Remembering Elizabeth Taylor - Amazing Talent in a Petite Package

"As long as I lived in or just outside of New Orleans, my mother and I had subscriptions to the stage productions at the Saenger Orleans. In September of 1981, we were treated to an unforgettable performance by Elizabeth Taylor in Lillian Hellmann's 'The Little Foxes.' Up until that time, I was more familiar with the lady as fodder for movie magazines than as a performer. But oh, that changed in a hurry!"
For more on Elizabeth Taylor's impact on me, click here.

"Mine is the Night" by Liz Curtis Higgs

"Scotland, spring, 1746 has proven to be a dangerous time for those with Jacobite leanings. Elizabeth Kerr knows only too well how deadly the world can be. Her husband, Lord Donald Kerr and his brother Andrew have perished in battle, fighting for the Jacobite cause. Lady Marjory Kerr, her widowed mother-in-law, has been stripped of title, land and income. Now Elizabeth and Marjory flee Edinburgh, seeking sanctuary with a distant cousin in Selkirk.

So opens “Mine is the Night,” Liz Curtis Higgs’ follow-up to “Here Burns My Candle.” The gripping story spins the story of the two women as they struggle to survive under the constant threat of exposure as traitors to the Crown. Such an event would lead to dire punishment, possibly even death. With no income and no trade, how can two gentlewomen make a way under such conditions?

Read more here.

An Interview with Author M.E. Kemp: Bringing the Puritans to Vibrant Life in Her Fiction

"For Marilyn Kemp, pre-revolutionary American history is every bit as interesting and bloody as any medieval story. She proves it with her series of mysteries based on New England Puritans and their lives. Beginning with 'Murder, Mather and Mayhem' in 2004, she has delivered murder in the colonies with an arch attitude under the pen name M.E. Kemp.

Why does she choose this setting? She wants to correct the myth of Puritans as being boring old sticks-in-the-mud and reveal them as the lively, sensory-oriented people she has discovered through her research."

Click here for more on the amazing Marilyn Kemp.

"The Dangerous Edge of Things" by Tina Whittle

"Tai Randolph has a problem-she’s found a body in a car across the street from her brother’s driveway. Add to that the unexpected presence of representatives from a local security firm pushing her around, and she’s definitely having a bad day.

Tina Whittle takes readers on a thrill-ride through the underside of corporate Atlanta in 'The Dangerous Edge of Things,' her debut novel from Poisoned Pen Press. Her heroine possesses strong opinions about a lot of things, not all of them based on fact. Tai has many lessons to learn along the way to the solution of the murder."

Read more about this edgy mystery here.

Book Review - ‘Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings’ by Margie Yee Webb

"Is there any animal that better demonstrates the concept of Zen enlightenment than a cat? They glide through the world, slightly aloof, as though in possession of a secret the no one else knows. Author Margie Yee Webb taps into this mystique in an elegant gift book based on photographs of Cat Mulan.

Cat Mulan entered Webb’s life in 2004 via the City of Sacramento Animal Care Services. Webb describes Cat Mulan’s present situation as the “pampered life of a spirited feline.” Even as she provides for her bewhiskered friend, Webb draws inspiration from her. The result, “Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life,” offers smiles and wisdom through a combination of beautiful photos and sayings."

Click here for more about this delightful book.

‘Tree Craft: 35 rustic wood projects that bring the outdoors in’ by Chris Lubkemann-Book Review

"From the lumber in our buildings to the food on our table and the landscaping on our property, trees play a big role in human life. Now woodworking craftsman Chris Lubkemann offers a way to use fallen trees in additional ways to dress up our world.

Lubkemann’s book, ‘Tree Craft: 35 rustic wood projects that bring the outdoors in’ from Fox Chapel Publishing, features projects using parts of trees to create beautiful and useful furnishings for home, yard and office. 

The beauty of this book rests in the open-ended plans for each item. A novice will find ways to enjoy working with tree parts to create a simple item, while a more experienced woodworker can adapt and enhance the projects to finish with a highly personal piece."

Click here for more on this fascinating book.

A Toast to 'A Deadly Draught' by Lesley A. Diehl

"Upstate New York offers beautiful terrain and interesting niche businesses. Lesley Diehl takes full advantage of both in her mystery, 'A Deadly Draught.' Focusing on the world of microbreweries, Diehl leads us through a world of friendly competitors, secret recipes and murder.

Master Brewer Hera Knightsbridge carries on her late father’s work of creating excellent specialty brews in her small brewery. She battles financial woes, potential water rationing and competition from her neighbors for the weekend tourist market. But those problems pale in comparison to the murder of one of those competitors. Hera’s discovery of the body draws her into the case."


Read more here!

Book Review - 'The Mountains Bow Down' by Sibelle Giorello

"An FBI agent on vacation on an Alaska cruise sounds fairly ordinary. Until you realize that this is a working vacation and special agent Raleigh Harmon is riding herd as “consultant” to a movie crew filming a story about an FBI agent. When a female American passenger goes missing somewhere in the Inside Passage and later turns up dead, her working vacation turns into serious work, indeed."

Click here for more on Giorello's book.