I think I believed in Santa longer than most children.  The reason is that he called me!  This was in the early 1950s, before kids were disillusioned through modern technology.  Mom answered the phone and, after listening a minute, held the handset out saying, "It's for you." 

Probably the first time that had happened to me.  I tentatively said, "Hello?"  and a gravelly voice replied, "Ho, ho, ho!  Merry Christmas, Robin!" 

I could hear jingle bells and Santa turned away from the phone to call one of the reindeer from wandering off.  Then he told me that he was calling the children on his "Nice" list to check what they wanted for Christmas.  We had a lovely, but short, discussion (he had a lot of children to check on) and then, with more jingle bells and commands to elves and reindeer, he hung up. 

​ I found out years later that it was "Uncle" Charlie Brophy, a friend of my parents'.  They had been as surprised as I was when he called.  It was just something he had decided to do for the younger kids of his friends and neighbors.

Morgan here. What a sweet thing for Uncle Charlie to do.

My favorite Christmas memory is from when I was a lot younger. My mom wanted to bake sugar cookies with us and we needed a few ingredients from the store (flour, sugar, salt, etc). She sent me into the store with a sandwich baggy full of loose coins.

Thinking back… she was probably embarrassed to do it herself. I faithfully grabbed all of the ingredients on the list she had given me and set them on the conveyer belt to check out. When the cashier rang everything up and I counted out each coin from my bag, I didn’t have enough. The cashier asked me to choose an item to put back. I tried telling her that my mom had sent me into the store to buy all of the necessary ingredients we needed to make cookies for Santa and I needed it all. I was devastated. Everything was vital to making the cookies.

Finally, I chose the salt. The woman in line behind me told the cashier that she would take the salt. My young pride was upset. How dare she take MY salt. The salt that I couldn’t pay for. I slowly walked out of the store to my mom, who was waiting in the car for me. How was I going to tell her that I couldn’t get everything she’d asked for? I failed the job she had given me. Now, we wouldn’t be able to make cookies.

As I was just about to exit the store, the woman who was behind me in line called out to me. I turned around and she had the salt container in her outstretched hands. She told me that she wanted me to have it. She remembered being a struggling single mom and that she wanted me to tell my mom Merry Christmas. Through my tears, I thanked her and gave her a hug.

 When I got back into the car with my mom, I told her everything. How I didn’t have enough money for everything and that I had to return an item and I’d chosen the salt. How the woman behind me in line said that she would buy the salt and how upset I was. Then, I told her what that same woman had done, she’d purchased the salt for us and that she’d asked me to tell my mom that she was doing great and to have a Merry Christmas. My mom and I sat in our car crying for a few minutes before she turned to me and said, “That is the true meaning of Christmas.”

Now that I’m older and have a family of my own, I still cannot make sugar cookies without thinking of that nameless woman and silently thanking her for her kindness.
​
What an incredible tale of compassion. Thanks for sharing it, Shelby.

One of my favorite Christmas’s took place in 1975. My father was in the U.S. Air Force and we had recently returned to the United States from living abroad in West Germany. In December of 1975 my father decided he would drive the family to Washington State so my mother could visit with her Uncle Bob and her grandparents.

It was quite an experience for us. We had our school work to do but we also visited so many new historical places .
We participated in a Christmas Boat Parade. We went to Mount Rainier and Northwest Trek. We went up in the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.

It was so much fun.

It sounds like a wonderful time. Happy memories.

Bullies, Bovines, and a Bookmobile
​Blurb:
​
An unexpected illness of the aunt who raised her, draws reference librarian Tenny back into the tangle of small time life complete with unrequited love, and a mean girl with an agenda. Her goal is to nurse her aunt back to health and start a local library in the process. Unfortunately, she stumbles onto a bovine secret and a life-long rivalry. Can she untangle the mystery while creating a rural bookmobile service?

​Available for only .99 cents preorder on Amazon.

A Bookworm of a Suspect

​All proceeds will be donated to "The Free Book Bus" a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

From bookstores to libraries, mischief and murder is on the rise.
Follow 30 sleuths as they tackle the ultimate case, to catch a bookworm red-handed.

Will their love of books solve the case before it's too late?
Spend the next month solving a mystery a day from the best cozy mystery authors in the industry.

Featuring bestsellers such as: Verena DeLuca, NAK Baldron, Denise Jaden, Iris March, Nicolette Pierce, Jessica Baker, Krista Lockheart Lisa Bouchard, Lise McClendon, Julie Anne Lindsey, Stella Bixby, K.L. Montgomery, Anne Shillolo, Polly Holmes, Kathryn Mykel, Angela K. Ryan, M K Scott, Brittany E. Brinegar, Mary Lucal, Elle Wren Burke, C. Farren, Alicia Ellis, Jennifer S. Alderson, Kelly Brakenhoff, Rune Stroud, Mary B. Barbee, Elle Hartford, ACF Bookens, Adriana Licio, Kate Darroch and more.

Only .99 preorder at your favorite online bookstores.

What happens with thirty cozy mystery authors come together for a fun anthology that benefits the Free Book Bus, a non-profit organization that delivers free books to children? It's a win-win for the children and cozy mystery fans.

Pre-order your own A Bookworm of a Suspect for only .99 cents. Enjoy thirty tales from thirty talented authors. Here's a little more about my story, which involves Donna and Mark from my Painted Lady Inn Mysteries series.

M.K. Scott,  A Cat’s Tale

A curious cat leads Detective Mark Taber and amateur sleuth wife, Donna, to a murdered man inside an empty bookstore. Despite warnings not to interfere by the local authorities, Donna finds herself pulled into a deadly game of cat and mouse.
​
Amazon Link to Related Series: https://www.amazon.com/The-Painted-Lady-Inn-Mysteries-12-book-series/dp/B087LQWWN4

My mother loved to travel and often took us on family vacations. She has since passed on, but I like to think she traveled with us. Too often, people wait too long to take a dream trip. We've been waiting two years for ours. Come travel with us.

Galapagos Islands is considered a national park with a very interesting history. It served as a pirates hideout due to the morning mists from the currents, a whaler's paradise due to whales, a penal colony, and finally a protected wildlife sanctuary.  Animals have no fear of humans since they are neither hunted or harassed. The finches will land right next to you for a crumb from your sandwich. 
 
The Island of Floreana  could be its own mystery novel. Back in the seventies, nine people chose to live there, only one remains, and she's a little fuzzy about the details about what happened to everyone else.  A few of the islands have human populations, but must rely on supplies from Ecuador. Conservation is number one consideration with no plastic bottles in Galapagos. They have machines that dispense water and coffee, but a customer must provide their own container. All soda and water are in glass bottles.
​​

There are so many incredible animals in the Galapagos including sea lions, penguins, iguanas, flamingoes, sea turtles, and gIant tortoise to name a few. (Only 1 in 1000 baby sea turtles actually reaches the sea.)

There are all sorts of birds including the famous blue footed booby, Darwin Finches, pelicans, gulls, Galapagos Hawk, and the Frigate Bird. If anyone remembers Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds movie, it will give you a feel what it was like visiting the island where all the huge, black frigate birds filled the sky crying their slightly eerie call. Thankfully, they didn't attack and there were plenty of fluffly baby frigates to ooh and ah over.  A baby is anywhere from twelve to eighteen inches long.

For those of you planning a similar trip, I should warn you about lots of hiking, speeding around in inflatable boats and wet landings. Wet landings are where you jump out of the boat and wade to shore. Dry landings are where you jump out of a rocking boat and hope you hit land. We fared well. No sun burn, no bug bites, and over six hundred photos.

 Our bucket list trip to Galapagos really stretched our horizons and forced us to remember our high school Spanish. We saw animals up close, snorkeled, and kayaked. We planted trees to help rebuild forests crowded out by invasive species. One of the invasive species was surprisingly blackberry brambles. The blackberries were brought by immigrants from Ecuador hoping to grow familiar berries.


It's an amazing experience to walk through a field of migrating giant tortoises. Our guide told us once a tortoise reaches a hundred years, it refuses to migrate since they always come back to the same place in the spring. Wisdom comes with age.

Color is very important to attract a mate. Boobies with the bluest feet attract the most mates. It's the same with the Sally Go Lightly  Crab. The brighter the color, the more chance a female crab will notice it.

Galapagos Islands Park allows only so many visitors per year, so we feel extremely lucky to visit in our lifetime. We were on a small craft with only ninety-four guests. Most everyone flew in from Quito. We were the only ones to fly in from Guayaquil. For a few hours, we were the only guests on the boat. :) 

It's hot and dry in central Midwest. I'm watering my garden daily and trying to remember the winter months when we talked about how great it would be when summer arrived. Jane is making use of her splash pad.

Blurb
The Senior Sleuths don’t mind a little peace now and then, but after a long bout of nothing out of the ordinary, they’re eager for some excitement.

No one could’ve imagined it would arrive with such a bang.

A mysterious explosion has rocked the assisted living community, disrupting life for everyone.

Despite the stern warnings from authorities, one of the Senior Sleuths can’t help but get involved. This is their home, after all.
Herman, always eager to root out the truth, ignores the warnings and hunts for answers. He’s convinced the explosion was a rouse to cover up something far more sinister. But the other seniors aren’t as eager to get involved. They’re focused on Marcy and Lance’s upcoming wedding.

Without his usual sidekicks, can Herman track down the bomber and a missing veteran who no one else remembers?

EX 2
“Keep going.” A sizable woman employee, garbed in a cartoon smock that hinted at a playful personality on better days, shouted as she pointed at a thin line of ornamental trees that served as a barrier between the center and the nearby neighborhood. “Head toward the Bradford Pear trees!” 

The majority of residents complied without a peep, moving as fast as they could go. As children, they must have listened to their teachers and made their parents proud. Not all of the residents qualified as rule followers, however.

            One slender woman with a still firm chin turned to address the shouting aide.
​“Is this a drill?” Eunice’s shrill voice carried over the hubbub. “I hate these stupid fire drills.”

A continual beep, beep, beep of an alarm carried across the parking lot as doors opened on different wings emitting a steady parade of confused residents and agitated employees. A ladder fire truck’s brakes squealed as it made a hard right into the parking lot attracting attention. The exasperated aide in the cartoon smock, probably never guessing she’d be shepherding reluctant residents to safety when she woke this morning, pointed to the fire truck. Her harsh tone conveyed her tension. “Does this look like a drill?”

Eunice swung her attention from the woman to the fire track and back to the woman again. “It could be a trick question. A while back firefighters showed up for a grease fire. Another time, when a dryer caught on fire because the lint collector was full, they came, too.”

“Go on!” the woman shouted. “My job is to make sure you don’t burn up. It’s not going to happen if you keep asking questions.”
​
“Geesh!” Eunice huffed, then moved to where many other residents waited. The assisted living center’s residents, some in wheelchairs and a few taking a break on their walker seats waited along the edge of the property along with the uniformed staff. A few even broke into applause as the firefighters arrived, confident that whatever happened would be put right due to the efforts of the courageous first responders.

Follow the Tour & Increase your Chance of Winning $40 Amazon Gift Card.
Make sure to enter the Raflecopter on each site.

March 28: All the Ups and Downs
March 29: Literary Gold
March 29: Westveil Publishing
March 30: Fabulous and Brunette
March 30: Rogue's Angels
March 31: Hope. Dreams. Life... Love
March 31: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
April 1: Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
April 1: Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to Make Your Heart Race
April 4: Joanne Guidoccio
April 4: So Many Books 
April 5: The Mystery Section
April 5: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Romance
April 6: Andi's Book Reviews review
April 6: Viviana MacKade
April 7: Lisa's Reading
April 7: Long and Short Reviews
April 8: Iron Canuck Reviews & More
April 8: Gina Rae Mitchellreview

I'm having a birthday. Can't tell you how many candles will be on my cake, but if we used actual candles, many will have burned down before all of them can be lit. So, let's skip the candles. As for gifts, I have a few for you. Make sure to enter the giveaway. My last very memorable birthday occurred in 2020 when we were rushing off for the Star Trek cruise. I kind of considered the cruise my present. LOL

Besides the birthday giveaway, the audiobook Death of a Honeymoon is out today, too. Late for the Wedding releases March 12th.

Over a decade ago, I became a part of Secret Cravings Publishing. Excitement reigned in our household due to someone believing a story I wrote was good enough to be published. The first step to the publishing route included assigning me an editor, Larriane Wills.  And what an editor she was. What initially impressed me about her editing style was her vast storehouse of knowledge. What she didn’t know, she could look up either on the Internet or by consulting an expert on the subject. More than a few times her expertise saved me from embarrassing myself in print.

In historical fiction, I wanted my character to use matches, which existed at that time. Larriane pointed out that even though they existed, they weren’t in common use in the United States. I wanted my mail-order bride to board a train to meet her soon-to-be husband, but Larriane pointed out that trains didn’t go that far at the time. A stagecoach ended up substituting for the train.
​
Besides her willingness to go the extra mile, I remember Larriane’s sweetness and fearlessness—an unusual combination. I considered her fearless because she didn’t let things like deafness slow her down. Often, at writing conferences, she used an FM receiver unit to hear the speaker. The speaker might turn away or rattle papers, making it difficult to hear anything, but still, she persevered.

I can’t imagine how hard it was for her to travel places—which she did. Travel became more difficult when an oxygen tank became part of her luggage. When security stopped her for not having a doctor’s note to travel, she dealt with it, got on the plane, and made it to conference.

Coyotes roamed the edges of her back yard, which forced her to keep a sharp eye on her beloved dogs. When one grabbed her tiny dog, she chased the predator and beat it with her cane until it dropped her pet. Someone needs to make an action hero movie with the lead character named Larriane, and wielding a wicked cane.

Her sweetness showed up in many ways. She loved, loved her family and Christmas because of the joy of the season and family get-togethers. Homemade crafts came from endless hours of stitching. She created crocheted, knitted, or cross-stitched gifts for one and all. Right before she went into the hospital, she either mailed my cross-stitched cup filled with tea or had someone mail it for her.

Despite how diva-like writers could react to her edits, she never responded in turn. Maybe she understood because she, too, wrote. In my opinion, she must have been an old soul, who held a deeper understanding of the human heart than most. She once told me that her goal was to make the authors better writers. Sure, it would be easy to buzz through a story and make corrections—basically rewriting it—but she didn’t do that.

Instead, she wrote on my manuscript about trying a different word, or to elaborate on the scene due to its importance in the timeline. She kept track of time and days in the story and warned me when I made my heroine do more than humanly possible in a day.

Larriane also witnessed the absurdity of life and stored it away for another time when she need to smile. She shared tales of her own life in our email exchanges.  Life dealt her some severe blows, which never brought her to her knees. The woman I knew could have inspired the warrior princess trope. Deafness, age, coyotes, and diva writers couldn’t take the wind out of her sails.
​
Besides being my editor, I thought of Larriane as my friend, and encourager. She used her social media presence to promote other writers all the time.  In a way, I never wanted to think of being without Larriane—so I didn’t. Unfortunately, COVID had other plans, and her indomitable will finally folded. This isn’t goodbye because she lives on in her books with the pen names Larriane Wills , Larion Wills, and L.L. Brooks. She endures in all the authors she guided. There is, in the end, her family, her dearest treasure.

YIELDS:8 servings
PREP TIME:0 hours 15 mins
TOTAL TIME:1 hour 5 mins

Ingredients
4 large ears corn, shucked
2 1/2 lb. bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
4 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
5 stalks celery, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. half-and-half
3 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon leaves
This ingredient shopping module is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content on their web site.
​
 
Directions

1. Cut corn kernels from cobs; set kernels aside. Scrape juices from cobs into 5- to 6-quart sauce pot; add cobs, along with chicken, 8 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer. Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked, turning chicken breasts occasionally. Remove pot from heat and let cool. Transfer chicken to large bowl. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard any bones; pull meat into bite-size pieces. Remove and discard cobs from poaching liquid; reserve liquid.
2. Meanwhile, in 7- to 8-quart sauce pot, heat butter and oil on medium until butter has melted. Add celery, carrots, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 10 minutes or until beginning to soften, stirring frequently.
3. Sprinkle flour over vegetables; cook 1 minute, stirring. Stir in reserved poaching liquid and corn kernels. Heat to boiling on high; boil 1 minute, stirring. Reduce heat to maintain simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in half-and-half, tarragon, reserved chicken, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

YIELDS:4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME:0 HOURS 45 MINS

​INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. dried oreganoKosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. white rice
3 c. shredd chicken3 large egg yolks
Juice of 2 medium lemons
Freshly chopped dill, for serving 
Lemon wedges, for serving 
 
DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add broth, thyme, and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until rice is cooked through, 20 minutes. Add chicken to pot and bring back to a simmer.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice. Slowly add ¼ cup of hot broth to eggs while whisking. Slowly whisk mixture back into the pot. Let simmer until thickened, 5 minutes. 
3. Serve soup with fresh dill and lemon wedges.

YIELDS: 4 - 6
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME:6 HOURS 40 MINS

INGREDIENTS
4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 poblano peppers, chopped 
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. oregano
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. kosher saltFreshly ground black pepper
2 (15-oz) cans hominy, drained and rinsed  Thinly sliced radishes, for garnish
Sliced green cabbage, for garnish
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
 
DIRECTIONS

1. Place all ingredients except hominy and garnishes into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
2. Take chicken out of slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker along with the hominy and cook for another 30 minutes.
3. Serve soup into bowls and garnish with radish, cabbage and cilantro.