Hi,
It 's a gray day today, and feels more like late winter than spring, though my cherry tree shows signs of blossoming soon. It's cold out, maybe forty degrees, though I haven't actually stepped outside to check. It could be a little warmer. The lake has thawed completely, and the grass is green, but I know from years past it could snow any day. Most years we see at least one good snowstorm in April. Not until May can you assume the white stuff is gone. I remember one year it snowed six inches and they opened the local ski area for the day. I didn't go skiing, but I thought about it.
So far, we've been luckier than ususal and have had several sunny days, a few with temperatures reaching all the way up to eighty degrees. The most recent one was Good Friday. I used that opportunity to go on a long bicycle ride with a group I ride with, going all the way to Belle Isle and back, about forty-five miles. I actually rode only forty miles, because I skipped the Belle Isle loop, which is fast and usually windy. (Usually I do the loop, but I talked myself out of it this time.) Instead, I stayed at the coffee shop, a Tim Hortons, and waited while a few of us lazies relaxed and drank some really good coffee and ate blueberry muffins. It was absolutely great to ride in bike shorts and a light jersey so early in the year. This particular ride is normally an easier pace, except for the Belle Isle part, so you can talk to friends without getting winded. It is also flat which makes it a favorite. We'll be doing the hill rides soon enough...
I enjoyed skiing this winter as well, both ski racing at Boyne Mountain and our one week vacation to Vail, Colorado. The snow was great at Boyne this year, not much ice at all, and two weekends had full sun. Our last weekend up there was not only sunny, but warm. No rain, no bald ice, nothing to complain about. The only thing I could complain about was my lack of trophies this year. I came close to a third place once, missed it by less than half a second, but could not make it happen. It's not like I raced badly, just everyone else raced better. My one excuse it that great snow conditions don't usually favor me. The worse the ice, the better I do. Oh well, I did race on Boyne's Nastar course a few times and claimed several gold medals. And one run was just short of a platinum. Next year...
Vail was awesome. We had a great condo at Lion's Head. My daughter Angie and her husband Marty joined us, plus we had two friends in our condo as well. We were only a short five minute walk to the gondola. The snow was a little sparse considering what they normally get, but I didn't notice any rocks, and once we headed to the back bowls we found lots of powder. We skied earlier in the season this year, the first week in February. Temperatures were mild though, early to mid-thirties during the day, colder at night. Vail is one of my favorite ski areas, more terrain than you could possibly ski in a week, or in several weeks. And the food is spectacular, pricey, but it's Vail after all. The restaurants have to pay for all that prime real estate.We did eat all of our breakfasts in the condo, and took turns cooking and cleaning up. Thanks to my husband, we were usually one of the first ones to arrive at the lift, no later than nine o'clock, and sometimes arriving by eight-thirty. This was not a vacation that included any sleeping in time.
But I'm really looking forward to spring and summer. That's the great thing about living in Michigan. Before you lose interest in any one season or sport, it's time to start another.
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
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Thursday, April 8, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Movie Marley and Me, and My Cat Slicky
Hello,
My husband Bruce rented the movie, Marley and Me, last night. He was hoping to please me, and I enjoyed the movie very much, though I cried at the end. (I wasn't in the mood to cry, since I was feeling a little down already. No real reason, or maybe a lot of little reasons, not sure.) Anyway, the movie reminded me of how much I would hate to lose our cat Slicky, and that I haven't played with him as much as I should lately. By the way, the movie is about a dog, a Labrador, not a cat, but a beloved pet just the same.
I believe the movie is based on a true story, though I haven't looked that up to be sure. But I think I read that it was. Marley is a lovable, untrainable, exasperating dog who tears up the furniture when left alone, pees on the carpet, and does just about every unthinkable thing a dog can do. He is not mean though. And he adores his parents. The movie is not just a comedy about Marley; there's a lot more to it. It is also about tradeoffs, the ones we make in life for those we love, trying to do the right thing. It is actually a good movie on several levels....
Anyway, I was wondering the other day if Slicky would be happier if he had friend to play with. I've always owned only one cat at a time, though my girlfriend owned two cats, and they seemed to do well keeping each other company. I don't want to invite problems though, and maybe Slicky likes being the only cat. After all, he gets all of the attention when he does get it.
Slicky is calling to me now. I'll be back in a sec....
Okay, I played with him. He really likes to play with architectural paper, the large sheets. It is very noisy and he likes to hide beneath it and let you poke at him with your foot, while he attacks through the paper. He never seems to tire of it. I can chase him through the house too, or play glove attack. He sits on the high perch Bruce built for him and attacks my gloved hands. He has claws, so without the leather gloves this wouldn't work at all. He also likes to lie on his back on the floor and play with the belt on my robe, which I dangle up and down.
It is much easier to keep an outdoor cat amused, but Slicky wants no part of the outdoors. You could leave the door wide open and he would just stand there. You would definitely have to coax him out, and I've talked to several vets, and all said that considering what a high-strung cat he is, he probably would get hurt. He is scared of everything. The phone rings and he will jump off my lap.
Anyway, he is happy for the most part. I know because he purrs all the time. It will be better when summer comes and he can hear all the birds, and smell the outdoors, and watch everything outside. He is still a middle aged cat, and very healthy as far as I can tell. No reason to worry. I'd be willing to guess he will be around for a long time.
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery-romantic suspense novel, Her Last Letter
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
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rented the movie Marley and Me, enjoyed movie very much, lovable exasperating dog, tradeoffs in life for those we love, my cat Slicky, architectural paper, chase him through the house, indoor cat, high-strung cat, purrs all the time, FREE EXCERPT mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
My husband Bruce rented the movie, Marley and Me, last night. He was hoping to please me, and I enjoyed the movie very much, though I cried at the end. (I wasn't in the mood to cry, since I was feeling a little down already. No real reason, or maybe a lot of little reasons, not sure.) Anyway, the movie reminded me of how much I would hate to lose our cat Slicky, and that I haven't played with him as much as I should lately. By the way, the movie is about a dog, a Labrador, not a cat, but a beloved pet just the same.
I believe the movie is based on a true story, though I haven't looked that up to be sure. But I think I read that it was. Marley is a lovable, untrainable, exasperating dog who tears up the furniture when left alone, pees on the carpet, and does just about every unthinkable thing a dog can do. He is not mean though. And he adores his parents. The movie is not just a comedy about Marley; there's a lot more to it. It is also about tradeoffs, the ones we make in life for those we love, trying to do the right thing. It is actually a good movie on several levels....
Anyway, I was wondering the other day if Slicky would be happier if he had friend to play with. I've always owned only one cat at a time, though my girlfriend owned two cats, and they seemed to do well keeping each other company. I don't want to invite problems though, and maybe Slicky likes being the only cat. After all, he gets all of the attention when he does get it.
Slicky is calling to me now. I'll be back in a sec....
Okay, I played with him. He really likes to play with architectural paper, the large sheets. It is very noisy and he likes to hide beneath it and let you poke at him with your foot, while he attacks through the paper. He never seems to tire of it. I can chase him through the house too, or play glove attack. He sits on the high perch Bruce built for him and attacks my gloved hands. He has claws, so without the leather gloves this wouldn't work at all. He also likes to lie on his back on the floor and play with the belt on my robe, which I dangle up and down.
It is much easier to keep an outdoor cat amused, but Slicky wants no part of the outdoors. You could leave the door wide open and he would just stand there. You would definitely have to coax him out, and I've talked to several vets, and all said that considering what a high-strung cat he is, he probably would get hurt. He is scared of everything. The phone rings and he will jump off my lap.
Anyway, he is happy for the most part. I know because he purrs all the time. It will be better when summer comes and he can hear all the birds, and smell the outdoors, and watch everything outside. He is still a middle aged cat, and very healthy as far as I can tell. No reason to worry. I'd be willing to guess he will be around for a long time.
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery-romantic suspense novel, Her Last Letter
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
Technorati Tags:
rented the movie Marley and Me, enjoyed movie very much, lovable exasperating dog, tradeoffs in life for those we love, my cat Slicky, architectural paper, chase him through the house, indoor cat, high-strung cat, purrs all the time, FREE EXCERPT mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
Sunday, December 13, 2009
An Old-Fashioned Christmas Tree
Hello,
Christmas is just around the corner, and I wanted to share with you the nice experience I had with my daughter and son-in-law shopping for a Christmas tree the old-fashioned way.
It's my job these days to assemble our nice looking, but fake Christmas tree. It works for me. It looks good, the needles stay put, and I can burn an evergreen candle if I want a little pine scent. In years past, my husband and I would buy a real tree, pre-cut, at one of the neighborhood lots, but Bruce became less enamored with picking out the tree, bringing it home and setting it up, and cleaning up all the needles.
I finally gave in and we bought the fake, and it is less trouble, but I do sometimes miss getting a real tree. So, I was delighted when my daughter Angie called me and asked if I would like to go to a tree farm and help pick out their tree.
We are not that far from Highland, maybe 10 miles, where a lot of open land still exists and most of the tree farms are located. We visited one of the most popular tree farms first, which featured hay-baled filled wagon rides pulled by a tractor. This was great as it happened to be a beautiful sunny day and only mildly cold. The three of us hopped on the wagon along with a few other people, and headed for the acres of planted pines beyond. It was fun! They dropped us off farther back, and we walked and walked, but couldn't decide between the scotch pine or the blue spruce, plus some of the pre-cut trees they offered looked good also. In the end, we decided to drink some hot cider, then check out another of the tree farms nearby.
Eventually, after more walking, we decided on a blue spruce at the next farm, where many of the trees were nice looking. But as we were ready to leave, the tree tied to the roof, Angie's best friend Darcey and her husband Jim, plus their toddler Andrew arrived. And so we did it all over again, walked through the trees for a third time, to visit with them and to watch while they picked out their tree. I'll admit I was getting tired by this time, also hungry, plus hadn't seen any signs of an available restroom for a while.
It all worked out though. We stopped at a McDonald's for a snack afterwards, then drove back with the sunroof open to make sure the tree stayed securely fastened to the roof.
All in all, I enjoyed myself immensely, and hope to do it again next year.
Enjoy the holidays!
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
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An old-fashioned Christmas tree, Christmas is just around the corner, Christmas tree, tree farms, hay-baled filled wagon rides, pre-cut trees, scotch pine and blue spruce, hot cider, walked through the trees, stopped at McDonald's, Enjoy the holidays!, visit my website, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
Christmas is just around the corner, and I wanted to share with you the nice experience I had with my daughter and son-in-law shopping for a Christmas tree the old-fashioned way.
It's my job these days to assemble our nice looking, but fake Christmas tree. It works for me. It looks good, the needles stay put, and I can burn an evergreen candle if I want a little pine scent. In years past, my husband and I would buy a real tree, pre-cut, at one of the neighborhood lots, but Bruce became less enamored with picking out the tree, bringing it home and setting it up, and cleaning up all the needles.
I finally gave in and we bought the fake, and it is less trouble, but I do sometimes miss getting a real tree. So, I was delighted when my daughter Angie called me and asked if I would like to go to a tree farm and help pick out their tree.
We are not that far from Highland, maybe 10 miles, where a lot of open land still exists and most of the tree farms are located. We visited one of the most popular tree farms first, which featured hay-baled filled wagon rides pulled by a tractor. This was great as it happened to be a beautiful sunny day and only mildly cold. The three of us hopped on the wagon along with a few other people, and headed for the acres of planted pines beyond. It was fun! They dropped us off farther back, and we walked and walked, but couldn't decide between the scotch pine or the blue spruce, plus some of the pre-cut trees they offered looked good also. In the end, we decided to drink some hot cider, then check out another of the tree farms nearby.
Eventually, after more walking, we decided on a blue spruce at the next farm, where many of the trees were nice looking. But as we were ready to leave, the tree tied to the roof, Angie's best friend Darcey and her husband Jim, plus their toddler Andrew arrived. And so we did it all over again, walked through the trees for a third time, to visit with them and to watch while they picked out their tree. I'll admit I was getting tired by this time, also hungry, plus hadn't seen any signs of an available restroom for a while.
It all worked out though. We stopped at a McDonald's for a snack afterwards, then drove back with the sunroof open to make sure the tree stayed securely fastened to the roof.
All in all, I enjoyed myself immensely, and hope to do it again next year.
Enjoy the holidays!
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
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An old-fashioned Christmas tree, Christmas is just around the corner, Christmas tree, tree farms, hay-baled filled wagon rides, pre-cut trees, scotch pine and blue spruce, hot cider, walked through the trees, stopped at McDonald's, Enjoy the holidays!, visit my website, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
Thursday, December 10, 2009
A Little Disneyland ... My Bird Feeder
Hi there!
It is cold, cold, cold here in Michigan, especially today. I'm not sure of the temperature, but the winds are fierce. I went out this morning as I usually do and put out seed for the birds and squirrels, and they seemed especially anxious to get to their chow. I have an unusual feeder that my husband built for me. It is shaped somewhat like a cross, about seven feet high, but has three flat boards, one over the other, near the top. I spread the seed on each board, and a variety of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks show up each morning, usually immediately after I spread the seed. When I first started doing this, maybe five years ago, none of them got along. Each squirrel would shoo off the other squirrels and the birds too. Now they seem to know each other, and it's like a little Disneyland out there, birds and squirrels all eating and socializing together.
I originally wanted a bird feeder to amuse my cat Slicky. He gets bored being an indoor cat, and he enjoys watching it all in the morning, though now he is used to it and rarely tries to attack the squirrels that run across the deck. (The feeder is built to one side of the deck so I can reach it easily.) Of course, I really like watching all the action in the morning too. I put out wild bird seed, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. The unsalted peanuts were originally for the squirrels, but the jays usually get most of them. I read that blue jays store food for winter, which surprised me. They are quick, and funny to watch. The peanuts are in the shell, and being greedy, the jays try to stuff more than one in their beak, which doesn't work. After picking up one, then dropping it to get the other one a few times, they settle on just one and fly away to their nest. This repeats for a few minutes until all the peanuts are gone.
I've seen cardinals and woodpeckers, big ones and little ones, and the mourning doves are a large group, plus many smaller birds. I have a bird guide my daughter bought me, so I know most of the ones that come around. I used to see blackbirds and crows, but not recently. I think some birds come by just to see what's going on. One time a duck flew up and sat on the feeder. I tried to get a picture, but something scared it and it flew away. The ducks do walk up from the lake and get seed off the ground in the summer, and they bring their little ducklings. (This makes me glad I have an indoor cat.)
But I wonder how they can stand the cold on days like this, but they do. The squirrels cover their backbone with their long tail, and the birds puff up to capture some body warmth, and their hearts beat much faster than ours, pumping out the heat. Makes me glad I can provide them with some fuel ... and that I can watch them from inside.
Hope you're enjoying the holidays!
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
Technorati Tags:
a little Disney Land, my bird feeder, cold here in Michigan, birds, squirrels, and chipmunks, spread the seed, Disney Land, bird feeder, blue jays, cardinals, and woodpeckers, squirrels cover their backbones, enjoy the holidays, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
It is cold, cold, cold here in Michigan, especially today. I'm not sure of the temperature, but the winds are fierce. I went out this morning as I usually do and put out seed for the birds and squirrels, and they seemed especially anxious to get to their chow. I have an unusual feeder that my husband built for me. It is shaped somewhat like a cross, about seven feet high, but has three flat boards, one over the other, near the top. I spread the seed on each board, and a variety of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks show up each morning, usually immediately after I spread the seed. When I first started doing this, maybe five years ago, none of them got along. Each squirrel would shoo off the other squirrels and the birds too. Now they seem to know each other, and it's like a little Disneyland out there, birds and squirrels all eating and socializing together.
I originally wanted a bird feeder to amuse my cat Slicky. He gets bored being an indoor cat, and he enjoys watching it all in the morning, though now he is used to it and rarely tries to attack the squirrels that run across the deck. (The feeder is built to one side of the deck so I can reach it easily.) Of course, I really like watching all the action in the morning too. I put out wild bird seed, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. The unsalted peanuts were originally for the squirrels, but the jays usually get most of them. I read that blue jays store food for winter, which surprised me. They are quick, and funny to watch. The peanuts are in the shell, and being greedy, the jays try to stuff more than one in their beak, which doesn't work. After picking up one, then dropping it to get the other one a few times, they settle on just one and fly away to their nest. This repeats for a few minutes until all the peanuts are gone.
I've seen cardinals and woodpeckers, big ones and little ones, and the mourning doves are a large group, plus many smaller birds. I have a bird guide my daughter bought me, so I know most of the ones that come around. I used to see blackbirds and crows, but not recently. I think some birds come by just to see what's going on. One time a duck flew up and sat on the feeder. I tried to get a picture, but something scared it and it flew away. The ducks do walk up from the lake and get seed off the ground in the summer, and they bring their little ducklings. (This makes me glad I have an indoor cat.)
But I wonder how they can stand the cold on days like this, but they do. The squirrels cover their backbone with their long tail, and the birds puff up to capture some body warmth, and their hearts beat much faster than ours, pumping out the heat. Makes me glad I can provide them with some fuel ... and that I can watch them from inside.
Hope you're enjoying the holidays!
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
Technorati Tags:
a little Disney Land, my bird feeder, cold here in Michigan, birds, squirrels, and chipmunks, spread the seed, Disney Land, bird feeder, blue jays, cardinals, and woodpeckers, squirrels cover their backbones, enjoy the holidays, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Book Signing at Leon & Lulu
Hi,
A friend of mine, Maureen, was nice enough to tell me about an opportunity to do a book signing at an unusual place. It actually used to be a roller rink, and I'm pretty sure I used to roller skate there as a kid. Leon & Lulu, formerly the Ambassador Roller Rink, is located in Clawson, not far from Rochester, the town I grew up in. My mother used to drop me and my sister off at the rink for the day, and we had great times hanging out with the other kids. The only bad thing about it was we both would come home with blisters on our heels after the many miles of floor we circled.
Now, the former Ambassador is a wonderful furniture and accessories store. You would have to see it to believe it, fifteen-thousand square feet of eye candy for the decorator minded. The floors are still part of the old roller rink, but beautifully refinished, and roller skating employees smoothly maneuver throughout the store helping customers. Leon & Lulu held their first "Books and Authors" event the Sunday before last, and many customers and book lovers turned out to join in the fun and meet the thirty-six authors in attendance. Part of the proceeds went to charity, and I believe they did very well in that regard. Stuff like this is always fun for me as I meet other authors who are inevitably fun to talk to. I always seem to learn something new from them. I had a great space to set up my books, my own little living room near the front of the store. I had a beautiful couch, a chair, coffee table, and art objects surrounding me. I felt like I was part of the display, except I smiled and said hello when people passed by or stopped to chat with me. To my surprise, we were allowed to drink coffee in our area (offered free that day to the authors and customers) and also to eat free muffins and other goodies, and later on, free hot dogs. I had to leave my area to eat the hot dog though. I don't trust myself with mustard around furniture.
I told friends I was going to be there, and my friend Chris showed up to spend time with me, then my friend Maureen, then my sister and her husband, and then my daughter, who took a picture of me holding up my novel. It was a great time and I sold and signed some books too.
It's going to be an annual event, so I'm hoping to be invited back next year also. By then I should have two books to display.
Have a great day!
Visit my website to read FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
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Book signing at Leon & Lulu, roller rink, Ambassador Roller Rink, Clawson, fifteen-thousand square feet of eye candy for the decorator minded, roller skating employees, Books and Authors event, book lovers, proceeds went to charity, free hot dogs and other goodies, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
A friend of mine, Maureen, was nice enough to tell me about an opportunity to do a book signing at an unusual place. It actually used to be a roller rink, and I'm pretty sure I used to roller skate there as a kid. Leon & Lulu, formerly the Ambassador Roller Rink, is located in Clawson, not far from Rochester, the town I grew up in. My mother used to drop me and my sister off at the rink for the day, and we had great times hanging out with the other kids. The only bad thing about it was we both would come home with blisters on our heels after the many miles of floor we circled.
Now, the former Ambassador is a wonderful furniture and accessories store. You would have to see it to believe it, fifteen-thousand square feet of eye candy for the decorator minded. The floors are still part of the old roller rink, but beautifully refinished, and roller skating employees smoothly maneuver throughout the store helping customers. Leon & Lulu held their first "Books and Authors" event the Sunday before last, and many customers and book lovers turned out to join in the fun and meet the thirty-six authors in attendance. Part of the proceeds went to charity, and I believe they did very well in that regard. Stuff like this is always fun for me as I meet other authors who are inevitably fun to talk to. I always seem to learn something new from them. I had a great space to set up my books, my own little living room near the front of the store. I had a beautiful couch, a chair, coffee table, and art objects surrounding me. I felt like I was part of the display, except I smiled and said hello when people passed by or stopped to chat with me. To my surprise, we were allowed to drink coffee in our area (offered free that day to the authors and customers) and also to eat free muffins and other goodies, and later on, free hot dogs. I had to leave my area to eat the hot dog though. I don't trust myself with mustard around furniture.
I told friends I was going to be there, and my friend Chris showed up to spend time with me, then my friend Maureen, then my sister and her husband, and then my daughter, who took a picture of me holding up my novel. It was a great time and I sold and signed some books too.
It's going to be an annual event, so I'm hoping to be invited back next year also. By then I should have two books to display.
Have a great day!
Visit my website to read FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
Technorati Tags:
Book signing at Leon & Lulu, roller rink, Ambassador Roller Rink, Clawson, fifteen-thousand square feet of eye candy for the decorator minded, roller skating employees, Books and Authors event, book lovers, proceeds went to charity, free hot dogs and other goodies, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A Great Review from Midwest Book Review!!
I can't tell you how happy I was to discover I'd received a great review from Midwest Book Review on my Amazon page! Not only was it a wonderful review, it was six paragraphs long, written by their senior reviewer Shelley Glodowski.
I sent the book in for a possible review about a year ago, and had given up on ever hearing from them. They do get a lot of books, so my guess was they just weren't that thrilled with mine. I was also aware it is their policy to post a review of a book only if they believe it is worthy of five stars. Otherwise, it is not reviewed, and this is a great policy as far as I'm concerned, because the only thing worse than receiving no review is receiving a bad one. Of course, whether a reviewer or reader likes or does not like a book is very subjective. While I, of course, believe my novel is a well-written and exciting read, not everyone is going to agree. (Though I have to brag a little that readers have written me, or told me, that they absolutely loved my book and could not put it down.)
Around this same time period, I also found that my novel, Her Last Letter, was included on another of Amazon's Listmania! lists. This particular list was compiled by MN Mama (from Minnesota) and titled, "Great Suspense Thrillers and Mysteries."
So, if either happens to read this blog post, I want to thank both Shelley Glodowski and MN Mama for giving my book praise and making me very, very happy!
Here is the review as it reads on my Amazon Page:
***** A great read!!, September 8, 2009
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Nancy C. Johnson has been making up stories since she was a child. She is a complete bookworm and loves to create a romantic world for the reader. She craves excitement, and wants her stories to engage the imagination of the reader.
Set in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a town in close proximity to Aspen, Nancy's story begins with Gwyn Sanders, recent heiress, discovering a letter from her dead sister hidden in a desk. The letter indicates that her sister slept with the boyfriend of either Gwyn or Linda, the third sister. Gwyn and Linda decide to hire a private detective to conduct a background check on both men. After all, new money and its owner can easily be separated. Unfortunately, this situation puts a strain on both fairly new marriages:
"When I returned home I sought a good hiding place for the report. Later tonight, after Trevor went to bed, I'd read it in depth. I'd decided that my discovery didn't mean a thing, that if anything, having a father in prison had taught Trevor one thing and one thing only. DON'T END UP THERE. Look how diligently he went about his business, about his life. Of course he didn't want his father's mistakes to reflect on him. That's why he'd kept it a secret."
There is no better place to set a mystery than in an exotic place or in the mountains. Nancy Johnson makes excellent use of this backdrop to set the stage for a smashing mystery that is chock full of romance; sexual tension; and true mystery. Her dead sister seems to be speaking to her from the halls of their childhood home, and the reality that follows is just as startling as if her ghost had jumped out at Gwyn.
The idea of new money creating possible targets is also explored in this mystery. Naturally there are "other women," and it all adds up to a spicy and juicy read that is impossible to put down once the first page is read.
Nancy C. Johnson has created a winner with HER LAST LETTER. Hopefully this book is the beginning of a career that is sure to thrill her growing readership for years to come.
A great read!!
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
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book review, Midwest Book Review, Shelley Glodowski, Amazon's Listmania!, MN Mama, Great Suspense Thrillers and Mysteries, bookworm, romantic, reader, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
I sent the book in for a possible review about a year ago, and had given up on ever hearing from them. They do get a lot of books, so my guess was they just weren't that thrilled with mine. I was also aware it is their policy to post a review of a book only if they believe it is worthy of five stars. Otherwise, it is not reviewed, and this is a great policy as far as I'm concerned, because the only thing worse than receiving no review is receiving a bad one. Of course, whether a reviewer or reader likes or does not like a book is very subjective. While I, of course, believe my novel is a well-written and exciting read, not everyone is going to agree. (Though I have to brag a little that readers have written me, or told me, that they absolutely loved my book and could not put it down.)
Around this same time period, I also found that my novel, Her Last Letter, was included on another of Amazon's Listmania! lists. This particular list was compiled by MN Mama (from Minnesota) and titled, "Great Suspense Thrillers and Mysteries."
So, if either happens to read this blog post, I want to thank both Shelley Glodowski and MN Mama for giving my book praise and making me very, very happy!
Here is the review as it reads on my Amazon Page:
***** A great read!!, September 8, 2009
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Nancy C. Johnson has been making up stories since she was a child. She is a complete bookworm and loves to create a romantic world for the reader. She craves excitement, and wants her stories to engage the imagination of the reader.
Set in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a town in close proximity to Aspen, Nancy's story begins with Gwyn Sanders, recent heiress, discovering a letter from her dead sister hidden in a desk. The letter indicates that her sister slept with the boyfriend of either Gwyn or Linda, the third sister. Gwyn and Linda decide to hire a private detective to conduct a background check on both men. After all, new money and its owner can easily be separated. Unfortunately, this situation puts a strain on both fairly new marriages:
"When I returned home I sought a good hiding place for the report. Later tonight, after Trevor went to bed, I'd read it in depth. I'd decided that my discovery didn't mean a thing, that if anything, having a father in prison had taught Trevor one thing and one thing only. DON'T END UP THERE. Look how diligently he went about his business, about his life. Of course he didn't want his father's mistakes to reflect on him. That's why he'd kept it a secret."
There is no better place to set a mystery than in an exotic place or in the mountains. Nancy Johnson makes excellent use of this backdrop to set the stage for a smashing mystery that is chock full of romance; sexual tension; and true mystery. Her dead sister seems to be speaking to her from the halls of their childhood home, and the reality that follows is just as startling as if her ghost had jumped out at Gwyn.
The idea of new money creating possible targets is also explored in this mystery. Naturally there are "other women," and it all adds up to a spicy and juicy read that is impossible to put down once the first page is read.
Nancy C. Johnson has created a winner with HER LAST LETTER. Hopefully this book is the beginning of a career that is sure to thrill her growing readership for years to come.
A great read!!
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
Technorati Tags:
book review, Midwest Book Review, Shelley Glodowski, Amazon's Listmania!, MN Mama, Great Suspense Thrillers and Mysteries, bookworm, romantic, reader, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
Friday, August 7, 2009
Battle of the Crabgrass
Hi,
Well, all in all life is good. I was not feeling too good several weeks ago, and I have to blame it on one of Mother Nature's peskier weeds.
I've never had an encounter with asthma until recently, and I feel really sorry for anyone who has to deal with it on a regular basis. Not being able to breathe well is awful...
Anyone who reads this blog knows I like to bicycle, in fact I like to bicycle a lot. And breathing hard when needed is certainly a part of that. I don't let myself get too scared about many things, but the asthma episode scared me. I have good lungs, and don't normally worry much about paint fumes and other types of fumes. I know they aren't good for you, but I figure I can deal with them if necessary.
Anyway, for the last six years I've hired a reputable company to kill the weeds in our lawn, and they did a good job on everything except the crabgrass, which was the reason I hired them. I can kill most weeds myself. I have no problem using a lawn spreader. It's not a big job, nor is it particularly expensive. I just can't seem to kill the crabgrass. I've tried the pre-emergents, but never had much luck. I even sprayed the crabgrass with total weed and grass killer, didn't faze it, just left visibly brown patches with little green shoots poking through. One year when I was really mad, crazy mad, I picked every blade of it out of the front lawn. Took me all day and made my back hurt. It was gone for a while, but returned the next year. I'm told it's an annual weed, so where did the new seedlings come from? It never got a chance to seed that year.
I've tried ignoring it, but I swear it laughs at me. It grows for the most part next to the driveway, where I can't help but see it. I thought I had its number this year. I bought spray bottles, big ones, of crabgrass killer. I planned to spray it, and spray it, until it was dead, at least dead for this year. I didn't want to see it. I wanted to see nice lush grass take its place, the kind all my neighbors seem to have.
But whatever grows in my yard is not easily defeated. The first round of spray stopped its advance. The second round a week later stopped me. A couple hours after the application I found I couldn't take a deep breath. It felt as if half my lungs, the bottom half, had shut down. That was on Saturday. I figured it would go away in a few days. I wasn't wheezing yet, just couldn't get a good deep breath. In retrospect I should have seen a doctor right away, but instead I waited until Monday morning.
My doctor gave me a breathing test and I flunked. Allergy induced asthma was the diagnosis. I then had to breathe medicine through a tube to calm the inflammation and open up my lungs. It felt like heaven after the previous two days. I also got a device to use twice daily, and was told that in a couple weeks I would be okay. It actually was over three weeks before I felt normal again. The medication I was prescribed actually didn't help much, and when I read that one of the possible side effects was "death," I decided to just deal with it until I felt better.
So, the crabgrass won again this year, and cost me three weeks of biking fun.
I noticed that the small park near to us has no crabgrass. No one weeds it, or waters it. It does get mowed occasionally. Sometimes the grass goes brown when the rain doesn't fall for weeks and the temperature rises. Mother Nature obviously knows how to keep her pesky weed in check. Maybe I should follow her advice. If so, all I really have to do, is do nothing.
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
Technorati Tags:
life is good, Mother Nature, I like to bicycle, crabgrass, asthma, fumes, kill the weeds, crabgrass killer, couldn't take a deep breath, allergy induced asthma, free excerpt, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
Well, all in all life is good. I was not feeling too good several weeks ago, and I have to blame it on one of Mother Nature's peskier weeds.
I've never had an encounter with asthma until recently, and I feel really sorry for anyone who has to deal with it on a regular basis. Not being able to breathe well is awful...
Anyone who reads this blog knows I like to bicycle, in fact I like to bicycle a lot. And breathing hard when needed is certainly a part of that. I don't let myself get too scared about many things, but the asthma episode scared me. I have good lungs, and don't normally worry much about paint fumes and other types of fumes. I know they aren't good for you, but I figure I can deal with them if necessary.
Anyway, for the last six years I've hired a reputable company to kill the weeds in our lawn, and they did a good job on everything except the crabgrass, which was the reason I hired them. I can kill most weeds myself. I have no problem using a lawn spreader. It's not a big job, nor is it particularly expensive. I just can't seem to kill the crabgrass. I've tried the pre-emergents, but never had much luck. I even sprayed the crabgrass with total weed and grass killer, didn't faze it, just left visibly brown patches with little green shoots poking through. One year when I was really mad, crazy mad, I picked every blade of it out of the front lawn. Took me all day and made my back hurt. It was gone for a while, but returned the next year. I'm told it's an annual weed, so where did the new seedlings come from? It never got a chance to seed that year.
I've tried ignoring it, but I swear it laughs at me. It grows for the most part next to the driveway, where I can't help but see it. I thought I had its number this year. I bought spray bottles, big ones, of crabgrass killer. I planned to spray it, and spray it, until it was dead, at least dead for this year. I didn't want to see it. I wanted to see nice lush grass take its place, the kind all my neighbors seem to have.
But whatever grows in my yard is not easily defeated. The first round of spray stopped its advance. The second round a week later stopped me. A couple hours after the application I found I couldn't take a deep breath. It felt as if half my lungs, the bottom half, had shut down. That was on Saturday. I figured it would go away in a few days. I wasn't wheezing yet, just couldn't get a good deep breath. In retrospect I should have seen a doctor right away, but instead I waited until Monday morning.
My doctor gave me a breathing test and I flunked. Allergy induced asthma was the diagnosis. I then had to breathe medicine through a tube to calm the inflammation and open up my lungs. It felt like heaven after the previous two days. I also got a device to use twice daily, and was told that in a couple weeks I would be okay. It actually was over three weeks before I felt normal again. The medication I was prescribed actually didn't help much, and when I read that one of the possible side effects was "death," I decided to just deal with it until I felt better.
So, the crabgrass won again this year, and cost me three weeks of biking fun.
I noticed that the small park near to us has no crabgrass. No one weeds it, or waters it. It does get mowed occasionally. Sometimes the grass goes brown when the rain doesn't fall for weeks and the temperature rises. Mother Nature obviously knows how to keep her pesky weed in check. Maybe I should follow her advice. If so, all I really have to do, is do nothing.
Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.
http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/
Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.
Technorati Tags:
life is good, Mother Nature, I like to bicycle, crabgrass, asthma, fumes, kill the weeds, crabgrass killer, couldn't take a deep breath, allergy induced asthma, free excerpt, mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter
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