Subjective Soup

Subjective Soup is Leaving

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

I've certainly enjoyed expressing myself on my personal blog Subjective Soup over the last few years. However, my life has gotten a lot busier now that I am running a small publishing company called Cozy Cat Press (www.cozycatpress.com) and writing cozy mystery novels myself. I find that my posts on SS have become further and further apart.

Also, I've discovered another place where I can voice my personal opinions and I do so with regularity. It's my Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/PatriciaRockwellAuthor. I hope you drop by and visit me there.

Anyway, to make a long story short (or shorter--I'm hardly ever really short), this will be my last post on Subjective Soup. I will leave this post up for a while. I have decided that February 1, 2012, will be my last day on Blogger.

So, farewell! Hope to see you in other venues!

Halloween Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Here's my little grandson Braeden in his first Halloween outfit! Cute, right?

Ready for Launch!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:29:00 +0000

Tomorrow is the big launch of best-selling author Melissa Foster's third novel COME BACK TO ME. As part of this launch promotion, Melissa has gathered together a group of indie authors in a fabulous cross-promotion. Readers who purchase COME BACK TO ME also have the opportunity to buy books from these 36 authors for only 99 cents during the three-day promotion (Nov. 1- Nov. 3). I'm delighted to be part of this group.

I hope you will drop by the promotion site (http://womensliterarycafe.com/) and check out the COME BACK TO ME book trailer video and also peruse the list of books on sale by the 36 of us supporting authors. Melissa is also offering prizes to readers, so drop by and enjoy!

Master of the Dishwasher

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:49:00 +0000

We have a very old dishwasher. My husband Milt has to finesse it to get it to produce tolerably clean dishes each day. He's developed a number of strategies to accomplish this and none of them involve me. I'm supposed to "stay away from the dishwasher, Patricia!"

So, this morning, when I returned from the gym and discovered a freshly-washed batch of dishes in the machine awaiting dispersal to their appropriate shelves and drawers, along with a sinkful of dirty plates and cups, I foolishly took it upon myself to empty and load the aforesaid machine. Big mistake.

Milt was soon upon me, pushing me aside and re-aligning the items I had just placed in the dishwasher.

"No! No!" he scowled, "That goes over there!" He carefully placed a short glass on the left top side. (I had mistakenly posited it on the top right.)

"What difference does it make?" I asked his royal cleanliness.

"It has to go at a certain angle to get clean," he explained. I rolled my eyes behind his back as he bent over to adjust the funny device he keeps in the middle of the top deck of the washer.

"What's that?" I questioned, pointing as he adjusted a red knob on the little round thing.

"Just go away!" he said, shooing me behind him. "This is the filter. I'm setting it."

"The one you buy in bulk from Amazon?"

"Yes," he replied, pulling out the bottom drawer, examining it carefully. "Did you check that big pan before you put it away?"

"Check it for what? Fleas?"

"To see if it was clean!" He was noticeably annoyed with me.

"It was clean enough," I said, "It's been through two dishwasher cycles!"

"That's not enough sometimes!"

"So, how many cycles do you think it needs? Why don't I just wash it by hand?"

"That defeats the purpose!" he yelled.

"What purpose?" I countered.

"Of the filters. They're supposed to improve the dishwasher's function."

"Maybe," I suggested, "they don't work if you have to run a pan through THREE times!"

"Patricia!" he sputtered, "Go away! Just leave the dishwashing to me!"

Yes, dear. I'm always glad to leave any portion of the housework to you. Now, would you like to take up cooking our meals? Maybe Amazon has some little device that will aid you with that chore.

First Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:52:00 +0000

My grandson Braeden's very first birthday--and the accompanying family party.

Dexter Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:44:00 +0000

The Rockwell family celebrated the new fall season of DEXTER last night with a Miami serial killer-inspired dinner of Cuban sandwiches and key lime pie. It's probably the only meal the three of us (husband Milt, daughter Cecilia and me) will eat together all year, but then again Showtime's marvelous DEXTER starring Michael C. Hall is the only TV show that we can all agree on. It's great! And last night's opening episode of Season Six was fantastic!

Here's a glimpse of our repast. No blood was split during its preparation--only during the show (and there was lots of that!)

Braeden Eats a Lemon

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Not shy about expressing his true feelings, here's my sweet grandson Braeden munching on his first lemon.

Senior Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:27:00 +0000

I've been having lots of fun making video book trailers for my cozy mysteries. With my most recent novel--BINGOED--I have been going in a different direction. BINGOED follows the exploits of amateur sleuth Essie Cobb as she tries to solve the mystery of why one of her fellow residents at the Happy Haven Assisted Living facility collapsed and fell into a coma after winning a dollar at Bingo. I fashioned Essie on my own Mom, a 90-year-old pistol who also lives in such a facility.

With my three other video trailers I used graphics and photographs from various free online sites. However, with BINGOED, I have decided to use my Mom as the star. Not only that, I've contacted her assisted living facility and asked if I could film their residents during one of their regular Bingo games and I have the go-ahead.

For now, I have the basic video created. After I film the residents, I hope to add more footage of real seniors playing Bingo and even one of them on the floor surrounded by horrified onlookers. Hope to get your feedback on the video so far and any suggestions you might have for how to incorporate real senior citizens into future iterations.

Essie and Dottie!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:54:00 +0000

This month is Assisted Living Month! In honor of all of the wonderful seniors (like my feisty mother Dorothy--Dottie to her sister), I'm going to give away a copy of my new cozy mystery BINGOED, featuring Essie Cobb, senior sleuth.

As BINGOED takes place in an assisted living facility--Happy Haven--it seems right to honor all of such facilities where so many older people live their lives--and enjoy a good game of BINGO from time to time--just like my Mom does.

If you'd like to win a copy of BINGOED--just leave me a comment at the end of this post with your name and an email address where I can contact you if you win. If you don't wish to leave a comment, you can email me at: par2323@aol.com with the same information. I will conduct the drawing on the last day of this month and announce the winner on October 1.

Until then, best wishes to all the Essies and Dotties at assisted living facilities around the country!

Generous Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:36:00 +0000

My generous giveaway for the month of September--write a blog post or online review of ANY of my books, and I will send you a copy of ANY one of my books (your choice of title and mode--print or e-book) for FREE. This offer is good until September 30, 2011.

Just contact me in a comment or my email and let me know where to find your blog post or review and which of my four books (SOUNDS OF MURDER, FM FOR MURDER, VOICE MAIL MURDER, or BINGOED) you would like and in what format (print or e-book) and where to send it.

The View From The Ship's Balcony

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:01:00 +0000

My hubby Milt and I have returned from our Alaskan cruise--with many photographs to share. We had a balcony on our cabin, which was very close to the front of the ship and allowed us absolutely marvelous views of the scenery. Here are some shots!

One Day Left!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:39:00 +0000

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Bingoed

by Patricia Rockwell

Giveaway ends August 27, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

BINGOED: SampleSunday

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:56:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

Here is the opening from my new Essie Cobb, senior sleuth, mystery--BINGOED. Hope you enjoy. You can get your own copy--paperback or e-book at Amazon.com.

“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.”

—Chili Davis

“G-52!”

A room of grey and white-haired heads tipped down in unison as they perused their Bingo cards. At a square table covered with a white cloth sporting one lovely fake flower in a crystal vase, the wide eyes of Essie Cobb quickly scanned the Bingo cards before her. Then, seeing that none of her three cards (the most allowable at Happy Haven’s Wednesday night Bingo games) sported the called-out letter-number combination, she quickly peeked over the tops of her glasses and gazed around the room to see if any of her competitors would beat her to a win. As no player apparently had a “52” in their “G” column, the caller selected another circular wooden piece from the wire bin.

“N-36,” called out Sue Barber in a strong voice, glancing around the room as she waited for the senior players to check their cards.

This was Sue’s second year as Happy Haven’s Social Director. The job of Bingo caller was one of her primary duties—and she took it seriously. Once, early in her tenure when she had read off the numbers too rapidly, the residents had complained vociferously—and immediately. What did she take them for? Speed readers? After all, most of them had three cards they had to check (although it wasn’t required that any player have three cards, their chances of winning increased—well—threefold—when they did. And to a one, the residents loved winning, even though the prize for winning a round of Bingo was only one dollar.) Sue reached carefully into the wire barrel again and pulled out another wooden tile.

“B-2,” she sang out. This time her reading was rewarded as an elderly gentleman sitting close to the main door to the dining hall (where Bingo was always held) said in a somewhat wavering voice,

“Bingo!” The old gentleman rose carefully from his seat, as the women at his table (women outnumbered the men at Happy Haven about eight to one) cooed with admiration. He stood, still clutching the edge of the table with his gnarled hands, and smiled, nodding his chin at all of the women around him.

“Mr. Weiderley!” announced Sue Barber. “You have Bingo, Bob?” She started towards the man.

“Foo!” whispered Essie to her three tablemates. “I was just one space short in my B column!”

“I was one space short in B and G!” topped the tiny lady next to her, her bright eyes sparkling. “What about you, Opal?”

“What does it matter?” replied the tall, morose-looking, grey-haired compatriot to her right. “I never win at Bingo. You know that, Marjorie.”

“Fay,” said Marjorie to the plump woman seated to her other side in a wheelchair, “Fay, wake up. Bob Weiderley just got Bingo.” She poked the woman, who sputtered and opened her eyes.

“What? What?” she tittered. “What happened?”

“Bob won Bingo,” reiterated Essie to the group. Chubby-cheeked Fay considered the information for a moment, and then allowed her head to plop back on her shoulder.

“I hate to lose, but if I have to lose, I can’t imagine losing to a nicer person,” continued Essie.

“You just say that, Essie, because you have a crush on Bob,” said Marjorie. Her head of tight reddish grey curls neatly hugged her skull like an aviator cap.

“Maude’s cods!” scoffed Essie. “I’m too old for him. He’s only 82.”

While the four women argued, Sue Barber had finished checking Bob Weiderley’s Bingo card for accuracy and had evidently found it all correct.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she called out as she strode to the center of the room, her canvas apron flapping as she walked. All heads turned to their Social Director. “Bob’s card appears to be accurate. I am delighted to award him this $1.00 prize!” She reached into a front pocket of her apron and pulled out a crisp new bill, held it up high for all to see, and then handed it out in Bob Weiderley’s direction with great ceremony.

“Hmmph,” snorted Opal. “Have you noticed how more men seem to win Bingo ever since Sue Barber became our Social Director?”

“What?” asked Essie, pushing her round glasses back up her pointed little nose. “That’s impossible! First of all, there’s no way men could ever do anything more than women here because we outnumber them . . . ”

“Eight to one,” answered Opal and Marjorie together. Fay had again fallen asleep and was snoring gently in her wheelchair, her head resting on the collar of her fluffy pink lace blouse.

Bob Weiderley scooted to the center of the room, leaning on his three-footed cane. He reached out to accept the dollar bill from Sue Barber with a tentative smile. Sue held the bill in the air, showing his prize to the entire room.

“I see that Bob is all full of himself,” added Opal under her breath. “Just look at that. You’d think he’d just won the Olympics instead of a Bingo prize.”

“Hazel’s basil!” responded Essie with such force that her lower dentures almost came loose. “Opal, if my memory serves me . . .”

“And it hardly ever does,” opined Opal, giving Essie what Essie called her pretentious glare.

“If,” continued Essie, scowling ferociously at her pal, “my memory serves me correctly, Opal—you won a Bingo round last week and when you won that dollar you’d think they’d crowned you Miss America!”

“Oh, Essie,” interrupted Marjorie, poking Essie on her arm so hard it hurt, “technically, Opal couldn’t win the Miss America contest which is only for unmarried women and we all know that she was married once upon a time.”

“Who got married?” asked Fay the sleepyhead, suddenly aroused from her slumber. “Who got married?”

“No one, Fay,” answered Marjorie, bending over her wheelchair-bound buddy and giving her head a gentle pat. “Bob Weiderley just won Bingo.” Fay considered this piece of information for a moment then drifted back asleep.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Essie. “The point is that Bob is a dear and no one deserves to win Bingo more than he does.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Marjorie. “I’m so happy for him!” She shook her shoulders with enthusiasm and pulled down her sweater. Essie always disliked this mannerism because she believed Marjorie used it to call attention to her figure, which was actually fairly good for a woman of 84.

“You’re both ridiculous,” whispered Opal with disdain to the two awake women. Then she leaned back in her chair and glanced back at the ceremony taking place in the center of the room.

Bob Weiderley was still accepting the accolades from his friends. All of a sudden, as the women at Essie’s table looked on from a distance, Bob Weiderley slumped to the floor.

Packing Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:16:00 +0000

Hubby Milt and I are going on our (rather "my") dream vacation in the near future--an Alaskan cruise. Many friends who've already been on such an adventure have been advising me of what and how to pack. My goodness, I'm confused!

Because I refuse to fly, Milt and I will be driving to our ship's departure port and taking the Amtrak home (yes, it really will be an adventure!). At least, we won't see the same scenery twice!

Anyway, because we will be traveling by three different modes over a two week period, trying to figure out just what to pack and how to do it has me mystified. I hear that in Alaska (even in August), it can get quite nippy, so I should bring winter garments and outerwear. However, on our trip out and back, I imagine that we will be sweltering, just as we are here in Illinois in the middle of the summer.

Should I take minimal clothes and hope to be able to wash my belongings on the ship? Should I just take lots of summer things and plan to layer up when I get up north? I don't know.

If any of you have made the journey north to Alaska or have ever taken a two-week road trip, I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have. Certainly, I will be keeping you updated with photos and blog posts as we travel.

Goodreads Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:57:00 +0000

Join the Goodreads book giveaway and you might win one of five copies of my new mystery BINGOED. Just click on the link below:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Bingoed

by Patricia Rockwell

Giveaway ends August 27, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

BINGOED!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:07:00 +0000

A red-letter day for me today! My new humorous mystery BINGOED--first in my Essie Cobb, Senior Sleuth, mystery series, is finally out. You can download an e-copy here at Amazon Kindle. The paperback version will follow shortly. I've been wanting to do a series about clever older ladies in an assisted living facility for quite some time--probably because my own Mom is 90 years old and still going strong. As you can imagine, she's the inspiration for this light-hearted caper!

Here's the story:

Why would spry senior Bob Weiderley suddenly fall into a coma after winning a game of Bingo? After all, he was the most physically fit of all the men at the Happy Haven Assisted Living Facility—able to bend over to tie his own shoes and use the stairs rather than the elevator. It was just very suspicious. That’s why Essie Cobb and her friends and fellow residents--Opal, Marjorie, and Fay--decided to investigate.

Was it possible that someone was out to get the friendly old gentleman? Maybe it was Violet, Happy Haven’s manager, trying to cover up her shady past. Or Sue, the activities director, whose behavior was strange to say the least. Maybe it was one of the three women who sat at Bob’s regular table in the dining room. Or the mysterious man who had recently sent Bob a startling letter. Essie Cobb is determined to find out—and she’s not going to let her age (90), her weak bladder, or her various infirmities hold her back.

Welcome to Happy Haven. If you thought most elderly residents of assisted living facilities spent their days sitting in the sun watching television, you haven’t met senior sleuth Essie Cobb and her three detecting buddies. These four elderly ladies have curiosity and drive unusual for women in their 80’s and 90’s. They may not be able to get around as fast as youngsters in their 60’s, or navigate the Interstate or Interweb (or whatever that computer thing is called), but they can solve a mystery. And they’re starting with this one.

Hope you'll read it--and if you do, hope you'll drop me a comment and let me know what you think--particularly if you too have parents or relatives in assisted living facilities or nursing homes. Happy reading!

He Loves His Veggies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:23:00 +0000

Sorry about this, kind readers, but it's another nutty grandma doting on her incredibly adorable grandchild again. Here are some photographs I took yesterday at my son's 40th birthday party. You'll notice that every one features my sweet little grandson Braeden who is just starting to eat solid foods. Turns out he really loves vegetables. He downed an entire container of green beans (that's the muck all over his chin), along with quite a large amount of carrots, and some whole peas (which he both played with and ate).

That's me in one photo and my son Alex, the daddy, in another. Isn't that the cutest baby you've ever seen?

Looking For Academic Novelists

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:22:00 +0000

In my forays around the Internet, I've run across a number of other novelists like myself. No, not retired midwesterners with ex-military husbands (although there are surely many of those out there). I'm speaking of former college professors and researchers who now write fiction. For example, I just ran across one Andy Christopherson a Ph.D. in computational biochemistry who writes fiction and maintains a blog called Videlicet Productions about writing. I was intrigued when in the midst of a blog post, he listed a link to one of his academic journal articles (which was, of course, totally Greek to me).

It got me thinking about the nature of--and number of---fiction writers who come from an academic research background. It got me wondering what connection--if any--there might be from said researcher's area to their fictional style, genre, or subject matter. I guess this question interests me specifically because of my own background.

I spent a lot of my career publishing academic research in the communication field. I conducted experimental research in communication-related topics such as deception, sarcasm, vocal behavior, and a variety of others. How or why any of this research led me to my fascination with mysteries--particularly the sub-genre of cozy mysteries--still befuddles me. I guess I thought that all academic researchers should probably write mysteries--if they wrote fiction at all--because it dealt with solving problems and findings answers. After all, that's what researchers do.

But now I'm thinking that I may certainly be wrong. It's quite possible that former (or even present) academic researchers and authors may pursue different kinds of fiction if they are so inclined to write fiction at all. Maybe astro-physicists lean towards science fiction. Maybe sociologists become romance writers. Maybe historians all want to write comic novels. Who knows? I wish I did.

If you are a fiction writer who used to be (or still are) an academic author, please let me know about your specialties (both academic and fictional). I'd really like to see what sort of correlation there might be between academic areas and fictional genre.

What's Up With Dishwashing Detergent?

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:23:00 +0000

I really don't dwell on the niceties of dishwashing detergent because filling the dishwasher has always been my husband's job--one he readily took on when we were first married. Possibly it has something to do with his lifelong career as an Air Force officer. He really seems to enjoy plotting ways to make the arrangement of the dishes more aerodynamically efficient so that the water and soap will distribute more evenly over the plates and glasses. Sort of like how pilots have to determine air speed and angle when they take-off and land. Heaven forbid if I ever place a pan in the top shelf! It violates some sort of dishwasher principle or something.

Anyway, after many years of Milt managing daily dishwasher duty, he has run into a major problem. It seems that the dishwashing detergent that is produced these days simply does not clean dishes well enough and my husband is forced to run our dishwasher TWICE--thus wasting a huge amount of water. Now, if you're thinking that this is just a matter of pre-cleaning our dishes better, you would be wrong. We always scrape and remove any debris or food from dishes before we load them in the dishwasher. Also, we have had our dishwasher checked and according to the repairman, it is working fine. No, the problem appears to be the quality of the dishwashing detergent.

Milt has used the same detergent ever since I can remember and for many years it worked perfectly. Recently, however, (according to Milt) the government required that companies remove a particular substance from these detergents that it claimed was harmful to the environment. I am certainly not knowledegeable enough to speak to the veracity of this claim. However, I do know that if other dishwasher owners (like us) are being forced to run their machines TWICE for each load of dishes, water consumption must be increasing dramatically--which is probably not all that good for the environment either. We even went so far as to try one of those new dishwasher detergent enhancers, but we didn't find that it helped that much.

I'm just curious. Do any of you have this problem? Does your dishwasher seem to clean your dishes less efficiently these days? Do you blame the detergent?

(photo from www.environmentabout.com)

Love Thy Author

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:46:00 +0000

Here's a super new site to help you find and appreciate new authors. You might recognize the one being featured on July 12. Check it out: www.lovethyauthor.com

Hatching America

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Many years ago (in another lifetime actually) in 1976 during America's bi-centennial, I directed the Broadway musical 1776. One of my favorite songs from that show was the delightful trio between Jefferson, Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, in which Franklin compares the impending birth of our country and subsequent break with Great Britain to the hatching of an egg. The lyrics are timely yet today:

Adams:   It's a masterpiece, I say!
               They will cheer every word, every letter

Jefferson:  I wish I felt that way

Franklin: I believe I can put it better
                Now then attend, as friend to friend
                On our Declaration Committee
                For us I see immortality

All:   In Philadelphia City

Franklin: A farmer, a lawyer, and a sage
                A bit gouty in the leg
                You know it's quite bizarre
                To think that here we are
                Playing midwives to an egg

All: We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
        Of an eaglet being born
        We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
        On this humid Monday morning in this
        Congressional incubator

Franklin: God knows the temperature's hot enough
                To hatch a stone, let alone an egg

All: We're waiting for the scratch, scratch, scratch
        Of that tiny little fellow
        Waiting for the egg to hatch
        On this humid Monday morning in this
        Congressional incubator

Adams: God knows the temperature's hot enough
              To hatch a stone

Jefferson: But will it hatch an egg?

Adams: The eagle's going to crack the shell
              Of the egg that England laid

All: Yes, so we can tell, tell, tell
        On this humid Monday morning in this
        Congressional incubator

Franklin: And as just as Tom here has written
                Though the egg may belong to Great Britain,
                The eagle inside belongs to us!

All: And just as Tom here has written
        We say to hell with Great Britain!
        The eagle inside belongs to us!

Happy Independence Day! Happy Birthday, America! Thank you, Founding Fathers!

What I Discovered About My Husband

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:23:00 +0000

We agreed that we would each clean our own bathrooms when we moved into our townhouse four years ago. I don't go in my husband's bathroom and he doesn't go in mine. I'm not the world's greatest housekeeper, but from time to time I do scrub my toilet, sink, and floor. I assume my husband does the same in his.

Being prone to feeling guilty, I often worry that my housekeeping skills are not up to par. Maybe Milt will notice that the kitchen floor is dirty or the furniture bears a thin layer of dust. However, he usually doesn't say anything and I usually attribute that to his considerate personality. In my mind, I imagine he's stewing because he married a slob of a wife.

That is until this morning when I ventured into forbidden territory--his bathroom. It's not far away physically from my computer, but emotionally it's at th othe end of the continent. But somehow this morning, a vague odor seemed to be emanating from down the hallway. Cautiously I tiptoed to the forbidden bathroom doorway and peeked inside.

After I recovered from the stench, I immediately noticed the thick layer of muck that covered everything--sink, tub, toliet, floors. No wonder he never complains about my cleaning. This pot certainly can't call this kettle black.

As he was away on his regular Saturday morning shopping trip, I gathered my cleaning supplies together and headed into no-man's (or should I say, "no-woman's") land. It took several types of cleaners and various scrubbers (my favorite being the amazing Mr. Clean eraser), but my husband's bathroom is now sparkling clean.

I'm just waiting now to see if he notices.

(photo from www.megahowto.com)

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Laptops

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:16:00 +0000

I've lived my entire computer life with a desktop. I've never felt any urgent need to carry my computer around with me. Anything I need to use it for can wait until I'm home at my desk. At least, that's what I said until my husband Milt and I began to plan our trip to Alaska.

When we are traveling, I want to be able to maintain my online contacts-and I don't want to have to go to some hotel lobby and figure out a strange computer. So, we recently got a Toshiba laptop. Even though it took us TWO DAYS to figure out how to get an Internet connection, we finally got the machine up and working and it seems to be doing its thing. It remains to be seem if it will prove helpful to me on our trip--but I will let you know.

Until then, I can always use it if--I should say WHEN our desktop compter goes down as it does from time to time. My goodness, how did people ever survive before computers? Here I am-unable to function without two of them!

Cozy Authors At River's Edge Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:16:00 +0000

Fellow cozy mystery authors Diane Morlan and Karen Gallahue will join me this coming Sunday afternoon (June 12) from 2-4 p.m. for A Cozy Afternoon For Mystery at the River's Edge Cafe in downtown Aurora, Illinois, (18 W. Downer Place) for the restaurant's first ever Author's Series. The free event will feature all three of us discussing our mysteries and the craft of writing--and, of course, answering audience questions.

River's Edge is--appropriately--a cozy place. They serve lovely beverages and pastries. I've been there myself and if you plan to attend our event, you should know that parallel parking is available on city streets in the area. I have been assured that, even though there are parking meters, they are not functioning, so you will not have to worry about bringing a supply of coins.

Following our formal presentation (although, we're never terribly formal), the three of us will be available to sign copies of our books--if you'd like to buy one--or two! I hope you will come down and say "hi" if you're in the area. We always love to meet and greet our fans. Diane Morlan is the author of Too Dead to Dance and Karen Gallahue is the author of Murder With a French Twist. My books are Sounds of Murder, FM For Murder, and Voice Mail Murder.

Gonna Marry My Kindle!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Rockwell) — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:09:00 +0000

Every day, it seems, I find something new to love about my Kindle! Of course, it's wonderful for comfortable reading in bed--so light, portable, changeable in position. Of course, it's allowed me to discover dozens, if not hundreds, of new authors whom I love--and whom I never would have found if left to my own devices of visiting bookstores. Of course, it makes transferring books--or any text--incredibly simple. I just change my Word docs into pdfs and--voila!--they are Kindle-readable. This is especially handy now that I'm an independent publisher (http://www.cozycatpress.com/) and am receiving submissions from cozy mystery authors. I really don't care to sit at my computer and read 60,000 word documents--and no author these days will submit their novel in paper form--so the easy thing to do is transfer that massive Word text to pdf for my Kindle and then go sit somewhere comfortable to read it at my leisure.

You would think that would be enough for me. And it is! But today, I discovered something else my Kindle can do! It can read to me out loud! And why is this wonderful? Well, I've always loved audiobooks in certain situations--such as when I'm driving a long distance. Listening to an audiobook always makes the drive whiz by. Unfortunately, I sometimes arrive at my destination before my book ends, and I'll admit there have been times when I've sat in my own driveway just so I could hear how the story turns out! Sort of ridiculous, I realize. Now, with my Kindle's marvelous "text to speech" function, I don't have to do that any more. If I'm going on a trip (or doing any other activity requiring my visual, but not oral, attention) I set my Kindle for "text to speech," choose the gender of my reader and the speed--and let 'er rip! Then, when I'm at my destination (or finished with my task), I simply set my tab to "text" again, and I can read the visual text again. This discovery is going to save me hours and hours of time (not to mention the fact that audio books are super expensive). I'm already conjuring up new ways that I can use the "text to speech" function for my Kindle.

Now, if my Kindle could just cook! Do you love your Kindle as much as I love mine?