch, earning a master’s degree in strategic intelligence, and becoming a staff member of Counter Narcotics and Terrorism Operational Medical Support.
     When it was time for her to retire from the federal government, she devoted her full attention to endeavors like travel until the 2020 pandemic lockdown barred that. Like everyone, she fell captive to the situation. Her frustrations regarding the muddled response led her to write, which became cathartic. Vettori credits that process for her to be able to move away from anguish and disbelief by channeling those emotions into the sci-fi political thriller, Black Swan Impact. They allowed her to craft a plot laced with credibility and striking scenes garnered from some of her amazing life journeys. Further, she hopes the story will enable readers to learn from the dystopian tale. “If readers think COVID ruined 2020,” she said, “then they can leap to 2113, to see how PYV more than challenges humanity in my sci-fi political thriller Black Swan Impact. Then readers can take away the implied warnings and combine them with our memories of COVID pandemic issues to help us to avoid repeating mistakes during future crises.”

BLACK SWAN IMPACT

In 2113, people inhabiting the Earth believe that peace and prosperity will forevermore be their way of life on the third planet in the Sol System and elsewhere as they move further into space. That optimism bursts, when Dr. Syia Case, Director of Epidemiology from the National Institutes of Health and wife to the White House Chief of Staff, raises the alarm that Earth is facing an emerging pandemic crisis the likes of which had not been seen before. Initially, President Daniel Piper looks to Dr. Case as his favored subject matter expert to assist him and the White House Crisis Action Team plan and prepare for and respond to the novel pathogen. However, when Piper steers the United States toward questionable courses, Dr. Case and the strident voices on the task force find there is more than a virulent virus to fight.

 Austin Macauley Publishers – https://www.austinmacauley.com/us/book/black-swan-impact 

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Black-Impact-Helen-Hynson-Vettori/dp/B0CVLHG3TY

Barnes And Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-swan-impact-helen-hynson-vettori/1144944171?ean=9798889100911 

A seventh generation Washingtonian Helen Hynson Vettori served the National Capital Region first by joining the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad as an EMT/Paramedic. Then she taught at a private school in Rockville, Maryland until 2001. Post 9/11, she joined the Department of Homeland Security workforce as the Senior Medical Intelligence Analyst at the Protective Medicine Branch. When that branch was defunded, she transferred to a new position at the National Incident Response Unit. There she performed all aspects of emergency management duties but specialized in planning and preparing for biological incidents to include pandemics. After retiring from the federal government, she followed passions like reading, traveling, and painting. Currently, she lives in Leesburg, VA with her husband. Vettori and her husband have two grown children both of whom are married and one grandchild. 

https://helenhvettori.substack.com

Instagram (@HelenHVettori), and Facebook (@ Black Swan Impact)

Painting by the author and photographed by Megan Genova

MARKET MUSINGS

~ Kimila Kay ~ 6 Comments

Unless you’re living on an island, sipping margaritas, you know the holiday season is upon us. Only 58 shopping days until Christmas!

I decided to try something new this year and signed up to have a table at the Red Mitten Market, which is held every year at the Canby Grange from October through December. Excited to showcase my books for the first time at this event, I decorated my table with other vendors’ holiday craft items. Currently, I’m displaying Halloween décor.

I’m not required to “man” my table daily, but I love meeting potential readers and talking to people in general. And don’t tell my husband, but I’m not driven by money. However, I enjoy telling shoppers about my writing journey and how my two book series originated.

On my first day at the market, several readers stopped by to visit, and as an added bonus, I sold books and book bundles. Of course, I’m thrilled to have new readers, but I’ve also kept notes about the benefits of participating in the Red Mitten Market.

First, and I know you Ladies already know this, but I’m thankful I’ve taken the time to publish in all formats: Paperbacks, eBooks, and Audible.

The bonus to selling paperbacks is knowing someone is holding my “work of art” in their hands, turning pages, and enjoying the journey from beginning to end. I like to imagine their reaction to learning whether Clara gets justice or revenge against Damian. And did they laugh aloud when Busy asks Sheriff Wyatt Stone, “What’s a girl gotta do to spend the night—” I wonder, too, if they fall asleep with the book open on their chest.

I’m probably most grateful for ensuring my books are available for Kindles and eReaders. The best response to potential readers who say, “I only read on my Kindle.”—is—“Oh, perfect, because all my books are available as eBooks.” Then, I send them off with a handful of bookmarks so they remember to buy the eBooks. As a former “book collector,” I respect the need to downsize and love that I might still get my books in the hands of an electronics-only customer.

It was a difficult journey, but I managed to get the first book in each of my series published as an audiobook. Since I’ve had to return to square one on this project, I’m now struggling with whether to narrate my books or tackle the daunting task of finding a new narrator. In an effort to see the bright side, I enjoy being able to say that I now have these books in audiobook format.

Each time I “man” my table, I’ve had an opportunity to speak with someone who has enriched me beyond monetary compensation. One woman who loved the premise of my Stoneybrook Mystery Series and bought “Redneck Ranch” shared with me that her niece narrates audiobooks. I jotted down the niece’s name, and as an added bonus, she lives near me in Salem, Oregon.

Another woman asked how I liked participating in the Red Mitten Market. I explained it was my first time, but so far, so good. The woman then informed me that she is a six-figure author, so she doesn’t need to have her books at a market. I bristled at her remark but smiled and congratulated her. Did I mention I’m not driven by money? She continued sharing about her success, and I continued to smile and nod. Then she asked if I’d ever heard of Matthew J Holmes and his Facebook Marketing Program. Needless to say, I had not heard of this platform, but I did some research and plan to put Mr. Holmes’s marketing strategy to work next year.

You may recall my blog, “Scritch, Scratch, Feedback,” from a few months ago, which was inspired by my love of country music. I couldn’t let go of a song idea I had, and I finally finished the lyrics. One problem, though, is that I can’t sing or play any music. Undaunted, I considered teaching myself how to play guitar. Because who needs sleep? Today, I had a young lady ask about my books, and after my usual spiel, she said she understood the creative process because she likes to write songs. What?!? After I told her I’d written a song, she said, “Send me the lyrics, and I’ll put music to them.”

As you all know, I lost my son Derrick seven and a half years ago … Being the parent of a deceased child is a difficult burden to bear, and I’m sorry to share that I’ve met many parents who belong to this club. I wanted to make their tragedy more bearable by offering comfort to these moms and dads. When I discovered a pair of white metal wings on an Amazon shopping spree, they brought me a sense of peace. Now, I give these wings to other parents with a poem about not judging a grieving parent.

One of the women who stopped to ask about my books had recently lost her granddaughter to suicide. She said that she was heartbroken and felt her burden doubly because her son was also grieving the loss of his daughter. I shared my story with her, and we plan to have coffee soon so I can give her a set of White Wings and the poem for her son.

As I write this blog post, I’m saddened by the news that my younger sister, Lori, is dying. She has pulmonary fibrosis, and her pulmonologist says she has three to six months. Dying is a messy business, and I’m trying to be there for my sister and distract her from the inevitable. I didn’t know that when I wrote a scene about my villain in “Willow’s Woods,” accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior, I would be helping Lori do the same. We were raised in a Christian family, but she lost her way through the years.

So, participating in the Red Mitten Market for the first time has been a gratifying experience so far. Though I’ve sold books and made some money, the real reward has been the people I’ve interacted with, the real-life stories we’ve shared, and the tidbits I’ve gleaned from these fabulously casual conversations.

Happy Holiday Season, Ladies of Mystery!