tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48476475602957053112024-02-20T19:03:16.071-08:00JLGreger's BugsDEFINITIONS OF BUG USED IN THIS BLOG -
1. Slang verb or noun: concern or annoy (most common use of the word in this blog),
2. Proper noun: best dog I know,
3. Proper noun: name of dog in COMING FLU and MURDER: A NEW WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT,
4. Noun: computer error or flaw, and
5. Noun: an insectJ. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-16842163736656375872021-11-22T07:22:00.001-08:002021-11-22T07:22:10.388-08:00GIVE THE GIFT OF SAFE TRAVEL <span style="font-family: arial;">What do you and your friends miss most during the pandemic? #Travel?</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Why not give family members and friend a safe trip to an exotic place for the #holidays? Buy a book in which the heroine travels. These blurbs might start you thinking about traveling to:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_tWJNzPSulEz0gbKK2Maf0e5IjAoRYZ-XQWHcnDLeQkmNZ83_2sNhLkjgqaBpyrDoJetl1840upU_3J1xuwhd2LfSefdurR1tg40Z-G48SrRvDeDe14UaMGrrXWsMn22qOihUbl1jvo/s1930/4+Malignancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1930" data-original-width="1250" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_tWJNzPSulEz0gbKK2Maf0e5IjAoRYZ-XQWHcnDLeQkmNZ83_2sNhLkjgqaBpyrDoJetl1840upU_3J1xuwhd2LfSefdurR1tg40Z-G48SrRvDeDe14UaMGrrXWsMn22qOihUbl1jvo/w130-h202/4+Malignancy.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><br />CUBA</span>. In <i><b>Malignancy</b>,</i> <span style="color: #10131a;">Sara Almquist accepts an assignment from the State Department to arrange scientific exchanges between scientists in the U.S. and #Cuba. She hopes to escape violence in her past, find an old friend, and see the tourist sites in Havana. </span><span style="color: #10131a;">Neither her work or sightseeing goes as planned. She’s disappointed by La Floridita (the bar made famous by #Hemingway) and the memorials to fallen heroes (like #Che Guevera) but she’s fascinated by the way black marketeers and scientist circumvent the U.S. embargo to Cuba. She also finds #romance in the most unlikely situation. </span><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Malignancy-Science-Traveler-J-Greger/dp/0960028528">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028528</a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqluuVzxMz0D9fby9fB0ZZFUiYxNrbLFvIgtt61Rd6I70a63Qvew5xNrLWLlEIj33bSK14kPAAGzIf7zRQtEhw2VIZ5BR4Sp0dwYXzlJEpwSJregx2TKWSzXbUS5NjEca9kfyRJECXDY/s921/8+DirtyHolyWater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="616" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqluuVzxMz0D9fby9fB0ZZFUiYxNrbLFvIgtt61Rd6I70a63Qvew5xNrLWLlEIj33bSK14kPAAGzIf7zRQtEhw2VIZ5BR4Sp0dwYXzlJEpwSJregx2TKWSzXbUS5NjEca9kfyRJECXDY/w129-h194/8+DirtyHolyWater.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><br />INDIA. </span>In <b><i>Dirty Holy Water</i></b>, scientist Sara Almquist is frustrated by the slow progress in the investigation of a friend's murder. Thus she's in a funk as she begins her trip to India and is disappointed by what she sees initially. The pollution of the holy rivers (Ganges and Yamuna) is staggering. The overcrowding and filth in markets make her happy to retreat to the safety of the tour bus. But the Taj Mahal is breathtaking as it appears among the mists rising from the Yamuna River at sunrise. The folk dances of the nomads of Rajasthan are mesmerizing. Eventually, Sara realizes her friend, like India, was a complex mixture of good and bad - but always interesting. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587</a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vsxoXSgCyzqqso-CI4ZBM7pEJymxeeLsuI6rcLwuKXsGR2ZwSRPA1u6XYHZWHaKRfUDHKgqekJ1t1wYcoaR18hvNMv-joBPehl8QBskAwtQ3f98JxfW6Izk40z2dn4tCqp4oOowQiic/s2048/3+Ignore+the+pain+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1303" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vsxoXSgCyzqqso-CI4ZBM7pEJymxeeLsuI6rcLwuKXsGR2ZwSRPA1u6XYHZWHaKRfUDHKgqekJ1t1wYcoaR18hvNMv-joBPehl8QBskAwtQ3f98JxfW6Izk40z2dn4tCqp4oOowQiic/w122-h192/3+Ignore+the+pain+.jpg" width="122" /></a></div><br />BOLIVIA</span><span style="color: #10131a;">. In <b style="font-style: italic;">Ignore the Pain</b>, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Sara Almquist couldn't say no when invited to be the epidemiologist on a public health mission to assess children’s health in Bolivia. Soon someone from her past in New Mexico is chasing her through the Witches' Market of La Paz and on to the silver mines of Potosí. Unfortunately, she can't trust her new colleagues because any one of them might be under the control of the coca industry in Bolivia. </span><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028501">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028501</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I hope these blurbs whetted your taste for an #adventure #novel. Now where do you want to go?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-21425289205114240142021-08-22T06:11:00.008-07:002021-08-22T06:17:16.478-07:00Me Too Moments of Women Scientists<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Many women #scientists and #physicians have experienced #MeToo moments. All these</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> experiences were annoying to the women. Many found the events hurtful and demeaning; </span><span style="font-family: arial;">some were scared. </span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Although sexual #harassment of women scientists has been frequently documented in #<i>Science </i>and other scientific journals, less has been written about the causes of the harassment. Here are a few factors to consider:</span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Science is competitive endeavor. On the other hand, modern large scientific efforts, such as the development of COVID vaccines, require the cooperation of large and diverse groups of scientists.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The workforce in science has changed. Women and Asian minorities have become more dominant in laboratories. Although scientists like to think of themselves as elements for change, many traditional scientists, i.e white males, find this change frightening.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Personnel in science are generally part of tiered, hierarchal systems that foster hazing during "training" periods. In some ways the ranks in medicine (interns, residents, attending physicians), laboratories (graduates students, postdocs, research associates, professors), and universities (lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, professor) are similar to military ranks where sexual harassment is also a problem.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">New ideas are the currency of science. That makes those who have new ideas (ie. the young, women, minorities) threatening to those in power.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: arial;">The important point is harassment decreases the effectiveness of the workforce and destroys lives. </span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkz1MdlLwfOTVdaylaO8geYV7X82HTi2FGoYrHKA-8fw_GyZ9ccSg3pN5sKW1RKSp0LWn0kc3wR6grRQ3b0Yy7p5kVx631dvvObXyzme5iKH2g4m3AOEtQxdSHRbgZWlRk1aYUxUThYC0/s2048/gamesforcouples+copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1384" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkz1MdlLwfOTVdaylaO8geYV7X82HTi2FGoYrHKA-8fw_GyZ9ccSg3pN5sKW1RKSp0LWn0kc3wR6grRQ3b0Yy7p5kVx631dvvObXyzme5iKH2g4m3AOEtQxdSHRbgZWlRk1aYUxUThYC0/w155-h230/gamesforcouples+copy.jpg" width="155" /></a></div><br />In <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Games-Couples-Science-Traveler-Greger/dp/1735421405/">GAMES FOR COUPLES</a>, I tried to show the consequences of sexual harassment on women engaged in a scientific endeavor - the development of cultured meat (the so-called meat grown in a test tube) - while creating an exciting, but realistic murder mystery. So, enjoy the plot but think about the consequences of Me Too moments.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Blurb for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Games-Couples-Science-Traveler-Greger/dp/1735421405/">GAMES FOR COUPLES</a>: <span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Did lethal compounds in a cultured</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">meat product </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">kill a man in a clinical trial?</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Or did the toxic competition among biotechnology companies and spite of battling couples cause his death?<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-62661512375529261362021-08-01T23:30:00.012-07:002021-08-01T23:30:00.214-07:00Mystery tour of a senior gated community with Marilyn Meredith<p><span style="font-family: arial;">My friend Marilyn Meredith takes you on a mystery tour of a senior gated community in her new novel THE TRASH HAREM. I live in such a community and this story rings true. I'l let Marilyn tell you about Moon Glow Village.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" dir="rtl" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9se9JmfGI0Tnn3T8x1u7M71HzA1IDBl4e40cffA1hlnE45kxmH4I6XglpJpx9k9GVeF7ndy-bR0W8sKRb-lPiSf79rfHNm27Yt6f_WsCl4RaCKHPESCEk5zfs8sD9V6BKyEvWby6bWs/s500/Trash+Harem+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9se9JmfGI0Tnn3T8x1u7M71HzA1IDBl4e40cffA1hlnE45kxmH4I6XglpJpx9k9GVeF7ndy-bR0W8sKRb-lPiSf79rfHNm27Yt6f_WsCl4RaCKHPESCEk5zfs8sD9V6BKyEvWby6bWs/w133-h200/Trash+Harem+front+cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The main setting for</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>The Trash Harem</i> </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">is a fictional gated community for folks fifty-five and older. No, I don’t live in one but I have two daughters who do. Their homes and neighborhoods are quite different from one another, as are the houses themselves.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I borrowed the outsides of the homes from one community, and the insides a combination of both.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">In this tale, the fictional Moon Glow Village is located in the city of Temecula. I’m fond of Temecula and have visited there many times as I have lots of relatives who live in the general area. I’ve also given classes on mystery writing there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Temecula has a great Old Town with many great shops and restaurants and a wonderful museum. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">I do want to assure everyone that the characters in <b><i>The Trash Harem </i></b>are not based on any real people, though the main character who is the main suspect in a murder investigation does have some similarities to my son-in-law. And these similarities are what gave me the idea for the story. The tale has many interesting characters including other suspects who may have vague resemblances to people I know, but none are from the place where my daughter and son-in-law live. One thing I might mention is most of my daughter’s and her husband’s neighbors are closer to my age than theirs. To my knowledge, none of them has died under suspicious circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">On a personal note, my home is much different than theirs. My husband and I share our home with my granddaughter and husband and their three young girls. It’s pretty lively around here. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">I had a great time writing this story; I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Marilyn<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoLn4soJTSLREnYb3EJquWZCHWf4Zi8FHyZhVDaLb2BxHXcA6TIVSGl1gW8tCdPcEHIXY1dYD2vnzV97-Y52G_ly018J_Le51FKZtfryQ_RiWdmrn_5V0rMssU0Y8WZt6CqBbvwW_Z94/s2048/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1872" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoLn4soJTSLREnYb3EJquWZCHWf4Zi8FHyZhVDaLb2BxHXcA6TIVSGl1gW8tCdPcEHIXY1dYD2vnzV97-Y52G_ly018J_Le51FKZtfryQ_RiWdmrn_5V0rMssU0Y8WZt6CqBbvwW_Z94/w183-h200/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" width="183" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><u>Blurb: </u></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Deputy Tempe Crabtree has retired from her job in Bear Creek when friends, who once lived in Bear Creek and attended Pastor Hutch’s church, ask her to visit them in Temecula. The husband, Jonathan, is a suspect in what might be a murder case. The retirement community includes many interesting characters, any of whom might have had a better motive than Jonathan. There is also a connection to Earle Stanley Gardner as well as the Pechanga Old Oak. What is a trash harem? You’ll have to read the book to find out.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">To purchase <b><i>The Trash Harem<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trash-Harem-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B096KZDPH8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Trash+Harem+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1622899167&s=books&sr=1-1">h</a><a href="ttps://www.amazon.com/Trash-Harem-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B096KZDPH8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Trash+Harem+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1622899167&s=books&sr=1-1">ttps://www.amazon.com/Trash-Harem-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B096KZDPH8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Trash+Harem+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1622899167&s=books&sr=1-1</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><u><br />Marilyn Meredith’s Bio: </u></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She is the author of over 40 published books including the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, and writing as F. M. Meredith, the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. She’s a member of two chapters of Sisters in Crime and the Public Safety Writers Association.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Webpage: </span><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="http://fictionforyou.com/">http://fictionforyou.com/</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Blog: </span><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com">https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Facebook: </span><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.meredith">https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.meredith</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"> <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-91238042818550152672021-06-01T14:51:00.000-07:002021-06-01T14:51:31.331-07:00SUMMER READING<span face="Tahoma, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">Many of us find summer is the perfect time to escape our day-to-day humdrum and immerse ourselves in books that help us escape to new places and different ways of looking at life.</span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span face="Tahoma, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH4j5CLrsB6SQR0IKoNDzsd5s4j-W1MxRynlMcCqecOhShy2ZRcVTZ_e94tMwuEAitF6-yG61_plDuXwkQ_bpRWoV0LjrRcVpfyj3o7asArGD2lPtxDiu6_6fDNgmUM_S7JqSDft057Q/s921/coverDirtyHolyWater1024_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="616" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH4j5CLrsB6SQR0IKoNDzsd5s4j-W1MxRynlMcCqecOhShy2ZRcVTZ_e94tMwuEAitF6-yG61_plDuXwkQ_bpRWoV0LjrRcVpfyj3o7asArGD2lPtxDiu6_6fDNgmUM_S7JqSDft057Q/w134-h200/coverDirtyHolyWater1024_1.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Do you want to avoid the hassle of long flights but still still want to have exotic experience Explore India while you solve a mystery back home with scientist Sara Almquist in DIRTY HOLY WATER.</span></span></div></span></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: red;"> <u><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587</a></u></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;">In this psychological mystery, Sara is about to become engaged and leave for a vacation in India when a friend is murdered. She soon learns snake dances in India are no more bazaar than her friend's secrets. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Are you tired of "superman-type" heroes in movies and ready for</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI4cKKihfM0qZL6MugnLdmaAlXUb78wcP84IZvLVuXcc0saYUt9X7noyzDqoG2OACnAQ9x1ZehEWNRN1HXFrjLHdCx8293HDPPznB-w0_kRVz7z6NyDb8xIcHvt6j0JUuqBEbA5THESg/s1935/Beruitebookcover5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1935" data-original-width="1250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI4cKKihfM0qZL6MugnLdmaAlXUb78wcP84IZvLVuXcc0saYUt9X7noyzDqoG2OACnAQ9x1ZehEWNRN1HXFrjLHdCx8293HDPPznB-w0_kRVz7z6NyDb8xIcHvt6j0JUuqBEbA5THESg/w129-h200/Beruitebookcover5.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">adventure based on real people? Read </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">I SAW YOU IN BEIRUT. </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i style="text-indent: 0in;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544</i></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In this international thriller, a mysterious source of data on the Iranian nuclear industry sends an email from Tabriz. "Help. Contact Almquist." As Sara Almquist is drawn into the plan to identify and rescue the agent, known only as F, from Iran, she is forced to remember and re-evaluate characters from her student days at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and from her career as a globe-trotting epidemiologist.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOjLVc1u6fMNnzhUIDhsBFKuWEYVeZUaa9mffZ11hMAOTbWiZI5Rb80Fl26U1t8fAOPh6dlXHrL4oNGe2gdLEswKsS7idHVsaOjuQgVPpgoedyFWkl4Yeivx_R1VLl62udY7yKkIJDhk/s2048/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOjLVc1u6fMNnzhUIDhsBFKuWEYVeZUaa9mffZ11hMAOTbWiZI5Rb80Fl26U1t8fAOPh6dlXHrL4oNGe2gdLEswKsS7idHVsaOjuQgVPpgoedyFWkl4Yeivx_R1VLl62udY7yKkIJDhk/w134-h200/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br />Maybe you'd like to learn more about Native American culture? Travel to Acoma Pueblo and other sites in New Mexico with A POUND OF FLESH, SORTA:<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560</a>/</span></i><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In this adventure story, a ticking package with the guts of animals is delivered to scientist Sara Almquist. The police think gang leaders are trying to prevent Sara from testifying at their upcoming trial. Sara thinks it might be a plea for help from a rancher in New Mexico after she learns the package is contaminated with the bacteria that causes the plague<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 22.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">Or maybe you want to take hard look at reality and look at the elderly </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoV-VvRTlaoqnSfLQy6w7ddPf0AzPCXORNzPcM-25TrsvS4M-WYLA70tDRfVffVLrCZaBGVise5Gg9ampfsGeBjXWzGnNtqCEq2rvEd2htA1jj5qYyMoS7ws9ZZQKmYUmGDdd7c6V3X0/s499/41Qnq%252BvLAoS._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoV-VvRTlaoqnSfLQy6w7ddPf0AzPCXORNzPcM-25TrsvS4M-WYLA70tDRfVffVLrCZaBGVise5Gg9ampfsGeBjXWzGnNtqCEq2rvEd2htA1jj5qYyMoS7ws9ZZQKmYUmGDdd7c6V3X0/w134-h200/41Qnq%252BvLAoS._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">who have made a van their home. Read Jessica Bruder's NOMADLAND. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393356310/ " target="_blank"><span face="Tahoma, sans-serif" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-indent: 0in;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393356310/</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-align: left;"> </span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">This nonfictional account of transient older adults who travel for work from the beet field of North Dakota to the campgrounds of California to the Amazon's CamperForce programs in Texas is an eye-opener. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><b>No matter your choices, it's time to start your summer reading.</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p><br /></p></div>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-20222803952058422892021-01-15T00:00:00.001-08:002021-01-15T00:00:06.490-08:00SELLING BOOKS DURING A PANDEMIC<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1xy3wt313CYSBnBohuj5g_517iSYchcOVvlpHDQjs4wBq8ihG2nGOLgOL7wNDYZN0Z8wr9BceSTA1DcJ2qrdOWGkR5Aj_nIXDqK81jDirnyfu3l4MROKY-ewgaGwNhW5mrNTjSYdlQg/s2048/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1872" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1xy3wt313CYSBnBohuj5g_517iSYchcOVvlpHDQjs4wBq8ihG2nGOLgOL7wNDYZN0Z8wr9BceSTA1DcJ2qrdOWGkR5Aj_nIXDqK81jDirnyfu3l4MROKY-ewgaGwNhW5mrNTjSYdlQg/w182-h199/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" width="182" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Please enjoy this post from Marilyn Meredith - author of more than 50 books. </span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marilyn writes her Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery series as F.M. Meredith. I think you'll learn a lot from her comments on marketing her books. She's a real pro.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before the pandemic, my favorite way to promote my books was in-person, whether as a speaker for a writers’ group or conference, or at service or social club. If I could get people to laugh, I sold books. My second favorite was to participate in a book or craft fair. My calendar was full of both for 2020 and everything was cancelled.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">So that meant I had to concentrate on other ways to let people know about my books. One thing I’ve always enjoyed doing is being a guest on someone’s blog like I am today. One of the big reasons is because I like to write, but does it sell books? Sometimes. When I’ve done best is when I’ve been on a blog tour and held a contest for someone to have his or her name used for a character in the next book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Like other authors, I use Facebook to promote new books—and old ones too. I’ve gathered quite a few friends along the way, and some of them have become fans. Of course, I don’t just write about my books, I talk about everything I’m doing. The same for my own blog, I write about most anything that comes to mind and host other authors. I also belong to some Facebook groups, but not sure any are helpful when it comes to selling books.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Now, what has worked best for me. Because I write series, offering one of the early books series for free has resulted in reader buying other books. There are many places to offer free books, all you have to do is a search on the Internet to find them. Most of these places charge a small fee.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">And there is BookBub, but they are picky about what books they promote, and the fee is way beyond my budget. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Sometimes I feel like my promotion efforts are like throwing cooked spaghetti at the wall and seeing if it sticks. It’s hard to tell what is working, though much easier now that I’m self-pubbed and watch what and how many books are being sold.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">How about any of you other authors, what are you doing and what works best for you?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="color: red;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyECYeBcS7nVNUc3-MsAN8yjnh-oMexkMEVlHF31NNm-Pn3tHk8TM4HnxcEiA8vAr-Ixe0uoDJ-19TJ2Qv6STGFDvItVrwN4YLofY0kjRp_WbDkG9nttOXbOGbX8jo_7s6Qv7UlwnYjA/s2048/Not+As+We+Knew+It+Front+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyECYeBcS7nVNUc3-MsAN8yjnh-oMexkMEVlHF31NNm-Pn3tHk8TM4HnxcEiA8vAr-Ixe0uoDJ-19TJ2Qv6STGFDvItVrwN4YLofY0kjRp_WbDkG9nttOXbOGbX8jo_7s6Qv7UlwnYjA/w175-h263/Not+As+We+Knew+It+Front+Cover.jpg" width="175" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: red;"><br />Blurb for #16, </span><i><span style="color: red;">Not As We Knew It.</span> <o:p></o:p></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">The challenges come one after another for the Rocky Bluff P.D. to handle―from a missing woman to a fatal house fire. Detective Doug Milligan is faced with new and unusual problems to solve, some on the job and others related to his family. With the department shorthanded because of the Covid virus, Chief Chandra Taylor must make some hard decisions in order to protect the town of Rocky Bluff. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">To buy: </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Not-As-Knew-F-M-Meredith/dp/B08NDT3FW5/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">https://www.amazon.com/Not-As-Knew-F-M-Meredith/dp/B08NDT3FW5/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=</span></a><u><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-50733557413287010032021-01-05T13:08:00.001-08:002021-01-05T13:38:40.543-08:00RIDDLED WITH CLUES<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXTbmhhRtJ2i0Banz84rHfxbqhIW9JnQncBp_VOX40cNjzufnKpQ0NY-MOiIjFZ-SSUcdGHIxYmzo6eA4dYbwiM_NNy6Y-eRSEZfuWoOxZPrqGXnFtsTz48iFb7l9SwG7H0ODuH3YIfQ/s1650/coverRiddled+with+Clues+copy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXTbmhhRtJ2i0Banz84rHfxbqhIW9JnQncBp_VOX40cNjzufnKpQ0NY-MOiIjFZ-SSUcdGHIxYmzo6eA4dYbwiM_NNy6Y-eRSEZfuWoOxZPrqGXnFtsTz48iFb7l9SwG7H0ODuH3YIfQ/s320/coverRiddled+with+Clues+copy.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: Times; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">Meet the characters in the international #thriller RIDDLED WITH CLUES. It begins at the VA Hospital in Albuquerque but takes you to #Laos and #Cuba as the protagonist Sara Almquist frantically trys to solve the mystery of <i>Red from Udon Thani.</i> </span><p></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sara recognized Xave Zack as the lopsided man who stared out the window toward the Sandia Mountains. His body appeared twisted in the wheelchair, but his shoulders remained broad. Many white creases and sagging skin on his darkly tanned neck suggested he’d lost a lot of weight recently.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">She hesitated recalling the macho guy who had saved her from drug traffickers in Bolivia, where she had served as a consultant on public health issues. Unfortunately, she had learned too much about the coca trade. At the time, he’d had ebony hair with gray at his temples. Now, his hair was silver.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Her mind moved to the polished sophisticate—a George Clooney look-alike, who had left her in Washington to take an assignment tracking the movement of coca from Bolivia through Cuba to the U.S. Finally, she thought of the beaten, dirty bum who gave her a message for his controller, Eric Sanders, in Colombo Cemetery in Havana. Her history with the man had been brief, colorful, and emotional. In Havana, he’d made it clear she’d never see him again....<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">She allowed no hint of sympathy in her voice because she knew pity would annoy the man in the wheelchair. “Xave.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">The man turned slowly. “Sanders must be worried if he sent you.” He flashed a wide grin. She knew he was about to tell less than the whole truth because he smiled with his teeth showing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Maybe I can force some honesty</i>. “Did they retrieve you from Cuba before you destroyed your liver with cheap booze as you tried to perfect your cover as a drunken sailor? Hopefully, broken bones are your only problems.” She motioned to the cast on his right leg.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">He grimaced.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Why are you in a Spinal Cord Injury Center?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">He looked around the room as if he feared someone would hear. “Better security here. What were you told?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Not much. Can you walk?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Always direct. It’s why we hit it off.” He rubbed his chin, but didn’t answer the question... (Then) he smiled. This time with no teeth showing, which usually meant sincerity. “How about twirling around, slowly. The pink top shows off your blonde hair and light skin.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">She was glad she had worn the khaki skirt, which she always wore in summer to do pet therapy. Most of the hospitals in Albuquerque preferred volunteers didn’t wear shorts. The skirt was acceptable and cooler than trousers. “You must be on the mend.” She twirled quickly. “Sorry, but I’m not going to talk with my back to you so you can study my ass.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">He chuckled. “Sit next to me. I want to talk business without curious ears overhearing. Lots of nosy people here.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">She pushed the table away and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled a slip of paper from the cuff of his right sleeve. “A woman slipped this note into my pocket when I was in a large crowd about two hours before my accident. I need your help.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sara looked at the small piece of ragged paper. She read a phone number and “Red from Udon Thani.” She turned the slip over. “Seen a lot of wear.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; font-family: Times;">You'll have to read the rest of </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Times;">Riddled with Clues</span></i></b><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; font-family: Times;">, to discover the identity of <i>Red from </i></span><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Times;"><i>Udon Thani</i>. Here's several hints. </span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;"></p><ul><li><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; font-family: Times; text-indent: 0in;">Xave doesn’t know anyone called Red, and the last time he was in Udon Thani was during the Vietnam War. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Times; text-indent: 0in;">After Sara <span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">listens to Xave's rambling tale</span>s<span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> of </span>all the possibilities<span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">, both she and </span>Xave are attacked. He is <span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">left comatose. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Times; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">She is left to fight for her life with little help from the local police but with frequent coded clues for a homeless veteran who apparently frequented the VA Hospital in Albuquerque.</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Available at: </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><u style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237</span></a></span></u></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-88961034721844048902020-12-27T14:12:00.000-08:002020-12-27T14:12:24.815-08:00BAD PRESENTS<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Did you get at least one holiday present this year which was a dud? You know what I mean—a sweater that is two sizes too small or is in a shade of orange that makes you cringe. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Just wait till you read about the "present" Sara Almquist got. It was about a pound of animal guts and made an alarming ticking sound. Did I mention it was contaminated with the bacteria that cause the plague?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOFDUWgFRprA4e5Je38W4vnx8eRpg1iy-uWl1RndRS9MXW5oPIBpxirJXNCRqNRTMcks0Y22HIl60YQ9RNMJ5etoKbIr7X_z2CSkfv0o6lxi82ev5i_mOFuseIv0JffVgX62fKIF1SyA/s2048/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOFDUWgFRprA4e5Je38W4vnx8eRpg1iy-uWl1RndRS9MXW5oPIBpxirJXNCRqNRTMcks0Y22HIl60YQ9RNMJ5etoKbIr7X_z2CSkfv0o6lxi82ev5i_mOFuseIv0JffVgX62fKIF1SyA/w134-h200/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>In the medical thriller A POUND OF FLESH, SORTA, Sara Almquist receives a mysterious box of animals guts. <span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The police suspect gang leaders are trying to threaten Sara and prevent her from testifying at their upcoming trials.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> As a scientist, Sara wonders whether the packet might be a plea from a rancher fearing another outbreak of the plague in the Southwest. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Soon all suspect the package is a clue needed to solve a suspicious series of accidents. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Why not gift yourself with this book and spend a day or two immersed in a real mystery/thriller? Then you can ignore all the boring presents you got.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">P.S. Plague occurs almost every year in the American Southwest causing the death of many livestock and occasionally a few human deaths.</span></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-52176746440498351932020-12-08T10:50:00.005-08:002020-12-08T10:55:18.919-08:00Does this sound like the memory of a spy?<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; text-indent: 0in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQoNivjW4R9UJmyTtHtJTuegPNhUn2asb8aN5xXhO6I_-39ZQIpUtzuVTFufcJcSGn3QBes9ZO4PJ4beIhs57tGJQAaGHNqlqJHP1Xclt8kecnSfBulthFKT3Yi1wfj6u9Q5RWue1BOE/s1935/Beruitebookcover5.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1935" data-original-width="1250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQoNivjW4R9UJmyTtHtJTuegPNhUn2asb8aN5xXhO6I_-39ZQIpUtzuVTFufcJcSGn3QBes9ZO4PJ4beIhs57tGJQAaGHNqlqJHP1Xclt8kecnSfBulthFKT3Yi1wfj6u9Q5RWue1BOE/w129-h200/Beruitebookcover5.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times;">Sara Almquist is in a lackluster love affair in I SAW YOU IN BEIRUT. Then an agent who has been undercover for thirty years in #Iran sends an <span style="color: #1d2129; text-indent: 0in;">email: "Help. Contact Almquist." As Sara is drawn into the plan to identify and rescue the agent, known only as F, she is forced to re-evaluate characters from her career as a globe-trotting #scientist and rethink what matters in #romance and her life in general. Available at: </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544</a></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span><span style="font-family: times;">This excerpt from Chapter 3 of I SAW YOU IN BEIRUT, an international #thriller, is based on a real incident and a real Iranian student in the U.S. in 1978:</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“I don’t remember how I met her.” She (Sara Almquist) noted the Major continued to tap the table. “I only remember… three incidents with Farideh.” She gulped. “I guess I’m ready. I’ll start with the most revealing. I hadn’t worked for Doc Steinhaus long. So, it must have been a Saturday in September or early October of seventy-eight.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The day was hot. I heard a roar of the crowd at a football game in Camp Randall Stadium as I entered the almost empty, red brick Horticulture Building.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Four of Doc’s graduate students were in the workroom when I delivered printouts from the computer lab in a nearby building. Three hardly lifted their heads to acknowledge me. I knew why. Danny was yipping in his high tenor voice about inconsequential departmental gossip as he looked at his near empty desk. The other three politely refrained from telling him to shut up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I sat down by Mike and waited for instructions. I had a bit of crush on Mike. As was the fashion then, he had a thick unruly beard. He muttered, “Think of a way to shut the fool up. Doc should be here shortly. He wants you to enter data for me at the computer center.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I got up and sliced a thin sliver of chocolate cake for myself from a tired-looking birthday cake on the table in the center of the room. The grad students had celebrated Mike’s birthday the day before. Most of the cake was gone, but wax candles were strewn on the table. “Danny, do you want a piece of cake. It’s still moist.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Danny drew a freckled hand through his carrot red hair and blinked his brown eyes at me in apparent surprise. “The baby talks.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I ignored the insult and placed a big slice of cake on a napkin and was handing it to him when Farideh slammed into the office. As usual she wore hip-hugging, frayed blue jeans, the bell-bottom type. An off-white knit ribbed top, which showed her slim waist, clung to her torso. Despite her dark hair and black eyes, I doubt most would guess she was from Iran. She was about five-seven and moved with long, smooth strides.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Danny talked as he stuffed cake in his mouth. “Did you do your daily protest march against the Shah around the Bascom Hall?” Chocolate cake dribbled from his mouth. “From what I hear, he’s been good for Iran. That’s why you and your husband are in grad school here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Mike kept his head down. “Danny, leave her alone.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Farideh plunked in her chair. “We were followed today by men in suits. I think from SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“You’re hallucinating,” said Danny.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Don’t display your ignorance.” Farideh strode to the table and sliced the cake.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The three other grad students kept their heads down, as though they expected a blow-up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Hey, doll cut me another piece,” said Danny as he swallowed the last of the cake I’d given him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Surprisingly, Farideh did. As she cut the cake, Danny rose to stand behind her. He rubbed his hands from her waist to her hips. “What a waste to cover this with a burqa, or I guess you’d say a chador in Iran.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">She dropped the slice of cake and rammed her elbow into his gut. Hesitated a second, before she picked up the knife. “Don’t touch me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Mike ran from the office. The mouths of the two other grad students hung agape.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Farideh turned the knife in her hand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Danny, who about three inches taller than Farideh and quite muscular, laughed, “Doll, you know I can take the knife from you.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Everyone gasped as the door opened and Doc rolled in, followed by Mike. Doc was obese, and he panted when he walked at a normal speed. Today he gasped from having hurried in the heat. “Farideh… come… to… my… office.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Danny squealed, “You’re in trouble now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">She gripped the knife and lunged at Danny.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Farideh!” Doc howled.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">She stabbed the knife so hard into the cake that she broke its blade on the table. Then she stalked out of the office.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">As he closed the door, Doc said, “Danny, try to keep your mouth shut until I return. And Sara, here’s what you need to do.” He handed me a stack of papers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: times; text-indent: 0.2in;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: times; text-indent: 0.2in;">DON'T YOU WANT JTO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO FARIDEH AND SARA ALMQUIST?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0Iran32.427908 53.6880464.1176741638211567 18.531796 60.738141836178848 88.844296tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-15523983922704808452020-11-09T10:02:00.003-08:002020-11-09T10:02:26.685-08:00WHAT'S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OEZBRho0rUK2BMnPmIyDA6ipc_A8bWg-PbCrMJGH5MY0Kvotu31pQrzfNGMxvgINrNZjcJ0Pc0ncsKwBkDDZg34bg4r15QhaAzse5qY-UX-_ezcr3ZgbFVp9zB1AO1MxsShmkGPCKEA/s2048/scanmsattaj2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1516" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OEZBRho0rUK2BMnPmIyDA6ipc_A8bWg-PbCrMJGH5MY0Kvotu31pQrzfNGMxvgINrNZjcJ0Pc0ncsKwBkDDZg34bg4r15QhaAzse5qY-UX-_ezcr3ZgbFVp9zB1AO1MxsShmkGPCKEA/w148-h200/scanmsattaj2.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>When I visited India a couple years ago, I met several people who said seeing the Taj Mahal and visiting #India were items on their bucket list. Those two items were never was on my bucket list, but I admit<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">the #Taj Mahal is breathtaking as it appears among the mists rising from the #Yamuna River at sunrise. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Here's one reason why seeing the Taj Mahal wasn't on my bucket list. As the sun rises you also see the Yamuna River, one of the holy rivers of India, is polluted. In fact, some Indians have described it as an "open sewer." The #pollution of the Yamuna Rivers made me think. Experts say the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers are among the ten most polluted rivers in the world, but then so is the Mississippi. <b>Considering the importance of water for life itself, maybe more of us should include "doing at least one activity that reduces pollution" on our bucket list.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My other problem with the Taj Mahal are the crowds. Think of the crowds leaving the stadium of a Big Ten school after a football game. I saw the Taj Mahal during the Diwali (a Hindu festival) holidays with probably twenty thousand people. However, the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">groups of fifty to two hundred school children each at tourist sites were amazing. Each clump of children were identifiable by their clothes, particularly the girl's uniforms. For example, one group of several hundred girls wore leggings with long jumpers almost to their knees in shades of green. Although all the groups were noisy when they left their buses. They were quiet and organized and with the smallest in front and the tallest at the back of the group by the time they reached the entrance to the sites. The children reminded me that <b>all of us should include on our bucket list at least one activity that improves the welfare and education of #children.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I usually think that the "native" song and dance performances that tourists are treated to are hokey. However, I thought the snake dance performed by tribal women in #Rajasthan was one of the most sensuous performance I'd ever seen. It made those seen in movies look like bump and grind routines. That also made think. The best parts of travel occur when you least expect them. <b>Perhaps, the most important item on any one's bucket list should be "to learn to appreciate the arts and skills of others."</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVJ1tR4pSZ3PzotWoXauSGWSbqX8oOB354Yb3YuK7ZxK3pTD0CHbmDfkbe1d0op7O1fxJgBA6hP43SO5x4tgItbqq0skrpVSNs1LLwrgqEGoHINteTCkPjRSBIAZA6mcIZCywJfoWcLI/s921/coverDirtyHolyWater1024_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="616" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVJ1tR4pSZ3PzotWoXauSGWSbqX8oOB354Yb3YuK7ZxK3pTD0CHbmDfkbe1d0op7O1fxJgBA6hP43SO5x4tgItbqq0skrpVSNs1LLwrgqEGoHINteTCkPjRSBIAZA6mcIZCywJfoWcLI/w134-h200/coverDirtyHolyWater1024_1.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>I suppose this blog is too preachy but it's my long-winded way of admitting that visiting India should be on more people's bucket list. I suspect that is not an achievable goal for most, especially with the pandemic. So, the alternative is: <b>read a novel with scenes depicting modern India</b>. You might consider <i>DIRTY HOLY WATER.</i><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><u><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Blurb for DIRTY HOLY WATER:</span></u><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Sara Almquist is about to become engaged and leave for a vacation in India when she becomes a suspect in the murder of a friend. It's unnerving for Sara because she's used to being a trusted forensic investigator with answers, not a nervous suspect. Surprisingly, Sara finds insights into her feelings and into the murder as she becomes immersed in Indian culture.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Paperback and ebook at: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587</span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0Unnamed Road, Lusda, Chhattisgarh 495116, India22.5691911 82.1381608-10.06945434621618 46.981910799999994 55.207836546216186 117.2944108tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-77224036633665870872020-10-06T10:42:00.000-07:002020-10-06T10:42:02.553-07:00Trick or Treat with Gifts of Books<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> #Halloween is coming. Most of us have already gained weight during our distancing period for COVID. More candy and cookies is the last thing we need. Why not make your treats this year-BOOKS? They could be new or used.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here are two books published in 2020 that might make great Halloween treats. Both are scary (at least a little bit) but in different ways.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__wGLccixj2umYl26e16U6BUqX28gjAb3UG9Ijbksf7GtXyf2PBVZemV-4IEEPyBr4GD07zvROWneI5KlGPqFKFMy-i_oG5hOsGUA6nfHjFfWccHY6i-KsCkIloEbYLi4Jl-xMcZzJSY/s921/coverDirtyHolyWater1024_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="616" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__wGLccixj2umYl26e16U6BUqX28gjAb3UG9Ijbksf7GtXyf2PBVZemV-4IEEPyBr4GD07zvROWneI5KlGPqFKFMy-i_oG5hOsGUA6nfHjFfWccHY6i-KsCkIloEbYLi4Jl-xMcZzJSY/w134-h200/coverDirtyHolyWater1024_1.jpg" width="134" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><br />The first is DIRTY HOLY WATER. <span style="color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt;">Life is complicated for Sara Almquist in this #romantic #mystery and psychological thriller. She's about to become engaged and leave for a vacation in #India when she becomes the chief suspect in the murder of a friend. Only the friend and her family, well to put it politely, have a couple of dark secrets. </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt;">Sara soon realizes the difference between a villain and a victim can be small - alarmingly small, especially in a dysfunctional family.</span><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587</a></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHje9VqRcaNyh0OfvLM0z9XuBHF67NwuQP6Or8Wa7qP4y1ugil6BVmFT0tXqvDL87aDf9_asa9j4N2AKMYACQFbDA7HHU91IrX1M9Mk-iFDD3nu12cNpI5uHWOALSS4MtIcqiQkqcefE/s2048/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHje9VqRcaNyh0OfvLM0z9XuBHF67NwuQP6Or8Wa7qP4y1ugil6BVmFT0tXqvDL87aDf9_asa9j4N2AKMYACQFbDA7HHU91IrX1M9Mk-iFDD3nu12cNpI5uHWOALSS4MtIcqiQkqcefE/w134-h200/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>The second is A POUND OF FLESH, SORTA. In this #thriller,</span><span> S</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">ara Almquist receives a mysterious box contaminated with the bacteria, which causes the plague. FBI agents consider it a threat from gang leaders because Sara is a key witness at an upcoming racketeering trial. As a #scientist, Sara thinks the packet might be an attempt to focus attention on a potential for plague in the Southwest. Soon all suspect the package is a clue needed to solve the suspicious death of one employee in a meat packing plant and the disappearance of another man maimed in an industrial accident. </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560" style="color: #954f72;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560</span></a></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #1d2129;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129;"> </span><span style="color: #ffa400;">P.S.</span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;"> Prairie dog die offs in the</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;"> </span><span class="5zk7" face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;">#Southwest</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;"> really are caused by the plague and a few people in the Southwest die of the plague each year. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;">OR MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST TREAT YOURSELF AND BUY BOTH</span></span></p>J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0Dharmapuri, Forest Colony, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001, India27.1751448 78.0421422-1.1350890361788437 42.8858922 55.485378636178851 113.1983922tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-53314025647801504372020-06-01T04:42:00.000-07:002020-06-01T07:30:01.958-07:00A DIFFERENT TIME<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm starting June with a guest blogger. Marilyn Meredith is a prolific #mystery author. If you haven't read one of her books, read her new one, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFTC6K/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588514254&sr=1-1"><b style="font-style: italic;">End of the Trail</b>, </a>after you read her blog below. This is a #police procedural with heart. Let's hope this novel isn't the end of the trail for Marilyn's writing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Right now, we are all experiencing something new. I’m not going to discuss the pandemic as such—I’ll leave the current event to Janet, my host, who is far more knowledgeable about such diseases. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Any author knows that what is going on now has changed what we can do to promote our books. We can’t go to bookstores to do talks and signings, and book fairs and conferences have been cancelled. What is left? Mainly social media and visiting blogs like this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">There wasn’t even a hint of what was to come while I was writing <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFTC6K/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588514254&sr=1-1">End of the Trail</a></i></b>, the latest in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. My main ideas for this book came from family—one from a distant relative living in a most unusual lifestyle, and another from a much closer member who is preparing for any coming huge disaster whether it be a biblical Armageddon or a war of some sort. (I have a huge family, and believe me, they are all different. You should hear their varied and controversial views on the pandemic!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">When I began writing I was able to attend the weekly meetings of my critique group and hear their suggestions and feelings about each chapter. Because they also write their corrections on the copies of the chapter I brought, I can use or not use what I want when I get home. And, of course, these in-person meetings have been cancelled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoiVnLI5KT9bpKefGIK4L62k2_H_eT0iyXHReTuzv6zKiaifq93yhuxIkqDl35UnTt019AiXem13H6Xd33CyTkYAyb3NRsLsBeXrEexKOTtmY0KK2MjxffxbbPpZj5XD-Dre0r-TvVVU/s1600/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1463" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoiVnLI5KT9bpKefGIK4L62k2_H_eT0iyXHReTuzv6zKiaifq93yhuxIkqDl35UnTt019AiXem13H6Xd33CyTkYAyb3NRsLsBeXrEexKOTtmY0KK2MjxffxbbPpZj5XD-Dre0r-TvVVU/s200/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" width="182" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Though I had plenty of time to write, it was hard to get motivated to do so. I really did want to finish, but as I was writing, I began to wonder if this might be the last book in the series. Was that really what I wanted to do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Even now, with the book done and available on Amazon, I am not sure. In fact, I have a new idea bouncing around in my brain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFTC6K/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588514254&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFTC6K/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588514254&sr=1-1</a></span><br />
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J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-81635280923505863432020-05-25T18:23:00.001-07:002020-05-25T18:23:06.196-07:00A Pound of Flesh, Sorta<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Are you tired of TV reruns, why not read a new </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-size: 14px;">novel - a </span></span><span class="5zk7" style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">medical</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><span class="5zk7" style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">mystery</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">entwined in a western #thriller.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_e66Ov6JEokIhUVoemF8DHq6Q6MnJll8rnROEZpx4GbvaMWoFNrdDC2Itov1EPLyOUaZPKWCk_wT6oCFfKAzfaiA6B3_vaDkxWXlauiXWO-VzU5vQIhzIB6tW37989hCuZfz5dwuF70/s1600/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_e66Ov6JEokIhUVoemF8DHq6Q6MnJll8rnROEZpx4GbvaMWoFNrdDC2Itov1EPLyOUaZPKWCk_wT6oCFfKAzfaiA6B3_vaDkxWXlauiXWO-VzU5vQIhzIB6tW37989hCuZfz5dwuF70/s200/APOUNDOFFLESH9780960028566frontcover.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129;"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">A </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-size: 14px;">Pound</span></a></i></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560"> of Flesh, Sorta</a> </i></b>starts when a a ticking package with the guts of animals is delivered to Sara Almquist. The police doubts it's a prank because Sara is a key witness in an upcoming trial of gang leaders. Scientist Sara Almquist thinks it might be plea for help after she learns the guts are contaminated with the bacteria that causes the </span></span><span class="5zk7" style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">#plague</span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">. Read the book and see who's right.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS Prairie dog die-offs regularly occur in the American <span class="5zk7">#Southwest</span> and are caused by the plague. A few people in the Southwest die of the plague most years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Available at: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560" style="color: purple;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">re’s the start of the <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560">A Pound of Flesh, Sorta</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">CHAPTER 1: Sara Almquist on Wednesday</span></b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Sara Almquist </span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">looked at the white parcel in front of her door. A brown UPS delivery van careened around the corner away from her home. This was typical when the doorbell rang at this time of day. She never reached the door before the delivery guy was climbing into his truck. Today she was either a little slower than usual or he was a little faster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">The box was clearly marked with her name and address. She didn’t remember ordering anything recently, but she sometimes forgot orders. Maybe Eric Sanders had sent her a surprise package. Red “PERISHABLE” stamps were on the top and sides of the package. She guessed it must be food. Bug, her black and white Japanese Chin, was smelling the carton intently and waving his plumed tail. He seldom gave boxes left at the door a second sniff. It must be special.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">She carried the package, about the size of six shoe boxes, to the counter in her kitchen. It was odd that the label listed the shipper as “New Mexico Industries,” but didn’t show a return address. She didn’t know a company with that name. She pulled a utility knife from her tool drawer and slit the silver duct tape connecting the two flaps of the box. A Styrofoam carton was tightly wedged inside. Sanders had sent her something fragile or that needed to be kept cold</span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">—</span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">maybe it was tropical flowers or gourmet cheeses?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">She cut the tape around the lid, lifted the lid, took out two blue gel freeze packs, and screamed. The shock passed quickly, and her innate curiosity and scientific training took over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">A firm-looking ivory mass with streaks of pink and ridges lay in the box. It was probably the tissue of a large animal. It was not squishy like brains or squiggly tubes like intestines. It looked sorta like the tripe sold in rural meat markets, but this blob had big linear ridges, not a honeycomb of ridges. It was most likely the stomach of an animal. Several red, almost black, spots dotted the creases between the ridges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">She wasn’t going to touch it. It might be laced with a poison. This wasn’t a gift from a friend. Someone was angry with her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Four months ago, Sara had helped local police and the FBI identify the butcher at a <i>carnicería </i>in nearby Mercado as the killer of homeless veterans who interfered with his drug business in Albuquerque. It had been a complicated case and her friend Eric Sanders, then assigned by the State Department to the embassy in Cuba, had tracked an assassin hired by the drug syndicate from Havana to Miami to Albuquerque. Now the butcher, his wife, drug kingpins from Miami, and a number of former members of the Albuquerque Police Department awaited trial for murder and drug trafficking. They would be tried in federal court under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as the “RICO” Act. Sara would be a key witness for the prosecution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">The mass didn’t look like it would explode or emit dangerous gasses, but it was covered with plastic film. As a scientist, she’d seen many disgusting samples over the years. As Sara put the ice packs and the lid back on the carton, she thought she heard a ticking noise. Her imagination was probably working overtime, but she saw no reason to tempt fate. She carried the carton out of her house and placed it in her driveway. If it exploded, the house wouldn’t suffer too much damage. She didn’t think the package was big enough to contain a lot of explosives, but it wouldn’t take much with the right ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Rather than call 9-1-1, Sara punched the button for Mercado Police Chief Gil Andrews. She had his cell phone number on speed dial because they had worked together on several cases during the last couple of years. “Gil? I have an emergency. Just received a package of… tripe or something like it. Anyway, it’s ticking.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">“What do you mean ‘tripe?’ Ticking?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">“The carton is in my driveway so it won’t blow up my house.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-56619507305909698972019-10-18T02:00:00.000-07:002019-10-18T06:20:11.849-07:00A Book for Halloween<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">My guest is</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">Marilyn Meredith, a well-known blogger and author of more than forty mystery/crime novels. Her newest book</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"><i><a href="https://tinyurl.com/yxpd8mxy">Bones in the Attic </a></i></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">is the fifteenth book in her Rocky Bluff Police Department series. I asked her to write about innovative ways to market books.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Here’s Marilyn:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyiltCyPwkoKm9QCwbvU5vKh4RZFZJu0w7v4mrou-s5_PvLckopy59-e0EJIqYyS4tw_qb6HviinUn7hac41ALVzcsIo2WRFds9j3-gYJFs3g0uvBArgGLVbt-WOWyOIdlYDEL_J92Zk/s1600/Bones+in+the+Attic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1008" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyiltCyPwkoKm9QCwbvU5vKh4RZFZJu0w7v4mrou-s5_PvLckopy59-e0EJIqYyS4tw_qb6HviinUn7hac41ALVzcsIo2WRFds9j3-gYJFs3g0uvBArgGLVbt-WOWyOIdlYDEL_J92Zk/s200/Bones+in+the+Attic.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://tinyurl.com/yxpd8mxy">Bones in the Attic</a> </i></b>centers around a skeleton, I think I’m going to buy a plastic skeleton to take along with me whenever I give a presentation or do a signing. That certainly fits the bill for innovative, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Probably the most exciting book signing I ever had took place in a new Bed and Breakfast. So many people signed up to come, to accommodate everyone, they served two lunches on the same day at different times. The book was <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kindred-Spirits-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07S6CK6GZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Kindred+Spirits+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1569960191&s=digital-text&sr=1-1">Kindred Spirits</a> </i></b>in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, and the Tolowa (Indian tribe in northern California) woman who inspired two of the characters in the book and gave me so much information about the Tolowa people and Big Foot, signed the book along with me and gave a little talk at each of the lunches. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We don’t have any bookstores near where I live, so I always have to find other types of places to hold my book launches, so far I’ve had them in our local inn, a coffee shop, a second hand store, and in a store in the next town that sells hand-made chocolates. That’s a fun place to have a signing. My books are also for sale in a local thrift shop.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course I do all the usual things like the blog tour I’m on now, go to book and craft fairs, speak at and serve on panels at writers conferences, give talks for writers groups and libraries.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve given away books for a short period through Amazon, which does help sales for other books in the series. I’ve also done 99 cent sales which works much the same. Of course this also takes a lot of promoting on Facebook and Twitter, plus using several of the services that charge to promote the freebies and sales. Now it’s your turn to make comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u>Blurb for <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yxpd8mxy">Bones in the Attic</a></u></b>: The discovery of a skeleton, a welfare check on a senior citizen, and a wildfire challenge the Rocky Bluff Police Department.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Buy link: https://tinyurl.com/yxpd8mxy</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJ_NUxFibnhJGXgu9QR7S-12UKZC_0ijuR5ovM1Ua7aXk1X3g3L349mNSoXPZiMQ4-_HW1JQ-gFxOaw3hXCipfAmES55vaBv-z-uV4AKn160M8e3YZuNQCZEy20fqKYa5AE3Tb9AuZq4/s1600/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1463" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJ_NUxFibnhJGXgu9QR7S-12UKZC_0ijuR5ovM1Ua7aXk1X3g3L349mNSoXPZiMQ4-_HW1JQ-gFxOaw3hXCipfAmES55vaBv-z-uV4AKn160M8e3YZuNQCZEy20fqKYa5AE3Tb9AuZq4/s200/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" width="182" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Bio</u></b>: Marilyn Meredith, who writes the RBPD mystery series as F.M. Meredith, is the author of over 40 published books. She once lived in a small beach town much like Rocky Bluff and has many relatives and friends in law enforcement. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Webpage: <a href="http://fictionforyou.com/" style="color: purple;">http://fictionforyou.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Blog: <a href="https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/" style="color: purple;">https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.meredith" style="color: purple;"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.meredith</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/marilynmeredith/" style="color: purple;">https://twitter.com/marilynmeredith/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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And she’s a regular on these blogs:<o:p></o:p></div>
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2<sup>nd</sup>and 4<sup>th</sup>Tuesday: <a href="https://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/" style="color: purple;">https://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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4<sup>th</sup>Monday of the month: <a href="https://ladiesofmystery.com/" style="color: purple;">https://ladiesofmystery.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-38532311211818313342019-10-01T11:15:00.000-07:002019-10-01T11:15:04.235-07:00Should you get a flu vaccination?<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Should you get a flu #vaccination? Yes, but remember #flu vaccines aren’t perfect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #f0f0f0; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The overall estimated effectiveness of 2018-19 seasonal influenza #vaccine was 47%. This estimate was based on data from more than three thousand children and adults with acute respiratory illness during November 23, 2018–February 2, 2019, [Morbidity & Mortality </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Weekly</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Report/ February 15, 2019 / 68(6);135–139]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Flu vaccines for 2019-20 have been updated to better match flu virus expected to be circulating in the U.S. <span> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends “high dose” shots for those older than sixty-five</span></u><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. A large clinical trial indicated that a “high-dose “vaccine was 24.2% more effective in preventing flu in adults 65 years of age than a standard-dose vaccine (New England Journal of Medicine 2014; 371:635-645). Other trials show the “high dose” vaccine reduced hospitalizations form flu among those older than sixty-five.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfgh4AAd-O5yU4tE1CjdUJgmZ0s00-VKD9qTl24s6dgkrrdxQNp3STVpDWxgEhoX2Vufp7HNwtIQTGtTDpLsanZ_iDZVuV0DtE9TSJ68CR1ajMhwOcNDVb6uNkz3BmcPAWlBtcBo43NA/s1600/flubookversion+8C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1075" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfgh4AAd-O5yU4tE1CjdUJgmZ0s00-VKD9qTl24s6dgkrrdxQNp3STVpDWxgEhoX2Vufp7HNwtIQTGtTDpLsanZ_iDZVuV0DtE9TSJ68CR1ajMhwOcNDVb6uNkz3BmcPAWlBtcBo43NA/s200/flubookversion+8C.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Do flu vaccine recommendations sound like mumbo-jumbo to you</b>? They sounded even more confusing to the residents of a small community in <b style="font-weight: normal;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251">The Flu Is Coming</a></i></b>. In this #thriller, a new type of flu kills nearly half of the <span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;">residents in an upscale, gated community in less than a week. A quarantine makes those who survive virtual prisoners in their homes. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;">The Centers for Disease Control (#CDC) recruits epidemiologist Sara Almquist to find ways to limit the spread of the epidemic. As she pries into the residents’ lives, she finds promising scientific clues but unfortunately learns too much about several of them and violence ensues.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This novel is an exciting read. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251">The Flu Is Coming</a> a <b>finalist for a New Mexico/Arizona Book Award. </b>Reading this novel is also a way to learn a bit about the development of flu vaccines. Then you’ll understand better the importance and limitations of vaccines. You could say this novel is a medical mystery within a thriller.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Book and Kindle at:<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-4083736438438500472019-08-25T15:45:00.000-07:002019-08-25T15:45:49.978-07:00BOOK SIGNINGS ARE NOT ABOUT AUTHORS<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
Book signing are about the readers. Author are successful at book signings if: they excite readers about their book and they make readers think they purchased something important (interesting or exciting).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Think about these ideas:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Don’t wait for people come to you</b>. Greet people near the door and ask “what they like to read.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Keep your spiel short</b>. The classic 1 or 2 sentence “elevator” talk is good. Try to encourage questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Study the customers in the store</b>. If possible, visit the store prior to the book signing and analyze the crowd. Develop one-sentence spiels to fit different types. For example, if everyone entering the bookstore is over fifty and you write children’s books, perhaps you should focus on how books make great gifts for grandchildren. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Be enthusiastic</b>. Don’t read or do other activities as you wait for customers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Don’t panic or get angry </b>if the crowd is sparse or if a customer insults your book. Forget your ego and try to SELL BOOKS.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Advertise </b>your signing. Any means is fair game<span>—</span>newspapers, posters, newsletters, word-of-mouth. Work with the bookstore owner for best results.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Give customers something extra</b><span>—</span>a talk or reading at a specified time, bookmarks, cookies, gift wrapping, or a discount. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You’re probably wondering if my book signing are big successes? No, but they’re more successful when I follow this advice, than when I don’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Now what are your suggestions for book signings?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrKS-eeOA8Qjg8UVPlEODoDZgJG7H-0ScvUejqQTa5mKsCFN8Tk_969s8oWYR3dO8_PzjXPF0O791NTBBvTSNp3At9Dc53dODNhszCO5FCQ5Z7vnvnRgor33AlJbmYLHxN5kPdZP-dX4/s1600/Beruitebookcover5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1034" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrKS-eeOA8Qjg8UVPlEODoDZgJG7H-0ScvUejqQTa5mKsCFN8Tk_969s8oWYR3dO8_PzjXPF0O791NTBBvTSNp3At9Dc53dODNhszCO5FCQ5Z7vnvnRgor33AlJbmYLHxN5kPdZP-dX4/s200/Beruitebookcover5.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">BIO: J.L. Greger is the author of seven mystery/thrillers. In her latest, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544">I SAW YOU IN BEIRUT</a>, Sara Almquist is in a lackluster love affair. Then an agent who has been undercover for thirty years in Iran sends an </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">email: "Help. Contact Almquist." As Sara is drawn into the plan to identify and rescue the agent, known only as F, she is forced to re-evaluate characters from her career as a globe-trotting scientist and rethink what matters in romance and her life in general. </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-33210978745313672019-07-11T06:46:00.001-07:002019-07-11T06:46:31.834-07:00COST OF SILVER MINING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCU781fYw8fdGCNjlaUMRzwQ6vjiRXeE_n53-tBy_7VVV_vFxR4hG38vdqMi63_WExrpd91Z1ngZQvb6bUisZscuy4bXGJlQZWvHfcELhEqRnM-i1JGhpnGqNodzfgnA2LcMlWp6pdtU/s1600/Ignre+the+pain+lessbyte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1018" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCU781fYw8fdGCNjlaUMRzwQ6vjiRXeE_n53-tBy_7VVV_vFxR4hG38vdqMi63_WExrpd91Z1ngZQvb6bUisZscuy4bXGJlQZWvHfcELhEqRnM-i1JGhpnGqNodzfgnA2LcMlWp6pdtU/s200/Ignre+the+pain+lessbyte.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1;"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you like silver jewelry? Have you ever thought about the cost of silver #mining – in terms of environmental #pollution and the health of miners? <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1;"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">How about visiting Cerro Rico, once the richest #silver mine in the world, with Sara Almquist in the #thriller <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501/">IGNORE THE PAIN</a></i>? #Cerro Rico is in the Andes Mountain range in South America </span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1;"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">— </span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1;"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">near </span></span>Potosí. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this thriller, Sara is a #scientist consulting for United States Agency for International Development (USAID). During her work in #Bolivia, she learns too much about the coca trade and inhumane mining practices. She’s rescued by Xave Sack, a mysterious and sexy man from the U.S. embassy in Bolivia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides enjoying suspense and romance as you read this novel, you’ll learn a bit. Did you know miners at Cerro Rico chew #coca (raw ingredient for cocaine) to help them ignore pain, thirst, and hunger while working in the mines? Did you know mercury, used to smelt silver, contaminates the area around the mines?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, read <a href="https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501/"><i>IGNORE THE PAIN</i> </a>and see parts of South America missed by most tourists. You may not get a great tan but you'll have more adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="a-list-item">Book at: </span><span style="color: #4472c4;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028501/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501/</a></span></span><span class="a-list-item" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S. I have visited Bolivia and worked as a consultant for USAID. I also did a lot of research for this book.</span></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-82041087557991446332019-06-16T08:03:00.001-07:002019-06-16T08:03:37.144-07:00Travel to modern Cuba with the thriller, MALIGNANCY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3S_zM72B5_8Gg5A81EEfDIteXduAMl9mZtsesWna4Sz-gI1UkNM3JX-c6pOLKq_q53TqErZc69o8xziFo-QtmWWcCtlcVnrbVhOIyfoIPjMQDnhmkqcjMLWXNgLshYxqoDDvUlDQjbE/s1600/Malignancy8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1037" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3S_zM72B5_8Gg5A81EEfDIteXduAMl9mZtsesWna4Sz-gI1UkNM3JX-c6pOLKq_q53TqErZc69o8xziFo-QtmWWcCtlcVnrbVhOIyfoIPjMQDnhmkqcjMLWXNgLshYxqoDDvUlDQjbE/s200/Malignancy8.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When you think of #Cuba, do you think of vintage cars, cigars, beaches, the rich blending of Spanish and West African traditions in Cuban music, Castro, and the U.S. embargo of Cuba? That what I thought before I visited Cuba. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">During a visit to Cuba, I quickly became tired of reverential references to Che Guevara, didn’t think much of La Floridita (the bar made famous by Hemingway), and found their vintage cars amusing at best. However, I was impressed by the innovative nature of the Cuban people as they skirted the U. S. embargo of Cuba and Cuban laws. For example, did you know Cuban government patented one of the first cancer immunotherapy drugs </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(Racotumomab)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">? Granted the Cuban researchers spent much of their time at Harvard and the patent was filed with scientists in Argentina, but that’s another story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I tried to present readers with an honest view of modern Cuba in the fast paced #thriller, <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Malignancy-Science-Traveler-J-Greger/dp/0960028528/">Malignancy</a>. </i></b>The story begins in New Mexico. Men </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">disguised as police officers shoot at Sara Almquist twice in one day. The Albuquerque Police suspect a drug czar with a vendetta against Sara. Thus, when colleagues in the State Department invite Sara, an experienced scientist, to arrange scientific exchanges between the U.S. and Cuba, she jumps at the chance to escape. Both fortunately and unfortunately, Sara learns more about scientists in Cuba and her so-called American colleagues than she expected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Available at: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">https://www.amazon.com/Malignancy-Science-Traveler-J-Greger/dp/0960028528/<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Malignancy-Science-Traveler-J-Greger/dp/0960028528/">https://www.amazon.com/Malignancy-Science-Traveler-J-Greger/dp/0960028528/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-71557383218214426862019-05-23T16:36:00.003-07:002019-05-23T16:36:33.351-07:00HARASSMENT MAKES A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Harassment occurs in the work environment. However, it’s often hard to define. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49lZa9UH_BsL3AIP9M0PeDZHAoUrX_fJWfR6gSHArFFWbWh2iLtgrGCtw3c6Ywsdo0kJTF4B-nxiZXImIBKMc7YJMiPgmQ2pc62oZyUTj_QD3Vsku8IMyJa_fxKDq6liaa4W1gK0V4Rg/s1600/shedidn%2527tknowherplace2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1033" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49lZa9UH_BsL3AIP9M0PeDZHAoUrX_fJWfR6gSHArFFWbWh2iLtgrGCtw3c6Ywsdo0kJTF4B-nxiZXImIBKMc7YJMiPgmQ2pc62oZyUTj_QD3Vsku8IMyJa_fxKDq6liaa4W1gK0V4Rg/s200/shedidn%2527tknowherplace2+copy.jpg" width="128" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In the psychological #thriller SHE DIDN”T KNOW HER PLACE, Dana Richardson can’t figure out why her new bosses and colleagues at a state #university are so hostile towards her. A</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">ll the threats are much more than bad management techniques.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Soon, she suspects staff in the university’s #environmental test #lab are falsifying data to help industrial #polluters meet federal and state standards. Her predecessor died in a freak accident after she began to investigate several labs in the university for embezzlement of funds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Finally, Dana realizes she must defy the president of the university and risk being fired or face eventually criminal charges for covering for scientific misconduct and fraud in the in the university.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Despite all the #harassment, Dana does get support and maybe romance from an unlikely source. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Anyone who has been <span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 33, 41);">harassed</span> at work will have <span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 33, 41);">empathy for Dana; anyone who has not will learn what it feels like to be unsure of the facts. This novel will also give readers an ideas of dilemmas faced by #scientists.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>HURRY & BUY: #SALE Kindle marked down form $3.99 to $0.99 until May 25 at: </b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amzn.com/1979733112">http://www.amzn.com/1979733112</a></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-31565617437729053422019-04-10T06:48:00.001-07:002019-04-10T06:49:17.251-07:00Does the book title resonates with readers?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvxPM4TenYZ7ABz40x0YaQtQoI5EYgoDQuYISacP2p7D_jXfBpw620CIp2Y-AHfppwZotwNy7UXY3PGtS2tzj6_CgrjEZzCEj3pQoxg0APornamU7FgSuiOeYlbLwHGY8IUdIZwY9dmc/s1600/Ignre+the+pain3darkletteringC+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1018" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvxPM4TenYZ7ABz40x0YaQtQoI5EYgoDQuYISacP2p7D_jXfBpw620CIp2Y-AHfppwZotwNy7UXY3PGtS2tzj6_CgrjEZzCEj3pQoxg0APornamU7FgSuiOeYlbLwHGY8IUdIZwY9dmc/s200/Ignre+the+pain3darkletteringC+copy.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#Book titles are important sales tools. Most editors agree on the following statements. 1) #Titles should give a hint</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> about the protagonist, the setting, the theme or the plot of the book. 2) Short titles are best. 3) Titles should catch the reader’s attention. 4)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">These rules are meant to be broken.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The net result is most writers spend hour ruminating over the title of their next novel. I’m no different. I always name a novel when I start working on a project. Then I rename it at least twice as I write and edit the novel. How about you? Maybe you’ll find my process of titling my adventure novel <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501">IGNORE THE PAIN</a> u</b>seful or amusing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I started out with the title <i>Why Does It Hurt So Much? </i>because I wanted the novel to address how individuals differ in their responses to physical and emotional pain. But that title was too long. I’d learned from my experience publicizing another novel <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1978377282">Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight </a></i></b>that long titles even if they’re funny are hard to fit the title on the spine of the book or in twitters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">That title </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">also gave no hint to the inner strength of my heroine — Sara Almquist, an epidemiologist and world traveler. Sara is a tough cookie. She knows being a public health consultant in Bolivia, where over 6% of the children before five years of age, won’t be a picnic when she accepts the assignment. The title also didn’t fit a suspense story with lots of action. Sara is chased through the Witches’ Market of La Paz and fights to avoid a trap in the silver mines of Potosí as she helps to capture the drug czar Mazzone, who used to be her neighbor in New Mexico. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The next title I chose was <i>Dull the Pain</i>. It was short, established pain as recurring theme in the novel, and hinted the heroine was tough. Amazon listed no other book with that title. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I include tidbits of science in all of my novels and really strive to get the facts correct. Thus, I had Sara learn that laborers in the silver mines of Potosí carry little food or water into the mines. In order to endure the pain caused by thirst, hunger, and heavy exertion at a high altitude (13,000 feet), they chew coca leaves. The active ingredients in coca leaves and its derivative cocaine are not analgesics; they do not dull pain. They are stimulants and help users ignore pain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I changed the title from <i>Dull the Pain </i>to <a href="https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501"><b><i>IGNORE THE PAIN</i></b>.</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Now after all my explanations on the title, do you want to read <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501">IGNORE THE PAIN</a></i></b>? Or would you give it another name?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Why don’t you enter the ebook #GIVEAWAY for a chance win <i><b>IGNORE THE PAIN</b></i> at: <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/ga/p/367493f0856741b2" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">https://www.amazon.com/ga/p/367493f0856741b2</span></a><span class="a-list-item"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Or buy it at:</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028501" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: red;">https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-75352227798923311542019-03-24T05:51:00.002-07:002019-03-24T05:53:10.716-07:00TRAVEL TO BOLIVIA BY ARMCHAIR<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Tired of winter? Is it time to plan a vacation? Bolivia is fascinating #travel destination with a vibrant #indigenous culture and a turbulent past. Its presidential palace is called the “burned palace” for reason. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I loved visiting the #Witches’ Market and climbing to the roof of Iglesia de San Franciso in #La Paz (the capital) but the city’s altitude is almost 12,000 feet. I also found it interesting that bags for #coca tea were on the tables of many restaurants along with bags of black and green tea. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Thus, many Americans may decide an actual trip to Bolivia is too strenuous and dangerous. They may decide they’d rather visit Bolivia with no risks by reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com//dp/0960028501/">IGNORE THE PAIN</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In this thriller, a woman scientist couldn't say no when invited to join a public health mission to assess children's health in #Bolivia. Soon someone from her past is chasing her through the Witches' Market of La Paz and on to the silver mines of Potosí. Worst still, she fears her new colleagues, especially the sexy one, are controlled by the coca industry of Bolivia.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why don’t you visit Bolivia with my woman scientist? You’ll see great sites and learn about the indigenous culture in a way that most casual tourists miss. New #book at: <span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif;">https://www.amazon.com//dp/096002850.</span></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-23364970497250394102019-03-16T08:19:00.005-07:002019-03-16T08:29:30.905-07:00VACCINATIONS: FACTS & FICTION<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Vaccinations are controversial. However, there is no debate scientifically that #vaccines have saved millions of lives.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that routine childhood immunizations averted 732,000 premature deaths from vaccine-preventable illnesses among children born in the U.S. during 1994–2013. (Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report [April 25, 2014] Vol 63, No. 16)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">This estimate doesn’t consider the lives saved by #vaccinations for flu, hepatitis, etc. in adults or the effect of vaccinations internationally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There are four main reasons that vaccinations are controversial. One is their development is a complex, expensive process taking sometimes ten to fifteen years. Two, viruses are constantly mutating (changing)and hence causing the need for new or altered viruses. Three, any vaccine can cause side effects. Most are minor (a sore arm, headache, a low-grade fever) and go away in a few day. Serious side effects (a severe allergic reaction) are rare (probably less than 1 in a million) but clinic staff are trained to deal with them. Four, many do not like the way scientists and medical personnel couch their answers with so many “ifs” and “buts.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Thus, <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251">The Flu Is Coming</a> </i></b>is not only a thriller but also an example of the how a flu vaccine could be developed. It's really two mysteries combined. Will a woman epidemiologist be able to find clues that will help stop the spread of a new, deadly flu virus? And will police be able to maintain of a quarantine of a community exposed to this flu virus after the epidemiologist learns too many secrets about the criminal activities of several residents in the community?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Prescription</span></u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. Learn more about vaccines and their development. If you don’t like dry, technical jargon, read <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251">The Flu Is Coming</a></i></b>. You’ll learn a bit and get to enjoy an action-packed thriller. Paper back & Kindle versions at: </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251</span></b></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Blurb</span></u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">: In <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251"><b><i>The Flu Is Coming</i></b>,</a> a new type of flu — the Philippine flu — kills nearly half of the <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">residents in an upscale, gated community in less than a week. A quarantine makes those who survive virtual prisoners in their homes.</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The Centers for Disease Control recruit Sara Almquist, a resident of the community, to apply her skills as an epidemiologist to find ways to limit the spread of the epidemic. As she pries into her neighbors’ lives, she finds promising scientific clues but unfortunately learns too much about several of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-26084744609108906832019-02-08T06:22:00.000-08:002019-02-16T09:34:46.385-08:00SALE: RIDDLED WITH CLUES for $0.99<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The Kindle version of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237">RIDDLED WITH CLUES</a> is on sale for $0.99 from February 13 to February 20. Here's more about this mystery/thriller set in Albuquerque.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">February is the month with Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays. A time to remember American history, even the wars and conflicts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Do you have friends or relatives who served in Vietnam? Maybe you served. Generally, I find many veterans are reticent to talk about their experiences. Thus, I was surprised and pleased when one friend after reading one of my novel asked if I’d like to see his notes from being a medic in the secret war in Laos in the 1960s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The notes were fascinating but I write modern thrillers. I turned his notes into clues for a mystery/thriller, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237">RIDDLED WITH CLUES</a>, set at the VA Center in Albuquerque. My friend liked the results. Other veterans said I reflected their impressions of the Vietnam War. Maybe you will too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">For those too young to remember that conflict, maybe you’ll learn a bit of history. In any case, I think you’ll find the clues are a good way to open a fast-moving modrn thriller.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Here’s a short blurb: A woman is attacked repeatedly after she listens to the strange tale of an undercover drug agent and gets puzzling riddled clues from a homeless veteran in Albuquerque. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Buy at: <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Learn more about the book at: <a href="http://www.jlgreger.com/" style="color: #954f72;">http://www.jlgreger.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-1802456483893359952018-12-22T06:11:00.001-08:002018-12-22T06:11:20.161-08:00Christmas Is Almost Here!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’re probably in a rush of baking, shopping, and either traveling to homes of relatives or getting your home ready for company. Breathe deeply. Do something for yourself. Order a book that will take you away from the holiday hubbub. If you order it now, you’ll have it as you clean up (or procrastinate from cleaning up) after the first onslaught of the holidays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s your escape plan: <b><i>The Flu Is Coming</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1wTrCFTIZ9Iwu9YssWc7J2XaLSBjCRUzWAg7jpD5okETXzj8ifGbPg1Z8cZe79XC2KOxFW4iH76AvJ5hWItyk-tN590z0Sn2a-ez1VsCtb2Qrpm6roA-eR9ynAD-dE4WN2MzQmR2Ntc/s1600/reduced+flu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1075" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1wTrCFTIZ9Iwu9YssWc7J2XaLSBjCRUzWAg7jpD5okETXzj8ifGbPg1Z8cZe79XC2KOxFW4iH76AvJ5hWItyk-tN590z0Sn2a-ez1VsCtb2Qrpm6roA-eR9ynAD-dE4WN2MzQmR2Ntc/s200/reduced+flu.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In <i>The Flu Is Coming</i>, a new type of flu — the Philippine flu — kills nearly half of the <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">residents in an upscale, gated community near Albuquerque in less than a week. Those who survive become virtual prisoners in their homes when a quarantine is imposed.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Centers of Disease Control recruits Sara Almquist, a resident of the community and a scientist, to apply her skills as an epidemiologist to find ways to limit the spread of the epidemic. As she pries into her neighbors’ lives, she finds promising scientific clues. Unfortunately, she also learns too much about several of them and violence ensues when several try to escape the quarantine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Available in print and ebook at:<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251">https://www.amazon.com/Flu-Coming-Science-Traveler/dp/0578423251</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Try to relax and have a happy holiday!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCYHA75G2euxR5U2AqdGqEZIXwuzRLWcvQEdc1ptWsUF5GkE0hv4j9_bdTid-dEPVIUAU8xmGLREFXeiFHSPypX6O_vV4HkZ160Slxg3zF9Cuw6eVA8hDDKoc6dCzAhKj-6XQU0MnddI/s1600/Other+Peoples+Mothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1053" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCYHA75G2euxR5U2AqdGqEZIXwuzRLWcvQEdc1ptWsUF5GkE0hv4j9_bdTid-dEPVIUAU8xmGLREFXeiFHSPypX6O_vV4HkZ160Slxg3zF9Cuw6eVA8hDDKoc6dCzAhKj-6XQU0MnddI/s200/Other+Peoples+Mothers.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you doubt you’ll have time to read a medical thriller, try short stories (4 -10 pages each). The characters in <b><i>Other People’s Mothers </i></b>may remind you of your relatives or make you appreciate your more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Available in print and ebook at: </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544895011" style="color: #954f72; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/15448950</span><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">11</span></a><u style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> </u><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-71356674270420152702018-11-14T14:13:00.001-08:002018-11-14T14:13:19.803-08:00BOOKS MAKE GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Books are easy to wrap and ship. They aren't perishable or fattening. You don't need to guess at sizes. </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why not give books as gifts during this holiday season?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>GOT A DIETER ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST?</b></span><br />
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She can enjoy a mystery and guess whether an ambitious young doctor or old-timers with buried secrets killed the "diet doctor" in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><i>Murder...A Way to Lose Weight</i></b>. And she'll <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">learn about recent scientific research linking body weight and gut bacteria.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">Kindle & paperback at: </span><a href="http://amzn.com/1978377282.">http://amzn.com/1978377282.</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1<sup>st </sup>prize in the 2016 Public Safety Writers’ Association contest and finalist for a 2016 NM/Arizona Book Award.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WH</b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AT ABOUT THE HARD-TO-SHOP-FOR GUY?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He can race to solve the mystery faster than police i</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">n</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Riddled with Clues </i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as he </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">interprets riddled messages from homeless veterans. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He also will learn a bit of history. The scenes in Laos during the Vietnam War are based on the memories of a New Mexico veteran who was a medic.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kindle & paperback </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at:<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.amzn.com/1938436237">http://www.amzn.com/1938436237</a></span><b>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Finalist for a 2017 NM/Arizona Book Award.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXG50GVaNBhtnBEisrz9Hf7eCMGsPSbNaOTMOZ3mYwu_9mt7MVB_eYCAbe2E6a2gTMyG6d-VlsdL4bQ96A__AD4ADbUjkt5g_LTY3YZJ6U_0D-3qxOkiNn3SZkEiaOSbaUe7OumlW3IU/s1600/shedidn%2527tknowherplace2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1033" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXG50GVaNBhtnBEisrz9Hf7eCMGsPSbNaOTMOZ3mYwu_9mt7MVB_eYCAbe2E6a2gTMyG6d-VlsdL4bQ96A__AD4ADbUjkt5g_LTY3YZJ6U_0D-3qxOkiNn3SZkEiaOSbaUe7OumlW3IU/s200/shedidn%2527tknowherplace2.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO LOVE CONSPIRACY THEORIES?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They'll want to know whether a woman was killed to hide the secrets of polluters and an environmental test lab in <b><i>She Didn’t Know Her Place</i></b>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kindle & paperback at: <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><b><a href="http://www.amzn.com/1979733112">http://www.amzn.com/1979733112</a></b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTdaaLTQNxJvHwakgcvr2aR98VOo_JL9u_uA0Ad36eNcTmTAD4Cu8FfG4FoVSY0pC1CHR-BXZo8YOIO4EEqfmK_kxU_z5J_4TswYEloKtA1W7v-LT7arneVZry5qs_SupiC0RVtAFPPw/s1600/cover+good+old+days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTdaaLTQNxJvHwakgcvr2aR98VOo_JL9u_uA0Ad36eNcTmTAD4Cu8FfG4FoVSY0pC1CHR-BXZo8YOIO4EEqfmK_kxU_z5J_4TswYEloKtA1W7v-LT7arneVZry5qs_SupiC0RVtAFPPw/s200/cover+good+old+days.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHAT ABOUT THOSE WITH LITTLE TIME TO READ?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May be they'll enjoy short (4-10 pages) stories at bedtime and gain an better appreciation of their parents and grandparents. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kindle & paperback at: <b><u><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1537743813">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1537743813</a></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>While you're shopping for everyone else, why not get one or two books for yourself?</b></span></div>
J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847647560295705311.post-45420395125606485952018-10-26T02:00:00.000-07:002018-10-27T06:30:29.264-07:00CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You're in for a treat. Marilyn Meredith, author more than thirty mystery novels, is giving tips on how to develop interesting characters today. Her newest mystery is <b><span style="color: purple;"><a href="https://tinyurl.com/yabj9z9f">Tangled Webs</a></span></b>. Enjoy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rCisq_Qoevh6nGbIfl6PQN73SN-Pn1Hh25YdVTOItsF-p9Fn-z13eIFeVseImBj1mdrY9OhyMoMLxOVMrkJGDJuUEjtlG9p2_VIALKI2YBFCMzWUU9Eh6uF4vBIFbopDt1bfNbBoh90/s1600/tangled+web+front+cover+jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1008" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rCisq_Qoevh6nGbIfl6PQN73SN-Pn1Hh25YdVTOItsF-p9Fn-z13eIFeVseImBj1mdrY9OhyMoMLxOVMrkJGDJuUEjtlG9p2_VIALKI2YBFCMzWUU9Eh6uF4vBIFbopDt1bfNbBoh90/s200/tangled+web+front+cover+jpeg.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Marilyn Meredith's comments</span><span style="color: purple;">:</span></b></span> How do I develop my characters? I’ll describe my process, which I admit has changed through the years. At one time, I kept a notebook with pages about each character, I no longer do that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because I’m writing a series, the main characters are pretty much set at least in the way they look and often act. However, because this is a long ongoing series, of course each one has matured, and in some cases made some drastic changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Probably the one who has changed the most is Ryan Strickland. His marriage and the birth of a daughter with Down syndrome truly affected him. And then there’s Gordon Butler, popular with readers, whose life has become far less traumatic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two of the newer characters in the series are the RBPD Police Chief, Chandra Butler, and the mayor, Devon Duvall. They’ve begun a romance, a romance that might not happen thanks to some surprising news. Though I know a lot about these two, there is much more to be explored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two teens play an important part in this latest Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, one is Detective Milligan’s daughter, Beth, and the other, her new friend, Kayla. Fortunately, I have a good memory of what it’s like during those teen years and I have enough friends and relatives who are still in that age group if I need to ask any questions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No matter what character I’m writing about, I try to get inside their head, see what they are seeing and how they see it, how any new events affect them considering what has gone in their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What new characters arrive on the scene, I jot down important information about them in a notebook I keep beside my computer where I keep other notes about the book I’m writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the case of all my characters, I see them as real persons. I know what they think, how they will react in certain situations, and how they view their world. And that’s the way I develop my characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_Pxten7AvdiwKIgsZ5yHHPoKvAAyzEf7E-Zy2CnDExg73Y6p4oGuPSMXV17hihjc2f0TNTF0HnMPXIG0PyYRHSCby57oZgCNqHxfek46U7JnmOkPysPOI6SHlvM3mxkj5OmKvkG5qME/s1600/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1463" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_Pxten7AvdiwKIgsZ5yHHPoKvAAyzEf7E-Zy2CnDExg73Y6p4oGuPSMXV17hihjc2f0TNTF0HnMPXIG0PyYRHSCby57oZgCNqHxfek46U7JnmOkPysPOI6SHlvM3mxkj5OmKvkG5qME/s200/Marilyn+in+Vegas+1.jpg" width="182" /></a><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Marilyn who writes this series as F. M. Meredith<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: blue;">Blurb for <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yabj9z9f">Tangled Webs</a></span><span style="color: purple;">:</span></span></b> Too many people are telling lies: The husband of the murder victim and his secretary, the victim’s co-workers in the day care center, her stalker, and Detective Milligan’s daughter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Available at: </span><u style="box-sizing: content-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="box-sizing: content-box; color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://tinyurl.com/yabj9z9f" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: purple; line-height: normal; outline: none !important; transition: color 200ms ease-out; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: content-box; color: blue; line-height: normal;">https://tinyurl.com/yabj9z9f</span></a></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Links</b></span>:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://fictionforyou.com/" style="color: purple;">http://fictionforyou.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/" style="color: purple;">https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I apologize to Marilyn and the readers but I can't get the comments section to work.</span><br />
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J. L. Gregerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.com0