What’s New & Free Wednesday?
Organized for Homicide doesn’t go on sale for 99¢ very often, but that’s what’s happening now. But if you want a bargain, please grab a copy soon because it’s only on sale through the weekend. Here’s the link to all the buy links — Click here! .
Spring Means Mud…Rooms
I started talking the other day about ways to transition from wintertime living rooms/family rooms to springtime ones. Today I’m taking a sweep at the Mud Room. Yes, the room has mud in its name and its function is to try to trap the dirt and grime before the mess enters the house. However, if your mud room is anything like mine, trapping dirt is just the beginning of the room’s job. In our mudroom, we also have the washer/dryer, and a utility bathroom people are supposed to use to strip and shower when the filth is too much for the guest or master bathrooms. Clothes go right into the washer this way–at least on principle. But that only happens if everyone does his or her part. Too often, there are piles of everything all around. And the lovely cabinets and counter top I had the builder install so I Read more…
I’m Blogging on the Run Today
I’m over at Laffeinated Ink talking about quick and easy organization tips to give you ideas for new year decluttering. Love to see you if you have a minute to come by. Here’s the link if you want to read the blog over a coffee break: New Year, New Organization at Laffeinated Ink
Because a Writer Can’t Wear All the Hats, We Find Experts
Fiction writers may be great at creating characters and brainstorming plots, but sometimes real facts get in the way, and that’s when we turn to outside sources. For example, I’m playing around with a darker than usual suspense story right now that is only alive and thriving because I was able to interview an iron worker about his job. You see, I would never be able to walk confidently across the beams that make up the skeleton of a high rise building. Lucky for me, however, I found someone who not only could, but was willing to tell me about it so I could add color and authenticity to my story and main character. My source was male, and my fictional protagonist is female, and when I told him this he gave a great gaffawing laugh and said, “Let me know when the book is published. I can’t wait to Read more…
I Guess I Have the Bargain of the Week
I have two books coming out soon. The first, Organized for Homicide, is another featuring organizational expert Kate McKenzie as chief sleuth and bottle organizer. To coincide with this September 8th release, my publisher has discounted book#1 in the series, Organized for Murder, to 99 cents for a short time in all ebook formats. And the rest of this week I’ll be posting excerpts of the new book, Organized for Homicide, so everyone can get a sampling of that story as well. In my Organized Mysteries series, Kate and her sidekick, Meg Berman, find that starting a small business sometimes leads to having to do more than your mission statement implies. Sometimes it means figuring out whodunit when someone involved in their business contract gets killed, and law enforcement focuses on the wrong person as the murder suspect. In the first book, Kate is in the hot seat herself, so she is absolutely sure the state police Read more…
Save Those Things You Could Use for Years
We get so busy that sometimes we forget to hang on to things we should–things that could help us avoid stressful situation, buy additional items we shouldn’t, or even keep family members from serious medical issues. Without getting into some of the first arguments hubby and I had, here’s a couple of tips that could save your life and definitely save budget and your relationship. Anytime you buy anything with a manual or a written warranty, file it. Stapling the receipt that shows where and when it was purchased helps even more, but definitely file the item’s paperwork. Here’s why — it will break. Your spouse may be able to fix it, or you can order replacement parts, or one of you realize the kids shoved a plastic piece of toy where it doesn’t belong because the schematic in the manual doesn’t show that piece of plastic ever being a part Read more…
Easy Way to Organize Bed Linens
In preparation for the launch of my book ORGANIZED FOR MURDER, my publisher invited me to post a few days of organization tips on her Facebook site. I’m going to repeat those tips here for the next few days, in case some fans missed the FB postings. These are not tips I included in the cozy mystery novel, but ones I like will add to future editions to this series. So you’re getting the scoop now, maybe years ahead of time. Read on how I–and Kate McKenzie–keep easy order for our families’ bed linens. What to Do with Linens – One of my oldest and most favorite tips is how to have an organized linen closet even if you aren’t a “neat freak.” I told a friend about this a couple of decades ago, when I still had little kids in the house, and my friend still remarks on the idea and Read more…
Launch Week of Organized for Murder
It’s been several days since I’ve had time to blog on organization tips because I’ve been blogging so much on the new release. Anyone reading this who purchased ORGANIZED FOR MURDER, read & reviewed it, and/or blogged about it to share the news, thank you so very much. I cannot begin to put into words how much it has meant to see people like this book and help spread the news about it. Early reviews and sales have been overwhelming. More than a hundred 5-star reviews on the online bookseller sites, and the book hit #1 on Amazon’s Cozy Crafts & Hobbies category on the first day. Right now, it’s still #4 as an Amazon Cozy, #1 on their Top Rated books, #2 in Hot New Cozy Releases, and #13 for Women Sleuths, which means that my amateur sleuth is measured against the popularity of all the other women sleuths in all the Read more…
Kitchen Organization Tips
Today is Day 2 of my mini-blog tour at my publisher’s FB page (Thank you, Gemma Halliday), and I’m offering a couple of new tips I use every day that not only keeps my kitchen organized, but also helps me save on my food budget. Look for the post in the left column of the page, and be sure to click ‘See More’ at the end of Gemma’s intro paragraph to see the rest of the blog. If you didn’t read the tips posted yesterday and the day before, scroll down that same column and you’ll find those posts, too! Happy Saturday, everyone! https://www.facebook.com/gemmahallidayauthor All of these tips, of course, are to get you thinking about buying my newest mystery novel ORGANIZED FOR MURDER which will be released in all ebook formats and print on Monday, Feb. 24th. The sale links go live on Monday, and I’ll post all bookseller links here. In the Read more…
Kate McKenzie’s Down To Earth Organization Style
The main character in ORGANIZED FOR MURDER is Kate McKenzie, wife, mother of twins, and small business owner. While her daily focus is on keeping her family’s and clients’ lives running efficiently and well-organized, she’s a pretty easygoing person and doesn’t feel one must go to heroic (or expensive) measures to keep life running smoothly. In the book, she speaks at an organization workshop in the local bookstore. This is a little taste of her common sense approach to keeping a household on-track, and may give you some ideas, too. Kate’s Notes: How to Keep a Happily Organized Home (for the organization presentation) Unless you live alone, don’t try to organize your home by yourself. Involve the same people who helped get your disordered abode in its present state. Teamwork isn’t just more efficient time-wise, it’s critical if you want to make permanent organizational changes. Learn as a team to clean as Read more…
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