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Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

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………of Life Drawing For Beginners by Roisin Meaney

50 Mary Gardner Be a Public Follower of ‘CMASH Loves to Read’

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An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered!

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Today’s muse:
Have you ever considered writing a book before? What genre would you write?

My response:
No, however my husband has said on many occasions that I should.  It would be a memoir.  And those who know me and know my story, have said that they can’t believe all I have lived through.   Not a normal, typical, average life.

I will share one incident that happened when I was approximately 8-9 years old, that even to this day, I can recall every minute of an eight month period because of it’s impact it left on me.  My father, a business man, was approached by the state police, to tell him that there was credible information that my family was a target by people who had been following my parents, knew our life and who would shoot to kill if necessary.  They then asked if they could set up a sting operation.  My father agreed.  The next 8 months were terrifying as to the things we had to do, knowing we were being watched, seeing the police laying in wait on the floor in our dining room with their guns aimed at the doors and enough ammunition to “take the side of our house off”.   There is much more to this story, that could fill at least 4 chapters, except it wasn’t fiction it was my reality.  I did state, not a typical 8 year old’s life.

September is being hosted by BookNAround 

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.
According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”
Click on text to read synopsis via IndieBound

Wednesday:  I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson–won from Bookin’ With Bingo
Saturday:  Low Pressure by Sandra Brown–The Hachette Book Group

Hosted by Acting Balanced 

1. What was the toughest job you ever had?
One that I didn’t get paid but received the greatest rewards for and that was being a parent and raising my sons. I was lucky to be a SAHM and quite honestly, those were the happiest years of my life. The hard part was being structured and with consistent follow through. It would have been so much easier giving in but I knew it would pay off in the end. Today my sons are men, with successful jobs in their fields, presently working on their Master’s and my oldest bought a house on his own and my youngest  just got engaged.

2. What one characteristic makes a good boss?
Respect

3. How did you celebrate ‘the end of summer’?
Getting ready for the movers tomorrow that will be bringing furniture from my Mom’s house here and to the assisted living facility where my sister lives.

4. Do you follow the fashion rules about Labour Day being the end of wearing white etc?
Not sure if that rule exists anymore. But I usually don’t wear white so it doesn’t apply to me.

5.  Any special plans for today?
Working around the house, hopefully get some posts drafted, and some work done for Partners In Crime Tours.

Hosted by Marce  at Tea Time with Marce

 It is all about Networking with Bloggers and Authors who love to read and write Thrillers, Mystery, Suspense and/or Horrors. The goal is to find new blogs and bloggers with similar interest in those genres and of course add to our huge TBR and Wishlists.

Yesterday started the Blog Hop, it will stay open all week, feel free to join, go here. respond to the Thrill Ride Questionnaire, link up and network.

Thrill Week Brain Teasers

Day 2
Many enjoy being Detective, put your skills to the test, can you guess the answer to these Mystery Brain Teasers?

Mystery Brain Teaser 1
The Notes

Detective Brown reviewed the information they had on the case so far. A lady was found shot and they already had a list of suspects – John, Mark, Sarah, Henry, and Carol. Plus, there were five notes that were found that were from the killer. The first was found in a supply room. The second was found in an art studio. The third was in a restroom, the fourth in an animal shelter, and the fifth at the harbor. All of the notes read the same thing, “The clues are where you find the notes.” Yet, nothing was found at anyplace the notes were.

Taking one more look at all the clues, Detective Brown immediately solved the case.

Who did it?

hmmm..This is why I love mysteries, however, I usually don’t figure them out until the end.  I was thinking John because of the location of the third note but then thought it might be Mark, (lol not my son Mark) because the killer was leaving his “mark” at each site. 

Detective Wesley carefully examined the scene before him. He was in a hotel room about 3 miles from the victim’s home. The victim’s body lay in front of him peacefully on the bed. It was January 7th, 3:15 PM, the body was discovered by a hotel maid. The man’s name was Sean Donovin. He was in his late twenties, a successful business owner, a Sunday school teacher, and was soon to be married. The detective shook his head in disgust. He whispered to himself, “Why would anyone commit suicide when they had everything going for them?”

The detective saw this as suspicious. The only potential suspects would have to be people he trusted. According to testimony from his coworkers and friends, he only trusted 3 people: his sister, Hannah, who was very close with the victim and who often assisted him while he taught at the local church; his brother, John, who owned a smaller, semi-successful business; and his fiance, Jenna.

The apparent cause of death was by injection of poison. At least his death was peaceful, the detective thought. The detective continued to search the hotel room, when he stumbled upon a suicide note. It read:

Jan 04/2009 4:10 AM

My loved ones,

Jenna, Sis, John, I would just like to tell you how sorry I am. Blame God for why I am to die today. Blame Him. Seek Him if you want to know why I did leave you. Do not mourn my death. Please move on.

Goodbye,
Sean

The detective saw this letter as somewhat suspicious. His last words were abrupt, almost impersonal. Why would a Sunday school teacher blame God?

The body was taken in for medical examination. Days later, the coroner would determine that the body died from a poison which killed instantly. The coroner would also determine that the body was only dead a mere 3 hours before it was discovered.

The detective then realized that the date and time used on the note were completely false. All 3 of those mentioned in the letter agreed the handwriting was indeed Sean’s.

The detective realized that the identity of the murderer was given inside the suicide note. After a thorough examination of the note, Detective Wesley quickly arrested the murderer.

Who was it?

I’m thinking that is John, his brother because the note said “seek Him” and there was only one male on the note.

When Alison, from Claire McKinney PR, contacted me with a synopsis of today’s showcased book, I wanted to know more.  So I ask for help in welcoming Ms. Nicole Lundrigan to CMash Reads!

NICOLE LUNDRIGAN

Nicole Lundrigan is the author of three critically acclaimed novels: Unraveling Arva, Thaw, and The Seary Line.  She grew up in Newfoundland and now lives in Ontario with her family.
Visit Nicole at her website here.

GUEST POST

I never dreamed about being a writer. When I was little, I had a children’s biography of Louis Pasteur, and I dreamed of being a scientist. I imagined my grown-up self in a lab somewhere making discoveries that would help people.

During school, I enjoyed my English classes, but Science still held me. I was always curious to understand why things worked the way they did. How did that happen? While at university, my gears shifted slightly, and I became interested in forensic science – particularly forensic anthropology, with its crime scene analysis and study of skeletal material. After some floundering, testing out different areas of study, I had finally found my path.

As I was working through graduate school, I assumed I would continue my education and earn a PhD. But life had other plans for me. I gave birth to my first child just months after graduation, and I quickly I realized the immensity of that responsibility. I made the decision to stay at home and care for her.

While that was a joyful time, I can’t deny it was also a period of intense isolation. I missed university. I missed talking to people who were studying the same subjects as I was. I missed having to puzzle over something until my head became woozy. I missed simply walking the halls of those old buildings and breathing in that air. I’ve often wondered just why I started writing, and part of me knows it was to assuage that loneliness. I’ve never actually admitted that before, but I know it’s true.

Some days I still think about my Louis Pasteur biography and my childhood declaration of being a scientist. Do I feel I’ve lost something by leaving science behind and jumping headlong into motherhood with a side order of writing? Not really. In many ways, science and writing overlap. Both involve observation and precise steps towards understanding. Both are infinitely complicated. And if we watch and listen carefully, both can lead to exciting and meaningful discoveries. About the world. Or about ourselves.

ABOUT THE BOOK 

 “Deftly walks the line between light and dark, hope and fear, with dazzling honesty and truth.”~Ami McKay, author of The Birth House

Secrets and denial can exist in tandem.  Families are fond of hiding things about their loved ones hoping that the future will bring brighter days devoid of any ill effects from the past.  The problem is, the tendency to hide those things that are dark or shameful can produce an explosion down the road, where everything is exposed whether one likes it or not.   In her new novel GLASS BOYS (Douglas & McIntyre; September 1, 2012; $18.95) Nicole Lundrigan explores these themes in a small town in Newfoundland where two families find out how deadly hiding the past can be.

Garrett Glass has a secret.  He has a pickle jar filled with some illicit pictures of a boy he once knew.  When his stepfather discovers this treasure and confronts Garrett another young man, Roy Fagan is accidentally killed.  Lewis Fagan the surviving brother of Roy, becomes a local cop in their town, and keeps his eye on the family that murdered his kin.  For his part, Garrett’s stepfather never told anyone about Garrett’s special pictures.  He did not realize that this was a deviant sign that would eventually cause many more problems.

Lewis Fagan went on with his life, met a girl, and had a family, but his wife was a troubled soul.  Wilda was abused by her mother and as a teenager she ran away from home to find a life on the streets.  A kind man and owner of an antique shop gave her a home and a job, but her feelings about her past seedy behavior never went away.  Even the adoration held for her by her oldest son Melvin, was no comfort. When the storm finally comes to these two families, they will find that one cannot escape the past or ignore evil when it offers a glimpse of bad things to come.

GLASS BOYS is a dark story with lessons to be learned, but there is hope that even in its worst moments, life can indeed go on.

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

Hosted by Marce from Tea Time With Marce

 Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

What are your plans for this last day of August?